11 minute read
EAB worldwide
AKS Lining Systems is a rapidly growing company located in Cape Town, South Africa. They manufacture thermoplastic casting accessories in their own factory and currently export their products to more than 30 countries worldwide.
More efficient storage system When AKS Lining Systems began to grow out of their existing premises, they not only needed more space for their next factory, but also a more efficient storage system. In their previous premises, they used a drive-in storage system, which limited their turnover of the raw material inventory and meant that they didn’t utilise their entire storage capacity. Another problem to solve was that all raw materials are imported and arrive at the factory in containers and not on standardised pallets. The material weighs a lot, approximately 1,500 kg per pallet, and is spread over several different pallet sizes.
The perfect solution The project manager at AKS Lining Systems had previously worked with storage systems and was already familiar with the concept of pallet management systems. He got in touch with Chris Welthagen at Palian, our South African partner. Chris quickly realised that Radioshuttle™ would be the perfect solution for them.
- Chris Welthagen, Palian, EAB's partner in South Africa
”I thought straight away that Radioshuttle™ would give them much greater flexibility in the warehouse and would also be safer to use, as the truck never needs to drive into the rack channels. I showed them a couple of reference projects we had carried out with EAB earlier, for two of the largest food wholesalers in South Africa, and they quickly realised that this was the Rolls Royce of shuttle systems,” says Chris.
Ready for extension Another challenge in the project was that there was only a small, dedicated area where the raw material could be stored, as it needed to be stored close to the manufacturing equipment. ”To resolve this, we split the warehouse into two sections according to their needs, although both sections can be used for several different pallet sizes. We have also made sure that the system
can be extended easily, if AKS Lining Systems chooses to expand the factory. It is also possible to add to the system’s height, to get more storage across the same area,” says Chris. The project was completed in three months and since then has functioned completely as planned.
”It’s fantastic to be able to deliver a project where everything runs smoothly and where, together with the customer, we have solved the challenges in the best possible way,” says Chris.
”Together with Chris, we have delivered several installations to South Africa, and our relationship goes back a long way. Chris is knowledgeable and experienced, and a very good ambassador for Radioshuttle™,” says Håkan Gedda, Area Sales Manager for Radioshuttle™ at EAB.
DID YOU KNOW THAT...?
EAB’s storage equipment is found in most parts of the world. In 2019, we delivered storage equipment for 750.000 pallet spaces to 41 countries (the areas marked in green on the map).
Made in Smålandsstenar. Works worldwide.
”Strong team with many local talents”
GVK, Gislaved Volleyball Club, was founded in 1968 and was initially a club that focused on both men's and women's teams. Since the early 1980s they have focused entirely on women's sport, which has been a successful strategy. As one of the club's biggest sponsors, EAB is involved in and supports this strategy. Important driving force Bo Hallberg, who is a real driving force behind Gislaved Volleyball Club, has been a key person in the club since 1974. Bo is assistant trainer for the ladies team, but also has various tasks at the club and takes care of a lot of the practical work involved. He is also sponsorship manager and devotes a lot of time to this work. In the course of a season, he will spend around four weeks on sponsorship work. In recent years, a major problem when it comes to sponsorship is that many of the district's large companies have been acquired by large Groups. When the company's management is not located in the area, personal contacts are often lost. Sponsors are extremely important to the club.
”To perhaps exaggerate a little, we wouldn't be able to manage one week without sponsors, and we certainly couldn't have a team at elite level," says Bo.
Believing in the future ”We have a strong team, with many local talents and a number of pros from outside. There is great interest in the sport and we have groups ranging from five-year-olds to high-school teams. If we find dedicated leaders, we adjust the groups and training times accordingly. Volleyball is definitely a sport at the forefront here in Gislaved and the future looks bright for us!” says Bo.
EAB is an important sponsor for the club and is highly visible in the sports hall and also on the players' clothes, such as jackets and tracksuits, and on the spectator stands.
”Through EAB's various sponsorships of our local associations, we do what we can to help create better opportunities for associations to survive and develop. It's naturally particularly exciting that we have the opportunity to support women's sport at elite level," says Per-Åke Andersson, CEO at EAB.
”It's great to meet sponsors who are keen to support sport. EAB is the friendliest and nicest sponsor you could have! We've enjoyed really long and good cooperation," Bo concludes.
EAB AS SPONSOR
Gislaved Volleyball Club is one of 30 associations sponsored by EAB throughout Sweden. We focus primarily on our local associations, but we also sponsor larger clubs such as HV71.
It's natural for EAB to help and do what we can to contribute to an active society.
EAB STEEL BUILDINGS ”Different and fun projects”
Hotell Skansen, Båstad
In the summer resort of Båstad on the Bjäre Peninsula there's a lot to enjoy and tennis is at the centre. Every year, the Swedish Open tennis tournament is played here, and the area is filled with tourists and tennis lovers, not just during the tennis week, but also throughout the summer. But it's not just during the summer that Båstad is worth visiting. In the winter months, Båstad is transformed into a place for rest and recuperation. To quote the king of Båstad from the 1900s, Ludvig Nobel – ”In Båstad, we live a life of rest and recreation".
