INDUSTRY NEWS
Surface-treatment solutions in China
The Surface Treatment global business unit of BASF ’ s Coatings division , operating under the Chemetall brand , opened its first regional innovation and technology centre for applied surface treatment technology in Shanghai , China . The new 2,600 square-metre centre will focus on developing advanced surface treatment solutions and product innovations for a wide range of industries and market segments in Asia , for Asia .
“ The opening of this Innovation and Technology Centre is an important pillar of our growth strategy and strengthens our technical and innovation capabilities in Asia Pacific . It shows our commitment to further contribute to and support the long-term success of our customers in the fastest-growing region ,” said Christophe Cazabeau , Senior Vice President , Surface Treatment , Coatings Division , BASF . This is BASF ’ s first regional centre for applied surface treatment technology in the Asia-Pacific region . The advanced facility will address Asia ’ s growing demands for customised surface treatment innovations and solutions .
“ Innovation is key to powering growth for BASF . This new centre ’ s ability to develop customised surface treatment solutions closer to the market will further underpin our technology leadership and our customers ’ success ,” added Dr . Jeffrey Lou , President and Chairman , BASF Greater China .
The new laboratories can provide a comprehensive range of tests and services including analytical , application , salt spray and climate testing as well as development work on a range of applied surface treatment technologies and applications for various market segments . These include automotive OEM and components ; coil ; general industry ; cold forming ; aerospace ; aluminium finishing and glass .
“ Our regional innovation and technology centre will help to accelerate our speed-tomarket of cutting-edge surface treatment solutions , drive customer-centric product development and expand our innovation pipeline . As an integrated technical hub , it can harness the synergies and competencies within our existing global network , as well as
The Chemetall Innovation and Technology Centre in Shanghai , China .
our local surface-treatment analytical labs in Australia ; China ; India ; Japan ; New Zealand ; Singapore and Thailand , to better serve the rising market demand for innovative and sustainable solutions in Asia ,” said Dr . Mubarik Chowdhry , Head of Global Technology , Surface Treatment , Coatings Division , BASF .
The centre also runs various simulation lines for pre-treatment and coating processes including VIANT , a new coating technology for corrosion protection . n
AP & T halves PVI Esskå ’ s cycle time
PVI Esskå manufactures chassis and body parts for trucks . The company is based in Landeryd , Sweden , and has approximately 60 employees . It is a well-established subsupplier to the Swedish automotive industry and mainly manufactures chassis and body parts for heavy trucks . All its hydraulic presses were supplied and installed by Swedish press specialist , AP & T .
In the summer of 2022 , AP & T upgraded and future-proofed one of the company ’ s press lines by rebuilding the control systems and installing new automation equipment . The investment reduced the line ’ s cycle times by about 50 % and increased production capacity by an estimated 500 hours / year .
“ We now have a reliable , future-proof solution that can compete with a brand-new press line . By bringing in AP & T to upgrade our equipment , we nearly halved our cycle times ,” confirmed Tomas Lidbacken , CEO of PVI Esskå in Landeryd , Sweden .
PVI Esskå ’ s relationship with AP & T stretches back to the 1980s . Over the years , a number of AP & T ’ s hydraulic presses and production lines were installed in the PVI Esskå facility , most of which are still operational .
“ The mechanical parts in our presses are practically immune to wear and tear , but
AP & T ’ s Dan Barvö with Tomas Lidbacken , CEO of PVI Esskå .
New control systems and automation equipment shortened cycle times by about 50 per cent .
the control system and other electronics eventually become outdated . To prevent unplanned downtime and ensure long-term spare-part accessibility , we recommend that customers of older production lines look to see what can be improved ,” explained Dan Barvö , Key Account Manager , AP & T .
This prompted the upgrade in 2019 . The fully automated production line that has been in operation since the year 2000 now contains three 500-ton hydraulic presses and various linear robots .
“ We looked over the state of the equipment and its performance and suggested measures that would minimize the risk of future production downtime as well as provide a more efficient process ,” said Barvö .
The recommendation presented to PVI Esskå included a rebuild of the line control systems and replacement of all its automation . It was a substantial investment , but far cheaper than purchasing an entirely new line . The decision to proceed was made at the start of 2020 .
The goal was to have all equipment in place by the end of the holiday period in the summer of 2022 . The line was shut down at the beginning of July . About four weeks later , the installation was complete and the upgraded line could be restarted .
“ Everything went according to plan . We exchanged all control systems and operator panels and installed three new SpeedFeeders ; an efficient destacker ; safety fence ; lubrication system and much more ,” said Barvö . n