LB:s Mekaniska Verkstad AB of Älvängen is an outstanding example of the fact that it is still possible to develop and operate profitable workshop production in Sweden despite increased competition from low-cost countries.
Ever since LB:s started as a one-man firm in 1963, it has focused on the production of components as a subcontractor. Magnus Brogren, CEO for the past ten years explains: “Right back in the early years, my father laid down the direction of the operation. Prototypes and short runs. Planned overcapacity in the workshop, so that we always have resources for urgent jobs. We have to live up to our claim: the most flexible firm on the west coast.”
One of the components for the burner produced in the double cell on a MacroMagnum pallet.
Today the company has a modern production facility, 38 employees, a stable customer base, an order book that would turn many competitors green with envy, and well-founded optimism for the future.
Steel, stainless steel and aluminium are the materials the company most commonly works with. Its customers are mainly Sweden-based companies whose end products are sent all over the world.
A clearly expressed part of the company’s strategy is that everything that can be automated must be automated. To make difficult jobs easy. To eliminate the human factor. To do away with tedious jobs and replace them with more stimulating jobs.
Magnus Brogren – “We strive to increase our competence, so that we can offer customers added value.”
Magnus Brogren: “We automate everything we can, but this doesn’t mean that the employees have less work to do; instead, the operators get different and above all more enjoyable tasks.”
Five-axis machining was a real bottleneck. There was far too much work for the existing machines. “We were familiar with pallet systems and System 3R.” says Magnus, “and we decided to invest in two Quaser MV154Us served by a WorkMaster with a 40-position magazine for System 3R’s MacroMagnum pallets”.
“It was really easy to get started,” says operator Rico Gräber. “In two days I had learnt to handle the automatic double cell. And what flexibility the cell has! Right now we have 15 different jobs in the magazine. The longest run is six pieces, some have only two or three and the rest are pure on-off jobs”.
The double cell delivers 20 spindle-hours per machine and day
Today, day shift plus unmanned night running gives 20 spindle-hours on each of the machines. The result is increased productivity, and not least a more even flow, with a more peaceful workshop.
The automatic mainly produces components for gas turbines. And this leads us to the next major step in the development of the company.
Five years ago LB:s began to produce components for gas turbine burners. As society’s interest in the environment and energy grew, the demand for gas turbines has also increased. Production of components for the burners in these turbine has consequently multiplied. And there will be even more to come.
Magnus Brogren: “Another part of our strategy is to increase our competence all the time. Of course we are very good at producing components with high precision and quick deliveries, but we aren’t alone in that. Far fewer firms are capable of welding these components together into a complete burner”.
Complete burner.
Depending on the size of the turbine, as many as 30 burners are needed for each gas turbine.
“As far as we know there is no company that can produce the components, weld them together and deliver a finished burner to the customer.”
We have taken on welders and obtained a licence for precision welding. Welding robots will be installed at the end of the summer and then we will be ready for the big step.
“This is not a ‘shot in the dark’ but a carefully prepared investment under our activity plan. And we’re convinced that we will double our turnover and have significantly more employees pretty soon” Magnus Brogren concludes.
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WorkMaster
Automation in general
MacroMagnum