Robotic and ERP: two innovations coming to Charl-Pol
New at Charl-Pol
Through more than 100 years of operations, we’ve learned that the key to success is innovation! In line with that, we’re proud to announce two future-oriented projects that will be rolled out over the next few years at our facilities. By bringing on new technologies, we’ll be able to keep up with the increasing demand from the naval and mining industries, as well as the energy and aluminum smelting sectors.
With our partners’ growth, such as the Chantier Davie being included in the National Shipbuilding Strategy and the upcoming investments announced for Rio Tinto’s Arvida smelter, we want to be recognized internationally as a competitive manufacturer of mechanically welded parts.
As we grapple with growing demand for our services and a shortage of skilled labour, we believe that integrating new technologies into our daily workflows is a well-founded solution for improving our production capacity and operational efficiency.
Making way for robotization!
Our La Baie production plant, in the Saguenay region, will be the first to benefit from our robotization project with the arrival of a robotic cell in June 2024. The new tool will be 11 m wide, 5 m high, and 26 m long. On top of making it easier to weld in hard-to-reach places, the robotic arm will be equipped with extraction nozzles that filter fumes and extract purified air. The device will also feature a detection system, ensuring a safe, low-risk environment.
We strongly believe that robotic welding is a promising solution due to its many advantages, such as speed, flexibility, versatility, custom welding, data collection, and increased productivity, not to mention consistent welding quality!
Improving productivity with ERP software
Our second innovation is the integration of an ERP (enterprise resource planning) software package, which will allow us to manage our company more efficiently. By bringing together data from all of Charl-Pol’s departments, the ERP will help us improve management across the board—from human resources, finance, sales, and distribution to procurement and planning!
The project will evolve and grow gradually over three phases between March and November 2024. Centralizing our information system into a single database will allow us to enhance coordination between our departments while avoiding superfluous information and possible data entry errors.
In addition to improving interdepartmental communication, the ERP’s data structure will also help us keep our customers happy, since it will give us better control over our inventory and order process.
Technology at our team’s fingertips
With these projects, we’re looking to constantly improve our employees’ day-to-day lives, because people have always been—and always will be—at the heart of Charl-Pol’s values!
Our team will greatly benefit from the new robotic welder. It’s a well-known fact that welding facilities are very physically demanding places. The support from robotization will lead to better working conditions, in addition to improving safety and ambient air quality, as previously mentioned. What’s more, lessening operators’ workloads will give them time to work on jobs that offer greater added value.
As for the ERP software, it will ensure a better flow of information between our departments, thereby preventing last-minute surprises! By automating low-value-added processes, employees will be able to devote their time to more rewarding tasks. What a great way to feel fulfilled at work!
Looking to the future
We’re very proud of the new technologies that we’ll be introducing over the next couple of years. Innovation is one of the many ways we can remain competitive while improving our processes to contribute even more to our customers’ success!