Profit doubled after material change

Simpler manufacture with a time saving of up to 50% and more durable products which are also 20% lighter -these are some of the benefits achieved by changing to a high strength steel.

Simpler manufacture with a time saving of up to 50% and more durable products which are also 20% lighter -these are some of the benefits achieved at the Swedish engineering company Norje Smidesfabrik by changing to extra high strength steel from SSAB Swedish Steel in its production.

The working environment for personnel was improved, with less heavy lifting than before.

This change, which took place in one day, opened up completely new business opportunities for the company.

The investment was restricted to one day's reduced production.

The existing machines could be used after minor adjustments were made.

The material replacement also resulted in Norje being awarded second place in the international engineering award the Swedish Steel Prize.

Norje Smidesfabrik recently went over to manufacturing only in extra high strength steel.

This was carried out in one day since the existing machinery could be used.

"It was easy to take this decision and the support provided by the material supplier facilitated the changeover," says Anders Hermansson, Managing Director of Norje Smidesfabrik AB.

"They helped us with our calculations and showed us that we could use our existing machines.

There were potential improvements with regard to money and the work environment, since we were familiar with the possibilities of extra high strength steel." The production is almost entirely focused on buckets, loading forks and extension forks for farming machines, tractors, forklifts and subcontractor machines.

The new material, which has been used for some time, is SSAB Swedish Steel's extra high strength hot-rolled steel Domex 650 MC.

The strength of the finished products is now approximately 70% higher than before.

They are now more durable and have a greater capacity.

"At the same time, we have been able to reduce the weight of the finished products by an average of 20%," says Anders Hermansson.

The improvements have been well received in the market and we have received new customer enquiries." Another important merit emphasised by Anders Hermansson and his personnel is an improved work environment.

Thinner steel sheets are used, which makes for easier handling - there is now less heavy lifting, something which is much appreciated internally.

"Like most other engineering companies, we have to do a lot of manual handling and it's definitely an advantage to be able to reduce the proportion of heavy lifting," says Anders Hermansson.

The work is now easier, which means that the personnel are fitter and we can produce more than previously.

The stronger steel has enabled us to choose new design solutions which simplify manufacture.

The manufacturing time for the company's open-bottomed extension forks, for example, has been more than halved.

Previously, welding was undertaken in stages, but the product is now manufactured through bending only.

This has resulted in increased capacity for the automatic welding equipment.

"This is an example of more efficient production which means that we save money, together with our being able to reduce the price for our customers," says Anders Hermansson.

The product, moreover, is now more attractive, with an improved surface finish and more durable surface." When the changeover to extra high strength steel took place, the company submitted an application to the Swedish Steel Prize 2001 - the engineering industry competition.

Norje Smidesfabrik was one of three companies nominated for first prize, which came as a surprise to everyone in the firm.

"We never thought that an ordinary engineering company such as ours would be able to compete for an international design prize," comments Anders Hermansson.

We didn't actually win the contest, but our participation means that we all feel a sense of pride and our self-confidence has increased.

This makes us stronger as a company." SSAB Swedish Steel is Scandinavia's largest steel manufacturer and is one of the world's leading manufacturers of high-tensile steel.

The product range within the steel sector is limited to sheet and heavy plate.

The steel sheet production is operated within SSAB Tunnplat and the heavy-plate operations within SSAB Oxel?sund.

The number of employees is 9,600 and the total production amounts to 3.4 million tonnes.

Annual sales are about SEK 19 billion (euros 2.1bn).

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