Masters of Air

innovations
TM
Magazine and by employees of Atlas Copco Compressor Technique # Volume 46, Edition 326 - May 2013
Masters of Air
IN THIS ISSUE
First in Mind—First in Choice ®
First in Mind—First in Choice
®
................... 03
140 years Atlas Copco - Proud of our
History!...........................................................
Professional Press Relations Pay Off ............................ 17
04
Gazcon A/S celebrates double anniversary.................... 06
Innovation...................................................
WebEx - A new, great way to connect........................... 16
07
Industrial Air launches the next step in compressor
technology: GA VSD+..................................................... 07
Safety First.................................................. 18
New QSHE Manager for Compressor Technique:
Vijaykant More.............................................
18
Safety First program in 2013.........................................
19
Dear Colleagues,
We are working in a 140 years young company.
CT worldwide............................................... 20
Atlas Copco takes top technology to ComVac,
Hannover Fair 2013..................................................
10
Helping customers choose sustainable productivity...... 14
Atlas Copco Compressors Supply Printing Shop
20
with Air for a Variety of Requirements...........................
Official inauguration of our new plant in India...............
Commitment...............................................
Good relationships with Oman...................................... 23
Atlas Copco joined KAURI............................................. 15
CT in action................................................. 25
Triple certification for Atlas Copco
Wuxi Compressor.......................................................... 15
LEAN forum................................................................... 26
Interaction................................................... 16
Water for All – Belgium.................................................. 27
Atlas Copco in the spotlight........................................... 16
Atlas Copco obtains certificate for
“Known Consignors”...................................................... 28
12
24
25
SMARTLINK
Official
inauguration of
our new factory
in China
Technogirls
2013
Lieven van den Bosch (Phone 2412)
Airtec
Veerle Kienen (Phone 2912)
ASC
Produced by Atlas Copco
Airpower N.V.
Editor in chief
Isabel Vancoillie (Phone 9860)
Sarah Geerts (Phone 2777)
Industrial Air
Mercedes Hernandes (Phone 2484)
CRS
Layout: Brand Studio
Contact persons within the divisions:
Christine Belhomme (Phone 2012)
CTS
Kevin Schoeters (Phone 4991)
Oil-free Air
Jeroen Hoen (Phone 9419)
Quality Air
Elsie Vestraets (Phone 9811)
Portable Energy
Responsible seniors
André Westyn
2 | i n n o v a t i o n s ™ - M a y 2 013
One key factor for staying in business long term is how well we
can accept and adapt to change. The world around us is not
static and we need to change with it, every day.
22
15
Responsible editor
Lotta Bynke (Phone 9106)
This is a reason to celebrate and also a reason to reflect on what
made us successful over the many decades of operations.
LEAN is a good example of a change process where we are
adapting our processes and work flows to stay in shape.
Implementing LEAN is not always easy and the payback may
not be immediate, but it is still necessary for our survival and
competitiveness. LEAN is here to stay and we must excel in it.
Why? Because our customers are not willing to pay for
inefficiencies and for weak performance. They have a choice,
and can buy their products and services from a competitor.
revolutionary new products and methods have shaped our
success up to now.
At the recent Hannover Industrial Exhibition we introduced the
revolutionary new GA VSD+ compressor, setting new standards
in variable speed drive compressors. We also introduced new
products in vacuum and gas technology and we saw a number
of innovative improvements to existing products and services,
such as SMARTLINK.
Embracing change and striving for excellence
has been our recipe for success since 1873.
Let’s continue this way.
Enjoy the reading!
To be able to better measure and follow up, we have defined
LEAN key performance indicators for Safety, Manpower
planning, Quality, Productivity, Delivery performance and
Inventory, (SMQPDI). These KPIs measure how well and how
efficiently we can serve our customers.
In the Atlas Copco strategy book, we symbolize two equally
important tracks of change by the drawing of the hare and the
turtle. Constant evolution in combination with a number of
Stephan Kuhn
President
Atlas Copco Compressor Technique
Cover: The revolutionary GA VSD+
was proudly launched on the
Hannover fair.
i n n o v a t i o n s ™ - M a y 2 013 | 3
140 years Atlas Copco
Proud of our history!
On February 21, we celebrated the 140th anniversary of
Atlas Copco. Everyone was invited to a birthday session
where we looked back at our history as well as looking into
our present and future priorities. The whole was brightened
up with nice interludes by performer Dirk Denoyelle. Ronnie
Leten’s thank you speech concluded each session. On the
way out a gift bag and a tasty Birthday cupcake was handed
out to all colleagues.
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Dir
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hda oye
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ong on
wit stag
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ea
s.
sB
a
thday c
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eet
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, sa
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upcake
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Virginie Claes interviewed our employees before and after the birthday session.
4 | i n n o v a t i o n s ™ - M a y 2 013
i n n o v a t i o n s ™ - M a y 2 013 | 5
INNOVATION
Gazcon A/S celebrates double
anniversary
Gazcon’s share in Atlas Copco’s 140 year history is limited up to now.
The Danish manufacturer of on-site nitrogen and oxygen generators is
part of the Quality Air division since August 2012 only. Let that be no
reason to celebrate less! In contrary, Gazcon had a second reason to
celebrate. The company had its 10th anniversary only a few days after
Atlas Copco’s.
B
efore the start of the celebration the
renewed emergency plan was
introduced to the employees. Even in
joyful moments, safety deserves prior
attention. Afterwards Bjarne Fog, general
manager of Gazcon, welcomed all employees
and expressed his sincere appreciation for
what has been achieved over the last 10 years.
These achievements were illustrated by a
photo slideshow going from the early days
until the actual acquisition by Atlas Copco. “It
is great to be part of a group with such rich
history”, Bjarne says, “it proves that Atlas
Copco is a stable and sustainable company”.
That history was later explained by Tim
Florizoone, integration manager at Gazcon.
The interest was great, since Atlas Copco’s
history was unknown to most of the
employees. “Only strange that the acquisition
of Gazcon is not mentioned as group
milestone”, an employee quips. The
presentation was followed by the “Thank
You” video from Ronnie Leten.
highlighted and a summary of the lessons
learned was made; there is always a better
way! Next, the targets from the 3-years plan
were shown and the key product and process
improvement projects explained. The
company’s strong growth ambitions were
reinforced by a statement from Ronnie Leten
in Management Contact: when asked how to
boost Atlas Copco’s growth, he mentioned
the growing trend of producing on-site
nitrogen and oxygen among customers as an
example. A statement that sounds like music
to the ears of the Gazcon’s employees.
The celebration ended with an extensive
lunch and pleasant chat amongst colleagues.
n
Industrial Air launches the next
step in compressor technology:
GA VSD+
Atlas Copco had an innovation to launch that heralds a new era in compressor technology.The Hannover
Messe (Germany, 8-12 April 2013), the place to be for innovation in Europe, was the ideal opportunity to
present this record-breaking compressor to the market. Only VIP’s could enter the exclusive, glass house
on the Atlas Copco booth in Hannover. Those who saw this machine with their own eyes are convinced:
this compressor will break records.
T
he new GA VSD+ is nothing short of
spectacular: to summarize in one
sentence: it is a very compact machine,
but packed with great ideas. It offers improved
performances (FAD up with 12%), unseen
energy-efficiency (SER is down with 50% on
average) and the smallest footprint in the
market (55% smaller).
