With solid expertise in production logistics and automation in-house, the goal is to find the right supplier to provide the hardware that you don't have internally. The appliance manufacturer Electrolux in Mariestad was searching for a used press but found a new one for a better price at AP&T. Now production is in full swing after an installation that went surprisingly smoothly.
Electrolux was introducing a new design for their refrigerator doors, which meant that a press operation for coining – embossing had to be integrated into the production floor between two bending stations. For this purpose, an advanced press tool was created that could be switched between different product variations. The tool involved a large investment, and Electrolux started to look for a suitable press for the production line that rolls out a new refrigerator door every 16 seconds – around 200,000 per year.
New press for the right price
"We thought about buying a used press to come down in price, but the ones we found required costly renovations, which would be almost as expensive as purchasing a new one," explains Kent Kjerrman at Electrolux.
"Once we came in contact with AP&T, they suggested a new press with the specifications we were looking for but without the functions that we didn't need, including counter force and ejectors," says Kent Kjerrman.
Close cooperation
The choice fell to AP&T's multi purpose ZL press with 400 tons of press force and the corresponding control system. In March 2006, the parties agreed on what was to be delivered and when. The press' functions and operating system would be customized for Electrolux production. This was followed by a close dialogue between the technicians at both Electrolux and AP&T to ensure that everything was correct. For example, the processor in the press' control system was so powerful that they wanted to use it to control the collection equipment that Electrolux had designed and built themselves.
Installation during on-going production
The installation plan accounted for the fact that the new press would be on site at the same time as production on the line was underway, which meant one production shift followed by a shift of installation work.
"In order for this type of project to be successful, a detailed plan is required that is also based on all involved parties keeping their promises and AP&T did that. It is complicated to put together, and we are very satisfied with their cooperation," confirms Kent Kjerrman.
New machine feels good
The press was lifted in over a weekend in July and was followed by three weeks of installation work, interwoven with production, before everything was clear and the tool was in place. At Electrolux, people were happy that it was a new press instead of a used one.
"New is always new, and we know that it works. In addition, we save money because AP&T has the spare parts available. We avoid having to maintain a warehouse with spare parts, which would have been required if we had purchased a used machine," explains Kent Kjerrman.
