MANUFACTURING
There are four assembly lines in the new factory , with cabs kitted out on line three with motors , wipers , lights and so on , before full assembly on line two .
On another line , the engines are assembled , and the cabs are kitted out with lights , wipers , motors , and so on before it is put onto a line for assembly .
“ All the machine ’ s functions will be tested on the line ; thereafter , it goes to a testing area where it will be tested by mechanics to its full capability . It will be driven around , and the mechanics will set all the pressures and check how everything works . Once everything is signed off , there is one last check , where everything is checked again ,” Moffat explains .
He describes that presently the facility builds 110 machines per week and adds : “ By the end of this year , we target to produce 140 machines per week .” With future expansion that will include two more assembly lines , the factory has been designed with capacity to build 185 machines in a single shift .
While questions were raised as to why there was only one shift , Moffat says , “ We wish that we could put out 300 machines per week ; the problem is that they are all customised . If we couldn ’ t offer that service , where would we be today ?” he asks rhetorically .
Looking around the factory floor , Moffat draws attention to the overhead light source , which is pure daylight filtering through windows in the roof . “ Combilift is ISO 14000 and ISO 18000 and , in a few months , will be ISO 50001 . We are very energy efficient here , with 30 % natural light into the building , while a normal building is 12 %. At about 18:00 this evening , the LED lights will come on , but not fully , only to compensate for the difference between full daylight and a setting sun . The LED lights will also only come on if there is someone directly beneath them , within a six-metre radius . There is not one light switch throughout the building ,” he adds with a grin .
( The ISO 14000 standards provide a guideline or framework for organisations that need to systematise and improve their environmental management efforts , while ISO / IEC 18000 describes a series of diverse RFID technologies , each using a unique frequency range , and ISO 50001:2011 is guidance for an energy management system – Ed .)
Machining
Innovative thinking and a focus on research and development have resulted in a production line that has embraced technology in its delivery of bespoke units . Based on the various clients ’ specifications , generally , no two sheets of metal have the exact same length or dimension and no two sheets necessarily have the same drill pattern .
Moffat describes how a nearby machine has one single purpose and that is to cut steel and then points to a machine that drills and mills the metal sheets . “ We have invested one-million dollars in this machine as it is very special for our industry . [ Unlike the first machine .] This new machine that comes from America can tap a hole , machine the
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JUNE 2018