The GA VSD+ is the next big leap in
compressor technology and it will be suitable
for most applications. A compressor that
realizes energy savings of 50% on average
(compared to a fixed speed) does not only
benefit our customers: it also contributes to
the green economy needs.
We organized a ‘Hannover Customer Event’ for our customers and salesmen in Düsseldorf. An old steel
factory was the stage for Bert Derom’s presentation (Product Manager). And he was not alone… Joris Derde
and Andries Desiron (Lead engineer of this project) were assembling a unit live on stage.
- Tim Florizoone
In the second part of the event Gazcon’s
integration process was discussed. As first,
the achievements of the last months were
The employees of Gazcon listened very carefully to the presentations.
6 | i n n o v a t i o n s ™ - M a y 2 013
i n n o v a t i o n s ™ - M a y 2 013 | 7
The future is variable speewd
Less compressor, more air
We translated the most requested customer
needs in this new type of variable speed
drive. It has everything a customer expects
from us… and then some. The VSD+ delivers
more compressed air for less energy
consumed, but it also outperforms any fixed
speed machine, even at full load. In Atlas
Copco terminology: the GA VSD+ is even
more efficient than the GA+.
The footprint of the compressor is less than
half of the traditional GA VSD. That means
customers can save valuable space in their
compressor room. The machine has a clean
lay-out, smart service panels for easy
maintenance and the whole machine is
arranged is such a way the machine can
easily be placed in corners and against walls.
Less is more, that also counts for the place
the VSD+ is born. Industrial Air’s Airpower
production site in Antwerp, Belgium, has
The secret
The secret behind these results is a new way
of thinking about the compressor. Every part
in the compressor was evaluated and
improved wherever possible. But the greatest
innovation is the new drive train: we designed
and manufactured a motor that perfectly
matches our screw element. The motor is an
interior permanent magnet motor, a type of
motor that is lighter, quieter and more
efficient than the synchronous motors we
traditionally use. With this new type of
motor, we match efficiency class IE 4 (Super
Premium Efficiency), the highest rating a
motor can currently have.
Vertical drive train
The type of motor is not the only surprise,
engineers also arranged the complete drive
train in a new manner. The motor and drive
train share one drive shaft and are vertically
aligned. The whole drive train is complete
closed and one oil-circuit cools the motors
and lubricates the element and bearings. The
result is a quiet (down to 62 db(A)), reliable
and compact compressor that saves space and
energy while achieving higher air capacities
at the same time.
The Sentinel, an unloader valve, is a light, simple
and compact component which has a big impact on
the reliability of this machine.
allows the drive train to stay completely
pressurized.
And there is more: the VSD+ has one of the
most efficient and silent fans in the market.
These fans need 3 times less energy,
contributing for up to 7% savings in SER.
They run silently, thanks to a big idea the
manufacturer got from nature. Like an owl,
the serrated blades of the fan are designed to
be both efficient and silent, two advantages
the customer can directly benefit from.
Of course the GA VSD+ houses the best
electronic components: the best inverter for
the permanent magnet motor, temperature
sensors for efficiency and safety and an
Elektronikon Mk. 5 to keep everything in
check.
Only the best is good enough for this compressor
of the future. This fan is the best on the market and
consumes only 1/3rd of the energy of the previous
fan.
introduced the “LEAN” concept to produce
this new compressor. By standardizing the
components and production process, less
factory space and production time is required.
The compressor of the future is built in the
factory of the future…
Atlas Copco has patents pending for the
motor, the drive train and the general concept
of the compressor.
8 | i n n o v a t i o n s ™ - M a y 2 013
The VSD+ is innovative, but it has also proven
its reliability. The first endurance unit was
installed at a customer as early as 2009. In
the meantime, over 25 customers have
endurance units running, 120 000 start/stops
and some of those compressors have more
than 20 000 operating hours on their
counters. What our customers thought of it?
See that for yourself, in the application
movies on the Compressor Technique
YouTube channel.
Quote from a German Atlas Copco
Salesman:
I am very impressed, where is
the competition now?”
Quote from Bharat Aswani,
Business Marketing Manager,
India
I have no doubt that we leave
the competition behind for a
few years.” n
- Evi Serluppens
Our customers weren’t the only ones who put
the GA VSD+ to the test. We sent our new
compressor off to the same test laboratory
where the first variable speed drive
compressor has been tested back in 1994.
Laborelec, an independent research center of
SDF Suez compared the new machine to our
existing GA compressors as well as some
competitors’ machines. Laborelec exposed
all the equipment to a realistic customer
demand, to compare energy consumption.
They confirmed the GA VSD+ is indeed on
average 50% more energy efficient than a
fixed speed compressor and 15% more
efficient than the current GA VSD.
The future starts today
The GA 7-15 VSD+ is already available for
order, the GA 18-30 VSD+ will come in
November 2013 and little later, also the 37
kW variant will be on order. For those
customers that have a low compressed air
demand, the GA and GX will remain
available. Also the GA VSD will remain
available and offer a versatility in option
(tank-mounted variants, integrated filters,
etc).
Once in the glass house, visitors could discover this new machine.
Quote from a dealer from the US:
During the first coffee break,
I sent a message to my
salesman, I told him: “this is
a pioneering machine!”
The difference is in the detail
This small compressor is packed with big
ideas: a more efficient integrated dryer for
the full feature version and the best electronic
components. But also some simple, efficient
systems, like the air intake valve, or “Sentinel
valve” that replaces the traditional unloader
valve. Thanks to the lightweight, smart,
mechanical component valve blow-off losses
are a thing of the past. If air is taken in, the
Sentinel valve mechanically opens, when the
compressor stops a short pulse of compressed
air is deployed to close it again. This
mechanical process is simple, reliable and
The GA VSD+ put to the test
Peter W. Glauber – President GEC, USA,
more than 20 years an Atlas Copco dealer.
On the second day of the Customer Event in Düsseldorf, everyone had to wear workclothes, safety
shoes and gloves. In little teams, they had to assemble their own GA VSD+
Only VIP’s and journalists could enter the exclusive, glass house. One of the three machines in this house
was even running.
i n n o v a t i o n s ™ - M a y 2 013 | 9
Germany
Atlas Copco takes top
technology to ComVac,
Hannover Fair 2013
At ComVac, Hannover Messe, under the motto “Masters of Air”, Atlas Copco presented the latest
innovations in compressor technology, industrial gas solutions, vacuum pumps, air treatment
equipment and service. Visitors to our booth were able to walk through complete installations,
including compressors, air treatment and industrial gas generators, and see how an installation could
look on their factory floor.
V
isitors got the world premiere of a
new type of variable speed drive
compressor, below 30 kW, that
offers breakthrough improvements in energy
efficiency, footprint and performance. It will
be suitable for all customer segments and
applications. Koen Lauwers, Vice-President
Marketing from the Industrial Air Division
comments: “In 1994, Atlas Copco pioneered
the Variable Speed Drive and now we will
launch an innovation that will once again set
the benchmark in the compressor industry.
This new compressor has been developed
exclusively in-house and combines all our
expertise and know-how in the field of
compressor technology”.
