Quick changeover to the VEN SPRAY COMFORT
Ballingslöv, one of Sweden's top manufacturers of premium kitchens, decided to work with the German system manufacturer Venjakob Maschinenbau to replace its outdated spray-coating machine. The new VEN SPRAY COMFORT Coating machine was put into operation within two weeks. And without any language barriers - the VEN SPRAY COMFORT can be operated in several languages.
"The user interface is optimised for the operator. Even different languages can be easily changed within one operating level. All in all, a high-end coating lines that is easy to operate and is geared towards our needs," says Ulf Moberg, project manager in the Ballingslöv team, after the two-week test phase.
Ballingslöv is a successful Swedish manufacturer of premium kitchens that has been on the market for over 90 years. Ballingslöv is known for its large selection of different kitchen styles, a colour spectrum that is unusual for Sweden, high-quality materials and intelligent technical functions.
In the historic brick factory building at the Ballingslöv site, 150 kitchens are built every day on several floors. Around 2500 doors and other accessories are surface-treated in three shifts, five days a week.
Modern data acquisition and multilingualism
The spray painting machine previously used for pickling (third-party brand) had been in use since 1994. Due to the advanced age of this machine, Ballingslöv expected that there would no longer be any spare and wear parts for it in the long term. In addition, the outdated control system posed too high a risk for production. A failure would have had a major impact on the entire kitchen production.
The new VEN SPRAY COMFORT machine from Venjakob fulfils all the requirements of a future-oriented producer like Ballingslöv thanks to its modern technical equipment and intelligent process monitoring. The continuous optimisation of internal production processes requires the correct recording of production data for carrying out OEE analyses and evaluating system performance. Continuous technical availability also plays an important role for all companies today.
Another advantage of the VEN SPRAY COMFORT is that the machine can be operated easily and conveniently after initial instruction. The multilingualism of the operator panel, for example, is a great advantage for the system employees. Various languages are available, which can be easily changed within an operator level.
Customised work required for transport
Three project teams were formed for the preparatory work and installation of the machine - on the customer side under the leadership of Ulf Moberg, on the dealer side - the Jon Stenberg team, a Swedish dealer specialising in surface treatment - and on the manufacturer side, the Venjakob team.
Only the two weeks during the company holiday period were available for the conversion work. That's not much time when you consider that installing a new machine in an existing infrastructure is a challenge that should not be underestimated. Then there were the spatial conditions. The low ceilings and narrow access routes in the historic factory building are not designed for the dimensions of modern machines. This meant that customised work was required to transport the machine to the site.
After the Ballingslöv team had uninstalled the old machine in the first week, the transport routes for the VEN SPRAY COMFORT had to be prepared. The access routes were measured to the millimetre and the measurements were passed on to the Venjakob team. It turned out that it would only be possible to get through if the height of the spraying machine was reduced by a few centimetres. The solution was quickly obvious: the "adjustable feet" fitted under the machine were replaced by flat skids, thus saving the required centimetres. The machine was delivered on Monday morning at 8.15 a.m., right on time for the start of the second week. The transport through the factory halls to the intended location went smoothly and without a hitch.
Remote analysis already proved its worth in the test phase
Thanks to good preparation on the customer side, the machine was installed within three days, by the following Thursday. This was followed by the process monitoring integration into the overall system and the machine was successfully put into operation.
The two-week test phase began on Friday, during which the machine stopped immediately. This caused excitement in the Ballingslöv team, as they could not explain where the fault lay. A malfunction in the control cabinet? This was by no means planned, but the immense advantages of an integrated remote maintenance system were immediately apparent. The Venjakob engineers were able to quickly identify the cause of the fault by analysing it remotely. The system was up and running again on the same day. This brief interlude left the customer with a reassuring feeling. "It's incredibly reassuring when you've already experienced in practice that you can count on direct support in the event of possible faults," says project manager Ulf Moberg.
