Project scope: Wilbers Werkstätten
TRUMPF TC L 4050 – 6 kW
TRUMPF LiftMaster – 3 Positions
STOPA TKL - Twin Tower Storage System
Gerhard Wilbers founded the company in the town of Hengelo in the Netherlands. There were five employees working on a floor space of 60 square metres. We were making balconies, stairways and automated doors. Only the very best quality.” Wilbers adds, still boasting great drive and enthusiasm. It soon became obvious that the production space was not big enough. And because at that time the Netherlands was not attractive for entrepreneurs, and floor space was far more expensive than in Germany, he moved the company without further ado to Bad Bentheim.
Gerhard Wilbers, founder of Wilbers Werkstätten GmbH, is a doer and a decision maker. After working for a long period as an employee, always with a keen eye for technology, he finally took the bold step of changing from employee to entrepreneur in 1988.
Today his son Herbert manages the company. After starting off as a small company in the Netherlands, Wilbers Werkstätten GmbH now has a workforce of over 60 people and is a well-known component supplier for the machinery and plant construction industry.
The company’s engineering department works in cooperation with the customers to offer individual overall projects and products - from production through to assembly - in machine tool and equipment engineering, in the oil and gas industry, in the chemicals industry, foodstuff, electrical engineering and water industry.
Innovation, creative ideas and reliability pay off. Wilbers Werkstätten is the only European supplier certified in container construction for the US market.
DIN standards, ISO standards and other certificates are a prerequisite for supplying many different customers in their specific fields. Herbert Wilbers is therefore keen to pool the production in the new production hall that covers an area of 6,000 square metres. Currently production is carried out in six different halls in Bad Bentheim.
To avoid constant dependency on contract manufacturers, water cutting and laser cutting machines have always been used.
“I was interested in STOPA” Herbert Wilbers comments. “A laser cutting machine was not our first priority.” It soon became obvious, however, that a new storage system was out of the question because of the high costs. “But I could not drop the idea.”
My search on the internet then led me to mteg. “Their website is excellent, well laid out and offers all the information a website should feature.”
To go with the STOPA Twin Tower TKL storage system mteg offered a TRUMPF TC L 4050 - 6 kW with a 3-position LiftMaster. This led to our decision to replace the existing Prima laser cutting machine.
„mteg boasts an excellent reputation and offered a very sound service during the preliminary meetings. They can be relied on to do what we ask for.“ Herbert Wilbers adds.
„With mteg you don’t have to perpetually keep an eye on things, as you do with so many other companies. mteg always has the right information at the right time.” “That’s the way it should be, and this service matches our approach.” Herbert Wilbers comments, smiling.
Wilbers senior and junior had invited a specialist and friend from TRUMPF to assist them. The system was examined in detail and all tests were carried out successfully. The specialist’s recommendation was clearly to go ahead with the purchase.
Negotiations took place at the company headquarters in Bad Bentheim-Gildehaus, on the Dutch border. The space in the new production hall provided perfect conditions for the installation of this complete system.
After completing successful talks mteg checked the on-site conditions for the installation and immediately started to plan the project back at the company headquarters in Neuenstein.
Three trucks were required for transporting the TRUMPF TC L 4050 – 6 kW and the LiftMaster. And another three trucks were required for the STOPA storage system.
This was a logistical challenge because several special permits and accompanying vehicles were needed.
“Once again mteg adhered to all of the agreements and kept to the time schedule.”
All components and services were provided by mteg in one-stop solutions. The machine operators were given extensive training on the system and they feel comfortable with the new machine.
“We attached great importance to the 6 kW laser power and the size of the working area of four by two metres – This is a market opener,” says Herbert Wilbers.
The company can now expand further in commissioned manufacturing. Just one week after installation of the system the production was in full swing in three shifts.
“You really have to be on the ball to get ahead” Gerhard Wilbers (72) adds, laughing. That means we are sometimes not too fussed if we miss the lunch break.”
Visions for the future always continue. Any standstill is a step back. With mteg we have found a partner for more projects in the future.