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News from Hjernø Værktøjsfabrik A/S
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Although Hjerno is among Scandinavia's oldest and largest tool factories, we are actually also equally known in the world for our collapsible cores as for our injection moulding tools.
Since we developed our own type of collapsible core 15 years ago, the demand for them has steadily increased, in particular abroad. Even to such an extent that our collapsible cores today are marketed in countries such as the United States, Spain, Italy, Mexico, and the Czech Republic via a number of foreign distributors.
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Occasionally we are asked why we do not export even more than we already do. The answer is that it is because we continue to see a huge potential in the Danish market.
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As previously described, the project involved the manufacture of a series of tools for the production of steel plates to be used in a particular type of fuel cells.
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The holidays are approaching but at Hjerno Tool Factory we are as usual working at full throttle during the entire summer.
We do not close during the industrial holidays, but rather always have employees at work to solve tasks for both Danish and foreign customers.
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We like to think that we manufacture Danish tools of exceptional quality. And luckily that is something, which more and more international customers appreciate as well.
As posted earlier this spring, we have been involved in a very interesting fuel cell project for a foreign client.
A project, which you can read more about in a magazine titled Dansk Verdensklasse (Danish World Class), which is published by Jern- og Maskinindustrien.
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At Hjerno we always try to be at the forefront of development by implementing new technologies in our production.
One of our focus areas is to create better integration between tool, robot, injection moulding machine and peripheral equipment, and for that we are looking for a small group of talented engineering students.
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Tools are not just tools anymore. Modern tools are not merely mechanics and cavities but also contain lots of electronics and cables. Thereby also increasing the risk of errors in the tool.
Therefore, at Hjerno we use a digital diagnostic tool called the ‘Mold Doctor’ to ensure the quality of the finished tools before they are shipped to the customer.
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At Hjerno we are increasingly handling large and heavy tools – sometimes up to five to seven tonnes.
The reason being that many tools are getting more and more complicated as a result of many cavities and advanced technique. The tools are still very compact, but often they end up weighing several tonnes.
That is why we have invested in a portal crane, which, due to a lifting capacity of 6.3 tonnes, can handle that kind of heavy tools.
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Yet another new machine has moved into our production workshop.
In this case, it is a Haas turning lathe that allows us to perform additional machining of the y-axis.
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An average of one new employee has been added to our staff each month, since we moved to new and larger premises at the beginning of the year.
This means a total of six new employees, e.g. two white-collars, three toolmakers and an apprentice, which brings the total number of employees up to almost 60. A remarkably high staff inflow for a Danish tool factory, says managing director Aage Agergaard.
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By using state-of-the-art production equipment and skilled employees, Danish companies can easily compete with Eastern Europe and other cheap-labour countries.
Hjerno is a very good example of that. At our factory we produce more and more technically demanding tools for not only Danish customers, who insource their tool manufacturing to Denmark, but also to customers in Eastern Europe, who have developed an appetite for Danish quality tools.
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From time to time a client order may lead to exciting new tool designs. A recent project for a foreign customer is a good example of this.
The project involved some extremely complicated 2K tools, as the moulding item contains 50 percent glass. That put great demands on flow simulations as the sample - due to the high content of glass - does not shrink equally along and across the fibres.
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Earlier this spring, specialists from all over the world were assembled at our factory in Odense. Great minds within both CAM software, processing machines and cutting tools were required to reach the finishing line of an unusual task.
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At Hjerno the machines do not stop just because our employees go home.
Most of our processing machines are already autonomous. And most recently we have managed to develop a method that makes it possible for the milling machines to run more optimally during the night – resulting in better cutting operations and faster delivery times.
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Hjerno is strengthening its organisation with several new appointments and organisational changes.
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Hjerno is breaking new ground in our efforts to reduce lead times by 30 per cent.
We are doing this by launching a new digital order flow system that is currently under development. A system, which should reduce the need for manual production monitoring.
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As known to many, during the autumn we moved to new and larger premises in the northwest of Odense.
We have boiled down the entire process to a one-minute long timelapse video, which documents the move to our new production facilities.
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By moving to our new headquarters, we have created space for a special customer office, which has been established in connection with our new test centre.
Here our customers may stay in peace and quiet while they wait for their tools to be phased-in and tested.
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According to a brand new industry analysis from Plastindustrien (The Danish Plastics Federation), many Danish companies in the plastics industry yearn for manpower. Compared to 2009, there are 19 per cent fewer jobs in the industry, while the same time employment in plastic companies in other European countries has increased.
However, at Hjerno we are not experiencing any shortage in skilled labour, which, according to managing director Aage Agergaard can be attributed to an age-long recruitment effort.
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As mentioned last month, we have given ourselves an ambitious New Year’s resolution: To reduce lead times on tools by 30 per cent.
This is why we every morning at 8.30 a.m. carry out a whiteboard meeting for all employees. Here we go through all the points associated with the 30 per cent strategy.
