Head of Torm Metal Oskar Kilk says that the company had already planned from the beginning to acquire both solutions to modernise production. "The two systems are not that separate. At the time the powder coating line was planned, the robot was built into the project. Exactly what kind of robot we didn't know at the time, but we had already taken robot readiness into account when planning the powder coating line. The decision to do the work in two phases was mainly based on the fact that it was a large investment and it made sense to split it into two phases. The completed solution is the second phase of a major project," says Kilk, adding that it was a necessary investment for long-term sustainable growth.

The plant manager also confirms that the new solution has brought a big leap in production growth, with the lion's share of pending orders completed within the first week of operation. "It's not that the previous resource was running at maximum capacity, but the time had come to put the paint robot into operation. It's difficult to draw any detailed conclusions from the few weeks the robot has been in operation, but it's a much-anticipated piece of automation, and the employees are pleased with the change in the nature of their work," says Kilk.

It's difficult to draw any detailed conclusions from the few weeks the robot has been in use, but it is a much-anticipated automation and the staff are pleased with the change in the nature of their work.

In addition to servicing large volumes, the Torm Metalli manager also highlights the company's quality assurance capabilities. "Quality and volume cannot be considered in isolation, as there are several critical stages in the system that would impact investment and pressure to compromise at lower production volumes. Thus, certain stages of the production process would sometimes have to be abandoned, but these in turn allow top quality to be achieved. Today, we have a 5 chamber and 7 stage washing system and the whole process is designed to carry out large painting jobs in such a way that the quality of the work is guaranteed. In the past, this all took longer because the painting was done by hand, which is already physically very difficult. The entire capacity of the line relied on two people painting the parts in succession by hand. Now, the painters have a much more value-added role, where they can oversee the process, complete it, and the painting itself is no longer the determining factor in throughput," he describes.

According to the head of the company, which manufactures metal products, painting has become one of the biggest selling points in just a few years, alongside other services such as pipe and sheet cutting, water cutting, bending, welding, laser marking and shot blasting.

The newly-renovated line manufacturer, Swiss manufacturer Geman, came to the company as a result of a great deal of preparatory work and research. "There are other strong players in the world, but this collaboration has worked very well for us. Gema and Elister's solution was convincing from the moment we made the choice and we have not been disappointed," says Kilk.

Gema and Elister's solution was convincing from the moment we made the choice, and we have not been disappointed.

If you would like more information about the project carried out at Torm Metal's production facility, or if you need a consultation to set up a similar solution in your company, please feel free to contact Elister OÜ. Our long experience will definitely help you to find a suitable solution and to carry out your project.