Developing Tailor-made Solutions for Complex Projects

Microcells believes that product customization is one of the keys to serving our customer base successfully. Not all of our customers want the same product or use our product the same way, so we always strive to provide a tailor-made product or solution whenever possible.

One of our customers based in Europe was looking for a specialised rubber flooring supplier to bid for a large flooring project for a manufacturing plant of a world-renowned German automobile manufacturer. The customer had worked with other rubber flooring suppliers to secure the contract in the past, but had several issues meeting the end customer’s very demanding requirements and delivery schedule.

In a final attempt to win the bid, the customer finally turned to Microcells for support. Working together with the customer every step of the way and focusing on customization and innovation, we helped to secure the project for our client!

About the Project

The project entailed providing the assembling area of the automobile manufacturer with an anti-fatigue flooring solution which required antistatic properties, as well as was oil and fire resistant. The specialised antistatic mats would alleviate worker exhaustion from standing for long periods of time and also provide a safe and comfortable fireproof surface to stand on. Furthermore, it was important for the customer to ensure that the rubber mats would not be damaged by any oil spillages and would also protect the critical automobile components from any damage caused by a possible electrostatic discharge.

On top of satisfying all of the above, we were asked to design and develop a new type of connectable ramp system that would also meet all these requirements. The ramps would seamlessly fit our rubber mats to allow easy trolley and wheeled machine access.

Challenges We Faced

• Formulate a specialised compound for the rubber mat components that would be durable, antistatic, oil and fire resistant, and be soft enough to retain anti-fatigue properties.

• Design and produce a new connectable ramp solution that would meet the same requirement, and get a new mould fabricated to manufacture these products.

• Matching the target price set by the end customer and working to tight timelines.

• Delivering the entire consignment on time to the customer, overcoming the many challenges and difficulties posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, which ranged from working with a limited workforce to logistical issues.

Our Approach & Solution

We at Microcells love challenges and providing the most optimal solutions. We approach any task in a systematic and methodical manner, diligently following each and every step to ensure nothing is left out in our process to achieve the best outcome.

As the first step, we requested all information relevant to product development from the customer including technical information, new product design, layout of automobile manufacturer, timelines involved, etc. After having discussed with the relevant multidisciplinary teams, we first appraised the technical viability of the project ensuring that we can deliver in a timely and cost-effective manner. After sharing the positive feedback with the client and getting their approval to proceed, the critical steps and milestone required to succeed in this project were mapped out and handed over to the responsible teams to be completed within strictly defined deadlines.

While our R&D team was busy developing a new rubber formulation to meet the required product specifications, our Engineering team fine-tuned the design of the mould to produce the new connectable ramps. Once the mould and rubber formulations were finalized, the Production team carried out a series of robust manufacturing trials to optimise our manufacturing process. The technical and physical properties were verified by our Quality Control team before samples of the rubber mats and ramps were airfreighted to the customer for evaluation and approval. Upon receiving the final green light, the consignment was fast-tracked in production and shipped out on time to a very happy customer.

Microcells strongly believes in working together with our customers in a collaborative manner to provide tailor-made solutions to any request. With our focus on customization, innovation, consistent quality and timely delivery, we are well placed to service our customer’s needs.