A five-minute stop is easy to miss in the moment. But a thousand five-minute stops show up in the statistics. AP&T is now rolling out a new control system in which machine learning helps the line find its own optimal rhythm – part of a broader initiative in which AP&T aims to help manufacturers get significantly more out of their existing press lines.
When the economy weakens, it becomes difficult to justify major investments in new press lines. But the need to increase productivity does not disappear. On the contrary. For many manufacturers, the answer is already on their own factory floor, in the form of lines that can perform considerably better with the right automation and, above all, proper integration.
“We see it again and again: customers who have become blind to what their existing lines are capable of. But with the right automation and integration, we can often double their output using the same presses they already have in place,” says Jörgen Theander, Product Manager Automation at AP&T.
Automation is the muscle – integration is the brain
AP&T has operated in the sheet metal forming industry for more than 60 years and has developed one of the market’s broadest automation portfolios. Its transfer and tandem solutions are used in everything from press hardening to the production of heat exchanger plates. But Jörgen Theander is careful to distinguish between two things.
“We usually say that automation is the muscle, but integration – that’s the brain. Because that’s where real value is created. That’s where we make sure all parts of the line work together in the best possible way,” he says.
That is also why AP&T works closely with its customers, often for several decades, and why the company always develops simulations and cycle time calculations before a customer makes a purchasing decision. For AP&T, it is about creating confidence: showing the customer exactly what they will get and then delivering those results. And it really does not matter where the presses in the line come from – regardless of manufacturer, AP&T integrates them with its automation and takes full responsibility for the entire line system and its performance.
No catalog sales
“We’re not catalog salespeople. We define the challenge together with our customer. Based on our proven, standardized premium equipment, we then develop a solution that is adapted and tailored to how the customer wants their production to work,” says Jörgen Theander.
That approach differs from many integrators in the market, which are often focused on solving a specific task in the production process, meaning documentation, service, and long-term support can vary significantly. AP&T instead takes an overall responsibility that extends far beyond the point when everything is in place.
Jörgen Theander describes the first step with a new customer as “a walk through the factory.”
“We review the big picture, look at how much inventory there is, what the production flow looks like, and identify the bottlenecks. If they have a lot of semi-finished material waiting between stations, that is a sign that production is not fully connected. Then we can help find a solution that reduces that kind of tied-up capital and gets throughput moving. And that naturally gets the customer’s business moving as well.”
A control system that learns on its own
A major technical development is the new control system that AP&T is in the process of implementing for its automation. The system has the capacity for more dynamic functions and offers expanded production engineering capabilities. Above all, however, it will be able to optimize its own cycle using machine learning, in which the system validates each cycle and ensures that the machine runs fast where it should run fast, and slow where that is best. In this way, wear and downtime are reduced while reliability increases.
“For our customers, it is about eliminating costs and reducing tied-up capital. With the economy the way it is, production needs to become smarter – not just faster,” says Jörgen Theander.
Part of that involves what Jörgen Theander calls “system thinking,” in which AP&T brings the holistic perspective of large line systems into smaller solutions as well. With pedagogy, logic, and a detailed overview, the company makes it easy for the operator to dig into what is happening in the line and what needs to be adjusted to improve production.
Cycle times cut in half with existing presses
Exactly how much impact the right automation and integration can have is evident in the case of PVI Esskå, a supplier to the Swedish automotive industry. The company kept its existing hydraulic presses but had AP&T replace the presses’ control systems and install new automation equipment. As a result, cycle times were cut in half and production capacity increased by around 500 hours per year.
An important part of AP&T’s way of working is focusing on user-friendliness and on minimizing micro-stops – small interruptions that may seem insignificant on their own but together consume a large share of production time. And although AP&T’s equipment may have a higher purchase price than some alternatives, Jörgen Theander believes that is far too narrow a way to compare them.
“When you look at total cost of ownership, we are significantly lower because our solutions are well thought out and efficient. It is about tradeoffs – using the right machines and building the right solutions, not just buying the cheapest option,” he says.
Strong potential in Europe and the U.S.
AP&T sees strong potential in Europe, but above all in the U.S., where many manufacturers still run manual or semi-automated processes with many human handoffs. Even lower-volume manufacturers are segments that can benefit from AP&T’s solutions, because the automation concept can be packaged cost-effectively regardless of production size. Among industries, AP&T points to the home appliance industry as an area where manufacturers have not yet reached their full production potential.
“That is part of our One Responsible Partner promise. No matter what the solution looks like, we never leave our customer hanging. We make sure that what we deliver truly fulfills what we have promised. That is the most important thing of all,” says Jörgen Theander.