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How can we as a tool factory ensure that our clients get faster time to market while at the same time maximising cutting operations on our machines?
That is the task that our 15-man milling group has been given in the aftermath of the relocation to Hjerno's new domicile.
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We have now welcomed yet another machine to our production.
An EDM wire cutting machine from Swiss manufacturer AGIE will make it possible for us to wire cut surfaces down to Ra 0.1 µm in 0.1 millimetre thread.
This gives a surface of a quality that can almost compete with a polished surface as well as securing super sharp edges due to the ultra-thin wire.
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Non-stop 0.4 millimetre spherical cutting over a whole month.
Two extraordinarily complex items were processed by Hjerno's machines during Christmas and New Year. And the job was actually not completed until January.
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Did you know that a production order marked in red is not an option at Hjerno Tool Factory?
As all other manufacturing companies we operate with planning boards, on which all orders in progress are plotted.
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In relations to a specific project, Hjerno Tool Factory has created a revolutionary new tool design, which paves the way for far more cavities and more rapid shifts of entire cavities – pretty much without the use of tools, that is.
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Just because Christmas is on its way, it does not mean that Hjerno Tool Factory’s machines will be idle.
Though the holidays around Christmas and New Year often mean lower capacity, this is not the case at Hjerno. On the contrary, we will be producing at full speed during the holidays.
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With the move to the new headquarters, we have not only ensured more space for both machines and employees. The indoor climate has as well been significantly improved.
Climate control has been established throughout the factory, and a large ventilation system for more efficient exhaust on all machines and air conditioning in all office facilities has been as well.
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All machines have been moved, all employees are in place and our nameplate has been put up.
We are now officially settled in our new headquarters at Thulevej in Odense NV. And even faster than expected.
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The significantly improved physical surroundings in our new headquarters have given us a unique opportunity to redesign and optimize our factory layout.
"We have now to a much greater degree than in the past the opportunity to design a production line with a natural and optimal flow all the way through the production," says managing director Aage Agergaard, who among other things, has taken a very close look at the optimal location and formation of machines.
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Not only our employees will benefit from Hjerno’s upcoming move.
Our customers will also enjoy the advantage of the improved physical surroundings, which more than double the space compared to our previous headquarters.
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Hjerno Tool Factory will soon be moving to new and larger premises.
And although the new headquarters is only a few hundred metres away, it is no piece of cake to move Hjerno’s more than 50 production machines and equal number of employees. Especially when we have a declared goal that the move under no circumstances must affect our daily production.
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It is important that we get as many eyes as possible on a new tool.
Therefore, we at Hjerno Tool Factory take advantage of the fact that we are Denmark’s largest tool manufacturer with an entire house full of tool specialists.
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With the purchase of a brand new Arburg 470 Golden Electric injection moulding machine Hjerno Tool Factory is further increasing the capacity in our test centre.
In the test centre we test and phase-in our tools to make sure that they are ready for production from the very first day they are delivered to the customer.
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With the hiring of a data and mechanical engineer whose job it is to apply even more electronics into our tools, Hjerno takes another ambitious step in developing tomorrow’s intelligent tools.
Hjerno has already begun this technological development by, among other things, implementing servo drives and advanced sensors in more and more tools - a development now being accelerated further.
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In its latest issue, the Danish magazine PlastPanorama takes a closer look at the investments carried out by Hjerno in order to offer our customers production-ready tools.
A strategy, which requires our own test casting unit as well as highly skilled plastics specialists.
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With the hiring of four new toolmakers, Hjerno significantly strengthens its service department – which is already one of the cornerstones of Hjerno Tool Factory.
”Four new staff members will be added to our assembly- and repair department. We wish to offer our customers an even better service on both scheduled, long term maintenance and acute problems,” explains managing director Aage Agergaard on the reasons for hiring the four new employees.
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It is with great pleasure we are able to announce that Hjerno Tool Factory will relocate to new and bigger premises during the fall of 2017 in order to pursue our ambitious growth strategy.
Geographically, the future headquarters will be located only half a kilometer from our current address in the northwestern part of Odense, but from a business perspective it is a massive leap for Hjerno.
With almost 4.000 m2 the new headquarters will be more than double the size of the present facilities at Hans Egedes Vej.
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Mechanics and electronics are merging to an increasing degree in Hjerno’s tools.
We are thus selling more and more tools with an integrated servomotor, which provides the opportunity for much more precise control than a pneumatic or hydraulic puller.
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Every single week, all employees from all of Hjerno’s departments gather for a whiteboard meeting.
This is where we review routines, standards, upcoming assignments and other subjects in order to ensure optimal production. The meetings help us keep up a running production of 30-40 tools at a time with a high reliability of delivery.
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Thanks to our technical item designer Kenneth Nielsen, we can offer to help our customers with the technical design of the plastic items that our tools will manufacture. This is generally the best way to ensure optimal design of both the tool and the item.
