Beslag & Metall, a Swedish sheet metal manufacturing company, has been making significant progress when it comes to factory automation in recent years. Mabema and our product for robot guidance, FINDER, have been a part of Beslag & Metall production ever since their automation journey took off around four years ago.
Embracing change for growth
Founded in 1938 as a family business in Ekenässjön in the south of Sweden, Beslag & Metall began producing smaller products such as eccentric locks, lid fittings and hinges for the construction industry. Since the 1960s, Beslag & Metall’s largest customers have been found within the automotive industry and in the 80s truck manufacturers became their most important target group. Today, they produce a wide range of products, from small screws and nuts to large and complex parts for various industries. Even though everything seems to start in the automatic press department, the company has several departments including, for example, welding and assembling. And since 2014, they own a painting company in Ulricehamn, just under 1,5 hours from Ekenässjön.
Beslag & Metall’s employees are curious and have a diverse range of competencies, always willing to learn new things. Among them is Mikaela Nilsson, an automation technician who has been with the company for six years. “When it comes to our automation journey, only in these last six years, a lot has happened.” says Mikaela. Her responsibilities extend far beyond desk work; she also supports operators during the installation of new machines or robot cells, programs robots and runs her own projects. Currently, with a new machine being installed, Mikaela provides support and training to her colleagues in the production line on a daily basis. With an open-minded approach to new technology, Beslag & Metall is taking larger and important steps towards a fully automated production.
A state-of-the-art production
As Mikaela said, Beslag & Metall’s automation journey has been moving quickly since the company began embracing new technology. Before, the fixturing of products, which refers to how the products are positioned for a robot to pick them up, used to pose critical challenges in production. However, by automating with the help of FINDER, there are fewer demands for fixturing. ”You can pick almost anything with FINDER, so it makes the process very efficient.”, says Mikaela.
Beslag & Metall installed its first FINDER system approximately four years ago, and the company now has several of these systems. At Beslag & Metall, FINDER is used for picking everything from small screws to large complex sheet metal products. “Mabema are proud to be Beslag & Metall’s preferred supplier of vision systems for robot guidance.” says Nina Hammerin, Product Manager at Mabema.
FINDing the future
Beslag & Metall’s vision for the future is to continue embracing new technology and to stay ahead of competition. The company’s willingness to learn and explore new possibilities bodes well for its success. With the implementation of automation solutions such as FINDER, Beslag & Metall is committed to becoming even more efficient and better able to meet the needs of its customers.
Mabema’s Head of Robot Vision, Peter Andersson, is impressed by Beslag & Metall’s open-mindedness to new technology. ”They are a company that wants to move forward, and it’s evident in their automation journey.” says Peter.
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