Also for the first time on stage,
more products for better
performance and higher energy
efficiency:
A new range of GA oil-injected
screw compressors
Compressors in the new GA generation offer
higher efficiency, more uptime and
availability, ease of service, and smart control
and monitoring: What’s more, they also offer
up to 10% improved performance.
New small blower extends the ZS
screw blower range
The ZS series is known to provide on average
30% more energy savings than conventional
lobe blowers in a wide range of low pressure
applications. These include, for instance,
aeration as part of the waste water treatment
process. They are available with built-in
variable speed control (VSD) and are 100%
certified Class 0 (ISO8573-1).
10 | i n n o v a t i o n s ™ - M a y 2 013
The extension of the ZE VSD
compressor line
ZE VSD low pressure compressors offer a
variable air flow with minimum energy costs.
Delivered ready-for use, they come as all-inone-packages including a powerful controller,
after cooler and integrated Variable Speed
Drive (VSD). The compact design eliminates
the need for extras and reduces installation to
an absolute minimum.
Moving into a new technology
with ZM oil-free multistage
centrifugal blowers
These blowers (pressure and vacuum) offer
increased reliability and efficiency and can be
used in a variety of low pressure air and gas
applications.
Built-in intelligence for oil-free
centrifugal compressors
Compressors in the latest ZH 350+ generation
can be connected to central controllers in
order to optimize their utilization. Each
compressor comes as a plug-and-run package,
including internal piping, integrated coolers,
motor, control system and 100% matched
components.
One-stop-shop for compressed air,
vacuum and industrial gases
Atlas Copco demonstrated the one-stop-shop
for complete installations, including vacuum
pumps. With a range of oil-sealed vane and
oil-sealed rotary screw pumps, Atlas Copco
equips factories with complete, reliable,
efficient systems for higher productivity. In
addition to compressed air equipment and
vacuum pumps, visitors can view a full range
of nitrogen and oxygen generators. For the
first time ever, Atlas Copco will exhibited
their new range of vacuum pumps for
industrial applications in rough vacuum.
The Atlas Copco booth, a few minutes before the opening of the fair: ready to welcome thousands of visitors.
Premiere for a newcomer in the
heat-of-compression rotary drum
dryer range
The main characteristics of the new ND 1000
dryer is a reliable process and a well proven
design with lowest total cost of ownership.
What’s more, the energy efficiency is
outstanding! The ND 1000 delivers 100%
flow capacity at the output, resulting in higher
energy savings as no compressed air is lost for
purging. This makes it unique in the market.
A new generation of filters
The new PD 150 high-efficiency coalescing
filters feature an exceptional flow path
through the housing and cartridge. This
XD550-3600 - A new range of heatof-compression desiccant dryers
Dryers in this range consume no compressed
air thanks to Zero Purge cooling. There are
two variants available. One is for a guaranteed
dewpoint of –40°C, the other delivers
dewpoint supression. The latter has no extra
heating on board but minimizes the energy
consumption to a few watts for the electronic
control board.
CP, a strong distributor brand with a wide range of products, but moreover the continuous passion
to go beyond product development to make its partners life easy. A wide offer of MarCom material,
business & service tools that give our salesforce an edge, next to a partner program to reward loyal
distributors.
reduces air turbulence and pressure drops and
limits operating pressure. The result is
substantial
energy
savings
without
compromising production reliability and
efficiency.
Taking service to the next level
The new Atlas Copco SMARTLINK
connectivity program is an easy to install,
user-friendly data monitoring program that is
easily tailored to specific needs. It offers
businesses a complete insight into their
compressed air production. SMARTLINK
helps to predict potential problems (and thus
anticipate them). It shows how and where the
production can be optimized and energy
saved.
SMARTLINK is an important development
that takes maintenance and service to yet
another level. Making smart use of
connectivity, data monitoring, mining and
business intelligence, SMARTLINK helps
customers to get a better overview of their
maintenance needs. They can thus maximize
their production uptime and, wherever
possible, reduce their operating costs by
minimizing energy consumption. Read also
the article about SMARTLINK on the next
page. n
- Michael Gaar
i n n o v a t i o n s ™ - M a y 2 0 1 3 | 11
SMARTLINK – A world to connect
SMARTLINK is the new compressor monitoring solution from Atlas Copco. The strategy is to connect
all machines and use the data in a smart way to generate sales leads, to better plan our service visits
and to develop new services based on actual running hours. Next to this we offer the customer a web
portal where he can manage his Service needs, improve his uptime and reduce his operational cost.
Sales Efficiency. The connected machines
send information to us about their status,
running hours etc. Therefore, we know which
machines need service. In other words, we
have solid sales leads with which we can
contact the customer, offering him the service
he requires.
Operational Efficiency. We can now
schedule our service visits more accurately
because we have all the details of the machine
available. This will make us more efficient in
our planning of the service activities and
avoid that machines would be serviced too
late and have increased energy consumption
and breakdown risk.
Integrated Services. For customers that
have a service agreement with us, the benefit
lies in the fact that we don’t have to rely on
the customer to contact us for service. This
also means an improved product offering
towards the customer. The customer doesn’t
even have to worry about informing us on the
running hours because we have those details
available. If machines accumulate more
running hours as agreed in the service
agreement, we can pro-actively anticipate the
increased need for service and take the
appropriate actions on additional invoicing.
Monitoring Services offers 3 levels.
The lowest level, SMARTLINK Service is
available free of charge for our customers. It
helps them to manage their preventive service
needs without having to look at the compressor
room on a daily base. With SMARTLINK
uptime we go one step further, we inform the
customer via a warning about the status of his
machine. The third level, SMARTLINK
Energy offers much more – it helps customers
improve their operating cost through detailed
energy reports. n
- Christine Belhomme
Conclusion
SMARTLINK is the connectivity solution
of the future. It will make us more efficient in the way we do service which
means we can keep costs under control
and serve our customers better. It will
definitely help us to increase our customers’ satisfaction. And satisfied customers
are loyal customers.
SMARTLINK gathers, compares and
analyses data on the fly. When needed, it
sends out warnings in time, allowing the
customer to carefully plan and prepare the
service interventions. As a result, service
efficiency increases, precious time is
gained and money is saved.
T
he target is to connect 100.000
machines in the next 3 years. We want
to go for volume. That is why we had
to develop a cost effective solution that is easy
to install and configure: SMARTBOX.
The four Strategic blocks of our connectivity strategy
The installation is simple and can be done in
the field at a next service visit. The box
configures itself automatically and becomes
available on the SMARTLINK website. The
customer can then register himself on the
website and has all information on his
compressed air production available at a
glance.
The value for our organization lays in the
data, so it is in our interest to connect every
machine in the field.
1 2 | i n n o v a t i o n s ™ - M a y 2 013
i n n o v a t i o n s ™ - M a y 2 013 | 1 3
COMMITMENT
Atlas Copco joined KAURI
Helping customers choose
sustainable productivity
Since March 2013, Atlas Copco is a member of KAURI, the Belgian
network and knowledge center on Corporate Responsibility
(Business Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate
Governance & Corporate Citizenship).
