Swiss craftsmanship
Assembling the Sigma40 actuator plate
The Sigma40 actuator plate is assembled by hand at Geberit’s Swiss headquarters in Rapperswil-Jona. The assembly process is closely connected with quality control steps.
No, it’s not kid gloves that Prolet Maganova puts on. Instead, the production worker uses protective gloves at the Sigma40 actuator plate assembly station. This applies to all assembly stations in the production hall at Geberit headquarters in Rapperswil-Jona – and there are seven in total.
Only with protective gloves
The protective gloves are the first sign of quality in the assembly of the Sigma40. This is because all the individual parts used to assemble the ultra-thin actuator plate have already undergone individual quality inspection and are handled and processed with appropriate care.
Thirty-four work steps
In total, it takes 34 work steps to assemble and pack the Sigma40 with round buttons. There are three extra steps for the version with square buttons. “Every single step is documented in a short video and can be accessed individually on a video screen at the workstations,” says Matthias Kessler, project manager for quality assurance in Rapperswil-Jona. In addition to assembling the actuator plate bracket – the inner workings of the Sigma40, so to speak – great attention is paid to the function test of the buttons. This is because an even distance between the plate and the buttons has to be ensured.
Precise to the gram
Once the Sigma40 has been assembled, it is packed. This is also part of Prolet Maganova’s remit – from folding the cardboard box to inserting the instructions and all the components of the Sigma40. The final step in quality assurance is to check the weight of the fully packaged actuator plate. “This is done to the precise gram – if all the components are included and the weight is correct, the display of the digital scale lights up green,” explains the production worker. The Sigma40 is now ready for its journey to the Geberit logistics centre in Pfullendorf (DE), where it will be distributed to customers all over the world.
Sigma40 customer-specific surfaces
The surface colour of the Geberit Sigma40 actuator plates and cover plates for urinals type 40 can now be adapted to taps from numerous third-party providers. Production is independent of the required quantity, which makes Geberit Sigma40 the ideal solution for projects with specific design parameters.
Header image (©Nicole Maag)
