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Displaying items by tag: Lesjöfors

Monday, 03 October 2022 11:06

Securing the future of spring manufacturing

In many of our Lesjöfors companies, we use apprenticeships as a strategic way to introduce, train and keep the most suitable staff for the future. In the UK, European Springs & Pressings has just on-boarded five new apprentices in an extensive program.

The five apprentices have just joined the European Springs & Pressings family and begun the training that will launch them on their journey to becoming qualified engineers. Stuart McSheehy, MD of European Springs & Pressings explains why the company has chosen apprenticeships in their recruitment process:

“Apprentices and new workers are in increasingly high demand, as the manufacturing industry in the UK has been facing the largest skills shortage in over 30 years, and a drop in the number of fresh, young workers joining the manufacturing sector eventually results in a lack of succession. As such, a robust, and continuing, recruitment process is essential, and we are always actively searching for exciting new engineering talent.”

ESP apprenticesESP apprentices

Earn while you learn

An apprenticeship is a great way to get a foot on the ladder within the engineering industry, while also getting paid. Combining classroom instruction and on-the-job training, an Engineering apprenticeship course offers the opportunity to gain the knowledge, skills and experience needed to achieve an industry-recognised City & Guild or BTEC qualification, and become a qualified engineer.

While manufacturers invest in efficient equipment such as smart technologies and automated machinery, many people currently do not have the right experience or are unaware of the qualifications or skills needed to fill vacant roles, and the benefits of choosing a career in this industry.

Essential problem solvers

Engineers are our expert problem solvers; without their specific skills and insights we would not be able to support our customer’s manufacturing processes and component requirements. To foster loyalty and increase staff retention, European Springs & Pressings have adopted a dedicated approach to creating a professional working environment that nurtures the staff’s talents and supports their progression.

“I began my own career in the industry as an engineering apprentice, so I know that this is a tool that both the individual and the company can benefit from. Many of our current employees started as apprentices and trainees before becoming engineers, with a number having risen to essential business positions such as Purchasing Officer, Press Shop Manager, Quality and Metrology Manager and even senior management roles”, says Stuart McSheehy.

The Lesjöfors Group provides the widest range of springs and pressings to customers in diverse industries across the world. With a unique expertise in high technological, custom-made solutions and a flexible manufacturing capacity, Lesjöfors is the premier partner for all spring requirements. Lesjöfors, owned by Beijer Alma a listed company on the Stockholm Stock Exchange, comprises almost 50 manufacturing and sales companies in many countries. As a long-term and committed spring innovator, the Group continuously grows with a good profitability, both organically and by acquisitions.

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To accelerate sustainability implementation, the Lesjöfors Group has recruited a Head of Sustainability. Anna Haesert is well experienced from several Swedish industrial companies. Reviewing the entire value chain, from purchasing to the final products, is one of the prioritized areas.

The position as Head of Sustainability is new to the group. Lesjöfors, with many manufacturing companies, is the natural organization for the position. Being a member of the executive management team gives a strong foundation as well as an overall strategic outlook for the whole Beijer Alma Group. Anna Haesert comes most recently from Boliden but has also worked for Atlas Copco and in the chemical industry. She has just finished her first month in our group and these are some of her first impressions.

What is your mission as Head of Sustainability?

“I must get to know the companies closely to fully understand their operations in order to be able to accelerate the sustainability work together with the managements. We will map the current situation, define what sustainability means for our group and set objectives based on that. Then we chart a path together how we should fulfill them. I feel a strong mandate from the Group management that this is a business-critical area where we must be one-step ahead in order to live up to current and future customer requirements and external regulations. Also for the next generation of employees, sustainability will be a decisive factor in their choice of employer. For many reasons, we must therefore make the necessary efficiencies and investments.”

Anna Haesert Anna Haesert

How do you think Lesjöfors has performed regarding sustainability so far?

“Both Lesjöfors and the entire Beijer Alma group have worked progressively with sustainability issues for many years. The group has taken many important steps like implementing an extensive Code of conduct and pinpointing prioritized areas. Many exciting projects for the environment and climate have been completed, such as the biogas project in Lesjöfors and the solar cell park in Värnamo. Investments in digitization and new technology streamlining operations are also examples of fruitful sustainability work.”

What sustainability objectives are possible to set for a manufacturing company?

“It is inevitable that industrial companies use a lot of energy. That is why the whole chain is important to review and streamline where we can. With great interest, we will follow the fossil-free steel production development closely with H2 Green Steel and Hybrit in the north of Sweden. Other important areas to work with are also business ethics and our contribution to the development of the local communities in which we operate.”

