New-world Atlas Atlas Cranes

conveyor furnaces for finishing and chamber furnaces for the dissolving and ageing treatment of screws made of high nickel content super steel alloys, employed in the fastening of turbo compressors, exhaust systems, manifolds and hot engine parts. All of this enables Vimi to have complete control of the production process, thus ensuring the reliable quality demanded by clients.

Certifications and VPS

Vimi Fasteners is continuously engaged in improving its quality, safety and environmental systems, whose procedures are quickly updated so as to comply with all legal requirements and the changing organisation of the company.

In 1994 the company set up a quality system compliant with UNI EN ISO 9001 requirements to ensure the high quality levels demanded by the market. In 2001 it achieved the ISO TS 16949 standard for the automotive sector and in 2011 the UNI EN ISO 9100 certification for the aviation industry, a field of great potential for Vimi Fasteners. Furthermore it obtained the UNI EN ISO 14001 environmental standard and the OHSAS 18001 safety certification in 2004. Vimi Fasteners believes in operational excellence and its aim is the continuous improvement of its performance by adopting standards and practices complying with the EFQM model, a company management integrated system used by the most important European industrial players.

The company’s fasteners are specifically designed for the most complex manufacturing needs and are produced with the most sophisticated processing technologies. The products combine a high technical content with superior reliability, both in terms of the materials used (special steels, super alloys, high temperature resistant steel) and processing precision.

Vimi Fasteners has developed the Vimi Production System (VPS), an integrated model of company process management for the purpose of continuous improvement and the achievement of organisational excellence. The VPS methods have brought important innovations to the offices and production department. A flux production system to reduce lead times and minimise waste has been implemented (following the Muda concept); and an intense programme of Kaizen workshops to improve the reliability of the plant, the safety of workstations and to increase the overall efficiency of production processes has been set up.

The company has been able to rise up to the challenge of change, implementing VPS in all its departments so as to become ever leaner and more agile in the global market competition. n

NEW-WORLD ATLAS NEW-WORLD ATLAS

Atlas Cranes are technology leaders in the design and manufacture of industrial cranes and excavators. Today the company continues to expand into new markets and out-perform its competitors. Philip Yorke takes a closer look at how Atlas is moving forward with a range of exciting new products and achieving its ambitious goals.