Insulation Blankets

Kandrea Insulation is a leading manufacturer of custom soft cover removable insulation blankets. Located in Edmonton Alberta, our 15,000 sq. ft. facility is ideally located to service all Energy Sectors in Western Canada.

PRODUCTS
We are pleased to provide a wide array of top quality, field-proven insulation products in a variety of sizes, configurations and specifications. Our standard product line includes;

• Flexible, Removable & Reusable Insulation Blankets
• Exhaust Covers
• Tracer Wrap
• Welding Blankets
• Insulated Pallet Covers
• Weather Barriers
• Compressor Screens

If you require a custom solution, we will be pleased to meet to discuss your needs.

SOFT COVER MANUFACTURING EXECUTION SYSTEM

OVERVIEW

We at Kandrea have embarked on an ongoing effort to improve our products, services and processes so that we can offer our clients an outstanding experience. Over the past few months, we have achieved breakthrough improvements in our Soft Covers Manufacturing process. By leveraging on new technologies, we are now capable of delivering our products and services with transparency in every aspect of our soft cover manufacturing operation.

Each step in our process has been revamped and automated. We have implemented systems like mobile scanning, SharePoint online folders, Enterprise Resource Planning, and in house custom built manufacturing system to increase our ability to capture real time information throughout the manufacturing and the installation. This information gives us more visibility and enables us to make proactive adjustments to improve our process that results in better products and services.

DIGITAL WORK STATIONS

Each workstation has a tablet and a scanner which is used for production tracking purposes. The information gathered enables the manufacturing manager to see the status of each order and the items/pieces flowing through the shop floor. The tablets at each workstation record the data for each item/piece as it is scanned. It also records the time it takes to complete each item/piece. This provides the manufacturing manager with quantitative historical data that can be used for accurate future scheduling.

DETAIL CAPTURE AND UPLOAD

Estimators going into the field are now able to send drawings back to the shop electronically with a new mobile app called Microsoft Office Lens. They can upload directly to Microsoft SharePoint so the manufacturing manager and design team can access the drawings immediately.

BARCODE PIECE IDENTIFICATION

When the drawings arrive at the cutting table, barcodes are printed and put on the material which then proceeds into the shop. No blanket goes to the shop floor without a barcode on it. This allows for better visibility as to what stage items/pieces are at any given time.

Each piece that goes through the shop has a barcode on it and at each station it is scanned before work begins on that blanket. As it transfers through the shop it is scanned at each station ensuring the data being captured is real time data.

DESIGN AND CUTTING

The CAD software that we use is called Patternsmith. All completed drawings must go through this process. Approved work orders are released to the shop floor and forwarded to the Design center. CAD technicians create the drawings and enter them into a Nesting file which then is sent to the shop floor for processing. This allows for visibility as to the number of drawings completed per day by each CAD technician which enables more accurate scheduling of orders.

ERP SOFTWARE

The manufacturing manager is responsible for entering quotes into Netsuite, however, the estimation team is also trained to assist with this process. The quoting process has become automated to include all material, size and pricing parameters. Once a quote is approved it is transferred to a sales order which in turn creates work orders. Work orders are automatically created once a quote is approved and a sales order is created. Work orders are released to the shop floor as required. The production manager has full visibility as to which orders are going through the shop at any time and the current processing stage.

FINISHING DEPARTMENT

Once a blanket arrives at the finishing department it is measured to ensure that the dimensions are the same as the drawings and the tag is added to the blanket. By scanning the item the finisher can ensure that all the pieces of that item have been completed and can now be moved to the shipping stage. Once the item has been completed in the ERP it is now ready for packing. The packing slip is then scanned so that the item can be assigned to a box. This provides visibility to which items are ready for shipping and which are still awaiting completion.

REAL TIME DASH BOARD INSIGHT

Numerous reports have been created to allow visibility of every aspect of the manufacturing process. From the number of blankets being designed per day by each CAD technician, number of pieces completed per day by operator to number of pieces being packed each day there is now complete real time data available so communication with the customer can be done effectively on a daily basis.

BENEFITS OF INSULATION BLANKETS
While our blankets are primarily used for thermal insulation, they offer additional benefits including;

• Safety – the blankets act as a physical barrier between hot process piping / equipment and your employees. The materials used in the blanket offer a secondary benefit of noise reduction in your facility.
• Lower Equipment Inspection and Maintenance Costs – insulation blankets are designed to be easily removed and reinstalled once the inspection and/or maintenance has been completed.