Ivaylo Dimitrov, Deputy Head of Manufacturing and Logistics
renovation to the current space took just six months to complete with the parking area to the front of the building next in line for a make- over, while the building of a corporate leisure facility is actually taking precedence in what's dubbed the "play space."
Te reason for the switch to the new facility is production capacity, with the aim to take the former 60 machines per day to 110-120 in the next year. Te shift from the former 8,000sq.m divided between three different facilities spread across Sofia into a single space its already yielding 80 machines per day, a figure that Mr. Dimitrov is confident of smashing in the very near future. Housing both the production and warehouses for ready-goods and raw materials under one roof has saved time and energy in logistics, with immediate gains resulting in a doubling of capacity into 2020.
A DYNAMIC WORKFORCE Te average worker's age at the production
facility is noticeably young, 20-25 years old. And, as aforementioned, recruitment raises its head, with EGT seeking to increase production in line with a surge in the number of skilled employees the company needs to service customer demand. EGT is also pushing ahead with its own automation project, which will see robots used to string cables and wiring needed for modern slot electronics, a process that is currently labour intensive and repetitive. Mr. Dimitrov explains that using robots brings the advantage of 24 hour production and absolute consistency of work, while employees have been assured that their hands will be made busy elsewhere within the facility.
Giving an example of the sheer scale of the renovation, Mr. Dimitrov explained that the new facility laid 60 kilometres of cabling for the IT system alone, facilitating the continued use of EGT's SAP system that has been streamlining machine production since 2011. Te additional
"This is a great location as it's in the heart of Sofia's industrial belt. We are close to road links for transporting goods and rail and metro links for our employees. Parking facilities are being greatly expanded and we have on-site restaurants to cater directly for our employees." Ivaylo Dimitrov, Deputy Head of Manufacturing and Logistics
robotic help is expected to begin speeding through the wiring looms in February 2020, without reduction to the workforce, with the overall team expected to increase, not decrease as all other aspects of production feel the benefits of the improvements in efficiency.
"Te main difference we've seen as we've moved to the new location is that we are all now under one roof," outlined Mr. Dimitrov. "We wasted time in the past on logistics, moving products within our assembly from one location to the next. It's now incredibly easy to manage the process. We utilise SAP to test our processes and make the necessary changes to improve efficiencies. Our biggest challenge to date has been the movement of all our equipment to the new location. We achieved this with just nine days downtime to switch from three separate production facilities into a single new location. To understand the undertaking, we hold at any one time €30m in total stock in our warehouse, with €7m in ready goods alone. Tis was a huge volume to relocate and a difficult process to break down and build up again. However, it was organised internally by our own logistics team from start to finish and we are very proud of their achievement."
LOGICAL LOGISTICS Te new facility has two huge elevators to
transfer goods and products within the facility, with purpose-built truck ramps for goods-in and out servicing EGT's own fleet of trucks. "Tis is a great location too, emphasised Mr. Dimitrov, "as it's in the heart of Sofia's industrial belt. We
are close to road links for transporting goods and rail and metro links for our employees. Parking facilities are being greatly expanded and we have on-site restaurants to cater directly for our employees."
Te reason to renovate as opposed to building a new facility from scratch was manifold, as EGT needed to very quickly escalate its machine output in a short space of time due to the scale of demand. Client orders were beginning to stack-up, and so it was necessary for EGT to move quickly to remedy the issue, though Mr. Dimitrov does not rule out the creation of a purpose-built facility in the future. "We endeavour to shorten the order to delivery time as much as possible," commented Mr. Dimitrov. "Te move to a single larger facility is the first step in halving the delivery time of our machines as customers want product in ever shorter timescales. Our view is that this facility will serve our needs for the next six years, but we do have an eye on the future beyond that. However, right now the focus is upon creating 110-120 machines per day in a single shift. We can add a further one or two shifts should demand increase further, as we have ensured that we have the space and capacity to meet demand. Te current building has a capacity for 650-700 workers, but we have two additional buildings that after renovation could further increase our capacity."
Te Bulgarian labour crisis is ever present within the consciousness of the EGT team. Unemployment in the skilled labour market is
NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE / MARKET DATA P55
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