Hurtigere logistik skaber mere bæredygtighed

Køkkenproducenten Kvik har fordoblet kapaciteten og
reduceret fejl, udgifter og CO2-udledning med et fuldautomatisk pakningsanlæg

Der er stor appetit på nye køkkener i disse år, og for Kvik i Vildbjerg har det betydet en årsomsætning på 1,9 mia. kr. og et mål om 2,5 mia. i 2025. Væksten er steget støt med ca. 10 pct. årligt siden 2014, hvilket har sat produktionsapparatet under pres. Derfor indledte Kvik i efteråret 2019 et
samarbejde med Qubiqa om at udvikle et fuldautomatisk pakningsanlæg.

“Automatiseringen skulle både frigive en overskudskapacitet, så vi kunne køre flere emner i færre skift, og være et fremtidssikret anlæg, som kunne håndtere stigende kapacitet,” siger produktionsdirektør Chris Larsen, Kvik.

Samtidig skulle anlægget forbedre ergonomi for medarbejdere og løfte kvaliteten – og i særdeleshed bidrage til en bedre energieffektivitet og dermed lavere CO2-aftryk

Ambition om bæredygtighed
“Kvik har en klar ambition om at være bæredygtige, og det argument var en af de primære drivere for os. Vi havde Danmarks største radiator stående i det tidligere anlæg, og vi var sikre på, at vi både kunne øge energieffektiviteten og hente noget på materialespild og ressourceforbrug,” siger Chris Larsen. Kapaciteten er nu fordoblet. Der er sparet godt 2 mio. kr. i lønudgifter årligt, og man har fået langt nemmere ved at levere en fleksibel og kundetilpasset indpakning. Vigtigst er måske, at det har sat skub i en udvikling: “Vi har fået et anlæg, som har sat en udviklingsproces i gang. Der er fundet gode snitflader mellem logistik og proces, og løsningen har bredt sig til andre områder af vores produktion,” siger Chris Larsen.

“Anlæg i denne størrelsesorden er ikke bare plug and play. Vores forsyningskæde var ikke gearet til omfanget af standardisering som følge af en øget automatisering, og det var godt, vi havde valgt en partner, som så læringspotentialet på samme måde som os,” siger Chris Larsen.

Det kan chef for aftersales & automation Martin Valgren fra Qubiqa bekræfte. Virksomheden har stor erfaring i at bygge automatiserede anlæg til isoleringsbranchen. “Vi har taget en velkendt teknologi ind i et nyt system, som umiddelbart ser ret sammenlignelig ud, men ikke altid er det. Vi har lært meget af hinanden undervejs” siger Martin Valgren

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ENGLISH VERSION

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Improved Logistics Equals Increased Sustainability

With a fully automatic packing system, the Danish kitchen supplier Kvik has doubled their capacity, reduced the number of errors, costs and their CO2 emissions

In recent years there has been a great appetite for new kitchens, and to Kvik in Vildbjerg, Denmark, this has resulted in an annual turnover of  1.9 billion DKK and a goal to reach 2.5 billion DKK in 2025. The growth has increased steadily by about 10 percent per year since 2014. This has put the company's production machinery under a great deal of pressure, which is why, in the autumn of 2019, Kvik started collaborating with Qubiqa to develop a fully automatic packing system.

"The purpose of this automation project was to create surplus capacity that would allow us to run more items in fewer shifts. We wanted a future-proof line that could handle an increased capacity", says Kvik's Production Manager Chris Larsen.

At the same time, the new system would improve the working conditions of the employees through better ergonomics and lifting quality. And last, but certainly not least, it would increase the energy efficiency and thus reduce Kvik's carbon footprint
 

Ambition for Sustainability
"Kvik has a clear ambition to be sustainable, and this argument was one of our primary drivers. Our previous system included Denmark's larges radiator, and we had no doubt that we could increase the energy efficiency and also reduce the amount of waste and the resource consumption", says Chris Larsen.

The capacity has now been doubled. Annual payroll costs have been reduced by about 2 million DKK, and it is now far easier to supply flexible and customized packing. And – perhaps most importantly – it has kick-started a new development process: "This line has led to a new development process. We have identified important interfaces between logistics and process, and this solution has spread to other areas of our production", says Chris Larsen.

"Systems of this size are not just plug-and-play. Our supply chain was not geared for the extent of standardization as a result of the increased automation. Therefore, we were happy that we had chosen a partner who saw the same potential for learning as we did", says Chris Larsen.

This is confirmed by Qubiqa's Director of Aftersales & Automation, Martin Valgren. The company has vast experience in designing automated systems for the insulation industry. "We have incorporated well-known, proven technology into what at first glance seems to be a comparable system but in reality is not. So both parties have learned a great deal from each other along the way", says Martin Valgren.

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