AVK CSR 2023-24 web - Flipbook - Page 13
Economic growth, social development, and climate action
are heavily dependent on investments in infrastructure,
sustainable industrial development, and technological
progress. The global manufacturing industry is considered
as a driver of overall economic growth. Source: UN
A stream of disruptive events like
decarbonisation of energy systems, economic
slowdown, political aspects, digitalisation, and
AI is reshaping the business environment and
the organisations. The effects of these trends
will be uneven across markets and industries.
For most companies, navigating the new
landscape will require increased flexibility along
with changes in strategy, financing, and talent.
The industrial market thus requires constant
adaptability to ensure responsible and economic
growth, while investing in green transformation,
digitalisation of processes, and automation to
ensure competitiveness. All these factors place
great demands on innovation and development
in AVK’s manufacturing companies. As a result,
we continuously invest in product development
and optimisation of processes throughout
the value chain, including automation and
digitalisation of production.
Product development
In the AVK Group, innovation and development
of new and improved high-quality products with
a long lifespan and recycling in mind play a
crucial part. As described on the coming pages,
our focus on innovation affects many industries.
Our primary business area is the development,
manufacturing, and sale of valves and solutions
for clean drinking water supply, wastewater
treatment, fire protection, and irrigation. In
recent years, there has been an increased
focus on expanding the product portfolio with
intelligent valve products, defined and controlled
by AVK Smart Water.
We are constantly working on optimising and
developing our product range. AVK continues
to invest in product portfolio for desalination
applications as we expect the extraction of
seawater for drinking water production to
become an important business area in the
years ahead.
An example of our continuous focus on product
optimisation is the development of a range of
3D printed metal moulds for producing valves in
plastic at AVK Plast A/S.
For the past 20 years, the components for the
series 16 POM valve have been manufactured
in the same way, a way that often-required
machining before assembling the valve.
Additionally, the moulding process carried a
risk of voids forming in the valves, highlighting
the need for product development. Metal 3D
printing technology proved to be the solution,
enabling us to create a moulding tool with a
core featuring a precisely designed critical
internal structure.
To regulate the temperature, the core was
designed with built-in cooling channels running
like a metro system under the part’s surface.
These channels allow us to blow cold air
through the part, lowering the temperature.
Additionally, an insulating layer surrounds
the central inlet where the hot plastic flows,
ensuring that the plastic in the inlet does not
cool and solidify before reaching the mould.
Due to lack of space, metal 3D printing is a
good solution as we can make very precise
cooling channels as well as channels for
sensors. In this way, we have complete control
over the temperature and are able to get the
right quality.
By the means of metal 3D printing, we can now
control the heat development in the tool as we
have complete control over the process. As a
result, we can achieve a higher quality, reduce
the number of discarded valves due to flaws,
and as a natural benefit save energy and raw
materials.
The new metal 3D printed moulds were
developed in a collaboration between Danish
Technological Institute, the Tech department in
AVK Holding A/S, AVK International A/S, and
AVK Plast A/S.
Stable and more efficient production with
robots
At AVK, we continuously work to optimise and
develop our work processes. Robotics is one of
the technologies we use to achieve a higher and
more uniform quality of the products as well as
a more efficient and stable production to secure
future competitiveness.
Robotic solutions are often used for tasks
where many similar products need to be
produced. This means repetitive tasks, also
known as unilateral-reciprocal work, which can
be exhausting and demotivating for employees.
Robots have been a part of AVK’s
manufacturing for decades, and we now have
an advanced robotic system that handles
multiple processes simultaneously. With high
demands regarding the consistency of the
components delivered to AVK, the installation
of the robotic system has helped to strengthen
the quality requirements throughout the
process. There is zero tolerance for deviations
which means that processes and tasks prior
to the robotic system must be completed to
ensure consistent quality of the components.
At the same time, the process of implementing
new technology and digitalisation makes us
develop new workflows. We are continuously
working on how the logistics process needs
to be adapted and what system changes need
to be implemented to ensure that the entire
manufacturing works together in the best
possible way.
The robotic system ensures stable production
with a high level of quality and optimised
work processes. At the same time, it frees up
employee resources enabling us to increase
productivity.
In September 2024, AVK International was
honoured with the DIRA (Danish Industrial
Robot Association) Automation Award for
our innovative robotic solution, seamlessly
integrating 16 processes into one solution.
Innovation in the Industrial Business Unit
Likewise, in our Industrial Business Unit,
there is a need for constant innovation and
development to meet customer demands.
The global electrification of the automotive
industry is generating high demands for
microchips, an industry that has already
been characterised by a lack of supply for
several years. This, in combination with the
political development requiring local microchip
production, creates good business opportunities
for AVK as our ball and butterfly valves are used
in the production for cleaning microchips. A
production process that puts high demands on
all technical equipment.
The geopolitical conflicts have created new
national standards and specifications for
products used in shipbuilding. Therefore, we
have adapted our butterfly valve product range
to meet the new requirements.
Increased competition demands a higher
level of automation in our production and
digitalisation of our processes. Hence, we have
initiated the development of a completely new
design for our industrial knife gate valves to
ensure the possibility of further automation in
our production.
AVK Sustainability report 2023/2024 | 13
