On April 4, the 22m x 4m numerical-control double-gantry milling (grinding) machine tool, a super-large special equipment of Yiyang Rubber & Plastics Machinery Group Co., Ltd. (located in the factory area of Chaoyang Industrial Park) for processing hot plates and frame plates of flat vulcanizers, was dismantled by workers of the Shenyang-based manufacturer and will be transported back to Shenyang for overhaul. The overall relocation and technical upgrading of Yiyang Rubber & Plastics Machinery, or the upgrading of relocated equipment in the “Construction Project of the Digital Manufacturing Base for Intelligent Rubber Machinery,” kicked off.
The new factory will establish two software systems of digital design and digital manufacturing, and use advanced production equipment such as high-end numerical control equipment to comprehensively upgrade R&D, manufacturing, technical equipment and production management model, providing strong equipment support for the production and manufacturing of intelligent rubber machinery products.
The newly purchased processing equipment and the upgrading of relocated equipment are the top priorities of digital manufacturing in the overall relocation and technical upgrading project of Yiyang Rubber & Plastics Machinery. In order to improve the production capacity and working performance of the relocated equipment and conduct process simulation, and data transmission and acquisition, it is necessary to return the equipment to the factory for overhaul and upgrading. The equipment covers 22m numerical-control double-gantry milling (grinding) machine tools, numerical-control boring and milling machines, and other domestic and foreign high-tech processing machines, with an overhaul period of 6-8 months. All relocated equipment will be repaired, upgraded, and renovated according to the technical requirements set by the enterprise. The manufacturers in charge of upgrading involve specialized machine tool manufacturing companies in Wuhan and Shenyang.
According to the schedule of the project plan, the company’s equipment management team conducted many technical exchanges and communication with equipment manufacturers and signed overhaul contracts. The novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic has brought severe tests to the production and operation of enterprises. Due to the lockdown of Wuhan, the upgrading and overhaul of the equipment have been postponed for two months. With Wuhan lifting the control of exit routes on April 8, it was an opportunity for the equipment to be returned to Wuhan for overhaul. While dismantling the equipment in advance, relevant departments were actively contacting with government departments to plan to coordinate Wuhan manufacturers to disassemble the equipment requiring overhaul in mid-April, turn the crisis into an opportunity, and strive to advance the delayed project due to the epidemic so as to ensure the double successes of overall relocation and technical upgrading as well as production and operation.
“In order to reduce the impact on the production and operation of the enterprise caused by the relocation of equipment for upgrading, the production department began to predict the future market in the second half of last year, pre-invested the key components of core products and carried out 24-hour shifts. At that time, the overhauled and upgraded equipment will be directly transported to the new factory in the eastern industrial park of the city’s high-tech zone.” He Yuanqing, Deputy Head of the company’s production department, said at the dismantling site.
It is understood that the overall relocation project of Yiyang Rubber & Plastics Machinery is located in the eastern industrial park of Yiyang High-tech Zone, about 54 kilometers away from Changsha City. The new factory resumed work in March 2020.