Specially developed glue ensures further production
In December 2011, a Swedish supplier of various special glues to Skamol A/S went into receivership, which left the production company with an acute problem. They immediately started a collaboration with Dana Lim A/S to develop a new glue from scratch – a complete replacement for the previous glue.
A cold shudder ran through Skamol’s purchasing manager, Hanne Christensen, when she received the news that they had to immediately develop a special adhesive with completely unique properties or accept a decimation of the product range:
– It is very rare that we change suppliers, as all our products are certified according to all standards and approved by our customers – so we do not change the properties of an adhesive unnecessarily. Here we were looking for a new collaboration partner, who can both live up to our customers’ quality requirements and has the expertise to develop a special adhesive from scratch immediately.
Action gives results
– We prioritized the development of the adhesive very highly and after just one week, from when we had received the raw material, we were able to send the first one for testing at Skamol, which is completely unique. After some adjustments, we had an adhesive that met all requirements, and the next step was to send the adhesive to one of Skamol’s English customers, who could test it in their production. They returned with a positive result, and the development of the glue was successful within the time frame, so none of Skamol’s customers had to interrupt their production.
After initial meetings between Skamol and Dana Lim, it was clear that the adhesive and sealant manufacturer could immediately deliver one of the adhesive products that the Swedish company had produced. The last glue must be able to withstand up to 1000 degrees, and since it was not possible to use the existing recipe, Dana Lim had to develop the special glue from scratch. Senior chemist in Danalim Bo Gao Brehmer has a PhD in chemistry, and she has worked with the development of adhesive products for 10 years. She talks about the process with Skamol:
Focus on quality provides security
– Our customers expect a high standard, so we have a big focus on that when we choose a new supplier. We must be able to guarantee 100% security to our customers, and that requires uniform production. In addition to supplying Danish quality products, Dana Lim can undertake many different tasks, and with their expertise they are good to have on the sidelines, if we are to meet customers’ specific requirements, Hanne Christensen says.
In the testing of the new special adhesive, the company’s permanent solution for mold, SkamoPlus, was used, which is a 25 mm calcium silicate sheet that can be used to remove thermal bridges, regulate moisture and insulate. The Indeklima panels consist of inorganic material, which is very porous, so it easily absorbs moisture, which has placed very high demands on the quality of the glue.
Long-term cooperation is the way forward
For Dana Lim, it is important to have an ongoing dialogue with its customers, where new special products are constantly being developed, while at the same time being ready to step in if acute problems arise. Industry manager Troels Mølgaard states:
– Skamol has been very accommodating throughout the process. It is particularly important in these development projects, and in both companies we emphasize long-term cooperation with strong business partners. They have their own laboratory and can themselves offer important know-how, so both organizations can draw on each other and use each other’s specialist knowledge. At Dana Lim, we think in terms of solutions – back up, service and sparring are very important parameters in this context. We only want satisfied customers.
