The go-ahead was given for the most modern zinc-nickel barrel electroplating line

Everyone knows them ... everyone uses them ... everyone needs them ... screws, nuts or washers - everything for
fastening and securing ... They are, the "hidden champions" among securing and fastening elements - but who
protects them from corrosion and gives them a long life?

Metallveredlung Döbeln GmbH, a company of KAP Surface Technologies - a special service provider in the field of
surface coating, put a new zinc-nickel coating system into operation on April 7, 2021, which is primarily intended
to refine small parts for the screw industry using the galvanic drum process. This catapults the company into a
new and rapidly growing business area.

The investment in the very difficult Corona time should also send a signal to the market and be a positive
commitment for the location, the region and the local workforce. With an investment of around 5 million euros,
this is a big boost for the plant in Döbeln as well as for the further growth of the KAP Group, which currently
employs around 500 people in Saxony. We are still looking for employees to accompany this growth path.
Thanks to our research and development department, we are on a future and growth-oriented path and will
also make further investments in our KAP Surface locations in the future.

The size of the new facility at this location alone gives it a unique selling point. It can be used to electroplate
over 9,000 tons of screws, nuts and small parts in perfect coating quality. For comparison, 9,000 tons are approx.
1,300 trucks for a 12t truck, which corresponds to a truck queue of approx. 16km. The location is very proud of the
new line and its extensive capacities and thanks to all customers, suppliers, planners and the entire team on site
for the strong support during the construction phase.

Another plus is the implementation of a complete process chain, from cleaning to Coating with zinc-nickel, through
“patching”, i.e. application of a screw locking device (you can often recognize this by a colored point in the thread) up
to packing and sorting. The whole process is almost fully automated and is state-of-the-art in terms of environmental
technology and energy. All this, the process and the control, including the optimization in terms of time and the saving
of resources, is highly efficient and economical, explained CEO of KAP Surface Nicolai A. J. Baum in his address.

The new coating line is to go into 3-shift operation in the second half of this year. The planned throughput time of the
goods takes about 3-4 hours within the system, then the screws, nuts or other small parts "rattle" into the boxes
provided and go to the subsequent processes, such as "patching", control (for example, cracks after the Drawing
process) and fully automatic packaging.  The articles are then picked up, brought to wholesalers or even directly
to the automobile manufacturers, for example - because no matter which car you get into
- KAP Surface Technologies is sure to be there.

KAP Surface Technologies is the competent contact for every type of electroplating and represents locations
in Saxony, Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Poland, Hungary and also the USA. We will continue to grow in the
interests of our customers and employees, we will open up new business areas and look forward to every
challenge, because…. We take “making the world better - layer by layer” literally!

Watch out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkoJ2rAvBLo

 

symbolic handover of the new line by the main suppliers: from left: Alien Reich (KAP Surface Holding GmbH); Martin Müller (wmv), Dagmar Bratfisch (bi.bra Abwassertechnik GmbH) Michael Köhler (ICOM), Mattes Lauenstein (A.S.T) und Katrin Möckel, (KAP Surface Holding GmbH)

Rico Funke and Roberto Ehrlich at the new zinc-nickel plating line

Unloading of the first parts

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Döbelner Anzeiger 08.04.2021