"We are investing to continue growing and to remain relevant to our customers, and to keep enhancing the team spirit at Ewes. It's also more enjoyable for our employees to work with new machines and good equipment," notes CEO Anton Svensson.

Massive investment underway
We take a tour around the production facility in Bredaryd. Just this year, two new spring machines have moved in, and two years ago, there were three new grinding machines and two new spring machines. To grow in press and strip components, Ewes has expanded the machinery park and now has a whole press hall. We passed by a new CNC machine where the whole adjacent machine hall was prepared for this major project.

"In November, we received a Bihler “GRM-NC” for processing leaf springs and strip components. It's a substantial investment of SEK 8.5 million in direct costs, plus installation and restructuring of operations," says Anton.

New tool concept shortens lead times
Simultaneously, Ewes is adopting Bihler's new tool concept “Leantool”, where using standardized tools and digital support can reduce tool costs and shorten lead times by up to 70%. Simply put, it's easier, cheaper, and faster "time-to-market. Our staff underwent training last fall so we could implement ‘Leantool’ in November," Anton shares.

“We're moving up the value chain”
High levels of automation and efficient flows are perfectly aligned with Ewes' strategic plan to be in constant motion to create value for customers. The demand for composite components with the spring at the center continues to increase. "We see that customers are increasingly interested in streamlining their processes and allowing us to move up the value chain," Anton observes. At the same time, Ewes is growing in all three business areas: springs, environment, and engineering. "Now we hope to be allowed to expand the factory in Bredaryd further in the coming years," says Anton.

Sustainable building with Ewes “Sound Fastener”
It started as an innovation project with the spring at the center. Today, the sound-damping screw is a rapidly growing business area at Ewes in Bredaryd.

Saves material and increases valuable living space
The “Sound Fastener” is a Swedish patented invention by Akoustos AB. In collaboration with Ewes in Bredaryd, the innovative idea was turned into an actual product – a screw that nearly halves the perceived noise level when replacing conventional drywall screws, without additional building material and insulation. "In fact, walls with Sound Fastener can be thinner than regular walls. While damping sound and saving material, you also increase living space. Our screw makes sustainable building possible," says David Gaulier, business developer at Ewes.

Lower CO2 footprint
There are more aspects of sustainable building that benefit from the “Sound Fastener”. "Steel studs behind drywall and metal are good for soundproofing, but tests show you get even better results with wooden studs and our screw, both for soundproofing and for the environment since wooden studs have a lower CO2 footprint," says David. Soundproofing itself is an important part of sustainable building.

Rigorous testing yields positive results
The Sound Fastener's ability to absorb sound, along with mechanical and fire tests, has been conducted by technical institutes in the UK, Denmark, and Sweden, including RISE and Lund University. The proven sound effect is a reduction of 9dB. Fire tests have shown that there is no difference in safety classification between regular drywall screws and “Sound Fastener”.

The author is Gabriella Mellergårdh, Gnosjö Region.

Ewes AB
Lundavägen 53
33371 Bredaryd/Sweden
Tel.: +46 370 86700
maria.andersson@ewes.se
www.ewes.com