The new Class Zero campaign has been
launched by the Oil-free Air division, in
order to make our customers understand
the importance of using 100% oil-free air
in critical industries/applications. In 2006,
when the campaign was initially launched,
the focus was on creating awareness i.e.
informing and educating customers and
media about the existence of this new air
quality standard. Seven years later, the
message has moved to the next level. We
are now highlighting our brand promise
of Sustainable Productivity by helping our
customer understand the importance of
oil-free air to their business and how it can
help them with sustainable growth.
“Your customers choose oilfree”
creating value for our customers. And in the
long run for ourselves.
Therefore, we are also displaying endcustomers in the campaign visuals. Together
with powerful slogans, they tell a story, about
discerning consumers that demand quality
products – which is linked to the fact that oilfree air in the true sense can help companies
satisfy and retain their customers. The
campaign drives home the fact that our
customers cannot compromise on the quality
of air and they must choose Class 0
compressors from Atlas Copco, for the benefit
of their customers. Because if their customers
come back for their products again and again,
we would have achieve our objective of
To support this campaign, a complete
communication package has been released
through webinars, newsflash, internal
newsletter and training programs. We have
created a communication campaign that can
be used in different markets and for different
applications. We have focused on online tools
that can give customer centers more
opportunities to track responses and enquiries.
We are encouraging the customer centers to
use this material to target their customers, as
we will have all the material translated in
different languages.
K
AURI brings together industry and
NGO-managers with the aim of
informing them and sensitizing them
to important sustainable development issues
affecting their business, such as human rights,
certification schemes, climate change,
corporate governance, sustainability reporting,
social economy, etc.
challenges such as: “what is the best practice
to report carbon emissions?” (benchmark with
other large Belgian corporations) and “how
can we include service activities in our mission
to improve energy efficiency of our
customers?” (A fellow member developed a
business model to support this.) n
- Inge Craninckx
KAURI organizes activities focused on
training (e.g. on new reporting requirements),
exchange of best practices and creating of new
alliances.
Through joining the KAURI network, Atlas
Copco Airpower wishes to address specific
We are sure, that by driving this great new
campaign, we will further more realize our
vision of being ‘First in Mind—First in
Choice®’ with our customers in critical Class
0 applications and industries.
If you would need any more information on
this new campaign, please contact
Kevin Schoeters
[email protected]
+3238714991 n
- Kevin Schoeters
China
Triple certification for Atlas
Copco Wuxi Compressor
Atlas Copco Wuxi Compressor has passed the triple certification on January 31st after a two days
re-qualification audit by Lloyds Shanghai.
A
tlas Copco Wuxi Compressor and
Generator Assembly and Wuxitec
have obtained ISO 9001, ISO 14001
and OHSAS 18001 certifications already last
year. They have been successfully re-audited
on January 31st by Lloyds Shanghai, which
confirms that Atlas Copco Wuxi Compressor
is on the right track following and
implementing quality, health, environmental
and safety policies in the company and
beyond.
The ISO 9001 certification is for quality, ISO
14001 for environment and OHSAS 18001
for health and safety. Atlas Copco has decided
that all product companies, as well as all sites
with 70 or more employees shall have ISO
14 | i n n o v a t i o n s ™ - M a y 2 013
Belgium
9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001
certifications by the end of 2013.
“This message will help our Customer Centers
to convince customers of our professional and
sound fundaments, help to sell the value of
our products and create the necessary trust
and confidence with our customers to become
and remain First in Choice—First in Mind®”,
said Eric Langmans, General Manager of
Atlas Copco Wuxi Compressor. n
ISO 9001
ISO 14001
- Eric Langmans
General Manager, Atlas Copco Wuxi
Compressor
OHSAS 18001
i n n o v a t i o n s ™ - M a y 2 013 | 15
INTERACTION
Atlas Copco in the spotlight
When you enter the Airpower parking lot in front of the main building you cannot miss it… Our new
giant banner displaying customers of different segments and applications.
F
rom the A12 road towards Brussels, the
banner is cleary visible and a real eye
catcher for cars passing by. The banner
shows a selection of our customer segments
which are using compressed air, gas and
vacuum solutions. You can see a baker and a
brewer representing the food industry, a doctor
referring to the medical industry, a service
technician, skiers (our compressors involved
in the snow making process), an oil driller, a
lady with a rack full of finely woven
textiles, … The smaller banner next to it now
shows the 140 years logotype from the Atlas
Copco Group, referring to our birthday. But in
the future, this will be replaced by professional
images of the products we make here in
Antwerp.
At the Brussels Airport, a similar banner is
placed in the central hall where millions of
travellers are passing by every year. n
- Isabel Vancoillie
Professional Press Relations
Pay Off
Have you read today’s paper? If, for instance, you are planning to
buy a car soon, then you have probably looked at the manufacturers’
advertisements, test reports and reader reviews with a lot more
interest than you normally would. But would you buy your next car
because you liked the adverts, or because the test report in the article
was so positive?
Great Britain
effective” as an advertisement because it is
noticed and read in a lot more depth, increasing
its actual value many times over.
An old saying by Henry Ford describes the
dilemma faced in advertising: “Fifty percent
of the money invested in advertising is always
wasted. But you never know which half it will
be.” The question of which half of the
advertising costs are wasted cannot be
answered here, but we can be certain that this
does not apply to professional press relations.
WebEx - A new, great way to
connect
WebEx is a web conferencing solution which allows participants to meet, collaborate, present, and
share content over the web.You can connect from and to any PC, tablet or smartphone.The tool allows
participants to interact in a number of different ways and meetings can be recorded for later viewing.
Since the launch of WebEx on February 22, thousands of colleagues have registered for a WebEx
account and are now exploring its many possibilities.
W
ith a regular WebEx account
users can hold online meetings,
conduct trainings and broadcast
smaller events. In addition, each division
holds a few accounts for larger events and
training sessions. These accounts can be
shared and offer additional functionality to
facilitate several hundred participants.
Getting to know WebEx
WebEx is an easy to use system, but of course
first time users need some initial understanding
16 | i n n o v a t i o n s ™ - M a y 2 013
on how to get up and running with the system.
For this purpose, quick guides and other useful
self-training material is available in the
competence portal.
Would you like to get more information?
Please contact your local IT service desk. n
- Lotta Bynke
The communication team of our customer center in Hemel Hempstead: (from left to right) Joanna Canton,
Jaspreet Bhangu and Anne Barnes.
A
few years ago, the Atlas Copco
Customer
Center
in
Hemel
Hempstead (UK) began to assess how
“effective” advertisements and press relations
really are, and decided to invest much more in
professional press relations.
Today, the communications team, headed up
by Joanna Canton and supported by Anne
Barnes, works together with a business-tobusiness communications agency, which
provides a continuous flow of information to
all the relevant media. This includes
information about Atlas Copco, its latest
products and offers, plus interviews and user
reports.
The results speak for themselves: Last year
alone, the team published a total of 27 press
releases and 6 user reports.
The key to success in this area - besides good
stories - has been close collaboration with the
communications agency. During regular
meetings with the communications and
marketing managers, potential topics are
pinpointed and integrated into the PR strategy,
the status of pending articles is discussed and
feedback is provided on stories that have
already been published. The PR agency plays
a key role in these meetings — representatives
from the agency facilitate the internal
decision-making process, implement actions
and ensure that the content is published in the
relevant media.
