Scale systems are a critical part of Nordkalk’s business process. Old separate weighing systems were at the end of their life-cycle in terms of technology and availability of spare parts which risked the business continuity. The modernization project started with a mapping of suppliers and evaluation of different options. As a result, Lahti Precision won a tender for the delivery of a new scale system to Nordkalk, with its strengths in mobility and cloud service, which were easy to integrate.
Nordkalk is the leading manufacturer of limestone products in Northern Europe. Nordkalk has production in more than 20 locations in the Baltic Sea region, Central Europe, Norway and Turkey. The company employs approximately 950 people and in 2018 its net sales was 300 million euros.
“A year and a half ago, in Nordkalk we made a decision to modernize our existing scale systems in the Baltics, Sweden and Finland. We were looking for an operator with whom we could handle the weighing of our various locations in a uniform, centralized system.
One of the most important targets was the unification of the scale system. As the result we were able to operate scales from anywhere. When comparing suppliers, Lahti Precision was at the forefront with its advanced technology. ”
During the project, Lahti Precision modernized Nordkalk’s scales systems, connecting almost 20 scales to the mScales weighing service and through it to Nordkalk’s ERP system.
At the same time, Nordkalk’s Order-To-Cash process was intensified to up to date: “Now the ERP system is giving impulse to future pickups into our scale system. When the weighing is done, the data is returned to our ERP system and through that to the billing, ”says Tomi Pajunen (Logistics Manager, Nordkalk, Finland and the Baltics) and continues: “ Many manual phases have been able to eliminate out. It is easier to use when we are able to provide pickup codes to drivers in advance. When they arrive on the scales, they don’t have to get out of the truck and the mScales mobile app is a smart way to do the weighing. When the driver makes the weighing after loading, the consignment notes are automatically sent electronically to the customer and to the carrier.”
The first installation of the scale system went well at Nordkalk’s Parainen plant. Although there is always concern about the introduction of the new system, Nordkalk was mainly concerned about how truck drivers are adopting the new system.
However, drivers have praised the reform as the mobile system is now making their work easier. There is no longer a need to get out of the vehicle at the scale, thus improving occupational safety avoiding slipping and other work-related accidents. Even those who want to go to the scale office to get a paper waybill will still have the opportunity.
“We are pleased that the new scale system was quickly available to us, and integration was not as difficult as we thought.”
The aim is that Lahti Precision will provides continuous weighing services including the scale maintenance and the periodic certifications requiredby the authorities.
“Lahti Precision has been in the business for a long time, and yet it has not stuck to a specific area of technology expertise, but the service is ready to be taken forward. Customer focus is great. Lahti Precision also welcomes customer suggestions for improvement.
I highly recommend Lahti Precision to anyone considering a modernization of the scale system. They take over the customer, they are flexible and quick to react! ”, says Tomi Pajunen.
“We have a good partnership with Nordkalk and stakeholders. It has been very nice to work with them, ”says Matti Sipilä, Business Manager of Lahti Precision. “Nordkalk has developed its operations actively and purposefully. From the outset, all parties have been very solution-oriented. We have implemented bold experiments and pilots together, and trusted that even challenging issues can be resolved. In Sweden, for example, we implemented a solution where several companies use the same scales with their own data management environments. As a result of this development, new features have been added to the mScales weighing service to all customers. For 2020, we have another extension planned, which we can pilot together. This is the true customer orientation we are always looking for. The entire mScales team and customer service have been enthusiastic involved in this.”, says Sipilä.