We stick to cleanliness and organization in the production: it reflects in the quality of our blinds

6. 5. 2020

We set strict rules for cleanup and production organization when we established the company. Thanks to these, all employees know exactly what to do, knowing that even small inattention can cause great damage. Learn about the cleanness standards we apply during production.

Keeping the company tidy is not an easy task, so we use the services of a cleaning company. Three workers work full-time for our company and, in total, they spend almost 500 hours a month cleaning.

Strict cleaning requirements in our company also involve ergonomic and logistical standards, which affect work in the manufacturing and storage of completed blinds. Each worker has all the tools and equipment at hand and knows the product’s current phase of production, where it will go next or where it will be stored.

When inspecting the production, our potential partners confirm that they have never seen such a clean and organized production setup in the area. For example, our long-lasting partner Jiří Rosický from the Czech company Diamond Design: “In NEVA, I was fascinated by their sophisticated system, order and cleanliness. Without exaggeration, you could eat off the floor. In this branch, it is a unique phenomenon.”

Notice that you’ll see nothing a without purpose in the entire manufacturing process. Each piece of equipment, tool or finished product has its place.

Our production halls are equipped with a ventilation system with pocket filters that catch even very fine dust. These filters comply with high sanitary standards and are common in food-processing or pharmacological plants. We change them twice a year so that they correctly perform their duty. These filters contribute to clean operation and better working environment of our employees.

Order is also kept by our employees

Our employees keep order in their workplaces, following clearly specified rules. In practice, it means that each worker knows where to reach for a tool and its precise function. As a result, there are no unnecessary delays in the work processes. Nobody improvises and each phase of production proceeds smoothly, which is reflected in the quality of the blinds.

When an employee leaves the workplace, he/she hands it over to their colleague in the same condition in which he/she received it at the beginning of the shift.

As a matter of fact, cleanliness is one of the criteria applied when increasing the employee’s pay. It is therefore up to everyone how to approach the joint responsibility for the company’s cleanliness.

In the working area and its immediate vicinity, the employee only has what he/she needs for their work. As a result, he/she does not need to look for anything or lose time on unnecessary tasks.

Some of the production phases need special care

The joiner’s shop is such a workplace. Constant grinding of the material produces a lot of dust, which increases the risk of explosion and is dangerous for the workers. That’s why we have set up the cleaning process so that it meets high safety standards. We sweep the floors every day and regularly wash them. In this way, even the joiner’s shop remains constantly clean.

We also put great emphasis on the roller conveyor areas. Here, with a bit of inattention, a little dirt can be imprinted into the slat, thus causing huge damage to the blind and the good reputation of the company. We prevent such incidents by daily sweeping.

Even a little dirt would leave an undesired imprint on the slat during the rolling process. Therefore, we sweep areas around the roller conveyors every day.

Paint shop: never-ending process of powder paint cleaning

Keeping the paint shop clean is a never-ending process. Cleanliness determines the quality of each painted component. We follow painting each colour by measures ensuring that the paints do not mix and the colour remains perfect.

We always clean the paint booth and equipment with compressed air, vacuum the booth area and wash the floor as required. The sprayers clean their protective clothing and mask with compressed air and when changing from a light to dark shade or vice-versa, they even change their entire work clothes.

The sprayers use compressed air to clean the protective mask in each change of the colour.

Moreover, they prevent paint contamination by changing the hose in each colour change. “We paint each colour shade using one set of hoses, thus avoiding transfer of colour pigment between the individual painting operations. We have hoses for white, black, blue, green, red, orange, yellow, metallic, light grey, dark grey, anthracite, beige and brown,” says head of the powder coating shop.

Washing the floors of all areas in the paint shop is a daily routine. A special floor washing machine with vacuum prevents whirling of fine dust and powder paint.

In the paint shop, the painting and cleaning process never stops. In this way, only products in perfect colour and without defects leave the production.

We do not neglect general service or cleanup

Every year in January, we completely shut off the paint shop for one week and perform general service and cleanup.

The annual downtimes allow us to completely clean the entire area, but also to move the production technologically forward. “Last time, we changed our hardening oven from a two-hanger to a one-hanger system. With the new oven arrangement and special sets of paint hoses, we prevented even minimal paint mixture, thus elevating the paint quality to the top level,” adds the paint shop manager.

We shut off the paint shop and painting line five times a year to perform routine maintenance and meticulous cleanup.

The quality of products leaving the paint shop is monitored up to the smallest detail. “We have designed our own retaining system on the conveyor hangers to catch dirt falling from the conveyor, thus preventing deterioration of the painted surface underneath,” explains the powder paint shop manager.

We assess the condition of the operation every month.

To keep the production clean and in good condition, every month, the production foreman, the paint shop manager, the facility manager and the production manager meet to inspect the premises. During the inspection, they walk through all workplaces and deal with cleanliness in addition to the maintenance of equipment and buildings. If they encounter any non-compliance with the standards, they immediately adopt remedial measures.

Come to our plant in Kralice na Hané and see for yourself. Arrange a date, we will gladly show you everything.


Author

Miloslav Matoušek

Miloslav Matoušek has worked in NEVA as a marketing manager since 2018. He studied at the Czech Technical University in Prague and began to study marketing after his studies. He acquired his skills in HANÁK NÁBYTEK and Student Agency. He is concerned with the development of the brand and setting long-term marketing and business goals of the NEVA company.

 

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