MAN Energy Solutions: 2 BILA RoboPower streamline production

MAN Energy Solutions (hereafter MAN-ES) is a world-leading supplier of large-bore diesel engines and turbo machinery for marine and stationary applications. They design two-stroke and four-stroke engines, gas and steam turbines, as well as compressors. The product range includes turbochargers, CP propellers, gas engines, and engines for locomotives and power plants.

The production facility in Copenhagen has approximately 250 employees, primarily engaged in manufacturing high-tech components for the injection and exhaust systems of two-stroke engines.

BILA RoboPower is a flexible robot cell designed for handling components in and out of CNC machines. MAN-ES needed additional capacity for their lathe, where components are processed. They sought a standard solution for the machine that could be quickly installed. When the opportunity arose to lease a BILA RoboPower, they seized it.

In just 4 days, BILA RoboPower was installed, and MAN-ES employees received training on operating the robot. Due to the simplicity of programming this robot cell, a MAN-ES employee trained another colleague the day after installation, ensuring the robot cell could operate over the weekend.

"We typically spend a day training the customer, who is then self-sufficient. Because BILA RoboPower is so user-friendly, employees can easily train each other without any issues,"

Lars Rasmussen, Sales Manager BILA

After 7 days, BILA RoboPower was operating in 3 shifts, and since the cell was leased, it was easy to calculate the hourly rate for charging the CNC lathe. The hourly rate is now 20 DKK, making the process highly competitive. Simultaneously, efficiency has increased, and the machine's output has risen by 40%.

Head of Factory, Claus Stab, is very impressed with the straightforward programming on BILA RoboPower, and he receives positive feedback from his employees, who are very satisfied with their new colleague: "At MAN Energy Solutions, we operate on a rotation system, which means it can take up to 3 weeks before our employees return to the same machine. However, due to the simple and innovative software on BILA RoboPower, it's easy for all employees to understand the programming even after 3 weeks."

The second BILA RoboPower was installed next to a cylindrical grinder. After observing how they manually loaded the grinding machine, a solution was developed for the robot to handle the task. The installation was as straightforward as the first robot cell, and employees were once again very enthusiastic about the solution. Because of the extremely flexible and user-friendly software, MAN-ES can process small batch sizes and still benefit from the robot cell for loading the grinding machine.

Five more BILA RoboPower robot cells on its way to MAN Energy Solutions

Following the significant success of two BILA RoboPower robot cells, an additional five new solutions are on their way for installation in the early part of the new year. This substantial increase in capacity at MAN-ES ensures that all employees receive a technological boost, resulting in a more valuable daily experience with more engaging work.

”It is a challenge to secure qualified labour today, and we have now increased productivity with the employees we have. At the same time, we have provided them with an even more exciting daily experience with the latest technology, which eliminates monotonous work and frees up hours for optimising and streamlining our production,” says Claus Stab Nielsen, Head of Factory, MAN Energy Solutions.