From constant mill improvements to innovative new technologies and field-leading R&D activities, Pesmel’s cooperation with Outokumpu has a long history of delivering success.
As a company with a strong history of using the latest technology in its production activities, Finnish metal giant Outokumpu ordered some of the first high-bay coil and sheet storages for its Tornio plant from AWA Warehouse in 1996. Prior to its merger with Pesmel in 2009, AWA Warehouse utilized Pesmel as a subcontractor to deliver the packing line coil and sheet transportation machinery components of the order. What followed is an ongoing cooperation between Pesmel and Outokumpu that has seen both companies drive each other’s growth, productivity and quality to ever-higher levels.
The evolution of innovation
Outokumpu has historically maintained its market-leading reputation for quality by employing highly-automated, safe products and systems across all its production sites in an effort to deliver products of the highest quality. When Outokumpu decided to significantly increase their high-quality stainless steel production, Pesmel sought to surpass their quality requirements, and was there to assist in the planning process at the earliest stage.
Excellent communication, fluid cooperation, an innovative mind set, and a constructive attitude towards compromise from both companies led to the successful delivery of this and many other projects, from the earliest days of the cooperation onwards. Both companies’ personnel may have changed over the decades, but their track records for delivering projects have remained consistently excellent.
Pesmel have planned, designed delivered and maintained multiple industry-first logistics and production innovations for Outokumpu across multiple sites in Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands – from individual components such as devices for hot coil handling, labeling robots and warehouse conveyors, to sheet and coil packing systems, all the way up to fully automated coil packing lines, automatic sorting, storing, packing and dispatch systems, as well as fully automated logistics and intermediate storing system for entire mills.
Breakout success
While all of Outokumpu investments in Pesmel technology have delivered efficiency improvements and significant financial benefits, Pesmel’s bespoke Through-Eye Wrapping (TEW) machine and packing line – developed specifically at Outkumpu’s request – has enabled Pesmel to penetrate the metal industry across the globe. With minimized waste, automated folding functionality, and reduced packing material requirements, Pesmel’s Outokumpu-developed sheet packing line has had a similar impact on a smaller scale.
R&D – past, present and future
The key to improvement is innovation – and Pesmel has helped Outokumpu innovate many different solutions to its production and logistics needs. Even in situations where clear solutions are not immediately evident, Pesmel’s long history with Outokumpu has consistently delivered high-quality solutions that best meet the needs of both parties. An example of this is when Outokumpu made a significant investment in Pesmel’s high-bay storage concept that acted as storage both for end products and as intermediate buffering between processes. Although a big investment, the end result was a highly-effective concept that is now being used in multiple locations across the world.
“Our partnership with Pesmel has been effortless from the very beginning. We have realised our shared vision though seamless cooperation and the drive to achieve the best outcomes for both parties – without compromising on quality. Our Pesmel equipment has worked reliably for decades, allowing us to consistently deliver efficient, high-quality products to our customers.”
Juha Lappeteläinen,
Development Manager – Cold Rolling Plant,
Outokumpu
Outokumpu is also the pilot for Pesmel’s FlowCare industrial IoT solution. Applied for the first time in 2015, FlowCare enables mills to collect technical usability data and produce reports that help optimise maintenance, plan future production, spot potential bottlenecks, and more. The success of the Outokumpu pilot had led to Pesmel adopting FlowCare as default for all large upcoming cases. As with many of Pesmel’s innovations, FlowCare can be adopted to fit existing machinery, following the current industry trend of optimising existing installations rather than investing in new sites.
Immediate cooperation – long-lasting results
The projects developed in partnership with Outokumpu have boosted Pesmel’s international standing in terms of logistics quality, whereas Outokumpu has maintained production excellence across global markets. This is how Pesmel approaches all of its projects. Our customer-centered methodology means we win by making our customers’ business more successful, as we thrive on our reputation for understanding our customers’ needs and not being driven by our own opinions. Constant innovation and development by our world-class, in-house engineering department means we are able to form long-lasting relationships with our customers, allowing us to deliver long-term success instead of quick fixes. This also extends to the products we deliver, as our customers are able to deliver efficient, quality deliverable to their own customers over a period of decades.