Installers on factory visits
May 30, 2023
From Instagram to reality!
On the morning of May 25th, a happy and expectant group of self-employed people and installers showed up at the gates of Nexans' factory in Grimsås. It was mainly Nexans' advent competition on Instagram in collaboration with @willefix_ab that brought them here. And what a day it was!
@willefix_ab, @elektriker_henrik, @ctteknikab, @eddie_elektriker, @elektriker_roman, @ofselochlarm, @elektrikernab and Jonas Bagge were met by Nexans Sofia Stocks, digital marketing coordinator, Jonas Brännström, product manager installation and Jesper Gunnarsson, product manager alarm and security.
All these people are part of the important climate transition and electrification of Sweden. The fact that we can meet and discuss what reality and the installers' everyday life looks like is a prerequisite for us as a cable supplier to be able to develop and deliver the products and characteristics that are wanted. It is also an opportunity to showcase our factory, how to manufacture cable in 2023 and what advantages it is to choose cable that is developed and manufactured in Sweden.
After an initial safety briefing and quick presentation of who everyone is, the first Gothenburg joke "kulo höra" is spoken, setting the bar for the day. Nexans' Lars Josefsson, General Manager Nordics, comes by for breakfast with the gang. The winner gang is extremely curious and committed so already here today's time schedule is bursting - but let's be honest, powerpoints in all glory but everyone is interested in the production and human meetings. So we head out on the factory floor right away without any presentations, but with lots of questions.
The tour starts in power cable production, where the manufacturing process from drawing copper to the conductors getting insulation, a screen and a jacket on them is reviewed. The gang wants many extra stops so detours and excursions to other machines passing by are made. Jonas Brännström gives up the timetable for the day and does his best to answer all the questions that arise
"how does this work?"
"why do you do this?"
"when do you do this?"
"how does it affect?"
"how many meters?"
"What speed?" etc.
Nexans' Hanna Larsson, development engineer laboratory, meets up with the team at the lab. Hanna goes through, among other things, type testing, material development and material administration. She shows off the lab's "pantry" and how they mix Nexans plastics themselves in the lab. In order for everyone to understand the process, similes are drawn to sourdough baking and microwave food. A material test is carried out, and the room for fire tests attracts attention. The atmosphere remains happy and engaged, so Hanna is also bombarded by questions about high and low. How Nexans' cables stand up in heat and cold is shown through ovens and freezers, and installers from the west coast fantasize what it would be like if the sea also had 60 degrees Celsius of warm salt water like the water bath where some cables are currently being tested.
After a few extra stops by the gang, classic Swedish food awaits in Nexans' own dining room. A certain food coma calms the energetic bunch somewhat. A calm that disappears as soon as they set foot in the ringslagningen and see the automated packaging machines. The eyes lights up like on children and it takes closer looks (and we mean closely) and they jump in ecstasy when they see the whole flow.
A self-driving truck, AGV, drives past and, like a preschool class, the installers drop all other focus and follow it to the finished goods warehouse where Mathias Nyström, logistics administrator, goes through the products' final journey through Nexans' premises before they are delivered to the wholesalers. The cellphones starts shooting and howls of joy echo through the premises when they see the almost silent automated flow. Boys will be boys.
The clock has ticked away so Jesper Gunnarsson holds a quick presentation of telecommunications, data, alarm and security as well as fiber production before everyone goes into the high-voltage test area. In here, the group's cockiness is replaced by a humility about what forces electricity actually entails. Everyone was happy to leave the room quickly and the cockiness is right back.
Despite a broken schedule and a later end to the day than expected, it is a happy bunch who sum up the day by wanting to come back to see everything they have not had time to see. They are impressed by how big the plant is and have realized how many steps there are before a cable lands in their service vehicles. They were all excited before the visit but highlight that it was much more fun and interesting than they could have imagined. Someone wonders how there can be more cable manufacturers in Sweden when Nexans "spews" out so much cable daily. "Where does all the cable go?" They conclude by thanking all the happy, knowledgeable and professional employees they met during the visit.
When the happy group of winners head to the parking lot for the trip home, Nexans can see how much fun it is to have visitors. It provides the opportunity to showcase our factory and get many interesting discussions about cable dimensioning, durability, characteristics of different twisting, staples and much more. Everyone shared what it looks like in reality today and what they want it to look like in the future.
We thank the winning team for an incredibly fun and rewarding day!
“ Right now I feel more proud than ever to use Nexans, after seeing and experiencing how you manufacture your products. It was incredibly impressive to see everything, and it hasn't quite sunk in yet, I must say. ”
@willefix_ab
Övermontör“ Truly happy that I won and got to come along with an amazing group. ”
@elektriker_henrik
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