This kind of technical item design can also take place on-site at the customer’s address, allowing the customer to look over Kenneth’s shoulder, so to speak.
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Do you also struggle with rust in the cooling ducts and core inserts of your tools, even after just a short period of use?
Tools that are eaten up by rust due to coolants are a well known problem in the plastics industry. Hjerno is now addressing this issue with our recently developed method of partial rustproofing for cooling ducts, cores and core inserts.
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We are proud to develop and manufacture Danish customised tools of high quality.
But for some projects, it makes financial sense to supplement these customised tools with less expensive ones.
For this reason, Hjerno Tool Factory has for several years collaborated closely and successfully with a number of carefully-chosen Chinese partners who can deliver economical, low-cost tools.
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Phasing in new tools in a plastics production is not always a simple matter.
So if the need arises, Hjerno Tool Factory now offers to send one of our phase-in specialists out to the customer for on-site assistance when a new tool is being implemented in a production.
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What exactly is it about Hjernø that makes our customers choose us when they need a tool?
Every now and then, we ask our customers that particular question. And the answer is actually a little surprising.
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The trend is clear at Hjerno Tool Factory at the moment: Our customers are placing more and more orders with us on larger series of tools.
“We see a trend, where our customers buy whole series of tools. And not just single tools as previous, “says managing director Aage Agergaard, adding that it applies to not only plastic manufactures but also other customers.
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Currently, Hjerno Tool Factory's production manager Martin Riedel is rubbing shoulders with some of Denmark’s heavy-weight business leaders.
As of now, Martin is just about halfway through his 2.5 year-long international MBA in management at the renowned Henley Business School in England.
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It is well known that newly manufactured tools often have a certain initial period of phasing-in before they are approved for production by the client.
Quite often small adjustments of the tool must be made until all features and permissible limits are to a T. Adjustments, which can cause unnecessary delays and additional costs for both the toolmaker and customer.
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Traditional ammunition boxes of steel have dominated the market of ammunition boxes since WW2. But now a Danish developed plastic box is ready for battle against competitors.
The box is developed by the Danish company PlastPackDefense (PPD) and Hjerno Tool Factory has acted as a development partner during the project.
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Hjerno Tool Factory’s longstanding focus on recruiting skilled apprentices to our tool production raises attention outside the four walls of Hjerno at the moment.
Earlier in the winter, the local business newspaper Erhvervsavisen Fyn stopped by our factory to learn more about Hjerno’s recruitment strategy, which go all the way back to elementary school. As a direct result of the strategy, Hjerno now has five apprentices in production - the highest number ever.
The interview with managing director Aage Agergaard and several of our apprentices can be read here: http://bit.ly/2lKxIgc
An online version of the article can also be found here: http://bit.ly/2kZ6B0W
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The system is called ZW3D and is supplied by a Chinese company, ZWCAD Systems. It is a system, which is completely new in Denmark, and thus Sam Liu made the trip to H.C. Andersen’s famous birthplace.
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The media production company Nordiske Medier has launched a brand new magazine about the plastics industry. The magazine dives into topics such as injection moulding, 3D printing and robotics.
Additionally the magazine will from now on be the direct information channel of the umbrella organization of the Danish Plastics Federation.
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Back in December seven of our skilled tool makers and constructors could call themselves certified project managers after an intensive training course at Lillebaelt Academy, the largest business academy in the region.
The magazine Plastpanorama published an article regarding this and it can be read here: http://bit.ly/2jGN3Jv
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Education is no longer exclusive to the young. Today learning is a life-long concept.
This is also the case for Hjerno Tool Factory’s Per Rasmussen. He is originally a trained toolmaker and has for years functioned as Hjerno’s technical manager. He can now add a mini–MBA to his CV – an education, which has have given him the chance to reacquaint himself with concepts such as strategy, CSR and leadership.
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Hjerno Tool Factory's production has never had more apprentices than at present.
In total, Hjerno has taken on five apprentices - two in January alone - to ensure the vital future supply of toolmakers. No toolmakers, no tools.
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This is the reasoning behind letting a total of seven of our toolmakers and constructors complete an academic project manager education at Erhvervsakademi Lillebælt. A process, which to a large degree, has been tailored to Hjerno Tool Factory’s needs.
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Therefore, we always offer that tools with acute breakdowns can be collected for repairs at Hjerno Tool Factory within an hour – regardless of where in the country the tool is located.
More news
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Hjerno’s milling specialist pushes the limits
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This is how we work to raise the quality at Hjerno
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View video: Meet the man who makes Hjerno's production run smoothly
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Video: Meet Denmark's sharpest tool brains
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Meet Hjerno's number one problem solver
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Extremely complicated project was a race against time
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Hjerno: Much more than a supplier
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Watch video: Meet Hjerno's plastics specialist