Have you already located prioritized focus areas for the nearest future?

“Our aim is to put effort into overseeing the entire value chain, which also will become an increasingly important customer requirement. We need to ensure that, for example, materials that we purchase and transportation meet our high sustainability demands. We also want to look deeper into the final products in which our components are used.”

Can you mention something that you bring from previous employers that Lesjöfors can benefit from?

"Important areas where I am experienced are supplier evaluation based on environmental and social aspects as well as eco-design in product development, which I think the group can benefit from."

The Lesjöfors Group provides the widest range of springs and pressings to customers in diverse industries across the world. With a unique expertise in high technological, custom-made solutions and a flexible manufacturing capacity, Lesjöfors is the premier partner for all spring requirements. Lesjöfors, owned by Beijer Alma a listed company on the Stockholm Stock Exchange, comprises almost 40 manufacturing and sales companies in many countries. As a long-term and committed spring innovator, the Group continuously grows with a good profitability, both organically and by acquisitions.

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Lesjöfors AB, the €300m global spring manufacturing powerhouse, with over 50 manufacturing and technical sales sites across the world, is launching a new company, rebranding two of its UK factories to Lesjöfors Heavy Springs UK.

The UK factories in Cornwall, formerly called European Springs & Pressings, will now form a new company called Lesjöfors Heavy Springs UK.

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Michael Gibbs, Managing Director of the newly formed Lesjöfors company says: “This is a really exciting new chapter for the Cornwall factories. Our new company and new name reflect a unified team under the Lesjöfors AB brand and the world-leading springs we manufacture for customers across the automotive, rail, agriculture, oil, mining, construction and energy sectors in the UK.

We have achieved a record-breaking order book over the last year; sales are up 35%, we’ve grown our team by 40% and our annual turnover is our best yet at £15m. This year we’re investing £1 million in new machinery and every element of our performance has been driven by an ambitious and progressive team, propelled with investment support by Lesjöfors AB.”

The rebrand is part of a new division, focusing on growth and significant investment in the heavy springs sector across the synergised specialisms, product range and industries served within the Lesjöfors AB heavy coiling sites in the UK, Finland and Sweden.

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Ola Tengroth, CEO of Lesjöfors AB says: “As part of our global long-term future-focused growth strategy, the heavy springs sector has been identified as one of four key expansion areas and the Cornwall sites evolution, to a new Lesjöfors brand, is a natural fit for the company’s future.”

Gibbs concludes: “We’re evolving for our customers; enhancing efficiencies, committing more investment and moving forward, together with our heavy spring colleagues in Finland and Sweden, as a progressive and competitive global design, manufacturing and technological development network.”

Increasingly dominating the springs industry, Lesjöfors AB is rapidly expanding its portfolio with a mergers and acquisitions programme that has seen the company acquire nine sites from the US and Europe in the last few months, with further announcements planned for the year ahead.

European Springs & Pressings will continue its manufacturing operations in Kent.

Lesjöfors Heavy Springs UK, based in Cornwall, are world-leaders in heavy spring manufacture, delivering the greatest expertise in large diameter compression, torsion and tension spring manufacturing.

Market leading solution providers, committed to manufacturing excellence, reliability and customer service, they specialise in industrial and automotive spring components and sit alongside sister sites in Sweden and Finland as a global design, manufacturing and technological development network dedicated to service, quality and accuracy, coiling wire from 3mm to 65mm diameter.

Their spring components are used across multiple sectors in some of the most extreme environments on the planet.

Lesjöfors Heavy Springs UK thinks, makes and solves spring solutions; building the world’s infrastructure one spring at a time.

Their parent company, Lesjöfors AB, has 50+ manufacturing and technical sales sites across Europe, America and Asia.

www.lesjoforssprings.com

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Wednesday, 05 May 2021 08:58

Green energy lowers CO2 emissions dramatically

The Lesjöfors companies keep working on their sustainability objectives, where lower CO2 emissions are one focus area. Velleuer in Germany is a good example of how a transition to a green energy mix can lower emissions by more than half, fast and easy. 

2021 05 05 085438Ten years ago, the German Lesjöfors company Velleuer certified to the environmental management standard ISO 14001. Since then Velleuer constantly monitors the environmental effects of their output and explores potentials to improve. In 2016, the company succeeded in reversing the negative trend with rising production-related COemissions, even though production volumes increased. To take in energy sources with less environmental impact was the solution.

