Doubled results and energy consumption cut in half in Nimo's painting department
NIMO in Hova has carried out a thorough development of the painting. Thanks to the measures implemented, it has gone from 2 shifts to only day shifts, while the number of painted items has increased. In addition, energy consumption has been cut in half. The recipe for success is the optimisation of the hanging technology, increased conveyor speed and new procedures for preparing materials.
"It is also thanks to the great commitment and expertise of our employees that we have now achieved these amazing results," says Mikael Fröjdendahl, production manager for sheet metal and painting at Nimo.
When NIMO 2020 decided to design and rebuild the painting department, consultancy Meyer & Hjort, an expert in optimising surface treatment processes, was contacted. The project started with a substantial preliminary study of the current situation, the existing equipment and the target image for future results.
- The proposal we received from Meyer & Hjort included much bigger changes than we anticipated, but we also saw opportunities for much better results than expected. Today, we are delighted that we invested in the consultancy company's proposed solution, which has doubled our production rate in the painting department, cut our energy consumption in half and also reduced our material use by 20 percent,” says Åsa Rang, team leader in the painting department at Nimo and project manager.
Mikael Fröjdendahl is proud of the way Åsa and the other staff at NIMO have handled the big change that the redesign of the painting department has brought.
"Many people probably thought that going from 2-shift to 1-shift would mean more work and more stress, but instead the opposite happened. As more employees are now working during a shift, the change has meant an improved working environment and fewer burdensome moments, says Mikael Fröjdendahl.
Hanging technology as the biggest challenge
Getting the hanging technology optimised was the biggest challenge and at the same time the path to good results.
- We could hardly believe that we could go from 2-shift to 1-shift work by optimising the hanging technology, but the consulting company Meyer & Hjort was able to show with data that it was feasible. With the new hanging technology, higher conveyor speeds and new materials preparation procedures, we can now paint twice as many items as before, says Åsa Rang.
Efficiency throughout the chain
Each item to be painted undergoes a number of steps before it is ready for assembly. The process begins with the components to be painted being hung on the conveyor, followed by several steps of washing, de-greasing and passivating the plate, to remove the industrial coating or e-coat that the plate has on delivery. This is followed by drying and cooling before the parts are ready for painting.
- In the past, it was staff from the painting department who would drive by truck to pick up components from the warehouse. This process has now been streamlined, with a dedicated service preparing and making everything ready for filling the conveyor, this has saved a lot of time.