Reinforcing the future with automation and software in Norway

In the future, there will be an increasingly high demand for efficient, sustainable processes in the construction industry that involve a high degree of automation and digitalization. Prefabrication provides favorable conditions for meeting these requirements. It is an efficient, quality-controlled way of building, and Overhalla Betongbygg is convinced that precast elements will be sought after in the future. Therefore, the most modern producer in Norway invested in automated reinforcement machinery and innovative software provided by one of the market leaders in precast technology, Progress Group, in close cooperation with their renowned Danish partner, CPT.

Benefits of automation

Overhalla Betongbygg is already seeing the effects of the investment in the new M-System BlueMesh mesh welding plant combined with the associated software solution. They managed to reduce their steel consumption by 20% and are now able to produce with lower resource use and higher quality. The acquired machinery has also brought significant improvement in the working conditions with less physically demanding tasks.

The M-System BlueMesh mesh welding plant

The new mesh welding plant produces not only flat mesh but also fully bent reinforcement cages. The use of the so-called single bending heads is the first of its kind in Scandinavia. The 20% steel reduction comes from the machine’s options of using different wire diameters ranging from 6 to 16 mm and changing them automatically in no time. This means that the M-System BlueMesh system can produce according to specific requirements while avoiding oversized elements. Another point that helps reduce steel consumption is the high flexibility of the machine working directly from coil and being able to insert cutouts in the right geometry. The bespoke mesh also ensures a higher quality of the concrete elements. If the formwork is placed incorrectly, this will soon be detected when the complete mesh cage is moved into it.

Benefits of software integration

This is an additional control that Overhalla Betongbygg has not had before, which also helps to increase quality. 

The implemented software solution from Progress Group allows Overhalla to import CAD data, adjust it, and then control production in coordination with the ERP system. The “profit” software is a tailor-made solution for management and organization. This too makes it possible to closely monitor and control production processes, order items, and the machines as such. The software package also includes the “stabos” solution for collecting and evaluating machine and production data. This centrally gathered data makes it easy to keep an eye on the productivity, efficiency, and quality of the plant and to react to downtimes immediately. The unique cloud service enables data access from anywhere.
State-of-the-art methods for a better future

Overhalla also changed their working method in production to optimize the machine’s performance and output. This significant investment has made the company more competitive and sustainable.

“It has been a big step to switch from the traditional way of producing to a more mechanical and automated production. Our designers have learned new ways of designing, with greater focus on optimization during dimensioning. We are satisfied with the investments so far,“ states Odd Andre Devik Amdal, adding: “The cooperation with Progress Group has been good before the investment, during project execution, and after installation.”