One of Norway’s most modern

“We’re now in a ramp-up phase and expect to be in full production during the spring,” says Technical Manager Fred Anton Alvestad about the new investment of around 20 million kroner, which will significantly increase production capacity. The 600-square-meter building for the powder-coating plant was completed in 2021, and a facility like this has been planned since 2017.

Optimized

– We have hurried slowly to get a facility that is optimized for Møre Trafo, our needs, the customer’s needs, and not least for sustainability. We have needed this time. It is a facility that must work for many years to come, says Production Manager Kjetil Monsøy, who together with Alvestad and Operations Engineer Christian Hellebostad is project manager for the commissioning and startup of the facility.

Robots

Two ABB robots costing NOK 3.6 million will apply the powder to the products. They are now being programmed to work with maximum precision. Programming is a fairly extensive job that will take time. The old coating line will therefore run in parallel for a while. Four operators are being trained in using robots, robot programming, and in chemistry and powder coating.

Polyester

In the new facility you no longer use epoxy powder, but switch to polyester powder. Polyester is more environmentally friendly, and it keeps the paint gloss longer. A goal is also to achieve the second-highest corrosion classification, C-4 against rust.

Longer Lifetime

Boosting corrosion resistance on the products – making them more rust-resistant – improving paint durability on the transformers, and automating paint application were three key goals for the new powder coating plant when it was planned in 2017.

Larger Transformers

Even then, the capacity of the old early-1980s plant was maxed out, and the need for a new facility was clear. In addition to higher production capacity, the new powder-coating plant also gives you much better control of production, which in turn means even better quality for your customers. The new plant also handles transformers that keep getting larger.

Better and Sustainable

“In short, we will deliver even better products in a more environmentally friendly way. With the automation, very little of the powder goes to waste, and most of it can be recycled. Compared to the old plant, we gain a huge advantage here,” says Monsøy.

Efficiency

Staffing will basically stay the same. At the old plant, work runs today until 21:00. The efficiency gains at the new plant mean you can produce what you do today, and more, in significantly less time.

Major Energy Savings

“The entire facility is also designed to give us more efficient use of energy. Among other things, we have airlocks and doors that reduce heat loss and emissions, and we have 30 cm of insulation in the walls. So there is a very big environmental benefit in energy savings in the new facility. During planning and design we have had a very strong focus on the environmental aspect and our CO2 footprint,” says Alvestad.

One of the finest in Norway

Because of the age of the old plant, the new plant also gives you confidence that Møre Trafo can deliver as agreed, without production stops. It is a top-class plant in terms of efficiency, environment, and sustainability.

“We had a visit from a paint supplier last week. They said this was one of the finest paint facilities they had seen in Norway. It’s a very strong reference for us and means we’ve done a lot right,” says Kjetil Monsøy.