Prodan invests in robots and saves 1.5 million DKK/annually

Investment in two robots strenghtens capacity and competitiveness

Machine factory Prodan is a total supplier with extensive production encompassing sheet metal processing, welding, metal cutting, assembly, as well as associated logistics and quality control. The company, located southwest of Randers, Denmark, has 160 employees, and its diverse customer base includes the wind turbine, offshore, agriculture, defense, food, and process industries.

Prodan has embraced a robust growth strategy aimed at achieving a 40% expansion over the next three years. The path to this growth involves a strong focus on automation and robots to significantly boost capacity and competitiveness. As part of this initiative, Prodan has invested in two robot cells from BILA, specifically the BILA RoboPower T850-6L model.

Flexible standard robots

One BILA RoboPower was acquired for a processing center, while the other was designated for a CNC lathe. Prodan's factory manager, Henrik Christensen, with many years of experience with robots, chose this model for its flexibility as a standard robot cell that is portable and easy to program.

"We opted for a standard solution, giving us the flexibility to use it for other components. We can move the robot cell to an entirely different machine to process different components. This ensures that the solution is also the right one in the long run,"

Henrik Christensen, Factory Manager

2 BILA RoboPower resulted in staff-saving of 3 employees

The BILA RoboPower T850-6L in the turning department quickly operated on three shifts. When the demand for this component grew significantly, Prodan made a swift decision and relocated the robot cell from the processing center to a CNC lathe. The implementation at the processing center had just begun, allowing them to make a highly beneficial move to the CNC lathe. This relocation resulted in a staffing save of 3 employees.

"Finding qualified labour is already challenging, but with the freed-up workforce for other tasks, it's possible to increase throughput in the factory with the same number of employees. This has provided an annual saving of at least one and a half million kroner, with a payback period of well under a year," says Henrik Christensen, Factory Manager.

BILA has quickly deployed numerous BILA RoboPower units. It's not uncommon for us to achieve payback periods of less than a year with the BILA RoboPower concept, says Sales Manager Lars Skaarup Rasmussen from BILA, adding:

"It's great to contribute to bringing production back from the East and simultaneously contribute to a very successful business for our customers,"

Lars Skaarup Rasmussen, Sales Manager