SubscribeSanta Maria and FlexLink have signed a contract covering the delivery of a larger system for automated transport and palletizing of packaged spices.
The purpose of the investment is to improve the working environment and to increase productivity in the Molndal plant. The order value is approximately 20 million SEK and final delivery is scheduled for the third quarter of 2007.
Santa Maria is the leading Nordic flavouring company with a growing market share in Europe. Work is in progress to introduce lean thinking, philosophy and tools at Santa Maria. The starting point is the Spice Factory in Molndal, where Santa Maria spices and spice blends are produced. With this investment, manual operations are replaced by automatic ones to form a continuous flow from the packaging hall via palletizers directly to the trucks ready for loading.
The production logistics solutions and the selection of suppliers for crucial equipment were defined through an open dialogue between Santa Maria and FlexLink. The order, which was awarded in tough international competition, is an example of FlexLink's competence to combine proprietary equipment with machinery from specialized suppliers.
"We have used FlexLink for many years, and we concluded that they are the best partner for this important project due to their experience and network. Following our direction towards lean production and increasing the degree of automation, we release competent employees from repetitive and heavy work, enabling them to transfer to more value-adding tasks in our growing organization.
Automation and lean production is a prerequisite for developing our leading position in the business," says Henrik Dahlquist, production manager and responsible for lean at Santa Maria.
"This collaboration with Santa Maria confirms that production logistics is a crucial tool for lean production. We are proud to be given the customer's confidence to include equipment from several machine suppliers and we do not exclude the possibility that the combination will exceed the already high requirements from Santa Maria," says Carl-Johan Hallenborg, Managing Director of FlexLink Systems AB.
FlexLink is a leading global supplier of automation solutions to assembly and manufacturing industries. Based in Göteborg, Sweden, FlexLink employs 600 people and operates 24 international companies with representatives in 60 countries. In 2005, Group turnover was MSEK 1,154.
Göteborg, October 16, 2006