GMU Visits Cracow-based Company Alfa Laval
On 14th October 2021, GMU representatives visited the Polish subsidiary of Swedish manufacturing company Alfa Laval in Cracow. In attendance were the Deputy Rector for Cooperation and Development, Professor Tomasz Tarasiuk, DSc(Eng) together with a team of researchers - Associate Professor Robert Starosta, DSc(Eng) and Krzysztof Dudzik, PhD(Eng) of the Department of Ship Materials and Overhaul Technology, and Associate Professor Ireneusz Czarnowski, DSc(Eng) of the IT Systems Department. Cooperation between the company and GMU was initiated and is coordinated by Magdalena Kukowska-Kaszuba, PhD(Eng) of the Intellectual Property and Research Commercialisation Team.
The visit was the culmination of the first talks between the University and the Cracow-based Company which began in April of this year. Cracow’s AGH University of Science and Technology was also invited to be involved. Present on the day from AGH were Professor Janusz Szpytko, DSc(Eng) from the Department of Manufacturing Systems, Associate Professor Krzysztof Żaba, DSc(Eng) of the Department of Plastic Working and Non-Ferrous Metals, Associate Professor Łukasz Rauch, DSc(Eng) of the Department of Applied Information Technology and Modelling, and Professor Tomasz Barszcz, DSc(Eng) of the Department of Robotics and Mechatronics. The current cooperation between GMU and AGH follows the formal conclusion of an agreement between the two sides earlier in the year to undertake joint research and development work whilst building interdisciplinary teams of experts to carry out future projects.
During the visit, representatives of both higher education institutions met with the director of Alfa Laval Kraków, Jille Kloosterman. The meeting provided a unique opportunity to discuss the directions and future prospects of joint ventures. Visits to the company’s three modern factories, including the chance to observe the working environment and exchange views and experiences with its employees, have contributed to a better understanding of the needs and objectives of the partnership. In particular, the cooperation will concern research and development work, joint projects, and the organisation of traineeships and student internships.
Alfa Laval is a leading global provider of first-rate products in the areas of heat transfer, separation, and transport of liquids used in various industries. The Company’s centrifuges and decanters are used in the maritime, steel, machinery, energy, and water and sewage treatment industries. The Cracow-based subsidiary of Alfa Laval has been operational since the year 2000. The biggest investment in recent years has been a new production line for decanters, which representatives of GMU and AGH had the opportunity to see and familiarise themselves with products manufactured using specialised, digitally controlled devices (CNC machines) of the highest quality.
Key areas of the company’s activity include machining, welding, assembly, engineering production support through the programming of CNC machines, as well as ensuring the continuity and improvement of production processes and other areas of operation, such as quality control, customer service, purchasing, production planning, HR, and finance. The Cracow branch of the Company is continually developing and investing in new departments, such as a Logistic Control Tower dedicated to servicing global transport and the planning and organisation of logistical operations between other Alfa Laval production centres and end clients, and an Alfa Laval Shared Service Center - responsible for providing administrative services to different areas of the business.
For more information on the Company please visit https://www.alfalaval.pl/