It goes without saying that the services of a PR
agency are not cheap, but the English team has
offset its investment costs with the right
results, assessing the “value” of each article
against the cost of an advertisement in the
same format. The results of this approach are
clear to see: For every pound invested, the
press relations work has generated 13.5 times
the equivalent value.
Communication costs money. Sometimes
quite a substantial amount of money. The cost
of a large advertisement in a newspaper or a
specialist magazine is quite high, as the title
suggests — usually in the region of several
thousand euro. An advertisement must also be
published several times, and this is where the
costs really add up. The question of how to
quantify “effectiveness” also remains a key
issue: Are the advertisements read, understood
and remembered, and will they generate more
revenue?
Most articles and interviews, particularly in
specialist magazines, are the result of professional press relations by agencies that send
their press releases to editors. Provided that
the content is attractive enough for the intended audience, sections of the press release
will be used, or it will be published in its entirety. In most cases, press releases are provided free of charge — it is the services of the
PR agency that incur costs. n
- Michael Gaar
PR Coordinator for the Compressor
Technique Business Area, Wilrijk
[email protected]
There is another part to this success story —
an editorial about Atlas Copco is clearly “more
i n n o v a t i o n s ™ - M a y 2 013 | 17
Safety First
New QSHE Manager for
Compressor Technique
Safety First program in 2013
After the successful Safety First campaign of last year, we are this year slightly changing the
approach so we can focus more in depth on a few key safety topics to deepen and enhance the
understanding of these safety aspects. Four topics have been defined by the CT SHE council
and will be rolled out in a circle format during this year through the entire CT organization.
As of Feb 1, 2013 Compressor Technique has a new QSHE Manager, Vijaykant More.
team spirit who are sharing their knowledge
and experience to make me at ease in my new
role.
Tell us about your mission in your
new job. What do you want to
achieve, what are the most
important tasks and challenges.
V
ijaykant, first of all most welcome as
new QSHE Manager for Compressor
Technique.
Please tell us briefly about your
earlier positions and experiences?
In my previous position, I was Safety Manager
for Compressor Technique in India and
representative for the Atlas Copco SHE
council for Compressor Technique. Prior to
that, I worked with General Motors in India. I
studied Mechanical Engineering with an
advanced diploma in Industrial Safety and I
have a master in Business Studies from the
Pune University. I’m also a lead auditor from
Lloyd’s Register for ISO 9001,ISO 14001 and
OHSAS 18001.
I have 16 years of experience in SHE
management in the automotive, construction,
oil & gas and heavy engineering industry,
along with experience in R&D for product
engineering.
You have been in your new job
since February 1. Which are your
first learnings and experiences?
The two main things I’ve learnt so far is that
we need to broaden the spectrum about people,
process and system and we need to improve
the consistency in the approach that we follow
in the different locations while we implement
operational processes.
I have very supportive colleagues with great
18 | i n n o v a t i o n s ™ - M a y 2 013
My mission is to coordinate the implementation
of the common management system in all
operations of Compressor Technique, to
evaluate the effectiveness of the system and to
propose improvements to the system to the
management of Compressor Technique,
including the policies involved.
The most important tasks are:
ÂÂ The triple certification as per ISO 9001,
ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 so we
achieve the Atlas Copco Group goals.
ÂÂ
To understand and assess the current
processes and to develop a plan for
continuous improvement with a consistent
approach across the business area.
ÂÂ
To improve the competency of our
employees for quality, safety, health and
environment.
view, what are now our most
important actions to further reduce
the number of accidents and
incidents?
We need to develop a leadership development
program to strengthen ownership for safety. A
safety culture assessment and development
improvement plan based on these assessment
results would also help us a lot to reduce the
number of incidents and accidents. On the
process side, it would be good to introduce
proactive indicators for safety. To conclude,
we need to continue to build a strong safety
organization at all operational units.
Who is in your team and what are
the internal and external bodies
you are interacting with?
One topic each quarter
Supporting material
By now, you all should have had the first circle about Lock out – Tag
out. The objective of this first circle was that all CT employees – no
exceptions! – need to have a basic knowledge of Lock out – Tag out and
understand why it is so important to act accordingly.
For every topic, extensive supporting material is available. Everything
from an informative circle leader guide, explaining how to use the
material and to run the circle, to an inspiring and interactive PowerPoint
presentation explaining the topic in detail, to a video and posters, an
evaluation document, an action sheet and a Q&A document. The
material is prepared in such a way that it will fit a wide audience and
contribute to deepen knowledge and create discussions in all functions
and on all levels within Compressor Technique.
The second topic will be launched in May and will stress the importance
of conducting a good Last Minute Risk Assessment. Another two
important safety topics will be launched in the second half of this year.
Roll of of the circles
All this material is available in more than 20 languages in a dedicated
webbox. n
De veilige weg is de juiste weg.
Ik Lock Out – Tag Out.
Each new circle topic is launched in the Compressor Technique
Management meeting and divisional presidents then roll out the circles
in their management team and to the General Managers which are
reporting to them. And they will, on their turn, roll out the information
with their teams until the entire organization is informed.
- Isabel Vancoillie
I work together with the SHE and Quality
leaders across Compressor Technique. We
also have some internal bodies in place, such
as the Atlas Copco SHE council, the
Compressor Technique SHE council and the
Operational councils. Of course, we also
interact with our customers, certifying
organizations and NGO’s.
Anything else you would like to
add?
ÂÂ
To focus on the organization for QSHE
and to develop a stronger connectivity
with operational SHEQ leaders at various
product companies and customer centers.
Our QSHE management system in Compressor
Technique has a strong foundation. I’m
looking forward to develop this system to a
next level which will support our operation’s
ambitions for sustainable productivity.
ÂÂ
To develop proactive tools and solutions
for the QSHE management.
Thank you again and best of luck in
your new position. n
My main challenges are to develop a common
approach for the interdivisional processes, to
bring consistency and effectiveness in the
system at the different locations and to
understand the cultural differences amongst
our employees worldwide while implementing
management system
- Lotta Bynke
In Compressor Technique we have
a major focus on Safety First since
several years. From your point of
i n n o v a t i o n s ™ - M a y 2 013 | 19
CT WORLDWIDE
Atlas Copco compressors
supply printing shop with air
for a variety of requirements
New printing press requires a completely different
compressed air supply
Germany
The customers of the Bähren printing shop in
Mönchengladbach, Germany, expect absolute security and
reliability. The company specializes in the production of
package inserts and labels for the pharmaceuticals industry,
and this industry will not tolerate any errors. Bähren therefore
does not compromise on quality or reliability — either in
terms of its products or the equipment it uses. Since 2011,
three Atlas Copco compressors have been ensuring that the
significant rise in demand for compressed air is met.
Bähren has purchased a new folding machine every year since 2010. At
the end of 2011, the company also invested in a state-of-the-art printing
press that meets the particular requirements presented by lightweight
paper printing. The new press generates less noise and heat in the hall,
and can save a large number of programs. However, the new system
also required the central compressed air supply to be adapted quite
considerably. The two old 7.5 kW compressors that had previously
provided the company with its entire compressed air supply did not
meet these requirements. Moreover, both compressors would have
needed a general overhaul, which would not have been economical. On
the recommendation of another printing shop, the company turned to
Atlas Copco Kompressoren und Drucklufttechnik GmbH in Essen,
Germany, and has been in safe hands ever since. The printing shop now
has a total of three Atlas Copco compressors, of which two supply the
network — one GA 37+ FF and one speed-regulated GA 45 VSD FF,
both with refrigerant dryers installed (FF stands for ”Full Feature”).
