Protective face visors produced in Finland with the expertise of Savox
Silenta, which is part of Savox Communications Group, has manufactured personal protective equipment already for several decades. Skills and expertise have accrued and been maintained in-house and many employees have been with Savox already for over ten years.
When the need for protective personal equipment started rising due to the coronavirus, visor production was picked up rapidly and work started in both Jyväskylä and Savonlinna without delay. In addition to the XM4 visor, which is part of the normal product offering, the increased demand was met with the addition of disposable visors.
“Savox employees have gotten involved in the project with enthusiasm and interest. We can definitely see the flexibility and adaptability of our personnel. Remaining critical of the quality of the end-product is always important,” says Productization Manager Harri Laamanen.
As volume is higher than usual, it was decided that production would be moved to Savonlinna where the premises and resources could match the increased number of orders. Getting acquainted with the expertise regarding visors that Jyväskylä employees had accrued over the years was done on-site – as is the custom at Savox. This meant the Savonlinna employees travelled to Central Finland.
“Jyväskylä had prepared for the situation really well with just a single day of notice. Anu Bunda, the forewoman responsible for production in Jyväskylä, instructed us very efficiently on the phases of assembly and sourcing of materials. We videoed all the production phases to facilitate returning to assembly as much as possible. We always do product transfers together as a team. Due to thorough preparation we managed to do all this in just three hours,” says Laamanen, looking back at the initial phases of the project.
The mold plastics are made from scratch in Jyväskylä. Producing 4,000 sets per week is quite a pace.
“The operations have become a normal routine. It is great to be of help in this changing situation,” says foreman Jari Riikonen.
Expertise and keen collaboration
Several thousand protective face visors have already been dispatched all over the world. The materials were sent from Jyväskylä to Savonlinna already the week following the orientation visit, and they were immediately put to use at the production line in Savonlinna.
“We communicate several times daily between Savonlinna and Jyväskylä, asking about materials and progress. Jyväskylä has provided us specialised tools, enabling us to increase production capacity. For example, presses help us to connect the snap joints of the mould plastics with a high quality while reducing the strenuousness of the work. Due to proper equipment there is not much need for hard manual pressing,” says Laamanen.
A group of long-term professionals are working on visors. Both in Jyväskylä and Savonlinna most employees involved in the project have 10–30 years of experience. At assembly, there are even working relationships of more than 30 years with the same employer.
The strong know-how and expertise are reflected in a quality-conscious approach. Without fail, all Savox products need to endure demanding conditions and therefore each product is produced with care and according to certifications. There has been no need to compromise when it comes to quality and certification because the visors have been designed to be used in demanding conditions to begin with.
“We invest in having our employees understand what the products will be used for. It is important for everyone to understand why we do things a certain way. This understanding and a concept of quality is built into our personnel,” says Laamanen.
Savox employees “fired up”
Producing a visor includes many different phases. They include bending plexiglass and joining different parts together. In principle, an individual product takes 6 minutes and 35 seconds to go from the start of the line all the way to being boxed up.
“The plastic parts of the visors are produced with an automated single-cavity injection molding machine. The parts require a certain treatment before they are packaged,” says Jari Riikonen.
Assembling visors requires accuracy and care. Handling them improperly could damage the product, with the plexiglass part no longer staying in place. It is of utmost importance to Savox that the products meet the requirements of certificates.
In addition to being quality-conscious, Savox employees are also hard-working.
“I really like working like this when there is a lot going on. It does give you boost – I have been all fired up,” says Laamanen smiling.
Photos: Sami Auvinen
Silenta is part of the Savox Communications Group. The company is located in Jyväskylä, Finland and their main business is the manufacturing of various Personal Protective Equipment.
www.silenta.com
Savox Communications is a global provider of communication solutions for safety and security, tactical and defense and industrial markets. Savox’s core mission is to save lives, protect people and property by providing the best communication technology solutions for professionals working in demanding environments.
www.savox.com