The factory, in its entirety, is owned by API movilidad S.A. The premises occupy 15,837 m2 built, divided into six main production halls with secondary storage areas plus a separate office building.
All manufacturing processes, from the raw material to the finished product, are carried out at our facilities, not depending on auxiliary workshops or subcontractors.
With an area of 2,000 m 2 , this is where the manufacturing process starts. Raw materials, such as galvanised sheets, aluminium slats, tubes of various sizes, laminated steel profiles, extruded aluminium profiles, etc. are received here and are given their final shape and size.
The process can be summarised as follows:
This part of the factory consists of a 1,200 m 2 building, divided into two independent sectors: one for the manufacturing of steel structures and the other one to manufacture aluminium structures. Here steel and aluminium gantries and cantilevers are manufactured, as well as all kinds of handrails, pedestrian containment fences, special supports, etc.
The structures are manufactured in full:
This sector occupies an area of 600 m 2 . The parts to be painted circulate along a continuous closed production line.
In the first stage, the surfaces to be painted are prepared: washing-degreasing-drying.
The second stage is the painting itself: it is carried out in three cabins, pressurised and insulated in order to avoid dust, inappropriate variation of temperature, etc.
In the third stage, on coming out of the 3 rd cabin, the parts go in an SAS, where they stay for about 10 minutes and then proceed to the oven, where the painting is polymerised.
Once out of the oven, the parts have completed a lap in the production line and they are unhung. The painting process has finished.
Occupying 1,100 m 2 , in this sector is where the silk printing, printing and application of retro-reflective sheets on signs and panels are done.
The cutting of the reflective sheets is carried out by two large flat cutting tables of extraordinary precision, which receive orders from the computers where the design of texts and logos is done.
We also have two plotters for digital printing on vinyl, one of which is approved for the direct printing on retroreflective sheets.
In addition, in this section there are two laminating machines designed to stick the reflecting sheets on the slats of large road signs. The speed, temperature and pressure of application on the sheets are according to the specifications of the sheet manufacturer.
The application of sheets on the signs is done by 3 computerised laminators where the parameters of speed, temperature and pressure of application on the sheets are controlled, all of them according to the specifications of the sheet manufacturer.
In this section is the silk-screen printing area, where there is a semiautomatic screen printing machine and more than 500 different screens with all the sign symbols. Silkscreen printing can be done on reflective sheets with transparent inks specially designed for signs or can also be done directly on the signs with opaque inks.
Located in a building of 300 m 2 , the activities carried out in it are oriented towards the development and placement of electronic devices in the supports of conventional steel or aluminium signs.
There is also an electronic engineering department capable of developing all kinds of electronic signage projects tailor-made for the client.
The works carried out here represent the complete manufacturing cycle of these products: the calculation and design of the electronics, the manufacturing of the support of the lights, the insertion of the electronics in the support and the placement on site.
The Quality Control begins on all the raw materials that come from outside, requiring from our suppliers maximum quality in everything they serve us.
Likewise, there are established a series of controls and tests during manufacturing such as the control of the sheet in terms of shape and dimensions, galvanizing quality, durability of paints with diverse influencing factors, retro-reflection control of the sheets and its application, etc.
This section occupies an area of 700 m 2 and in it the packaging, storage and loading of products is done.
Firstly, signs and panels are identified with the manufacturer's label, date of manufacture and quality marks. Then, all the products are packed by means of an automatic machine with retractable plastics and they are palletized remaining perfectly protected for their later load and transportation.
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