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September 2005 · nº 43 Looking after our environment Ergonomics and Comfort With open doors NEWS Published by Grupo Antolin Grupo Antolín is an international company at the cutting edge of design and production of components for car interiors for the automobile industry.. It is present in 20 countries and has a workforce of more than 10,000 employees. EDITOR Grupo Antolin Human Resources Department Carretera Madrid Irún, km. 244,8 E 09007 BURGOS - SPAIN Tel. 34 947 47 77 00 Fax: 34 947 47 79 48 www.grupoantolin.com DIRECTION Human Resources Department Eva Romero · [email protected] DESIGN Germán Delgado · [email protected] PHOTOGRAPHY Rafa Sáiz PRINTED BY COIMAN C/ Marqués de Portugalete, 16 E 28027 MADRID - ESPAÑA Tel. 34 91 742 12 03 Fax: 34 91 742 67 81 Summary page 3 first person page 4 cover Looking after our environment page 8 in the spotlight Working for Grupo Antolin from Ford Cologne page 9 special feature Department of Corporate Development page 14 the photo Open doors page 16 designing the future Ergonomics and comfort page 18 history corner SKODA celebrates its 100th anniversary page 19 in brief News in brief page 25 health Does autumn influence our health? page 26 en route “Minho”, land of enchantment 2 news grupo antolin · september 2005 Ernesto Antolin Vice-Chairman Aware of the need to adapt to the progressive demands of the market, our company con- siders one key factor to be considerable improvement in all aspects relating to the Quality of its products and services. The current criteria for Quality, and the ratios associated with these, not only require lev- els to be reached that are tremendously demanding in terms of Quality in supplying client manufacturing plants (PPM) - the ratio that might be reached by applying barriers to faulty products, by strengthening and multiplying the final controls - but they also demand efficiency and the lack of defects throughout the entire life cycle of the product. Quality should be present and form the prime subject of attention right from the Project stage, designing, projecting and validating reliable products and processes, subsequently moving on to mass production during which our plants rigorously apply methodologies that avoid faulty parts being produced, both through their own output and also by con- trolling materials and components that come from outside sources, right up to the final stages of guarantee, which are becoming more and more committed as our supplies are enhanced with modular products that are high in technological content. Our company, which has always been known for being at the forefront of such a chang- ...in first person ing environment, has developed a more advanced approach to Quality management over the past few months set within the context of a global analysis of the new organisation. Such a model has the capacity to act throughout the entire life cycle of the product, from its most advanced phases of conception and development, having an effect on suppliers, product, client, and end users. The development of this model should allow us to respond to the demands of the market, by updating and improving our existing tools and methodologies. In order to achieve maximum efficiency, it is essential to broaden the use of other Quality management tools, such as reliability and the analysis of guarantees, amongst others. But it is clear that this structural updating cannot of its own accord achieve the ambitious objectives of Quality that are demanded of us by the market. It is necessary to count on the collaboration and commitment of all of you. Let us all help position our Company as a market reference for Quality, placing it in the position of competitive advantage that we all desire. I am sure I can count on your collaboration so that the current activities and those soon to be launched allow the targets set to be achieve. september 2005 · news grupo antolin 3 COVER All general industrial activity generates waste products, the treatment of which causes an important environmental and economic impact, which, together with increasing legal demands, make it necessary to look for alternatives that are compatible with sustainable development. Given this situation and in keeping with its environmental policy, Grupo Antolin has implemented a series of activities designed to reduce waste, improving the company image, reducing the impact of our activity, and resulting in economic savings. Looking after our environment The first of these activities was initially started in 1998 by the Head- ment factories, to the production of various composites for liner Department (currently the Department of Headliner Products) different applications such as, for instance, engine soundproof- for the purpose of recycling headliner cuttings. It was decided at ing systems under the bonnet and injection parts. that time to make chipboard using adhesives that were similar to the ones used for headliner fibre. The final destination of Finally, it was decided to take the option of making chipboard us- these boards was for manufacturing the headliner. These boards ing powder thermosetting resins, which improve the properties were tested in prefabricated housing and false ceilings but the strict of the previous board, obtaining a more competitive product. requirements for behaviour to fire put paid to this application. GRUPO ANTOLIN will send all its cuttings to the ASH Headliner From 2001 onwards, the Department of Organic Materials joined Recycling company, where they will be processed and converted the project, from the Research Department (now known as DIM). once again into material that can be used in new applications. Together with the Department of Headliner Products, new chan- The Department of Corporate Development coordinates and nels were opened up ranging from their simple incineration in ce- manages this project within GRUPO ANTOLIN. 4 news grupo antolin · september 2005 Process Unloading the bundles Shredding of cutting and shredding the Fromstep the production lines, the cuttings headliner cuttings are1 placed in a step shredder where they are shredded and The bundles are unloaded2 at ASH, subsequently taken to a plant that stripped of their metal band and milled makes them up into bundles, to make again to achieve the best size of their transportation as easy as possible. particle for manufacturing the board. ASH is located in the town of Ágreda (Soria), where the 12 tons of chippings will be processed that are collected daily from the manufacture of headliners using Glassutec technology at Grupo Antolin Eurotrim and at Grupo Antolin Autotrim, in an initial state. Subsequently, the cuttings from other companies within the Group can then be processed. Mixturstepe of binding resins The batch is taken to3 a silo for storage, from where it is fed into a mixer in which it is blended together with two different types of resin. Shapingstep and production4 The mixture is placed on a belt forming a blanket which is taken inside the hot plate press, where it is compacted, producing the board. The press automatically unloads the board on to a conveyor belt at the end of which there is a “pick-up” that piles the cut boards on to pallets that are taken to the cooling area over a roller path, from where they will subsequently be taken to the storage area. september 2005 · news grupo antolin 5 Product The basic properties of the board are as follows: · Dimensional stability (it does not swell up in extreme conditions of high humidity and temperature). · It cannot be attacked by insects · Good fire-proof properties (M2). · High level of absorption of noise of impact.. · Better acoustic insulation than other wood composites. · It can be coated with layers of all types (paints or glues) and anchorage systems. · Good thermal insulation. The product that is obtained is a board (with an appearance that is very similar to wooden chipboard), with variable density and thickness depending on the demands of the client. Thanks to its excellent properties, the board can be used In order to attend to the demands of our potential clients, as a substitute for wood in a large number of appli- numerous boards have been produced by hand as samples cations, for instance, as a base in floating parquet or for at our Research plant, as can be seen in the photos. walls, floors and ceilings in prefabricated houses or even for the floors of industrial vehicles and public trans- We would like to point out that during the month of port. In short, for any application in which a ma- July 240 boards were produced in this fashion, and an- terial is required with excellent water and acoustic other batch has been produced during the month of properties. October. 6 news grupo antolin · september 2005 However we have not stopped here. There are other companies in the Group devoted to manufacturing plastic headliners and parts that have set initiatives in motion for recycling their waste products. A good example is GRUPO ANTOLIN IGA, which has managed to send its polyurethane foam cuttings to a company in Ger- many devoted to the production of acoustic insulation for build- ings, although in the near future it may be possible for ASH to use it as a raw material. In this way, it is possible to avoid 150 tonnes ending up on the dump each year. With this aim in mind, IGA has developed a plant for producing briquettes. The equipment, located in the foaming bay, has a chute in which, once loaded, the waste product is shredded and passed through a laminator to increase its density threefold. Finally, the waste product is sent to a press to obtain the briquettes. With this machine, the volume of the waste can be reduced 28 times.