RIVAL moves even faster when required

RIVAL moves even faster, when the customer requires it. This was recently the case with Grundfos, when an acute need arose to repair a tool in their die-casting.

Maintenance technician Jens Erik Lysdahl has collaborated with production technician Benny Sørensen and RIVAL for many years. “For us, RIVAL’s not just a subcontractor,” says Jens Erik Lysdahl. “They’re competent partners, and we want to continue to develop our collaboration with them. They know what’s required, for example when a tool in production breaks, and it costs many thousands of kroner in time, when a machine stands idle. The work needs to be done quickly, and there has to be close dialogue between us and RIVAL. The
people at RIVAL are good at doing both.”

Focus on the value chain
Pump manufacturer Grundfos is one of Denmark’s biggest companies, employing over 18,000 people around the world. At Grundfos, there is constant focus on optimizing the entire value chain, to make the company more and more attractive for customers. “This means that, among other things, we in the maintenance department get shorter and shorter delivery times for our services, since the production set-up may not stand idle for longer periods of time,” says Jens Erik Lysdahl. “To achieve the best solutions, both we and our partners have to be sharp every day.”

Large components
Grundfos’ collaboration with RIVAL usually relates to the machining of large components. “One of the big advantages with collaborating with RIVAL, is that they have production equipment that can machine tool components that are up to three metres, without us having to take the tool apart,” says Jens Erik Lysdahl. “It saves us a lot of time before and after the machining.” Most recently, when Grundfos had an acute need for the repair of a tool for their die-casting, it was a terrific advantage that RIVAL could receive and machine the component in one piece. “RIVAL were finished with their part of the work within 24 hours, which meant we in the maintenance department could comply with our agreement with production at Grundfos despite the unforeseen problems,” says Jens Erik Lysdahl.

Fast response
As always, Benny Sørensen of RIVAL acted quickly after Jens Erik Lysdahl had called him on the phone. “I immediately contacted our production manager Heino Pedersen, to get confirmation that we could take in the component from Grundfos as soon as it reached RIVAL. The answer was the usual one – we could of course deal with it,” says Benny Sørensen. “It’s very reassuring to know that my colleagues in production are ready to step in, and that our internal planning is so good that we can immediately see how we can make space for the customer’s urgent tasks.

Machined component developer and manufacturer RIVAL, is well placed in the defence industry, and has just won an order on a system delivery of advanced components. This means that production will be busy.

The new order must be delivered in the coming years. “Production of the test components is starting up here now, and must be completed before the year end,” says RIVAL Sales Manager Christian Aarup.
Together with RIVAL’s CEO Carsten Tønnes, he has just been to Switzerland to negotiate and finalise the last few details in connection with the order.

Critical components
During the spring, RIVAL supplied the first critical components for a type of military vehicle. The new orders are for two other unique components for other military vehicles.

Strong system deliveries
The orders confirm that RIVAL is well placed in the defence industry, and through network collaboration it has succeeded in functioning as a system supplier on the customer’s projects, which customers really value. “We’re very pleased with the strong network of subcontractors, whom we collaborate with primarily in surface treatment, certifying materials, welding, and research and development,” says Christian Aarup.

RIVAL takes full responsibility
“We know that parameters like reliability of delivery, quality, full traceability and close collaboration on the projects are crucial parameters for our customers in the defence industry. We take full responsibility for ensuring that the project meets the customer’s specifications and expectations – and also when it applies to our subcontractors,” says Christian Aarup.

Busy at RIVAL
The new orders means that RIVAL’s production is busy. “We’re of course in an ongoing dialogue with all of our good, regular customers, since it’s important that they get their orders booked in good time,” says Christian Aarup. “We value long-term customer relationships, because we know that it creates a lot of value for the customers and RIVAL. Therefore, our regular customers of course have primary access to our capacity – also even as now, when we’re extra busy.”

More news

In recent years, machined component developer and manufacturer RIVAL has collaborated closely with the engineering company R&D on the technical production optimisation of several new components.

For engineering company R&D, involving RIVAL as a partner on development projects has been the obvious choice on several occasions. “We have had several opportunities to use RIVAL’s competencies, and to exchange and sound out ideas with them in technical production areas during the development of design and construction of new components,” says R&D Key Account Manager, Daniel Schou Jensen. “Because RIVAL already collaborates with several of our customers, it means that from the very beginning, they very often have a really good understanding of the customer’s requirements and expectations.”

