More than a quick fix

Swedish truck and bus manufacturer Scania uses all kinds of tooling and equipment at its plant in Zwolle, the Netherlands, and much of it comes from Atlas Copco. Setting up a permanent workshop for performing preventive maintenance and repair work on the Atlas Copco equipment was a logical next step, and is now saving Scania money and supporting Atlas Copco’s promise of sustainable productivity. The workshop employs three Atlas Copco staff members as full-time service technicians for industrial tools and equipment: Richard Leusink, Gerhard Busz and Gerjan van Wijhe. Leusink says both maintenance and repairs are carried out from the workshop. “This offers the advantage that, if there is something wrong with tooling and equipment, we can fix it on site with an average throughput time of one day,” he says. “So this material never has to leave the factory. The amount of work we have to do fully justifies having an Atlas Copco workshop at the Scania production site.” Busz came up with the cable routing innovation. He noticed the 15-meter cables for electronic tools were at risk of breaking as they hung on a single tie-wrap. He designed and produced an automatic coiling system that arranges the cables. The result is cables that no longer dangle, don’t break as often, and that staff can’t trip over them. “If engineers need to use the tool, they can easily pull the rolled-up cable out again,” Busz says. Atlas Copco has also placed plastic covers over almost all the tools, preventing damage and unnecessary costs. The technicians also watch out for air leaks in pneumatic tools to reduce power losses, and are working on a clear visualization of the familiar stacklights. Sustainability is a high priority for Atlas Copco, which is currently ranked among the top 10 sustainable companies worldwide. As a result of its positive experience with Atlas Copco at Zwolle, Scania has been able to improve its own level of sustainability. Tools never have to leave the plant, saving on time and transport, and regular checks of the air tools for leakage help Scania save energy and work more efficiently. “We have had positive experiences with our service from Atlas Copco,” says John Diender, Head of Maintenance at Scania Production Zwolle. “Knowledge is developed together on a continuous basis and is applied directly. This in turn generates more good ideas, to the benefit of both Scania and Atlas Copco. Scania appreciates the added value of this partnership. In terms of the employees’ commitment, they provide good support for Scania and this is super.” Written by Scania