Sandvik says the coronavirus pandemic has led to its precision tube site in Werther, Germany going fully digital in only two days.
The crushing and screening equipment manufacturer says the change would normally have taken five years and has resulted in a more streamlined production process.
It adds that the upgraded site’s flatter, more efficient organisation and improved flexibility make it a production model for the future.
When the coronavirus hit Europe, the tube site in Werther faced a potential lockdown. With a large order backlog that would have been a disaster for the business, Sandvik says there was also a huge demand for high precision tubes for ventilators at the time.
“We immediately took the decision to order a digital mobile device for each employee to keep the mill open and secure enough distance between our people,” according to Thomas Froböse, production unit manager at Sandvik.
Ninety people work in production at the Werther site, with three rolling shifts of 30 people. Ninety iPads were set-up and handed out in two days, and the whole unit went digital. Programmers and automation engineers are now connected to all the machines via a network, and control and support the functions of the machines ‒ from the safety of home.
“The only people in the mill are operators and shift leaders who work isolated and follow our firm restrictions on distancing,” said Froböse. “All communication is also run differently; whiteboard meetings have been switched to digital working files, and we now use digital documentation of shift plans, detailed planning for the machines and order management for every machine.”
Operations at Werther have been running in the new digitised way since 10 March, and Froböse says the plant has completed the quarter with its best turnover ever.
Sandvik says the rapid switch would not have been possible without previous preparations. The Werther site has previously integrated digital systems with a security app for all employees being implemented five years ago the site introducing a digital system for documentation in 2018. The latest digitalisation required a full-scale pilot from the start.
Sandvik says a survey shows that 80% of the workers are positive to the change while 20% is a bit more hesitant, although everybody uses the system.
