90 percent less energy consumption
Ungewöhnliche Möbelfabrik mitten im Wald, die dem Begriff Nachhaltigkeit eine neue Bedeutung verleiht
Vestre is a Norwegian manufacturer of outdoor furniture and has set a milestone for sustainable production with the PLUS factory. Included is highly efficient surface technology including an 800 meter long Power & Free conveyor system.
What do a star Danish architect, a furniture manufacturer and Caldan have in common? The answer is short and in this case no mere platitude - sustainability. Because in June 2022, Norwegian outdoor furniture manufacturer Vestre AS opened what is probably the world's most environmentally friendly furniture factory - the PLUS. The factory is the largest investment in the Norwegian furniture industry in decades and got its name from its building shape, which from above definitely resembles a "+" and with its intertwined roofs also somehow resembles a propeller. The design was provided by the world-renowned architectural firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), which has designed the headquarters of Google, among others.
The factory is literally in the middle of the forest, and so the green roof is also covered with natural forest vegetation. 1,200 solar panels supply the building with energy and are expected to generate 250,000 kilowatt hours of energy per year despite the high northern latitude. What's more, the building is designed to be highly energy-efficient, with optimal insulation. In addition, waste heat from production is used and harnessed via cold and heat storage systems and heat pumps. Geothermal sources also support the heat supply.
As a result, the PLUS has the potential to be the first project of its kind in the world to achieve the highest BREEAM environmental classification: "Outstanding." BREEAM is the world's leading science-based validation and certification system for sustainable buildings. The building's energy consumption is 60 percent lower and releases 55 percent fewer greenhouse gases than comparable conventional factories. If the production facilities are included in the equation, the PLUS's energy consumption is reduced by 90 percent.
Overhead conveyor connects the production departments
Past the central courtyard, a Caldan P&F400 overhead conveyor feeds the steel parts for the furniture into an automated surface treatment plant designed and supplied by Swedish company Greiff Industrimiljö AB. In the plant, the 800-meter-long Power & Free conveyor system transports the parts in sequence through the pretreatment, the adhesive water dryer, the cooling zone and then through the powder coating booth. Application is accomplished using two robots that coat with Nordson dense-phase powder conveying technology - which helps save compressed air as well as provide consistently uniform coating thicknesses - and a curing oven.
The system includes 65 carriages, each with a load capacity of 500 kilograms. With a cycle time of four minutes for transport and processing, it enables a throughput of 15 carriages per hour. Christian Calundan, Sales Manager for Scandinavia, explains, "We were delighted to be selected as the conveyor supplier for such a visionary project as this. The PLUS project clearly demonstrates that sustainability and highly efficient manufacturing are compatible, and we expect the industry to move in this direction in the future." Project manager Marcus Henningsson adds, "I have visited the PLUS several times, during the installation of the system and after the project was completed. It is by far the most impressive production facility in terms of conveyor system and installation site that I have ever seen! The fact that it is also a very climate-friendly solution makes it a project to be really proud of!"