When window manufacturer Dana Windows moved to new production facilities in Lind, south of Herning, last year, it also invested a double-digit million euro sum in a new fully automated production plant, which was supplied by Nicholaisen. The investment was made to equip production for the new energy requirements for windows and doors that have just come into force, and at the same time the high-tech plant was to help optimise processes and future-proof production.

And even now, the window manufacturer can see the long-term effects of the investment, which replaced as many as six end-of-life special machines. As a result of the investment, the company has achieved significantly higher efficiency, while a faster lead time has shortened the delivery time of doors and windows by no less than a week.

- Replacing six stand-alone machines with one fully automated system obviously creates a better throughput time, as we avoid time-consuming switching between machines, which used to be a bottleneck and reduced efficiency. Therefore, we have now not only future-proofed our production by being able to meet the stricter energy requirements, but also reduced the delivery time to our customers significantly, says Dana Windows' CEO, Kristian Orluff.

In addition, Kristian Orluff expects that with the new plant, the company can meet the demand for large glass panels, which are currently in demand in the window industry, even more so.

Supplier stepped in in critical situation
Together with an Italian manufacturer, it has taken central Jutland Nicholaisen, which provides sales, design and consulting in connection with innovative machine solutions, barely a year to manufacture the new fully automatic plant. However, when the plant was delivered in March as planned, it had to be true that the corona pandemic would put a spanner in the wheel for the plans. Due to the travel restrictions, the foreign manufacturer's employees could not come to Denmark to set up the plant, and here Nicholaisen had to step in:

"When the manufacturer announced force majeure, we decided to jump in and do the job together with Dana Vinduer. That is why we made our own technicians available so that the plant could be set up. In this way, we were able to ensure that Dana Vinduer benefited from the brand new plant as soon as possible, says Thomas Biehl, Director of Nicholaisen.

Over six weeks, Nicholaisen's service technicians set up and implemented the plant, with instructions from the manufacturer, so that Dana Windows could then move production to the new plant.

"We have been very pleased with the cooperation with Nicholaisen. From the very beginning, they have been a good sparring partner and advisor, but especially when things spiked, we were happy with the cooperation – and that Nicholaisen took more responsibility than they really needed. Without them, we would not have reached the finish line so quickly, Kristian Orluff concludes.

Dana Windows has achieved a turnover increase of almost five percent compared to the previous year, despite a longer transition period. The window manufacturer therefore has high expectations for the coming years once the system is fully implemented. Nicholaisen's sister company OptiPeople will be responsible for the continuous optimisation of production using the OptiCloud software solution.