From Maillefer’s perspective, value is our ability to deliver the means of reaching your goals.
Because goals differ, the meaning of value for each specific customer or project will also differ. One may aim for the highest end-product quality, while another privileges maximum flexibility in their production or product range, and yet another seeks the highest possible output. Typical value drivers are the targeted market, manufacturing volumes, degree of technical difficulty, and last but not least each one’s own business strategy.
Because of the differences, it has become more crucial than ever to capture our customers’ specific needs. There is no one-size-fits-all manufacturing solution, be it in the Wire & Cable or the Pipe & Tube market.
Realizing the diversity motivated us to develop three different technology levels - /Enter, //Extend and ///Explore. These three levels serve as flexible starting points for fulfilling the needs and strategic goals of a broader range of customers than was previously possible. Also, the differentiation between manufacturing solutions is simplified with ready-made technology levels.
In addition to the previously described technology levels we have Value Packages in our offering. A Value Package is a technology package that enhances a specific part of the process, like the Clean Run Value Package that maximizes the cleanliness of the insulation in a high or extra high voltage cable. Value Packages are available for both new and existing lines. They are an easy way to continuously improve production and stay ahead of your competition.
Delivering value does not necessarily mean delivering hardware. In fact many times the biggest return on investment for our clients comes from pure know-how products, where no or very little new machinery has been delivered. In our Technology Services portfolio we have know-how products from basic extrusion training courses to complete green field packages for high voltage cable entrepreneurs.
When investing in manufacturing capacity, often for the decades to come, the desire to be future proof is high on the wish list. Being future proof means that we must be an active partner who anticipates the manufacturing technology developments in order to match the ever changing market. We want to be ready at the right time and even become, at certain key moments, the driving force for leading- edge solutions.
Maillefer actively works with many different stakeholders within the extrusion world, including raw material suppliers and research institutes. This gives you a clear advantage when requesting new materials for which we already have acquired the needed process know-how.
A concrete example of where we strive in remaining the technology leader within our field is our R&D Center in Finland. The ability to have lines designed and built just for research purposes has given us an unprecedented capacity to develop products with much faster
cycle times than previously. Just think about the high speed secondary coating line OEL 40///Explore, which brings the production speed of loose tube manufacturing to a totally new level. The speeds have easily been doubled in comparison to before.
Our R&D Center also opens the possibility for our customers and partners to develop new solutions together faster and cost-effectively. The related costs become significantly lower when compared to doing development work in an everyday manufacturing environment. Competitive R&D is a crucial element in value based thinking!
Markus Boström
Director, Technology
markus.bostrom@maillefer.net
Topics: Product quality, R&D, Production Capacity, Production cost, Wire & cable manufacturing, Pipe & tube manufacturing