We recently sat down with OJ’s head of technical operations Claus Bak and production test engineer Henrik von Münchow to find out.

OJ Electronics drives production, Claus Bak and Henrik Von Münchow — Claus Bak (to the left) and Henrik Von Münchow (to the right), at the OJ Drives one-piece flow assembly line.

OJ Electronics:
Claus, as OJ’s head of technical operations, how would you describe the basic manufacturing setup we have here – in Denmark, but also in Eastern Europe and Asia?

Claus Bak: “Basically, we operate with what you’d call mixed production. In Denmark, we have two assembly lines for our high-runner production – thermostats for electronic underfloor heating. We also have one-piece flow assembly lines for our drives, and then we have plenty of U-shaped cells for small-volume production. Our EMS partners in Eastern Europe and Asia have the same one-piece flow assembly lines for drives that we use in Denmark, along with various other assembly line types. This setup where we have multiple lines available across the world enables us to scale up production when we need to, and to move production from one supplier to another. Many of your readers will probably see there’s a lot of LEAN in our whole approach to manufacturing.”

OJ Electronics:
OK, sounds like a setup that’s really been designed for exactly what OJ makes. Henrik, can you give us a rundown of the entire process – from product development to manufacturing?

Henrik Von Münchow: “Sure. First, it’s important to note that OJ works with integrated product development. That means that Production Technology – including testing – is involved right from the start in the product development process. We need to make sure our products are designed for manufacturability. So where should parts be produced – Denmark or by our suppliers and EMS partners in Eastern Europe or Asia? Can we use existing lines or stations, or do we need something new? How much and what kind of automation should be involved? And yes, will the product be able to undergo the required testing?”

OJ Electronics:
Sounds like a lot of decisions! What happens after they’ve all been made?

Henrik Von Münchow: “The next step is prototyping, where we order the prototype either from our own setup at OJ or from the EMS. It’s a time-consuming process that involves deciding how to manufacture and test, building the test equipment, which can take a couple of months, manufacturing the prototype, and then completing the 100 or so steps involved in testing.”

OJ Electronics:
I guess ones you have the 0-series, the product goes into production?

Claus Bak: “That’s right, and of course the Production Engineering department is responsible for making sure the whole product setup is in place to make sure that happens as efficiently as possible, while still meeting all our quality demands.”

OJ Electronics:
That can’t be easy. Can the Production Engineering department rely entirely on standardized manufacturing and assembly equipment and processes, or does the team sometimes need to innovate its own solutions?

Henrik Von Münchow: “Even at a smaller company like OJ, we innovate more than people might know. For example, to shorten test times and accelerate our time to market, we developed a system that lets us run up to five processes simultaneously.”

Claus Bak: “Our intelligent assembly documentation system is also something we’ve developed in house. For each product, the whole assembly process is described step by step via an SOP that operators access via our own iPad app. On our drive assembly lines, we’ve moved to an even newer system, where the SOP is shown on a monitor, but is also interactive with intelligent screwdrivers registering whether the operator has inserted the required number of screws required for a given step, etc. The system automatically turns to the next page when a required step has been completed.”

OJ Electronics:
Wow, it sounds like you keep busy in Production Engineering. So when you need to hire new staff, what kind of people are you normally looking for?

Claus Bak: “We’re a team of about twelve now, and when we hire, we want to make sure applicants know they’ll be part of a bigger picture – stretching from product development to post-launch product improvements and, of course, continuous improvements to our processes.

As general rule, we look for experienced people – people with experience in similar setups, but also people from bigger companies who can enrich our team with fresh ideas. Formal education often helps, but it’s not the most important thing. We’re a small team, and each one of us needs to bring something to the table every day.”