Møre Trafo strong on automation: Robot-Unni in full swing

Robot-Unni is the result of a collaboration with Robotek AS, where Møre Trafo is a co-owner. Robotek has tested and programmed the robot.

The robot works on three different products and performs three different operations. It shapes pressure rings for porcelain bushings, bends mounting lugs on the tanks, and punches holes in nameplates. These tasks were previously done manually.

– After a period of engineering work, the robot is now up and running in the factory. In many ways it’s a pilot project where we experiment with technology and development, which can result in even more of these robots in our production, says Factory Manager Steinulf Grøvik at Møre Trafo.

Running Full Steam

Møre Trafo is running full steam and wants to stay at the forefront in the region. Møre Trafo has worked strategically on this, and it has delivered very strong results.

Robot-Unni, the latest innovation, is a UR10 robot. The fact that it is a universal robot is also the reason behind the name Unni.

UR-10 robot arms can lift ten kilos. You can program the robot fairly easily to perform very precise tasks.

Reliable

“These are cost-effective, precise, safe and flexible collaborative robots that make automation easier, and they can work safely side by side with people,” says Grøvik.

Boosts Revenue

The major investments Møre Trafo has made in automation and robotization of production have delivered very strong results for the Sykkylven company, which is the market leader in Norway for transformers and complete substations. This strategic focus, together with a growing market over the past ten years, has increased revenue by a full NOK 100 million.

“We can’t say that automation and robotization alone are the reason for higher earnings, but they have been an important and significant contributor. Automation and robotization have also given us a far more efficient and flexible production,” says Factory Manager Steinulf Grøvik.

Model Company

Productivity has increased thanks to more efficient production. Møre Trafo has on several occasions been highlighted as a model company – including at conferences on the new industrial revolution, robots and additive manufacturing.

Profitable
“The board backed it from the start because we could show that the investments would be profitable all the way. The basis for the initiative has been modernization, efficiency improvements and rationalization,” says Steinulf.
Møre Trafo has also automated where needed to improve the working environment for employees in terms of health, environment and safety (HSE considerations).
From 2014 to 2017, revenue increased from 259 million to 321 million, and this year also points to a revenue increase of around ten percent. The bottom line has also improved significantly for the company with 130 employees.

Robotek

Møre Trafo is, together with 15 other companies, a co-owner of Robotek AS, which aims to be a leading competence center for production technology, work processes and product development for its owners and partners.

“Robots are much cheaper today than they used to be, and they cost the same in Norway as in China, which makes them cost-effective. They are also easier to program. Møre Trafo is a company that is really on the ball when it comes to robotization and automation,” says Arne Tande, CEO of Robotek.