About the customer
Founded in 1998, TEK.A.TEK LLC manufactures a wide variety of plastic products including flower pots in all colours and sizes. With two production sites covering 9000 sqm, the company implements the most modern equipment and technologies available to ensure product quality and safety.
The challenge
The idea to produce pots of different colours generated the need for an efficient coating process based on the appropriate finishing equipment, integrated into the production line and organised as a continuous conveyor system running at ground level. TEK.A.TEK approached us to examine all the possible issues that would arise.
The Cefla Finishing solution
We supported the customer by anticipating solutions for each one, in part based on our broad experience with similar products, focusing on efficiency and sustainability.
Attended to by two operators, the finishing process is managed by software implementing a chosen recipe entered by one of the operators, while the second operator loads the pots onto the line. The process is then fully automatic, from the flaming stage to improve coating adhesion to final curing. Unloading is performed manually at the same time as quality inspection is carried out.
Remarkable cost-efficiency from increased process automation
Automation leads naturally to a more consistent quality of the finished product, but also generates efficiency and savings. Aleksandr Vladimirovich Laptev, Chief Engineer with TEK.A.TEK, comments: “We were able to cut our production costs by automating the coating process and reducing the share of manual labour”. Automation also reduces product waste and unnecessary energy consumption. “All of this has contributed to reducing the impact our production has on the environment, which is in line with our strategy” adds Mr Laptev.
Operators were grateful for the effects automation had on other aspects linked to the coating process, eliminating laborious manual lacquer-mixing operations.
Technical solutions and technical support
TEK.A.TEK appreciated our attention to determining the best line configuration and valued us as a partner for the support we have ensured since the line was installed a number of years ago. Aleksandr Vladimirovich Laptev underlines the confidence he has in Cefla Finishing who “helped in the implementation of our idea”. In addition, he points out the “competence and focus on results”.
"Our idea was understood, analysed, a technical solution was proposed and implemented, and it brought the result we expected.
Our experience shows that Cefla is an ideal business partner. If we were asked, would you recommend Cefla as a partner? Our answer would be: Definitely, yes!"
