Kongsberg Precision Cutting Systems (Kongsberg PCS) has underlined its commitment to developing advances in automation with the appointment of Nimil David as its new Product Manager for Automation and Robotics. Based at the Kongsberg PCS production site in Brno, Czech Republic, Nimil will use his deep knowledge and technical expertise to achieve the company’s goal of empowering customers to maximize efficiency and productivity through automation.

“I’m thrilled to be joining the team at such an exciting time,” said Nimil. “The recent launch of the new Kongsberg Ultimate showcased how the combination of Kongsberg power and precision with automation can deliver incredible throughput speeds without compromising on accuracy and quality. It moves the benchmark in productivity, and in my new role I am looking forward to working with the team to determine how to achieve similar levels of automation to maximize productivity across all our product lines,” he said.

Frank Adegeest, VP Product Strategy and Business Processes with Kongsberg PCS, said he was delighted to welcome Nimil to his new role. “With his many years of experience and significant technical knowledge, coupled with a boundless enthusiasm for the subject, Nimil’s appointment illustrates the importance of automation as we look to the future,” he said. “We know he will make a huge contribution to the team, and to advancing our technologies to maximize the benefit to our customers.”

The Kongsberg automated Feeder and Stacker and Robotic Material Handler deliver significant benefits to converters. The removal of any manual handling between steps not only increases speed and accuracy of locating and removing materials, but also eliminates any chance of human error that can lead to damage and costly errors.

“As customers look to the future of their own businesses, they are really focusing on automation,” said Nimil. “That is something we want to prioritize as a customer-centric business, ensuring we are developing solutions that inspire converters to maximize their own potential.”

Nimil said demonstrating the ease and impressive results of automating processes was key to understanding the benefits. “I’ve lived and worked in Brno since 2015, so am very familiar with the Kongsberg PCS facility,” he said. “As well as being the hub of production, it’s also the home of the Automation R&D department, so there is a lot of very cool stuff here. 

“Customers want to see this exciting technology in action,” he said, “so we’re looking to make the facility more of a dual purpose destination, creating a demo center specifically for our robotic solutions, where we bring customers so they can see and experience the automated system firsthand. They can send their files to us, we can run a live demo of their actual products and they can see for themselves not only the fantastic quality they can achieve, but also the increase in their throughput and overall productivity. 

“One of the primary goals of automation is to increase productivity,” added Nimil. “Kongsberg PCS testing has shown that, in theory, a robotic material handling solution with dual table setup can increase productivity up to four times, dependent on other factors. Alongside that increased throughput, quality is also of paramount importance – any automation should ensure that the handling of the thousandth sheet is the same as the first, delivering consistency as well as speed.”

Nimil emphasized the importance of a discovery phase, in which the Kongsberg PCS team and customer jointly examine and ensure that automation is the right solution to maximize throughput and achieve the best return on investment.

“In the discovery phase we look at all the specifications and parameters,” said Nimil. “We’re not just selling a machine, we’re helping to develop the whole process. We look at whether there are any limitations in the facility, either in the immediate environment like the floor or height of the ceiling, or whether the location has the flexibility to make requisite changes to accommodate a moving arm of a Robotic Material Handler. 

“We don’t just deliver a robot and say, ‘off you go’,” he said. “We help map out the layout of the customer’s whole production room or shop floor, down to the location of the electrical cabinet, to ensure they can accommodate the robotic cell.”

As automation and robotics represent a significant investment, Nimil said this testing and planning phase allows the customer to have 100% confidence in the setup. “They need to know it is going to deliver the productivity gains they are investing in achieving,” he said. “Our insistence on this phase underlines our own confidence in the benefits of the automated system – and it delivering just that.”

Nimil will be joining his Kongsberg PCS colleagues at drupa later this year, where he will be discussing the latest developments to the Feeder and Stacker and Robotic Material Handler.