Sustainability focus 

In 2020, five years later, the opportunity had come to lower the COemissions even further. With the conversion to green electricity, a further annual potential of reducing almost 300 tons of COhas opened up. This means an emission reduction of more than 60 per cent* thanks to certified green energy, produced with a zero emission guarantee.

Frank Jahn, MD of Velleuer, comments on the company’s sustainability focus:

“We are happy this opportunity came up and March 2020 was the right time for us to make a transition at a reasonable cost. For further steps, we are monitoring new opportunities according to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol providing standards for business and utilizing “Eco cockpit”, a free and easy-to-use online platform. Currently, we have completed the analysis on Scope 1 and Scope 2. In 2022, Scope 3 will come, when we broaden to the business field of procurement.”

*on Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHP Protocol

Charging stations at the premises 

Velleuer also encourages the idea of emission-free local mobility. The company has installed both a charging station for employees´ electrical bikes, and a 2 x 22 kW wall box where coworkers can charge their electrical vehicles as well as company cars.

“To make it easier taking the bike to work does not only make a valuable contribution to lower air pollution, it also improves our employees’ health so it is a huge win-win for all parts”, says Frank Jahn.

The Lesjöfors Group provides the widest range of springs and pressings to customers in diverse industries across the world. With a unique expertise in high technological, custom-made solutions and a flexible manufacturing capacity, Lesjöfors is the premier partner for all spring requirements. Lesjöfors, owned by Beijer Alma a listed company on the Stockholm Stock Exchange, comprises almost 40 manufacturing and sales companies in many countries. As a long-term and committed spring innovator, the Group continuously grows with a good profitability, both organically and by acquisitions.

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Once again, springs from Lesjöfors play a critical role in a progressive student project. The Hyperloop concept will bring super-fast, fossil-free transportation of both people and goods. A group of technical students in Sweden is competing in global events to develop the groundbreaking technology.

The Hyperloop concept is an initiative from Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX that gathers scientists, students, designers, programmers, venture capitalists and other businesses in cross-border development projects. The high-speed solution that Hyperloop is planned to be will be both faster, safer, cheaper, more comfortable and energy efficient than today’s transportation systems. The vessels will have top speeds of 1 000-1 200 km/h and will bring transports from e.g. Stockholm to Gothenburg in 30 minutes.

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High speed thanks to levitation

The concept is basically a pod placed in a tunnel or tube that moves with levitation driven by magnetism. The levitation eliminates friction from the surface and since the tube is a closed environment, there is no impact from the outside. The air pressure is reduced to almost vacuum inside the tube and the reduced air resistance means that the speed can be increased significantly with reduced energy consumption.

“To be able to reach speeds of more than 1,000 km/h, a technology based on levitation is required. Some teams have instead used wheels, achieving a high place in competitions, but at 500km/h and upwards, the friction from the wheels will quickly become too high for the pod to continue to increase in speed. Instead, if magnetic-based levitation is used, the resistance is reduced for higher speeds.”, says Claes Henriksson, team captain for KTH Hyperloop.

Sponsored springs with critical function

The springs, with which Lesjöfors sponsor the team, will be used for the lateral control of the pod. Since a Hyperloop pod travels mainly without friction, it is extremely important that the pod does not come into excessive contact with the monorail (I-beam). The springs ensure that the pod always keeps the right course and does not rub against the rails. In addition to the fact that well-defined springs ensure that the pod maintains its speed, they are also important for safety reasons; should the pod crash into the monorail at high speed, there is a risk for serious damage.

“We are happy to be part of such an exciting and important futuristic project. Sponsoring students for us is both about making important contacts for the future and spreading knowledge about our unique spring expertise ", says Mattias Hartvigsson, product specialist at Lesjöfors.

In operation next decade

There is still a long way to go before the Hyperloop vision can be realized. However, development is progressing quickly and experts believe that the Hyperloop technology can begin to roll out around 2030. Some countries have even higher ambitions and, among others, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates have the goal of having a Hyperloop operating already in 2024.

"Our team’s ambition does not end with the competitions, we want to continue to optimize the systems and assist with expertise for a full-scale Hyperloop network we hope to see in Sweden in the future," says Claes Henriksson.

The Lesjöfors Group provides the widest range of springs and pressings to customers in diverse industries across the world. With a unique expertise in high technological, custom-made solutions and a flexible manufacturing capacity, Lesjöfors is the premier partner for all spring requirements. Lesjöfors, owned by Beijer Alma a listed company on the Stockholm Stock Exchange, comprises almost 40 manufacturing and sales companies in many countries. As a long-term and committed spring innovator, the Group continuously grows with a good profitability, both organically and by acquisitions.

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