This is clearly apparent at Hotel Skansen, not least after the major extension of their spa and wellness centre, which took shape during the winter of 2019/2020.
Investing in wellness
Hotel Skansen was founded in the 1920s and today has four different hotel buildings with a total of 172 rooms. The hotel is certified under the Nordic Ecolabel, which means that the hotel has taken a holistic approach to its environmental work and fulfilled the Nordic Ecolabel's stringent requirements. A business which, with the help of the Nordic Ecolabel, works to achieve a sustainable society. Their existing spa and wellness centre will now be expanded and a completely new spa, located up on the roof of the Winter Garden, one of the hotel buildings, will be inaugurated in July 2020. EAB is very proud to be part of this building work, as we have supplied and installed various steel elements for the project. Among other things, we have supplied a 13-metre high lift shaft manufactured at EAB in one piece, which was then lowered through the roof so it can be installed inside the hotel.
”A business that works for a sustainable society”
We also installed the framework structure for the new relaxation venue, which is sited on the existing roof, and reinforced it so that it can support the new infinity pool. The delivery also included a number of pillars, brackets for flagpoles, and a number of staircases and railings, in each case according to their existing design.
Hotel Skansen has 172 rooms in the main building, the Winter Garden, the Tennis Pavilion and the Congress Building, with room for 330 guests. For guests who want to stay somewhere a little more secluded, villas and apartments are also available.
Hotel Skansen is part of GRAM Hotels, which also includes Torekov Hotel and Hotel Riviera Strand. These are three unique hotels on the Bjäre Peninsula, each with its own special character, but united by warmth, plenty of atmosphere and exceptional surroundings.
The main building was built as a grain warehouse in 1877, and converted into a hotel and meeting place for prominent spa and tennis guests in the 1920s.
Jan Carlsson, constructor, EAB
- This is a very different and fun project. It differs a lot from the square hall that we would usually work with. There are lots of people involved, who rely on each other, and the finish is very important. It is also quite different to set up a construction site in the middle of a hotel. We have to work unobtrusively here, so as not to disturb the guests staying at the hotel.
In the new spa and wellness centre, guests can enjoy an infinity pool and jaccuzzi, and also relax on the sun terrace or on one of the lounger beds. Or why not enjoy a refreshing beverage in the hotel's Rooftop Bar? Here, you can look out over the sea and the centre court.
EAB STEEL BUILDINGS Sustainable projects seal the knot
Our environmental approach is important to us and we think that projects run in a sustainable spirit are a bit more exciting to plan and execute. Since 2013, our facility in Smålandsstenar has been run on wind power of certified origin. At the beginning of 2019, biogas, a 100% renewable fuel, replaced natural gas as the fuel source used to heat the building.
This is part of our efforts to minimise the environmental impact of our operations and reduce our carbon dioxide emissions by almost 2,000 tonnes a year. We want our environmental work to be as sustainable as our products and relationships. In 2019, we planned two different biogas plant projects, with construction start in early 2020. In view of our own investment in biogas, these projects were particularly interesting.
Biogas plant in Jönköping EAB supplied the framework structure for Hitachi Zosen Inova's (HZI) new biogas plant in Jönköping, through the client NCC, which is the turnkey contractor for the building and EAB's partner for the project. The plant will use anaerobic digestion to produce environmentally-friendly biogas from food and garden waste for, among other things, fossil-free fuel. The aim is for 40,000 tonnes of organic food waste to produce around 35 GWh of biogas each year, which is then converted into high-quality biomethane and sold as fuel for e.g. public transport and other gas-propelled vehicles. The new biogas plant has been in full operation since February 2020. ”The decision to use EAB was based primarily on their competences in terms of project design, rapid communication and extensive experience in steel framework structures. The project design help we received initially was of great help to our client HZi," says Martin Hamn, contract engineer at NCC. ”Our entire organisation on site found the project fun to work on, together with EAB. They're very pleased with the product and that the promised cost structure was adhered to, with any changes being flagged up promptly.”
VIVAB in Falkenberg When VIVAB in Falkenberg planned to build a new waste facility in Falkenberg, we were commissioned by our partner MTA Bygg & Anläggning to design and manufacture the steel framework structure for the project. In conjunction with the existing biogas facility, a reloading station for combustible household waste is now being built, together with a pre-treatment plant for food waste.
We are also laying roofing sheets and cladding the building with concrete plinths and sandwich panels. The building will cover just over 1,100 square metres and have an internal clearance of 7 metres. Naturally, we hope to get more projects of this type, which go hand in hand with EAB's sustainability approach.
Smålandia, Gislaved
Life on a STICK
EAB supplies more than large warehouses and car showrooms. Sometimes we also undertake a few other projects. Here, for example, we've manufactured and installed the "stick” for the Formula 1 car that can be seen in Anderstorp along highway 27. Anyone passing through Gislaved will certainly have seen the big billboard that is reaching higher with EAB's ”stick”.
From small to BIG
