Converter valve with a heat sink from Sapa

– There are many suppliers of profiles to choose from, but it is not as easy to find a manufacturer who can function as a partner in more complex technical development projects, says Olaf Saksvik, responsible for ABB’s HVDC converter valve.

Olaf Saksvik, ABB

And this is the reason why ABB has chosen Sapa as the supplier of a component of their converter valve – the heat sink.
– The heat sink is an extremely important part. If the dimensions or tolerances are wrong, components worth millions of kronor will be destroyed, says Olaf.

At the same time, Björn Sandin, the head of Mechanical Design Department for Converter Valves, mentions that previously five suppliers were involved when ABB purchased heat sinks. There used to be many manufacturing stages – extrusion, drilling, milling surfaces, welding, processing and nickel-plating.

– We were like a spider in the middle of the web, co-ordinating all the material flows going in every direction. But what happens if you have five suppliers and something goes wrong? How much time do we spend trying to find out the reason?, Björn wonders.

But now, Sapa has the total responsibility for the final product.

– Nowadays, we purchase a complete package with finished heat sinks.

For ABB it is all about concentrating on what the company does best:

– And it is not co-ordinating the production of heat sinks, Björn comments.

According to Olaf Saksvik, the spin-off effects of the new arrangement are substantial:

 – Now we have access to Sapa’s entire expertise. It became particularly clear when Sapa showed us the Friction Stir Welding technique. It made us think again and manufacture the heat sinks in a new and better way.

Apart from this, he can see big advantages of the fact that Sapa’s technical development projects serve several customers – the company can, for example, invest millions in the development of the friction welding technique and then spread the development costs over maybe ten product areas.

– The co-operation with Sapa gives us opportunity of being on the front edge of new technology. We would never manage to do this on an in-house basis, concludes Olaf.