The origins of VDM BV go back to 1967 and thus it can build on years of experience. Over the years, VDM has become an international company in the processing of customer-specific components. For this, the company has a wide range of CNC machines, of which quite a few are equipped with various, modern loading systems.
Quality and continuous improvement are our top priority. The people, knowledge and tools for this are available within the organisation.
Pieter Klompen, Operations & Quality Manager: “For VDM the customer is always king. We are known for our quality and our continuous strive for improvement. In order to achieve that we have a team of employees with extensive knowledge and experience, supported by the right tools and equipment. Automation is also part of this.
We’ve been busy with automation for a number of years. For example, we already have a number of robots, a portal system, pallet changing systems and of course, bar loaders as well. The reasons are obvious: labour costs are relatively expensive, and with automation we try to keep our costs under control without compromising on quality or flexibility.
We teamed up with RoboJob and Promas bv when we pulled in a large order just over a year ago. We wanted to automate that project, and we knew already RoboJob of course. They’re a well-known name in the market, and we’ve received very positive feedback about them. Promas bv had already bought a CMZ TA20 and together with RoboJob they supplied the robot installation.
We specifically went to look at the RoboJob Turn-Assist Racks. We were indeed looking for automation with high capacity and the Turn-Assist Racks is constructed for larger batches, or for products that are difficult to stack.
This solution appeared to suit us perfectly: it is a robust, simple system, with a high buffer. By this I mean the amount of products we can automate using this solution, without the machine stopping. In this way we can produce for a long time without the use of manpower.
In our search for automation we talked with both RoboJob as well as with other providers, but the choice was for the Turn-Assist Racks. Simply because here we can automate our high volumes with a standard product. This solution is also quite compact, and therefore takes up very little floor space. This is because the robot doesn’t operate with a table, but with stackable racks. Thus the robot doesn’t stack the workpieces, but it builds towers with racks in which the workpieces are laid. A simple, but very clever and efficient system.
Our Turn-Assist Racks was installed almost six months ago on a new machine, a CMZ TA20-640. So we now have a completely new production cell: a new machine with new automation. And we’re extremely pleased with it. RoboJob has fulfilled all expectations for both the installation, the training and the performance of the system itself. Our Turn-Assist Racks is now running smoothly.
RoboJob has thus delivered what it had promised, and even more than that. They’ve proved to be a very professional partner with a sound product with high flexibility. Each customer has its own specific needs, and RoboJob proactively discusses these and helps to come up with solutions."
