2010-08-31 - Swedwood is unique in the furniture industry in their use of high tech processes. To ensure the highest possible availability of all their robot-based production systems they have entered into a service agreement to equip their robots with ABB's Remote Service technology.
Swedwood’s factory in Hultsfred, Sweden is one of the most high tech in the furniture industry. The factory produces the famous PAX wardrobe exclusively for IKEA. A packaged wardrobe is manufactured every ten seconds. The wardrobes are made on demand so it is extremely important that the workflow functions free of stoppages. In order to reduce this risk Swedwood decided to purchase a service agreement and to equip all robots with ABB's unique Remote Service Technology to ensure the highest possible availability of their robot-based production systems.
At the Hultsfred plant everything is automated and 30 ABB robots work 24/7 throughout the year. They are operating at full capacity, which means that the robots do not have the possibility to catch up if there is an unexpected stoppage. This sets high standards for service, maintenance and spare parts management in the plant. A mechanical failure in the production line is a worse case scenario and would be costly in lost production.
Robot technician Jörgen Drie, responsible for Swedwood’s robots is very happy with the arrangement. “We sleep well at night" he comments happily. "Thanks to the cooperation with ABB Robotics and Remote Service Technology we feel safe. The best thing with Remote Service is that ABB Robotics monitors our robots and anticipates potential problems. Simply put, they monitor almost everything. Some time ago, I received a personal call from the ABB Robotics Support Center. They told me that we had a problem with a robot cabinet and a fan. After checking it out, we found that this was indeed the case. They sent us a new fan and we avoided a disaster. This is only one example of the benefits we get from Remote Service.”
This close cooperation with ABB has resulted in Swedwood investing in a new robot for the production line which will also be equipped with Remote Service Technology. “ABB has lived up to our expectations and requirements says Jörgen Drie. "The cooperation works well. We do program backups on the robots, and so does ABB. This is a real safety net because if we miss something we know that ABB has backups to. We run around the clock, so it is important for us to have someone to turn to if questions arise”
“Remote Service is like an insurance policy" says AndreasTeodorsson, maintenance manager at Swedwood. "You wouldn't buy a car without one. In the same way we insure ourselves for availability. The fact that this is relatively new for us meant we needed assistance and help from ABB. It is good to know that when the day comes we have a problem with a robot, we can get the help we need so we can focus on our core business; which is manufacturing furniture.”
To find out more about how ABB Service Agreements with Remote Service technologies can reduce your downtime from hours to minutes then contact your local ABB Service Center.
Contact details available on www.abb.com/robotics