The Polish job shop Belma plays in the Champions League of the sheet metal processing industry. The high volume of orders and the increasing demands of the customers challenge the company. The complete solution from Bystronic takes production to a new level.
Belma, or BAS for short (Belma Accessories Systems), is a giant: In a production area of more than 32,000 m2, the company manufactures more than 30,000 components in Bydgoszcz, Poland. It is important to note that Belma does not manufacture its own products, but it is a superlative job shop.
Focus on wind and solar power
The former state-owned company employs 900 people and supplies corporations such as Siemens. There is practically no business segment in which Belma is not active: whether it is telecommunications or electronics, the health, solar or wind energy industry – the Who's Who of industry buys from Belma.
The model company south of Gdansk can do many things, but it has a clear focus: “Enclosure technology for renewable energies,” says Technical Director Michal Kwasiński. This is where Belma's engineering skills are in demand:
“The enclosures that are installed in the wind turbines are exposed to enormous stresses,”
explains Kwasiński.
“They must not only be weatherproof, but also corrosion-resistant.” And they must also have a very long service life – Kwasiński: “Our customers usually demand a 25-year warranty.”
Visionary complete solution from a single source
Belma is therefore facing two major challenges: an enormous order volume and constantly increasing customer requirements. The visionary complete solution from Bystronic, which has now been installed in Belma's production halls, meets both these requirements.
Four ByStar Fiber 6-kilowatt laser cutting systems are lined up in formation, each attached to four ByTrans Cross and one BySort for loading and unloading as well as sorting. The system is directly connected to Belma's fully automated storage solution. The data flow between the warehouse, the laser, and Bystronic's Plant Manager planning software is automated.
Consistent data flow provides an overview
“The continuous data flow is extremely valuable for us,”
says Kwasiński.
The company recognized the potential of big data as early as 15 years ago – and took appropriate measures. Today, they are reaping the rewards of their long development work:
All our orders are on time: We always know which part is being processed on which machine and what the current status is.
For certain orders, it is also possible to access data from completed productions, which immediately reveals what caused problems in the past.
“To ensure seamless networking, Bystronic also integrates machines from other providers. This is unique,”
says Kwasiński. “The networking of all technologies into a complete solution is very appealing to us.”
Profile Belma Bydgoszcz, Poland
Business areas: Automation, wind and solar energy, electronics, telecommunications, healthcare
