Subcontractor Aage Østergaard in Horsens, Denmark, has supplied metal parts to a number of manufacturing industries for more than half a century. An important part of its business has always been to continuously develop its production methods in order to improve the quality of its final products while at the same time lowering production costs. For more than 30 years, the Østergaard and Scan Press production facilities have used equipment from AP&T – a decision that has developed into a long-term and very close cooperation.
A visit to one of the Østergaard Group's two production facilities, Aage Østergaard and Scan Press, is almost like stepping into one of AP&T's exhibition rooms. Here you can find AP&T presses standing one after the other in a row, as well as the occasional old-timer from the 1970s bearing the Lagan emblem. Most of the machines are much younger – since 2000 AP&T has delivered all of the company's new hydraulic presses with automation. The most recent additions are a 1,250 ton press with SpeedFeeder automation and a coil line at Scan Press and a 1,200 ton press with SpeedFeeder automation at Aage Østergaard. In addition, mechanical presses and older models of hydraulic presses have been equipped with automation.
Flexibility a must
"We never know what we are going to produce "tomorrow", which is why
flexibility is a crucial characteristic of production equipment. AP&T's
solutions give us the flexibility we need," says Lars Ravn Nielsen, CEO of
the Aage Østergaard Group.
Considerable knowledge about production
Aage Østergaard supplies manufacturers of truck parts, agriculture
machinery, equipment for the food industry, lawn mowers and pumps, just to
name a few. It is often involved in the early stages of product development
to contribute its knowledge about efficient production solutions – for
example pressing parts instead of casting them. This places high demands on
the company's production equipment. In order to meet these demands, Aage
Østergaard has created a successful partnership with AP&T.
"We absolutely must have greater knowledge about the production method for
the part in question than our customer. This means that a long-term
cooperation with and the trust we have for AP&T as a partner is a key
component in allowing us to develop our operations and offer the right
solutions," Lars Ravn Nielsen.
Economies of scale
This long-term relationship means
that a large portion of the company's machinery comes from AP&T, which
provides economies of scale. Switchovers to new machinery occur more
smoothly for operators since they recognize the control interface and
functions. In addition, AP&T's service technicians can service multiple
machines during onsite visits. In other words, having a single partner to
turn to is very convenient.
High degree of service
Since AP&T's Danish office is located in Horsens, our service
technicians are never more than a ten-minute car ride away from both the
Østergaard Group's production facilities – help is always close at hand and
AP&T can guarantee a high degree of service.
"We have five service technicians available in the region around Horsens to
serve local customers, of which Aage Østergaard is the largest," explains
Peter Karlsson, President of AP&T Denmark.
Important insight
For AP&T, the cooperation provides important insight into the
requirements made by Aage Østergaard’s customers. This further improves the
possibilities for creating products and offers that AP&T's customers
will find useful. One excellent example is the expansion of the One
Responsible Partner® concept to now include equipment from other
manufacturers.
Increased overall responsibility
The first
installation under the extended concept is a press line at Scan Press with
a mechanical press from AP&T's cooperation partner Invernizzi, the
SpeedFeeder automation and control system from AP&T and a coil line
from Cattaneo. AP&T completed the entire installation and is also
responsible for the integration of all of the systems into the control
system.
"Communication within the system during production is much faster than if
each supplier had its own control system. It is also more convenient to
know where the responsibility lies in the event there should be a problem,"
says Lars Ravn Nielsen.
"This direct request from Scan Press has meant that we are able to expand
our offer and provide service to customers who need a mechanical press line
with the advantages of our automation and One Responsible Partner®
concept," says AP&T's Peter Karlsson.
The Aage Østergaard Group, which includes Østergaard and Scan Press, has 350 employees and annual sales of approximately EUR 100 million.
