Service ensures efficiency at Strøjer Tegl

At Strøjer Tegl on Funen, they were quick to recognize the benefits of automating production and invested in their first robot as far back as 1994. Since then, seven more robots have been installed in the large production hall, where clay is transformed into beautiful bricks.‍

A considerable number of bricks leave the factory, which is situated in idyllic surroundings surrounded by fields just outside Assens on the island of Funen. In fact, 50,000,000 bricks are produced each year in a myriad of beautiful colors, ranging from very light gray through the more traditional yellow and red shades to black. No fewer than one in four bricks in Denmark comes from Strøjer Tegl, so there’s a good chance that several of the houses in your neighborhood were built with soft-molded bricks from this company, which has been in business for over 150 years.

Downtime costing 30,000 DKK per hour

Producing so many bricks every year requires an efficient production line. And part of the production line at Strøjer Tegl consists of eight Fanuc robots. Together, they lift 65 tons a day, and this takes a toll on the robots when they operate from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. Strøjer Tegl has therefore entered into a fixed-term service agreement with the Odense-based automation company Gibotech, which ensures that the robots always operate optimally in the harsh environment, where a heavy layer of dust constantly settles on the plant.

The most important thing for us is to avoid breakdowns so that we can maintain efficient production. After all, a robot breakdown means the entire line is down, and that would cost us approximately 30,000 DKK per hour if it happens.

Henrik Mathisen, Maintenance Department at Strøjer Tegl

One of the things Strøjer Tegl places particular emphasis on in its partnerships is flexibility.

– Our partnership with Gibotech is working really well. We know that if we need them, they’ll send someone right away, even outside normal business hours. And their regular service visits are always scheduled to fit in with our production schedule. We also buy our spare parts from Gibotech, since they can usually deliver them the very next day, says Henrik Mathisen.

Regular annual service visits ensure the efficiency of Strøjer Tegl

Once a year, one of Gibotech’s service technicians visits Strøjer Tegl on a regular basis to perform a thorough service check. He knows in advance which spare parts to bring, as it is Gibotech’s responsibility to keep track of which parts need to be replaced and when, in order to prevent breakdowns.

- Most of our customers sign a service agreement when they purchase a system from us. But we also provide service for many systems that we didn’t sell ourselves. For example, we’ve been servicing robots we didn’t supply at Strøjer Tegl for over 15 years, and we’re naturally pleased that they’ve placed their trust in us, says Allan Sloth Hansen, service manager at Gibotech.

Even though Strøjer Tegl has its own six-person maintenance department that includes both blacksmiths and electricians, none of them work on the robots.

– No one from Strøjer Tegl touches the robots. Only Gibotech’s people work on them when necessary. And they do a good job, because there haven’t been any breakdowns with the robots so far. It’s actually pretty impressive when you consider that the oldest robot dates back to 1994, says Henrik Mathisen with a smile.