Can we lower the height of the safety mesh here? Can we add hinges and angle the mesh here? Can we increase the clearance as there are conveyor systems that go in and out of the machine here? Can we create a fitting for this type of switch? Yes, of course we can! There’s always some kind of obstacle when creating a safety layout. This can be anything from an uneven floor to the fact that there are already several structures, such as beams, blocking the locations of the safety mesh.

Talk about the problem

But how do you get past problems that at first glance seem to have no solution? There are many approaches to overcoming obstacles, but the first and most important step in the process is communication. Talking about the problem with the relevant parties and then brainstorming it together. That’s the most useful and rewarding way to come up with solutions when producing a layout for a project. Together you go through what can be changed and how.

It’s the person on site, where the solution is to be installed, who has the knowledge on which the layout will be based. Without that information, we’ve nothing to go on. It’s like building a house without knowing what the foundations are going to be built on.

No problem!

There are certainly a thousand different examples you can draw on about how politicians, doctors, football managers, etc. have managed to overcome various obstacles to succeed with their ultimate goal. But I stick to what I know, and that’s problem-solving for safety layouts in the world of warehouse solutions/robots.

I always have the attitude that we can solve any problem. When my colleagues ask me if we can create a certain type of solution, I always answer “no problem!” I feel that way you develop a more open mindset about how products can be adapted for a different solution than they were originally intended for. Fortunately, we don’t usually have to make extreme adjustments, as we have an ongoing product development process that instead leads to us developing new products as the need arises. New problems will always emerge, and it is solving those problems that feels so rewarding.

One for all – all for one

Finding solutions is not something you usually do alone, whether it’s family problems or work-related problems. You need to have a conversation, talk about the problem and then come up with a solution together. Burying your head in the sand and simply pushing on is never, in my opinion, something that works in the long run.

Listening to other people and having people around you who listen to you is important for effective communication. That’s one of the main reasons why I’m as happy at Garantell as I am. I can ask my colleagues and managers what they think about different solutions, just like they ask me. We’re equal and everyone is taken seriously.

So if you and I are working on a project together, don’t forget that I’m happy to go through layouts, ideas and the basic concept behind solutions more than once. We can both learn from one another!

Take care of yourselves.