Made light
Handling heavy weights is part of the daily routine of employees in the ceramic plants. For this reason, Geberit is investing in automation processes and lifting aids.
650
employees
in ceramic production are now benefiting from the lifting aids.
On average, a toilet weighs between 20 and 30 kilograms and a washbasin between 10 and 20 kilograms. Each of these ceramics has to be lifted, repositioned and turned several times until it is packaged up and leaves the factory. Heavy weights can have a significant effect on employee health over time.
Geberit has been continuously investing in automation and ergonomic aids in the ceramics plants. So far, almost 200 workplaces in the ceramics plants have been equipped with lifting aids or ergonomically redesigned. Around 650 people benefit from this.
Zero lifting in Gaeta
The Geberit ceramics plant in the Italian town of Gaeta serves as a role model here. Since 1998, the plant has been introducing lifting aids step by step. From the casting department to the packaging department, the staff no longer have to use physical force to process and finish the ceramic appliances. Cranes, lifting and tipping equipment, vacuum grippers, and pneumatic and electric lifting devices ensure that – despite a traditionally manual production method – the goal of zero lifting is achieved throughout the entire production process.
Automatic raw material dosing
Zero lifting is also the goal at Geberit’s two Polish ceramic plants in Koło and Włocławek. In Koło, an automatic system now makes the dosing of raw materials easier. The changeover not only reduces the daily lifting of loads, but also exposure to dust while emptying the sacks.
