"Prix de l'Innovation" of FEDIL for the new Blow-by Heater

FEDIL, the Federation of Luxembourgish Industrials, was founded in 1918. Since then, it has been a strong and independent body representing and driving Luxembourg's industrial development. Today, FEDIL counts about 585 members from 37 different sectors and 20 sectorial associations, thus reuniting 95% of Luxembourg's industrial production.

The "Prix de l'innovation" calls for creativity and innovation within industrial companies, by independent innovators and also young researchers. Candidates have to show distinct elements of innovation but must also demonstrate a tangible economic return for Luxembourg's economy that is constantly challenged by low-cost competition from Eastern Europe and Asia, especially in the field of mass manufacturing.

Cebi's "Blow-by Heater" is a high volume component for the automotive industry produced in Luxembourg and shipped to customers all over the world. Its function is to protect engines and turbochargers from debris of ice that may form within the engine's crankcase ventilation system. This device is mainly used in cold countries like Northern Europe, Northern America and in Asia.

Francis Graziotin, the developer of the award-winning product, explains the innovative aspects: "Recently, the Blow-by Heater has undergone a complete redesign, resulting in a smaller, lighter, more efficient and more flexible product. The weight was reduced by 36% and the number of components was cut by 40%". The development also resulted in three patents.

"The concurrent approach between product and process development allowed a big step in the direction of automation and vertical integration", explains René Elvinger, Chairman and CEO of Cebi International S.A. "This is key in maintening a competitive edge in terms of quality and cost" pursues Raymond Mohrbach, General Manager of Cebi Luxembourg S.A. This initial overmolding operations are now fully automated, including the loading and unloading of the molds. The subsequent assembly steps were integrated in a single flow taking the components all the way to the fully automated final test. The sealing of the electronic part is a carry-over from the Diesel heater product that is already using ultrasonic welding and in-line automatic optical inspection to ensure quality.

Cebi Luxembourg S.A. will build and sell over 500 000 Blow-by Heater across the world until the end of 2019, with additional contracts under discussion with new major vehicle manufacturers.

Receiving the FEDIL award is an acknowledgement of Cebi's innovation that is now also entering digital transformation with Industry 4.0 concepts. The Cebi Luxembourg plant in Steinsel is fully in charge of development, sales and industrialization for all the local products including automotive sensors or washer systems, as well as a range of products produced abroad. And the journey will continue: by 2021 a completely new engineering center with laboratory facilities will be operational to ensure even stronger support to innovation.  

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