Conline GmbH
Integrated Contract Manufacturing in Perfection
In connection with the change of name to Conline GmbH at the beginning of 2018, there was a change from a sheet metal worker to a technology company – this process is scheduled to last two years. The first joint orders in the field of automation, which were successfully implemented together with Kurtz GmbH and Ersa GmbH, met with extremely positive feedback from customers. Contract manufacturing currently accounts for the largest share of Conline´s business in sectors such as the solar industry, medical technology, automation technology and the packaging industry, and will remain the most important pillar next year. At the same time, the Automation and Automation Solutions division is catching up with great speed. Below are a few examples from Conline´s current contract manufacturing operations.
- SOLAR INDUSTRY: In May 2018, Conline signed the largest contract for contract manufacturing to date: The order with a volume of EUR 2.5 million amounts to a total of ten complete cooling lines including return conveyor for the manufacture of thin-film solar modules. Each of these cooling lines is 30 meters long and consists of six individual machines.
The completed cooling lines will be used in plants that will supply the worl´'s largest solar park in the Gobi desert with supplies in the form of solar panels. Thanks to Conline´s extensive capabilities, the machines will be assembled and extensively tested mechanically, electrically and pneumatically by the Wertheim Contract Manufacturer, and Conline will also be responsible for the procurement of the components. 10 men will be fully employed over a period of ten months for the major order, which will be completed in the first quarter of 2019. This will be followed immediately by another order of the same amount – further orders have been announced by the customer until 2023.
- E-MOBILTY: The “Transmobil” project has been going on for several years, but was not completed – now it is being continued in close cooperation with the client to create an innovative Transmobil shuttle with today´s standards for digitization and electromobility. The idea was to use a remote-controlled transport system to drive the shuttle under an electric vehicle and transport it including the lifting platform to the next station – variants are planned for cars (2.5–3.2 t payload) and vans (up to 4.5 t). The need is seen in paint shops, because if you disconnect an electric vehicle from the battery, it stands “like lead” – electric motors have no idling! Otherwise, the battery would have to be disconnected and reconnected at every step, such as filling, sanding and cleaning, which adds up to the time factor and is not exactly beneficial for the battery and electronics either. First of all, a manual control system is implemented, in which the operator runs behind. But a complete expansion stage with fully automatic transport via central 4.0 control systems is also planned – with detailed analysis at the end of the year, the foundation stone was laid for the new development, which already contains the options with regard to control, electronics and design. Series production is expected to start in spring/mid-2019.
- PACKAGING INDUSTRY: Conline GmbH has completely rebuilt a “Hot Seal Unit” from the 1980s for a leading machine manufacturer for thermoforming and packaging technology. In the heat sealing machine, thermoformed plastic switches, products and cardboard bridges are “married” to form a packaging unit. The different types handle 10,000 products per hour or 15 cycles per minute (900 parts). A special, modular conveyor technology is used for the design – the seal unit was completely redesigned, whereby 25% savings potential could be realized.
After an agreed design freeze, the machine goes into series production and can be delivered as of February – the complete electrical and mechanical assembly as well as the purchase are in the hands of Conline. At the same time, the development of peripheral units for automated processing in large quantities is started, which then dock directly onto the Hot Seal Unit – associated functions include, for example, automatic product insertion, integration of an enclosure, printing of a barcode. Conline operates comprehensive warehousing for these projects, thus ensuring a seamless supply to the customer and thus becoming an integrated partner in the customer´s production.