Topping Up in Wine Country – Smart Grids and Robots

Technical top-up

– The visit was technical in nature, and representatives from Schneider Electric who work with

product development gave us a thorough introduction to high-voltage systems for 12 and 24 kV networks. In addition to the

technical presentation, we got to see production and assembly of the RM6 system from component level all the way to

fully tested installation, says Møre Trafos Head of Sales Ivar Lifjeld.

Smart Grids

Accessories and equipment for the smart grids of the future were also on display during the visit. According to Lifjeld,
the social side of the customer trip was also high quality.

“It’s not exactly hard to enjoy yourself in beautiful French surroundings with a tradition for exciting culture and good

winemaking, and 23 degrees Celsius, ” says Lifjeld about the customer trip in mid-October.

World-Leading

Production of various types of high-voltage products was the starting point when the factory was established

in 1964. Since 1981 it has produced only compact switchgear type RM6 (ring main unit SF6). RM6

switchgear is world-leading in the ring main unit category. It is exported to 130 countries. The first

RM6 switchgear in Norway was delivered to Fitjar Kraftlag in 1983.

Advanced Robots

The factory specializes in assembly and testing, but epoxy parts like fuse housings and bushings are also produced here. Other steel parts and components are produced in other Schneider factories, and some come from external suppliers.

– The breaker housings (the tank) are welded together by robots, and over time more robots have been added that

carry out partly advanced assembly work. The parts warehouse is huge, around 17,000 components are used

and quality control is a priority area, says Ivar Lifjeld.

Cycling and Wine Production

The Norwegian flag was raised in honor of the Møre Trafo delegation at the factory, which has the vision “Think

Customer, Act Customer, Be Customer.” Today, 200 employees at the factory are certified

according to ISO standards for quality, environment, and safety.

Etter fabrikkbesøket handlet det om å få nok watt i pedalene til sykkelturen i middelalderbyen og

turistmagneten Saint Emillion. Vinkjennere vil helt sikkert også nikke anerkjennende til navnet Saint-

Emillion. Byen er en av de viktigste områdene for rødvin i Bordeaux.

Cave Passages

The origins of the small picturesque town with its narrow streets and fine stone houses are said to go back to the monk

Emilian from Brittany. In the eighth century he is said to have settled in a cave in the area, and over time attracted more Benedictine monks. They quarried stone from the rock for housebuilding, and the village grew,

Europe’s largest monolithic church was built. Now several kilometers of tunnels run crisscross

under the town, and wine is stored here at stable temperatures.

Castle and opera

Guide Laila Thortvedt from Rendez-vous Frankrike took the delegation to Chateau Haute Sarpe, where they handed in their bikes after a good 15-kilometer ride. After a tour of the castle, there was an outdoor picnic in brilliant sunshine – and the guide topped it off with opera. She is actually a well-known singer in France.