Meconet Oy: Participating in the growth of the vehicle industry and elevating it to the global arena

Manufacturing components for electric car batteries is subject to strict requirements to measurement data. To comply with the requirements of the automotive industry, Meconet has engaged in close co-operation with ZEISS.

Traditionally, the Finnish automotive industry has been synonymous with Valmet Automotive and a handful of companies involved in the production of trucks, tractors, and construction machinery. However, the rapid development of electric cars has raised Meconet to a significant position in the Nordic vehicle industry. As a forerunner, Meconet was awarded the International Automotive Task Force (IATF) certificate already a few years ago.

“We have taken hold the automotive industry. As a first step, we got involved in manufacturing components for electric car batteries. Our ambitious objective is to increase the annual turnover of the company from the current 65 million euros to 100 million euros by 2027. Most of the growth is expected to come from greentech, mainly from electric cars, and marine electrification, as well as from solar panel system components and air source heat pumps”, says Jukka Pajunen, Plant Quality Manager at Meconet.

Measurement data-related requirements are becoming more stringent

According to Jukka Pajunen, large volumes, series including many similar products, and strict requirements to fast delivery are characteristic to the automotive industry. Since reliability and data-based documentation play a key role, the automotive industry’s requirements on recording measurement data are becoming even more stringent. Especially the German and Japanese automotive industry require highly detailed data.

“We need world-class quality management. We have to constantly improve our quality management. As part of this, we need to focus more closely on measurement data. We need to do more checks than before and measure more than before. Through better process management, we will gain competitive advantage. In addition to the automotive industry, our customers operating in all other segments also demand documentation of higher quality. We can increase the efficiency of our internal processes with the help of measurement technology,” says Jukka Pajunen.

Close co-operation with the company ZEISS

Within the framework of upgrading Meconet’s measurement equipment, Meconet contacted ZEISS two years ago, and the two companies have co-operated closely ever since.

“We have invested in a ZEISS O-INSPECT 863 multi-sensor measuring device for our Vantaa plant. In autumn 2023, we decided to buy another unit, ZEISS DuraMax, for our plant in Tallinn, Estonia”, says Jukka Pajunen.

In addition, Meconet has invested in PiWeb, reporting and quality data management software by ZEISS. According to Oguzhan Taskin, Measurement Engineer at Meconet, PiWeb is a tool of decisive importance.

“With PiWeb, we can show the customer what the product looks like.

For customers, reproducibility is of paramount importance, but with their growing demands, visual quality is also becoming more and more substantial”, says Oguzhan Taskin.

Jukka Pajunen and Oguzhan Taskin agree on that working with ZEISS is positive and efficient.

“The support from ZEISS is really good. If we ask for something, the replies are quick and accurate. Solutions to our problems are always available. On top of that, our customers are quite impressed with our measuring equipment”, Jukka Pajunen and Oguzhan Taskin point out.

“Our measuring potential is excellent. However, the demand for measurement data is expected to grow in the future. Our next measuring unit will have a 3D camera”, notes Jukka Pajunen.

(The article was originally published: https://konekuriiri.fi/2024/08/05/mittausdataa-autoteollisuuden-vaateisiin/)