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31-01-2007

New electronic control system a benefit for Sauer-Danfoss: Risk of incorrect assembly almost eliminated

Text: Flemming Hove - Photos: Glenn Shermer Simonsen, Tilsted Com.

The risk of incorrect assembly has been reduced to a minimum at Sauer-Danfoss' valve factory in Nordborg on Als. This is of great importance to the company that is one of the largest hydraulics manufactures in the world.

Four years ago a new electronic control system, which guides the operators through the assembly process at the PVG valve factory, was installed. The new control system - GuideOnLine - instructs, monitors and checks through

- One of our main reasons for choosing the new control system was to ensure quality through correct assembly. GuideOnLine is a visual control system, which by means of pictures and graphics instructs the operators how to perform the assembly, says purchasing manager Frank Flintholm.

- One of our main reasons for choosing the new control system was to ensure quality through correct assembly, says purchasing manager Frank Flintholm.

Large experience
GuideOnLine has been developed by B. V. Electronic A/S in Skive in cooperation with KILDE A/S Automation in Skive. By way of pictures and graphics shown on the screen the system instructs the operators how to assembly, pack or produce an order. At the same time the system checks that all operators are performed correctly, which means that the risk of errors is almost eliminated.

The new control system has been developed to ensure better quality, bigger efficiency and traceability of the manual working processes. B. V. Electronic A/S as well as KILDE A/S Automation have for many years concerned themselves with automation of various projects and this experience has formed the basis of the development of Guide Online.

GuideOnLine is a visual control system, which by means of pictures and graphics instructs the operators how to perform the assembly.

Efficient method
Sauer Danfoss has also installed GuideOnLine at its factories in Slovakia and the US and here the experience is the same.

- After we have got the new control system it is no longer necessary to train the operators the same way as before. The system automatically opens the numbered drawers of the rack so that the operators pick the right components and the system then shows how to assemble them, says Frank Flintholm.

- Furthermore the work instructions are now updated in a far more efficient way. Previously we made changes the "paper way", which was difficult to manage. Now the changes are made on-line, which saves time, he adds.

The new control system is a large benefit to the employees at Sauer-Danfoss valve factory in Nordborg on Als.