Germany lags behind its neighbor Switzerland - at least when it comes to statistical coffee consumption: according to Statista, the Swiss consumed 7.9 kilograms of green coffee per capita, 2.4 kilograms more than the German population. But Switzerland is not only the leader in terms of the quantity prepared. Well-known manufacturers of fully automatic coffee machines also have their roots there. However, very few people will know the name of one of the largest producers: Eugster/Frismag.

The company was founded in 1976 by Arthur Eugster in Romanshorn and initially manufactured household appliances such as egg stoves and waffle irons. In 1978, his brother Markus joined the company and expanded the range to include coffee machines. Today, Eugster/Frismag develops and manufactures fully automatic machines and capsule machines as a partner to many well-known brand manufacturers in five factories - three in Switzerland and one each in Portugal and China.

Prevention as a matter of course
Jasin Zekiri is responsible for all lean projects at the Romanshorn plant on Lake Constance. He emphasizes that the aim is not simply to speed things up, but to identify and avoid unnecessary activities. "Working without waste ultimately leads to a reduction in costs and a positive effect on employee health." When analyzing the logistical processes, he noticed a weak point: "At the end of production, around 200 boxes weighing up to 40 kilograms are packed onto pallets every day - without the help of equipment."

Even though there had not yet been any specific complaints or incidents, the lean manager saw a need for action here. And not least because the coffee machines are becoming more technically sophisticated and therefore heavier. "We think preventively: if an incident had occurred, it would have been too late to implement it," explains Zekiri. The health of his employees is very important to the company. He therefore focuses on making work processes as ergonomic as possible.

The initial idea of using a robot for support was quickly rejected by those responsible. "That makes no sense for the process," Zekiri explained simply. Instead, the project team focused on lifting devices and obtained information about ergonomic solutions for lifting and stacking the cartons from Schmalz, among others. The challenge here was to reach the upper rows when loading onto pallets without straining their backs. "Even with a manual lifting aid, the maximum stacking height is usually reached at 1.70 meters," says Christian Fluri, technical consultant at Schmalz in Switzerland.

The JumboFlex High Stack allows the coffee machines to be stacked ergonomically and safely. © Lard

New concept
Schmalz presented the new Jumboflex High-Stack at Empack in April 2018. With this tube lifter, employees can ergonomically stack goods with a maximum weight of 50 kilograms to a height of up to 2.55 meters. "We had never seen a concept like this before and we were immediately convinced that we had found the right solution," recalls Jasin Zekiri.

Shortly afterwards, those responsible at Eugster/Frismag tested the device again extensively at Schmalz in Glatten and decided - as the first customer in Switzerland - in favor of the new version of the ergonomic vacuum lifter. They combined the Jumboflex High-Stack, which has a working height of up to 2.55 meters, with an aluminium suspension crane that covers a working area of two by 5.5 meters.

Despite some teething troubles, the vacuum lifter quickly won over the employees with its advantages. "It took some getting used to," admits Zekiri. The Jumboflex High-Stack scored points with its intuitive operating concept. In addition to the ergonomic one-handed handle for controlling the tube lifter, there is an additional handle for easier guidance with the second hand - for example for exact positioning of the workpiece in height. It is infinitely adjustable and can therefore be set up ergonomically for every user.

However, Zekiri had to clear up a misconception: "Many employees thought that the process would now be faster - but the aim was to reduce the strain on staff and pay attention to ergonomics in order to prevent sickness." This shows what the actual idea of lean management was: although the stacking is neither higher nor faster, the vacuum lifter has significantly optimized the process. The ergonomic improvement not only has a positive effect on health, but also on employee motivation. as