Flexibility and good cooperation opened the way for Stjerne-Chrom’s new galvanic plant

It is not the first time Stjerne-Chrom makes use of Wila to produce new galvanic plants. It was therefore obvious for the surface treatment company to make use of Wila when they needed to solve a specialized task.

Stjerne-Chrom provides surface treatments for small and medium sized companies with specific requirements. One of the treatment methods is a more modern line that makes stainless steel black – a method that is not found elsewhere in the country. By now, the customer demand for black stainless steel is so large that it is difficult for the employees to keep up.

For that reason, Stjerne-Chrom needed a full specially developed oxidation plant for the purpose.

“I knew what I wanted and that Wila always listens to my needs as a customer. It was therefore natural that they were going to accomplish the task,” says Kenneth Nielsen, who is the owner of Stjerne-Chrom.

Preliminary work smoothened the process

With Wila’s 25 years of expertise from Sejs Engineering which Wila has acquired, it was not a new task for Wila to create a full oxidation plant. Project Manager Knud Lykkegaard and his production team utilized existing principles from previous plants, but about 15 % of the task was new thinking to live up to Stjerne-Chrom’s specific needs.

“We made a large amount of preliminary work before the order was carried out. So even though the task was complex, it went pretty smooth and only minor things had to be adjusted along the way. This can never be avoided with a task like this”, says Knud Lykkegaard.

Kenneth Nielsen shares the same experience:

“I started talking to Knud about the possibilities and from there, it went according to plan. When the usual minor challenges with some dimensions that did not fit occurred, Knud asked me to reach out to a local blacksmith and subsequently send a bill. It was crucial to me that Wila is always flexible and conscious of the quality of the product they deliver,” he says.

Close cooperation all around

For Wila, the cooperation with both customers and suppliers is some of the most important when a new project is launched. Neither Knud Lykkegaard and Kenneth Nielsen doubt that good cooperation has been the main cause of the successful result.

“It means everything to me that I can use my long-standing experience with people that I enjoy working together with and put together the good competencies into a project that the customer is satisfied with,” says Knud Lykkegaard.

This is supported by Liqtech Plastics who is a sub-supplier in charge of cutting and welding plastics on the project.

“We have a close cooperation with Wila both on large projects like this one as well as smaller day-to-day projects. There are always an open dialogue where we have a common goal which is to satisfy the customer while carrying out a piece of work at high quality. The more we can do to make Wila competitive, the more orders we receive. For that reason, co-operation and trust are important all round,” says Kent Mathiesen who is the Sales Manager at Liqtech Plastics.

Also, the sub supplier, Manor Group, who has been in charge of control and automation on the project has experienced the close cooperation with Wila as the total supplier.

“There are not a whole lot of galvanic plant constructors left in Denmark, so it is a joy to cooperate with Wila. It has a big impact on the cooperation that we know each other well and that we are used to working on projects together. This ensures an important previous knowledge and makes everything go smoother,” says Michael Mikkelsen, who is the CEO of Manor Group.

Speak the same language

It took a little less than four months to produce the plant and in December 2020 Wila delivered the full plant in Næstved. For Stjerne-Chrom it is of high importance that they now have a finished plant so they can live up to their customers’ demand.

“The plant means that we can utilize our man-hours better and produce more than we have done till now,” says Kenneth Nielsen and adds: “if we are going to build a plant again, we will make use of Wila. We speak the same language, they are professional and they understand us. No matter what ideas we have, Wila makes sure they are completed.”