Ida Johanne Tyssebotn

A dream job for a 'plastic nerd'

Ida Johanne Tyssebotn works on the design, development, and manufacturing of the AutoStore Bins, a key part of the cube-based storage system. Being responsible for ensuring the quality of the bins is a dream job for Ida, a trained engineer whose passion is working with plastic materials.

“Plastic is an exciting material, and I'm probably a bit of a plastic nerd,” she smiles.

Every item within the AutoStore system is stored within the plastic bins, which are available in three sizes and stacked vertically along an aluminum grid scaffolding. They must meet precise specifications in order to work within a grid and be resilient enough to meet varying environmental conditions, Ida explains. With over 600 AutoStore installations around the world, millions of the bins are used every day, making her job essential.

“There is a big difference in the temperature in Australia and Norway. The boxes must withstand large temperature differences, and in our test chambers they are controlled in 35-degree Celsisus (95 Fahrenheit) heat,” she says.

Test center

Bins are made and submitted by manufacturers from all over the world. Bin prototypes are sent to the test center in Nedre Vats, Norway, where Ida performs quality control. She shows a large collection of bins that recently ran through several test chambers to expose them to different temperatures and stresses. The work ensures the bins are suitable for robots to carry, fit the grid dimensions, and are capable of withstanding a load of up to 30 kilos (66 pounds).

“We must ensure the same quality no matter where our Bins are made. Each manufacturer may have a different equipment and production process. It is very exciting to follow up with so many suppliers, and I like the combination of office work with the practical part of testing,” she says.

Plastic welder

Ida has a degree in mechanical engineering from Høgskulen på Vestlandet in Haugesund and started at AutoStore in June 2020. She has previous experience from Odda Plast, where she designed and developed products in various plastic materials. During her time in Odda, she became a plastic welder, and learned a lot about what she thinks is a very exciting group of materials.

“It is a bit coincidental that plastic became my area, but it is useful to have the experience I have from the plastics industry. It is a great advantage when I am in contact with our manufacturers. So far, we meet over (Microsoft) Teams, but it will be very nice when it becomes possible to follow up the production in different parts of the world,” says Ida.

‍Good people‍

Ida grew up in Etne, and lives in Haugesund. While she has often worked from home over the last year, she has also spent considerable time at the Nedre Vats test center, which she enjoys the most.

“We cannot perform testing from a home office, and I thrive very well when I can be at work. A lot of knowledge has been gathered here in many different fields. It is a very open environment with many good people, and there is always someone to ask if there is something you are wondering about or need help with,” says Ida.

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