NFGL Local Network TechHub Stockholm visits the world’s number one metalworking company

At the end of January, our network visited Sandvik Coromant in Sandviken, which is in Gävleborg County around 190km north of Stockholm. We were visiting as part of the Digital Business course in the Information Systems Management programme at Stockholm University and thanks to the Swedish Institute.

It took two hours to travel to Sandvik Coromant from Stockholm University. We set off at 10 in the morning and arrived around midday, starting with a welcome lunch. One thing worth mentioning is that the SI scholars had the opportunity to taste a very popular Swedish snack, ‘semla’. ‘Semla’ is a type of Swedish baked bun that is popular, and only available, in Sweden during February.

The programme for the day started with the work that Sandvik Coromant does and how they have been the industry leaders for metalworking over the last 76 years. This is a remarkable achievement for the company and for Sweden in general.

A company representative told us about the secret behind leading the industry for over three-quarters of a century, and how they work tirelessly (and happily) to continue setting the pace.

The company has invested in the area of research and is aware of the capabilities of technology, even in heavy mechanical industries like at Sandvik Coromant. Its material is used for razor blades in about 90 percent of the world’s blade productions. It’s refreshing to hear that a company you are visiting has played a role in a material you have used before!

During the visit, the SI scholars were invited to see a live demo of CoroPlus, the latest technology being used at Sandvik Coromant. CoroPlus is a new platform of connected tools and software that can send and/or receive data. This data can be received in real-time, which will help the company notice problems in milliseconds, thereby improving the response time and the throughput of the company. 

Coupled with the knowhow at Sandvik, the suite of solutions can help users reduce data waste and improve manufacturing processes from pre-machining to post-machining, according to the company’s presenter during the visit.

Sandvik Coromant is aware of the opportunities presented by the Internet of Things (IoT) and the evolution of industry 4.0 as they have worked on putting sensors into their metal cutting tools to help them monitor the performance of the tools in real-time, as well as adjusting and controlling the machine more easily.

The company states on their product description of CoroPlus that: “In addition to access to the company’s product and application data, sensor-equipped tools allow the users to adjust, control and monitor machining performance in real time. The entire machine shop can be controlled via accurate on-site data dashboards, through the cloud, and by integration with the user’s software and machine environment”.

The visit to Sandvik was very successful and most educational for the group. Sandvik Coromant’s awareness of the use of technology-integrated solutions to improve the performance of their products, metal cutting devices and services to their customers is fascinating.

There is an interesting future ahead in the world of ICT and development, especially IoT. Furthermore, they are aware of the environmental impacts of manufacturing industries and are developing tools and packaging to reduce their own effect on the environment. 

The visit was a great experience for the SI NFGL TechHub Stockholm, and we thank the Swedish Institute for giving us the opportunity to visit the world’s number one metalworking company.

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