The network delivers virtually oil-free compressed air to the Piab
system of the new printing press at a pressure of approximately 6.5 bar.
The GA machines compress the air using an oil injection system, but
Bähren requires oil-free compressed air. However, this is not an
obstacle: ”The filter combination and separators work extremely
cleanly!” in-house engineer Jürgen Schophoven confirms.
Compressors supply the piab system
‟Our contact person at Atlas Copco had pointed out to us that we would
in all probability not require as much compressed air as the three
compressors are currently delivering,” said Schophoven. And he
proved to be right. ‟Nevertheless, we upgraded from 15 to 112
kilowatts. The manufacturers of printing presses were insisting on this
capacity in order to guarantee that the machine would continue to
function smoothly.” At the moment, however, one of the two
compressors is sufficient, meaning that only the GA 45 FF VSD
(Variable Speed Drive) normally runs for the 6.5-bar network, the GA
30+ supplies the 12-bar network and the GA 37+ FF replaces one of the
two other compressors alternately.
The company is pleased with both the new compressors and the
collaboration with Atlas Copco. They believe that the level of service is
appropriate and the advice received is good — and ultimately, the price
was right too.
Nothing works without compressed air
T
he precisely cut packages coming out of the folding machine in
the production hall of the Bähren printing shop are smaller than
a business card. It is hard to imagine that these ”outserts” were
once thin sheets of paper half a square meter in size. These are one of
the bestsellers at the Mönchengladbach-based printing shop, which
specializes in package inserts and adhesive labels for the pharmaceuticals
industry. ”There is an increasing demand for the outserts in particular,”
explains Dieter Sensmeier, who manages the printing shop. Turnover
2 0 | i n n o v a t i o n s ™ - M a y 2 013
has increased by a total of 85% since 2006, and this has meant that the
printing shop’s capacity requirements have also increased. Both the
fleet of printing presses and the corresponding compressed air supply
have been upgraded. Quality and reliability are particularly important
on both counts. Since autumn 2011, Bähren has been using three
compressors from Atlas Copco Kompressoren und Drucklufttechnik
GmbH.
The system is also designed to allow the compressors to be swapped
over in some cases. The GA 37+ FF can therefore be switched flexibly
between the two compressed air networks. If there is a crash, it would
be possible to restart the entire system within 15 minutes. Nothing
works without compressed air at Bähren — the control technology,
printing presses, folding machines and rewinders would be at a
standstill if the compressors failed to run reliably.
Water in the pipes had caused problems
The top priority is therefore to ensure that the compressors work
absolutely safely and reliably, and no compromises are made in
servicing the machines either. Bähren has also purchased the
maintenance service for the new machines directly from Atlas Copco,
as servicing will be performed by trained specialist personnel.
Everything is currently working perfectly: The refrigerant dryers and
filters installed in the compressors deliver oil-free, dry and clean air; a
few dead sections were removed from the pipelines, while other
branches were modernized using high-quality aluminum pipes from
the AIRnet system from Atlas Copco. ”However, we believe that there
are still possibilities for optimization”, Sensmeier explains. One plan
for the future is to replace the old copper pipe network completely with
AIRnet pipes.
Heat recovery and further optimization
bähren is planning further improvements for the future, such as a heat
recovery system. The hot water from the cooler could then heat a hot
water reservoir via a heat exchanger, and this hot water reservoir could
then be used to heat the hall. To date, all compressors have also run
without a higher-level control system. Colleagues at the company have
agreed that there is certainly potential for improvement here, in terms
of the amount of energy used to generate the compressed air. ”At the
moment, though, we don’t have the time to implement all our plans
— for the very reason that we first need to complete the large number
of orders we have received,” Jürgen Schophoven says with a grin. The
large volumes of air to be supplied are incidentally also not a problem
for the thriving printing shop. The company is well prepared for the
future — a new hall will be connected to the compressed air supply
within just a few weeks. n
i n n o v a t i o n s ™ - M a y 2 013 | 2 1
India
Official inauguration of our
new plant in India
The inauguration was attended by Mr. Horst Wasel, president Quality
Air Division and Mr. Filip Vandenberghe, Managing Director Atlas
Copco (India) Ltd. During the interaction with the press, it was
endorsed that this new manufacturing plant in Chakan will contribute
to increased efficiencies and further support our expansion in India. It
will serve our customers both in and outside India.” n
On February 21st, 2013, Atlas Copco has inaugurated its second compressor manufacturing plant in
India. This new facility will manufacture industrial and portable compressors, while the existing factory
in Dapodi will continue to produce oil-free compressors and quality-air products.
- Shalini Sharma
The inauguration was attended by Mr. Horst Wasel and Mr. Filip
Vandenberghe.
Oman
Good relationships with Oman
His Royal Highness the King of Belgium bestowed the honour of “The Knight of the Order of the
Crown” on Sheikh Is-haq H.S. Al Rawahy, Managing Director of Bin Salim Entreprises LLC. This award
acknowledged the efforts put in by Sheikh Is-haq to promote Belgium machinery in Oman for the past
thirty years successfully, particularly products manufactured by Atlas Copco Airpower.
Our brand new, second production plant of compressors in India.
T
he new production site is located at Chakan, an industrial area
near Pune, about 30 minutes drive from the factory in Dapodi.
Availability of qualified and trained resources, a local supplier
base and connectivity to main road infrastructure were some of the
selection parameters for this new location.
The new manufacturing facility is spread over an area of 23 acres, and
has a built up area 19.000 square meters. The facilities include an office
building, assembly workshop, finished goods store and areas for R&D
activities. The overall project development time was 18 months with a
total investment of 17.5 MEuro. As per Atlas Copco best practices,
safety management was put first on the agenda, resulting in completing
the project without any work-related accident and achieving 1 million
hours of accident free operations.
number of production lines and the overall assembly line length could
be reduced considerably. A clear border line has been defined between
the assembly and logistic operations. When leveraging the capabilities
of local Indian logistic partners, a third party logistic provider has been
selected to deliver inbound and in-plant logistic services, including the
packing and loading of the ready to deliver compressors.
Besides providing the materials in due time ready for assembly, it
important to provide the right information to all involved stakeholders
of the manufacturing process: supermarket inventory positions for the
planner, kitting and sequencing data for the logistics people, assembly
and test parameters for the line technicians: information management is
a key factor for successful LEAN manufacturing. Consequently, a
MES system (Manufacturing Execution System) has been implemented
to secure on time in full data management throughout our process.
The factory is built in accordance to the Atlas Copco sustainable
building standards, and in line with LEED (Leadership in Environmental
Energy and Design) best practices. Extra attention has been given to
energy efficient design and technologies to limit the environmental
impact and to reduce the use of energy and natural resources during
building construction phase and future plant operation. As an example,
the complete assembly workshop doesn’t need any additional lighting
during day time nor air conditioning, just by intelligent building
orientation and applied building concept. The energy performance of
the new factory building will be a key factor to reduce the greenhouse
gas emissions.
