What does it mean to double the surface area of the factory? What manufacturing process follow the packaging lines? What is the most valuable part of a team? We talked about all these topics with Daniel Navarro, head of manufacturing processes at INDUSER.
THE INTERVIEW
Posted on january 23th, 2023.
Daniel Navarro has been working at INDUSER since 2007. At that time, the surface area of INDUSER’s facilities was only about 225m2 and the number of employees did not reach 10. That was a workshop. Today, 15 years later, Daniel Navarro- responsible for manufacturing process- looks at the future from another perspective and with great responsibility for the challenges to face.
1. Hello, Daniel. At what point did you perceive the potential growth of INDUSER?
Daniel: From minute one. Just a short time after joining the team other colleagues from other departments of the company were hired: Welder, assemblers, electricians. That began to take a different form and a different direction. We not only made chassis or machinery repairs for clients in the area, we began to put the machines in motion. A few months after joining INDUSER, the warehouse next door was rented. Soon after, it was acquired as its own. And then the next warehouse next door, and so on, up to what we have reached today: a 4,225m2 factory to manufacture automated packaging lines.
2. As responsible for manufacturing processes, what does this expansion mean for you?
Daniel: When it comes to organizing, it provides more peace of mind. Optimization takes place where there is space. Right now, the manufacturing process has been re-established, the material must follow a chain path through is different process, it must follow a direction. At INDUSER, this process goes from the reception of material, through welding, cleaning, until reaching the assembly of the machines and components, and finally, the assembly of the complete packaging line, which is our main know how, our expertise.
Daniel Navarro reviews a layout with Víctor. Víctor has joined the team recently.
"Optimization takes place
where there is space".
3. Is that where industrial automation equipment comes in?
Daniel: Yes and no. Keep in mind that while we are manufacturing the machines, the automation team is assembling their own components, their electrical panels. Is a teamwork process.
4. The new area has solved some problems, but… what new challenges does this represent to you?
Daniel: The square meters are in favor, but they can also go against. Collaborating with so many people is complicated, there is distance between one and the other, communication cannot be lost between space and spaciousness. To anticipate this problem we have started to use walkies, but we have to filter very well the mistakes that may arise and avoid recurrences.
5. What consequences has the pandemic left in the industry?
Daniel: A heightened sense of uncertainty.
Daniel and José Martín. Both have been part of the team since 2006.
"We are a company with experience.
The experience goes above anything else...
We provide engineering solutions".
6. What would you tell potential clients to let them know they can bet on INDUSER as a quality brand?
Daniel: That we are a company with experience. The experience goes above anything else. We can respond to any problem that may arise. Only experience serves to quickly and effectively correct problems. As a brand in engineering, you have to be there for the client, and you have to be able to provide a solution. We do that. We provide engineering solutions.
7. Is there a manufacturing process that you personally like better?
Daniel: Assembling. It is the manufacturing process with greatest “freedom” for the operator. A welder, for example, follows the indications of a layout; in cleaning and preparing machinery, a method is also followed, but in assembly there are no limits. In a mechanical installation, the assembler can overcome himself in each installation.
8. How do you get your colleagues to overcome themselves?
Daniel: I do very little (smiles). I wish I had more time so I could sit down with them and find, together, better ways to do things. We are working on it too, improving the way we provide and receive feedback internally.
9. We live in an increasingly digital world. However, almost all the manufacturing processes of our machines are manual. Today, what would you tell young people about engineering-related trades?
Daniel: I would tell the youth that they should start from the idea that we should always bet on what we like. Because if they choose a job where they don’t like what they do, at the end of the day, they’re going to end up getting tired. The digital issue, we already know how it is, boys and girls are born with a mobile in hand. It is difficult for them to think of a hammer and iron when the majority will look at them thinking “what is this one doing?”.
For example, since I was a child I liked iron, perhaps in part because my father was a mechanic. I also remember that before jumping to high school, at school we receive a visit to talk to us about welding and I was fascinated. I believe that those of us who dedicate ourselves to this art, should share with the new generations the way we feel for what we do, because the reality is that Europe has a labour problem in this field. It is increasingly difficult to find professionals in this trade, people who are fine in finishing their work, and at the same time, committed to the formalities of having a job. So young people, pay attention to this jobs! In the not-too-distant future, these trades will be in high demand.
Daniel and Álvaro Mellado. Álvaro is one of the two professionals behind the milling machine.
"So... young people,
pay attention to this jobs!
In the not-too-distant future,
these trades will be in high demand".
10. Finally, what do you value most about the people who make up the factory team?
The diversity in our personalities, how different we are. The basic thing is that we respect each other, that is the number one rule. In some workplaces it is common that over time the relationships between colleagues do not improve but worsen. When you are in the same job for a long time and you notice that the relationship is maintained, that is what I value the most, that is the best indicator of a team of people.
Daniel and Francisco Zapata. Francisco is one of the five welders that work at INDUSER.