New production line

Since October 2019, a new high-tech production line has been in use at Primo’s factory in Berlin. The machinery has been delivered by Greiner Extrusion, a leading manufacturer of systems for the extrusion industry. The new line and the digitisation help Primo to eliminate sources of error and by collecting data, production can be optimised. Furthermore, these processes are automated in the new systems and they are realisable in no time.

“I believe that digitisation and the associated automation in the extrusion business are what enables us to continue to produce competitive profiles in the future. The digitisation not only optimises individual processes, but it also changes the structure and organisation of processes. We see that ideas that have not yet been technically or economically implemented become realisable. Using digitally controlled processes, less manual intervention and reconciliation is required. Thereby we can reduce costs and delivery times,” says Operating Manager Harald Möllenkamp.

A MORE PRECISE EXTRUSION PROCESS

Another critical advantage of the new line is the automatic documentation of the operations. Historically, extrusion used to rely on individual engineering skills and craftsmanship. A large number of parameters need to be adjusted precisely to obtain the desired quality of profiles from extrusion. This includes temperatures, formulas for the raw material, process speed, cooling etc.  All these parameters and their complex interactions are now being digitised and documented.

The advantages of this are numerous. First, a successful setup can be repeated over and over again, because processes and settings become programmable. It becomes more comfortable and faster to set up a new operation, and the process is no longer dependent on individual gut-feeling from a few senior extrusion specialists.  Secondly, with precise documentation, it becomes possible to improve quality control. Data from the production can be shared with clients, developing relationships with customers.

FASTER, SAFER AND MORE SUSTAINABLE EXTRUSION

“And of course, we can produce faster and safer, while improving the quality of the profiles. Also, we should not forget that we can now produce profiles with considerable energy savings,” Harald Möllenkamp mentions.

He also points out that new technology and the digitisation process is demanding and challenging for the employees. Therefore, Primo’s people are participating in training programs: 

“We chose Greiner partly because the offer a comprehensive package of in-house training and On-site training so that we can use the new technology and at the same time achieved a know-how benefit for the employees,” Harald Möllenkamp says.