Quality control is comprehensive and everything must work smoothly right from the start when Vald. Birn manufactures brake components for Scania lorries. RIVAL has been chosen as a subcontractor for the machining of components because of its high quality, reliability of delivery and excellent communication.
Vald. Birn (BIRN) manufactures over 20,000 brake components for Scania lorries with drum brakes every year. The company is fully responsible for product maturation, casting, machining and surface treatment of the components. Everything must comply with TS 16949, which is the automobile industry’s extended version of ISO certification.
The machining of the many thousands of components in the coming period will be done at RIVAL because BIRN requires extra capacity.
Trial task was crucial
The collaboration between BIRN and RIVAL started a year ago, when BIRN had some prototypes manufactured at RIVAL. “With regard to the task, it confirmed for us that RIVAL can meet our quality and reliability of delivery requirements, and that there is really good chemistry and communication between our people,” says Method Department Manager Henrik Telling from BIRN. “This has been crucial in our decision to invite RIVAL to be part of this job, which is very comprehensive and will run for the year.”
High quality requirements
Scania and BIRN’s other customers in the automobile industry have high quality requirements, which covers for example, hardness measurement, x-ray examinations and ultrasound scanning of pre-machined components. In addition, a production test sample is prepared, where among other things, statistical process control of the dimension tolerances is carried out. The test sample is sent to Scania, as documentation that the stipulated components meet the stipulated requirements.
RIVAL approved by Scania
It also means that the subcontractors that BIRN uses must meet stringent requirements. Scania has also visited RIVAL’s premises and has approved them as a subcontractor. “The optimum is of course that RIVAL also becomes TS 16949 certified. But they are well on the way because of their ISO certification and because they have shown that they can meet the more stringent requirements,” says Henrik Telling.
Quality and delivery in place
”The first 700 components are now machined at RIVAL, and we’re very satisfied with both the quality and delivery of these components. Now we will continue like this with the next many thousands of components,” says Henrik Telling.
Good communication is a prerequisite
It has been crucial for BIRN that there has been good chemistry and communication with the people at RIVAL right from the start. “We’ve built up a small matrix organisation on this project, which ensures that there is rapid clarification of questions or uncertainties, says Henrik Telling. “That we have good dialogue at all levels is a crucial parameter in our collaboration. Things must go smoothly during the daily work when we have to meet such tight deadlines. It functions really well here together with RIVAL.”
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