The manufacturing layout and logistic setup has been designed to
operate according LEAN manufacturing principles. Consequently, the
2 2 | i n n o v a t i o n s ™ - M a y 2 013
The new production lines are designed to operate according to the LEAN
production principles.
T
he award was presented at a glittering ceremony held on the
15th of December in Muscat. His Excellency Didier Reynders,
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign
Trade and European Affairs of Belgium, presented the award to Sheikh
Is-haq on behalf of HRH the King of Belgium during his recent official
visit to the Sultanate of Oman.
their Regional Manager, Mr. Jean Marincamp and the Country Manager
in Oman, Mr. Tony Van Herbruggen.
Sheikh Is-haq expressed his gratefulness for having been selected to
receive this honour and shared the credit for this with Atlas Copco, the
members of his family and his staff. n
The ceremony was attended by a high profile delegation that
accompanied Didier Reynolds. Also present at the function were the
Belgian Ambassador for the region, Marc Vinck, members of the
Belgian Diplomatic Corps, members from Belgian Business Club, the
Belgian community in Oman and other dignitaries, including a
representative from Atlas Copco.
Speaking at the occasion, Didier Reynders, thanked the people of
Oman and expressed his appreciation for warm and healthy relationship
shared between the two countries. The Belgian Ambassador Marc
Vinck thereafter presented a brief profile of Sheikh Is-haq and informed
the audience that Sh. Is-haq H.S. Al Rawahy, belongs to the Al Rawahy
family, which has a long history of being involved in commerce and
trade. The group of companies that he jointly manages with his brothers
has diverse business interests, one amongst them is Atlas Copco from
Wilrijk in Antwerp, Belgium, a company this Group has partnered for
several decades in Oman.
As the full time Managing Director of Bin Salim Enterprises LLC, Sh.
Is-haq Al Rawahy, has spearheaded the promotion of Atlas Copco
products in The Sultanate of Oman successfully for three decades.
Atlas Copco is now the premium and preferred product of choice in the
Sultanate of Oman. Atlas Copco were represented at the ceremony by
In the presence of Mr. Didier Reynders, the award was presented to Sheikh
Is-haq.
i n n o v a t i o n s ™ - M a y 2 013 | 2 3
CT IN ACTION
Official inauguration of
our new factory in China
China
March 12, 2012, Atlas Copco (Wuxi) Co., Ltd officially inaugurated a new manufacturing facility in Wuxi,
China. The new plant allows Atlas Copco to meet the growing demand for compressors and generators
throughout Asia.The facility generates new jobs, bringing the number of Atlas Copco (Wuxi) Compressor
Co., Ltd employees in China up to 580.
T
he new manufacturing facility will produce portable diesel and
electric-driven compressors and generators, small to mediumsized industrial air compressors and GAR break compressors
for Atlas Copco’s Industrial Air and Portable Energy divisions.
The new plant occupies a land surface of 45,000 square meters and
consists of an assembly factory, a test lab, an R&D center and a three
story high office building.
Technogirls* 2013
Ronnie Leten, President and CEO of Atlas Copco, attended the
inauguration along with Stephan Kuhn, President of Atlas Copco
Compressor Technique business area and Nico Delvaux, President of
Atlas Copco Construction Technique business area. “China and the rest
of Asia constitute a key market for us,” explained Ronnie Leten. “It
only made sense for us to tailor our production to the needs of our local
customers.”
What is so great about a technical profession? Isn’t this something for boys? What do they make
at Atlas Copco anyway? And why so few women are working there? A group of enthusiastic Atlas
Copco employees guiding a group of even more enthusiastic 10 to 12 year old girls, hope to give the
answers. To boost the quota of women working at Atlas Copco Airpower is also one of the objectives
of this event.
A traditional Chinese ceremony.
Atlas Copco has since 2011 a goal to construct new buildings according
to a sustainable building standard such as LEED (Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design) or comparable Sustainable building
criteria. The Wuxi facility is LEED certified for sustainable site
development; energy and water efficiency; use of natural materials and
resources; indoor environmental quality; and innovation in design. The
new plant uses a unique energy recovery system for its heating and
cooling needs.
For employee comfort, the building has over pressurized offices by
offering a constant flow of fresh filtered air, floor heating/cooling that
offers constant office temperature, no draft and a total of 126
individually controlled air conditioning units.
President Nico Delvaux, Stephan Kuhn, Geert Follens together with two
Government officials press the ball and release the new machines.
“Atlas Copco’s investment in the Jiangsu province shows the company’s
commitment to the Chinese market,” said Eric Langmans, General
Manager Atlas Copco Wuxi Compressors. “With this state of art
operations and cooperation with local suppliers we made again a step
forward.”
Consul General of Sweden Mrs Viktoria Li and Consul General of
Belgium Mrs Cathy Buggenhout also presented at the inauguration
and gave their warm congratulations to the success of Atlas Copco in
China and the opening of the sustainable factory.
The new plant implements a LEAN manufacturing concept, and is
equipped with manipulators, semi-automated conveyer line, semiautomated lifting benches, semi-automatic lifting tool and a wrapping
machine.
Including the Wuxi plant, Atlas Copco now operates 16 manufacturing
facilities and more than 175 offices in China. n
- Tina Xue
S
afety first is very important at Atlas
Copco and that’s why all technogirls
get reflective vests and safety shoes. 30
pairs of eyes are focused on us. A short
introduction should make clear what the
afternoon will bring for these girls, and what
kind of impressive machines Atlas Copco is
manufacturing.
And then, the real work starts. Group 1 gets
hammers, nails, boards, a solar cell, wires, a
motor and a professional explanation of
students of the Artesis Hogeschool to make a
little mill which actually works. Group 2 gets
a tour in production. What is a ‘shop’? What
is a production line? Everyday terms for us
prove to be not so obvious for outsiders. The
technogirls are allowed to look inside a
compressor and experience what is easiest:
screwing manually or with help of compressed
air. They also engrave their name (and the
names of their brothers and sisters) on a key
hanger.
After a delicious snack, the groups switch so
that each girl can do everything on the
program. All technogirls passed successfully
and got their diploma. Hopefully we
succeeded to create interest for a technical
education!
Some reactions of parents of
technogirls:
ÂÂ
My daughter was really excited! Thanks
again for the organization of this nice
event.
ÂÂ
Femke had a great afternoon. “Super nice
and friendly girls are working with
Atlas Copco!” Today, she took her
Atlas Copco bag to school with the wind
mill on solar energy and a lamp so her
friends at school can see what she has
made here.
ÂÂ
My daughter liked it a lot. On the way
back home, she didn’t stop talking about
it… and a single ride home takes about 50
minutes!
ÂÂ
Lena was very enthusiastic. She kept on
talking about it.
*Technogirls is an initiative of ‘Agoria’
and the ‘Artesis Hogeschool’ of Antwerp
and hopes to stimulate the interest of
young girls in technique and technology.
