SEM develops and manufactures ignition systems for alternative fuel engines, actuators and sensors. For us at CNC Manufacturing, the collaboration offered new challenges, new lessons and new investments.
SEM (Swedish Electro Magnets) operates primarily in the automotive industry. They have production facilities in Sweden and China, and sales offices in Europe and the USA.
Just like us, SEM likes a challenge. They operate within challenging product areas that require top expertise and knowledge to be able to offer ground-breaking solutions.
SEM’s products make high demands on quality and precision. Quality assurance in the work is carried out in accordance with the quality standard IATF16949.
– The number of permitted products with defects that are allowed to leave CNC Manufacturing is a maximum of 3 per 1,000,000. This means in practice that our processes have been developed so that zero defects are delivered to the customer, says Tomas AX, CEO of CNC Manufacturing.
An unusual request
SEM came to us at CNC Manufacturing with a very special request: they needed a turned precision component in steel, which also had to be hardened. The component was to be used in an actuator for injectors for diesel engines in commercial vehicles.
– At the time, CNC Manufacturing had good expertise in automation, but no other experience in the automotive industry. They have been humble and service-oriented throughout the process, and have learned a lot about the industry during the project, says Jerker Fjellman, Supply Chain Director at SEM.
Invested to be able to deliver
In order to respond to SEM’s request, we had to make a large investment in the order of SEK 30m and a new separate production building.
– CNC Manufacturing was willing to invest in an automatic production line to meet the high volumes that were demanded. In addition, they showed an understanding of the challenges and difficulties that were present in the project during the tender process, says Fjellman.
- CNC Manufacturing has done a good job
SEM made high demands, and there was no room for error. As mentioned, we like a challenge.
– When starting a complex production line, problems always arise, but we feel that CNC Manufacturing has done a good job and now has a good level of quality in the products delivered to us, concludes Fjellman