seatec - Finnish marine technology review 1/2009 | Page 32

A TURNKEY SOLUTION FOR IMPROVING WELDING PRODUCTIVITY ‘Kemppi Arc System’, welding da- With the collected data combined, ta collection and analysis solution new possibilities are opened for devel- provides unbiased facts on welding productivity. W hat is the welding productivity level at your company? This question can usually be answered only on the basis of assumptions and feelings, as it is often difficult to obtain accurate information on the subject. However, it is important to monitor productivity, particularly in business that use welding, since the majority of the welding expenses are incurred by labour. Filler materials and shielding gases, expenses from welding machines, and the consumption of electricity only account for 25% of the welding cost. The rest, 75% of welding cost is labour. In the past monitoring of welding productivity has traditionally been based on the assessment of single machine or site observations, which are often uncertain and ambiguous. Systematic information collection can eliminate these uncertainties and allow estimation of productivity developments in a reliable way. REFINED INFORMATION INCREASES PRODUCTIVITY The operation of the ‘Kemppi Arc System’ can be divided into three parts: data collection, transfer and refining. The intelligence of the system lies in the refining stage. Information is assembled to allow for long-term observation of data related to welding. Comparisons and error detection also provide increased capacity for quality control. 30 seatec 1/2009 more detailed analysis through a Web interface is also possible. ■ oping quality and productivity. The data produced by the system can be inspect- More information: ed through clear ready made reports, but www.kemppi.com