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Case HBN-Teknik in Ringsted manufactures mudguards and mudwings in high-strength plastic, and with a streamlined Linde fleet the company continues its successful export for the European automotive industry. The large injection moulding plant is busy around the clock casting products, which demands carefully planned logistics on internal lines.

N.C. has supplied four Linde E16 electric forklift trucks and one Linde E20 electric pallet stacker, all of which are equipped with the company's in-house developed Lithium-ION batteries. HBN-Teknik needed to replace an older machine fleet with reliable, energy-efficient and comfortable logistics machinery – and the technical benefits of Lithium-ION batteries made Linde an especially attractive choice.

"It's not particularly fun to operate with lead batteries. We chose Lithium-ION batteries so we wouldn't have to keep replacing batteries, to save on energy consumption and make it easy for our employees to charge the batteries during breaks. A half-hour of charging extends the driving time by up to four hours," explains PTA/Technical Engineer Hans Henrik Nielsen from HBN-Teknik.

According to Hans Henrik Nielsen, running the Linde trucks on Lithium-ION batteries also has a side benefit: the driving experience on the trucks feels more consistent, pleasant and comfortable for the employees. They spend many hours in the driver's seat, from where they load lorries in the shipping department, dispatch intermediate goods, attach moulds to the injection moulding machines and transport finished products to the warehouse.

 

Systemising series production

In order to manufacture rationally, HBN-Teknik needs to keep the injection moulding machines in constant operation. Here, plastic items are cast in series of up to a couple of thousand pieces and around 50 variants. This means frequent mould changes on the machines and large amounts of traffic out to the dispatch area, where the export lorries are standing ready to take the carefully packed plastic mudguards and mudwings.

"We are heavily focused on internal logistics and don't manufacture plastic items simply to store them in a warehouse. We have optimised the production process within the specific parameters and have also minimised warehouse space, so we only have pallets that are ready for shipment. It would simply take up too much space for us to have every variant of all our products in stock," states Hans Henrik Nielsen from HBN-Teknik. 

HBN-Teknik is part of the German BPW Group, which has the world's biggest axle manufacturing plant. Based in Ringsted in Denmark, the company develops plastic products for lorries that weigh considerably less than steel, are especially resistant to impact and flexible in relation to individual solutions with variants in mudguard, holes in the plastic, logo print, mountings and much more.
 

Continuing to choose Linde

HBN-Teknik and N.C. Nielsen have had a close collaboration for many years, and this partnership has led to new solutions in line with the rapid technological developments. The brand-new electric forklift truck and electric pallet stacker from Linde are the latest models in their respective categories and, in addition to the Lithium-ION batteries and their chargers, the machinery included all types of optional equipment imaginable in their solution.

"We can always compare with competing forklift brands, and from a purely financial perspective there is not actually a big difference in our situation, where the trucks are in constant operation. We listened to our employees, who wanted the most comfortable and ergonomic solution, and opted to continue working with Linde. The fact that we have received some virtually maintenance-free logistics machines only supports our decision," ends Hans Henrik Nielsen, HBN-Teknik.
 

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