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Production
The machines in the Vänersborg facility enable the easy switching of presses so that all designs can be produced in the longer lengths .
are fed through continuously , pressed and then cut , meaning that Tranter can provide plates of impressive scale at a fast rate - medium sized plates in 30 seconds , and large plates in minutes . All scrap material is collected and recycled , and the facility produces its own geothermal energy for heating , only purchasing renewable energy . In addition to the deeper press , the plates also have application-specific formations such as hexagonal and chevron designs . The machines in the Vänersborg facility enable the easy switching of presses so that all designs can be produced in the longer lengths . Most plates are produced in stainless steel or , in cases of seawater cooling ,
Madeleine Sestan Bach ( Global Marketing Manager ) and Tomas Örtendahl ( Plant Manager – Vänersborg ) at Tranter ' s Vänersborg facility in Sweden . titanium - for green hydrogen , nickel alloys or exotic materials are preferred . The longest plates so far produced for a customer measured 3,5 metres in length , but the Vänersborg facility proudly displays a 6-metre-long plate in its workshop , a fun reminder to its team that anything is possible . “ It is very unlikely that a customer will have a need for such large plates ,” Plant Manager Tomas Örtendahl admits with a smile . “ But , should the opportunity ever arise , we are the only facility capable of producing plates to this scale .” Another feature of the facility is its automated processing , transitioning to a highly skilled workforce supported by digitisation . For example , robots are used in the gluing process of the smaller plates , whilst the larger plates require human hands to apply the glue . Madeleine explains that there is more focus on a lean but highly trained workforce . “ Tranter sees a future in a workforce which is competent in a multitude of skills , and acknowledges that digitisation is part of the solution , but not the be-all-end-all answer to wider industry ’ s challenges ,” says Madeleine . “ For us , this begins with the implementation of a new ERP ( enterprise resource planning ) connected to a marketing automation system to be able to provide the ultimate customer experience .” To future-proof the company ’ s problem-solving capabilities , a diversely trained workforce ensures that Tranter will be capable of answering the yet unknown issues in years to come . “ In general , we don ’ t see ourselves as simply a components supplier . We have so many customers now that need more than that due to these new emerging technologies ,” Van states . “ We need to work alongside them to learn more about how to tackle future challenges . They need alternatives , and to understand the reality of different options – In turn , we have to be informed and provide not only standard solutions , but intelligent ones .”
18 Heat Exchanger World February 2023 www . heat-exchanger-world . com