Aluminum Parts Manufacturer Increases Production More Than 80% with Automation
Rivimetal, a Greek manufacturer specializing in aluminum car spare parts, faced the challenge of increasing productivity to remain competitive while suffering from a shortage of skilled personnel. Realizing that automation was the only way to overcome this challenge, Rivimetal partnered with Sabo Electric and Universal Robots and the result was an 82% productivity boost.
Established in 1970 by Athanasios Rivios, RIVIMETAL began its journey by serving the local market with aluminum, zinc, and brass castings, specializing in the manufacture of castings for companies such as Daimler, BMW, Volkswagen, Fiat group and many more.
Automating the grinding process has freed up fatigued workers who are now able to focus on less strenuous tasks.
Today, RIVIMETAL is a leading specialist in the production of high-pressure die castings and alloys, and is widely regarded as one of the best Greek companies in terms of quality, flexibility, and competitive world prices in castings.
The Business Challenge
Rivimetal was using two people for grinding aluminum products, resulting in significant drops in productivity due to worker fatigue. The company was further challenged by the professional manpower shortage and the need to increase production, prompting the Rivimetal team to make a shift; the company's skilled workers needed to be freed from mundane, repetitive tasks, which could be accomplished by cobots.
VIDEO: Grinding and Palletizing Cobots Boost Productivity and Free Up Manpower
The Solution
Rivimetal's partnership with Sabo Electric and Universal Robots enabled the company to overcome the challenge of delays, creating a non-stop production line, transforming hardworking people into cobot operators. This collaboration has been instrumental in allowing Rivimetal to maximize efficiency and productivity, while also providing employees with the opportunity to develop new skills.
Compact, Flexible and Low Financial Risk
Sabo Electric's automation solution -- the UR10 cobot -- has created a more flexible environment with a non-stop production line, providing workers with the opportunity to operate cobots and the confidence to become more competitive.
UR10 operates in a cycle that that includes grinding, palletizing, and covering each finished layer of palletized parts.
Additionally, the implementation of a gripper that can perform all tasks has helped to make the system even more affordable, resulting in a low financial risk. A camera with a secure grip provides the flexibility to use the application with ease. This feature ensures that the product is held securely, allowing for a more reliable experience.
After the UR10 has handled the part through the grinding process, it palletizes the part and covers each layer with a slip sheet.
Rivimetal has added hundreds of production hours to its capacity annually, boosting productivity up to 82%, resulting in the cobots paying for themselves within 15 months.
The cost-effective solution that resulted in ROI in approximately one year gave the company the confidence to buy an additional UR10 for the same task.
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