Exchanging and sounding out ideas together
Employees from RIVAL, R&D and the customers that they are collaborating with, meet up on an ongoing basis, and exchange and sound out ideas when they collaborate on projects. Afterwards, they work further on the design, construction and optimisation of the components. During the process, RIVAL will often offer R&D valuable criticism, which on an ongoing basis, helps to optimise the products that are being developed, especially in the technical production area.

RIVAL’s key competencies
Likewise, Daniel Schou Jensen sees the benefits of collaboration with RIVAL. “At R&D we have a lot of competency in design and construction, and we also have extensive insight into technical production,” says Daniel Schou Jensen. “But at RIVAL, technical production is a key competency, which means their ability to exchange and sound out ideas is very valuable to us, because we want the strongest team in relation to the customer.

“Since RIVAL at the same time, can work with the production of component’s for 0-series production and prototypes for new products, they will often acquire valuable knowledge, which both we and the end customer can beneficially utilise in the further optimisation process.”

RIVAL’s DNA
RIVAL Sales Manager Christian Aarup has closely followed the collaboration with R&D and customers for several years. He confirms that it is precisely these tasks where ideas are exchanged and sounded out, where RIVAL has great strength, primarily because of RIVAL’s competence and culture. “My colleagues can, and have the ambition and the desire to present optimisation proposals and improvements,” says Christian. “We see many benefits in both collaborating with an engineering company like R&D and the end customer, and through that, help to develop a solution for the customer, which is optimised in all areas.”

Better to be included earlier
Looking forward, Daniel Schou Jensen can see several advantages in including RIVAL earlier on in the development process. “It will give us better opportunities to take into consideration any technical production challenges that we encounter.” He continues: “I’m sure that we will also in the future utilise RIVAL as a partner and thus together, we will help customers get the best possible exchanging and sounding out of ideas, and solutions.”

Se flere nyheder

Shared understanding behind the valuable exchange and sounding out of ideas

Machinery manufacturer Dan-Web Machinery A/S has collaborated with RIVAL for over ten years. The valuable collaboration is built on good chemistry, shared understanding and the profitable exchange and sounding out of ideas.

It is a Tuesday morning, and RIVAL employees have driven to Galten, to visit machinery manufacturer Dan-Web at its 10,000 m2 industrial facility. Dan-Web Machinery A/S develops and manufactures machinery and equipment for the manufacture of airlaid products, which are soft and absorbing nonwoven materials, which are included in products like diapers and sanitary towels. The company has over 39 years of experience and throughout its existence, it has focused extensively on innovative, quality solutions.

Excellent collaboration
I meet with two engineers, Kenn Brown Petersen and Morten Pouli-Rich from Dan-Web and project manager Benny Sørensen from RIVAL’s production engineering department. It is immediately apparent that there is good chemistry between the three men. RIVAL has now been an established partner for Dan-Web for over ten years, and there is room for small talk. However, the
talk is primarily about the actual joint project, where RIVAL is manufacturing parts for Dan-Web’s forming head, which shall be supplied on a new Forming Line to the USA.

Shared understanding
We take a walk around the production area together and the discussion becomes animated, while Kenn and Morten explain in an engaged manner about the machines and components we pass along the way. It is clearly apparent that RIVAL’s many years of collaboration with Dan-Web has meant they have built up a very good knowledge of their products, and the parties have a shared understanding of what Dan-Web wants the end result to be for their customers. “At RIVAL, it’s an important factor for us that when we provide proposals for the optimisation of the technical production of their products, that we have precisely this
thorough knowledge, and thus can bring input which is precisely spot on at Dan-Web and supports their line,” says Benny.

Valuable exchange and sounding out of ideas
The two Dan-Web designers also believe that it is a great advantage that RIVAL is very familiar with their products and company. “If we have a design or technical production challenge, and we assess that getting RIVAL’s input would be beneficial, they love to meet up, and meet up quickly to exchange and sound out ideas. We have often had visits by Glenn, Ole and Benny from RIVAL and received valuable ideas about how we can optimise a design,” says Kenn, while we look closer at several of the hammer mills being worked on in the production area. We halt next to several large rollers with a paper-like material, which is currently being beaten to single fibres in the hammer mill before being blown into the forming head and further processed for the final airlaid products.

Improvement proposal
“At the same time,” Morten adds. “We also find that without even being asked, RIVAL will come to us with proposals for improvements, if they for example in their production process, come across a design or tolerance that can be changed beneficially. We’re very open to their proposals, since we constantly work with the optimisation and improvement of our products. And because they know us so well, they know what direction we want to take the development process in.”

Thank you for today
The tour of production is about to finish, and Kenn, Morten and Benny agree, right at the end before Benny returns to RIVAL, to brief production on the details, which have been agreed on at Dan-Web Machinery A/S.