When demand for solar panel fasteners peaked around 2021–2022, and the existing processes with manual steps and older robotic solutions became too slow and difficult to scale. Capacity had to increase significantly without compromising quality or delivery reliability.

At the same time, ergonomics and safety needed improvement, and variations between shifts had to be reduced so the process would remain robust even as volumes increased.

“With the old setup we would never have reached the volumes that were demanded,” says Lars Karlsson at Weland Stål.

When demand for solar systems peaked, Weland Stål was ready: with multi-operation tools where strip material is fed into a press that integrates several operations into every stroke – such as punching, bending, tapping and forming – depending on the complexity of the component.

These fully automated, multi-operation tools replaced previously separate steps, and total efficiency and capacity increased dramatically. In its simplest form, one component is completed in a single stroke. In more advanced tools, two – and in some cases four – components are produced simultaneously. 

“Without these solutions we would never have managed the volumes when the market exploded,” Lars says.

When each component comes out finished from the tool, changeovers, handling and quality risks decrease, and one operator can manage several machines with consistent quality and reduced physical strain. It is a saving in man-hours that is significant for flexibility and efficiency. The increase in capacity not only secured delivery reliability, but also more than doubled total revenue during the peak years.