- Evi Bultinck
2 4 | i n n o v a t i o n s ™ - M a y 2 013
i n n o v a t i o n s ™ - M a y 2 013 | 2 5
LEAN Forum
Water for All – Belgium
Lean management principles have been a core topic for Airpower as well as for other production units
during the last couple of years. During this time, we have worked together to transfer processes and to
follow the lean principles.
101 new members!
M
On March 22 it was World Water Day, an initiative supported by the United Nations. This was an ideal
opportunity to set up an action for Water for All – Belgium.
Did you know that millions of people don’t have access to safe drinking water? The Water for All-initiative,
founded by Atlas Copco employees, aims to help these people in distress, but this can’t be done without
your support!
oving forward on the LEAN journey, it is important that we
understand and interpret LEAN in the same way so that we
can be consistent in improving and measuring our activities.
The principles of LEAN concern all of us and not only colleagues
working in manufacturing or supply. Why? Because LEAN is a
common objective and the best way to achieve on time deliveries,
superior product quality and satisfied customers.
The discussions included sessions to explain and exemplify what the
different elements of the air rotor means in the daily work and how we
best should define them. All ideas were collected on flipcharts and will
be further reviewed and evaluated by all participating divisions.
Together with the LEAN KPIs (Safety,
Manpower availability, Quality, Productivity,
Delivery Service and Inventory) the common
definition of LEAN keywords will be important
for us in order to stay on track and keep
aligned”
says LEAN Champion Olaf Langanke.
On March 6, the CIP coaches from all Airpower production units
gathered to discuss and define the main messages and key words of
LEAN in an easy and understandable way. LEAN Champion Olaf
Langanke moderated the meeting and collected a lot of valuable
thoughts and ideas from the active participants.
I am very pleased with the results of the
workshop and the engagement by all
participants. I look forward to eventually
present the result to all employee, creating a
greater understanding of LEAN Enterprise
and what it implicates for us”. n
A
lot of Atlas Copco branches around
the world organized activities that
aim to highlight the importance of
access to safe drinking water for people in
distress and to illustrate the activities and
projects of Water for All. It is after all this
organization’s mission to give people in
distress access to safe drinking water for a
long period of time.
In Airpower we had Water for All promotion
teams in our canteens on World Water Day.
That day no less than 101 new members
registered. Thanks to these monthly donations,
in addition to which Atlas Copco donates the
double of the amounts donated, a lot of extra
people around the world will be able to enjoy
safe drinking water in the near future.
On March 22 the new Water for All website
www.water4all.org was also launched. This
website aims to increase transparency to
enable everyone to easily see in which project
his/her contribution is used, how many people
gained access to safe drinking water thanks to
Water for All and what is the total cost per
project. n
Did you know that, since its foundation
by Atlas Copco employees in 1984,
Water for All has already provided
access to safe drinking water for more
than 1 million people? Today the
organization has members in more than
20 countries. If you are not a member
yet, go to the personnel department
today and fill out the registration form.
- Isabel Vancoillie
- Lotta Bynke
In the workshop CIP coaches worked around the AIR rotor visual to
describe each of the targets groups and key words in the rotor visual.
2 6 | i n n o v a t i o n s ™ - M a y 2 013
i n n o v a t i o n s ™ - M a y 2 013 | 2 7
Atlas Copco obtains certificate for
“Known Consignors”
The customer comes first!
Starting April 29th, 2013 new European legislation will take effect stating that all air cargo must be
additionally protected against unauthorized manipulation in order to make air traffic safer. Air cargo
shipments are not only transported on cargo aircrafts but on passenger planes as well, which is why this
higher level of control aims to prevent terrorist attacks.
ÂÂ
ÂÂ
D
oes a company require such
a certificate in order to keep
doing business?
No, this is not necessary. There are two options
that can be chosen. Option 1 entails that all
shipments are additionally screened upon
arrival at the airport. This involves a delay of
approximately two days and the screening cost
will also be charged to the consignor. Option 2
implies that the consignor implements the
necessary control measures himself and
consequently obtains the certificate.
What is the benefit of having such a
certificate?
There are not really any benefits, quite the
2 8 | i n n o v a t i o n s ™ - M a y 2 013
opposite. It costs a handful of money to carry
out all renovations and organize the trainings.
Atlas Copco chose to obtain the “Known
Consignor” certificate in order to be able to
guarantee a lasting customer service.
Avoiding delays and additional screening
costs for our air cargo shipments is an
important part of this. This choice does not
only entail material investments, but also
awareness training for all employees that
come into contact with identifiable air cargo.
Everyone’s cooperation was necessary for
obtaining this certificate, but also remains
necessary for keeping it. Without your
cooperation we would not be able to
eliminate safety risks. Together we are the
eyes and ears of Atlas Copco, working on a
safe supply chain.
Access to the ASC is secured with badge
access. Only ASC employees and a
number of selective groups that require
access to ASC for functional reasons will
receive electronic badge access provided
they have signed a pre-employment
screening and have attended the awareness
training.
Two additional loading docks will be
built, which will be used exclusively for
air cargo shipments.
ÂÂ
The specific location for air cargo
handling will be provided with additional
access control.
ÂÂ
A footbridge will be put up across the
loading point, creating safe and easy
access to the load planner’s office. This is
done to reduce the number of wandering
drivers on the shop floor.
ÂÂ
Identifiable air cargo – both spare parts
and machines – is protected from third
party manipulation with adjusted and
safer packaging. This implies that all
outgoing packaging must remain
completely shut under all circumstances.
ÂÂ
Optimization of the physical security
through camera surveillance, security
officers, access control, porter’s lodge.
Which
investments
and
adjustments have been carried
out?
ÂÂ
All staff members that have access to the
ASC and thus possibly come into contact
with identifiable air cargo shipments must
annually attend a compulsory awareness
refresher training.
ÂÂ
Guaranteeing awareness and quality of
the Known Consignor certificate by
means of audits, evaluations and
discussions.
What are the consequences for the
other Atlas Copco Airpower
employees?
Access to the Airpower Service Center is
completely secured by means of badge
control. More concretely this implies that
non-ASC employees or external parties will
no longer be able to use ASC as a shortcut to
the training center or the medical department,
not even through the green paths. This also
means that all ASC building employees and
training center visitors will no longer be able
to reach the canteen through the green path
and must from now on reach it from the
outside.
Access to ASC is only possible under
permanent accompaniment of an ASC
employee. For the sake of the customers we
trust that everyone understands the importance
of respecting the taken measures. n
- Veerle Kienen
i n n o v a t i o n s ™ - M a y 2 013 | 2 9
Lean Enterprise
Engineering
Purc
hasi
es
Sal
T
M
eting
ark
ication
n
u
ng
Customer
Passion
Logistics
Comm
u
d
Pro
n
o
cti
I
&
e
First
Time Right
nc
a
Fin
Hu
m
Re an
sou
rce
s
Pull
Continuous
Improvement
Takt
Flow
Together with the LEAN KPI’s on Safety, Manpower, Quality,
Productivity, Delivery and Inventory (SMQPDI), the LEAN Rotor
is a core symbol for the LEAN improvement processes within
Atlas Copco.
In the LEAN Forum workshops, see the full article on page 26, the
rotor was further discussed and fine tuned to describe the LEAN key
words and mind-set as well as the stake holders of our LEAN
processes even better.
www.atlascopco.com