PRODUCT REVIEWS
Valk Welding creates strong connections in Ireland
The local manufacturing industry in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland has strong potential to increase its contribution to the economy if it could increase its productivity and exports . However , the lack of skilled workers is proving to be a limiting factor in the post- Brexit period , especially in the welding field . Several Irish manufacturing companies have therefore made the switch to welding robotisation . European welding robot integrator Valk Welding has been playing a prominent role in this , with its flexible solutions .
“ The manufacturing industry remains the second largest contributor to the private sector employment of Northern Ireland ’ s economy , and in the Republic of Ireland it is as high as 33 %. The manufacturing industry is therefore a very decisive sector for employment , the economy and prosperity of the population . If this sector grows , the Irish economy grows with it . Manufacturing companies therefore see the opportunities offered by automation to further increase their production and export position . Companies focusing on crusher / screener ; supply chain ; agriculture and transport ( including Keltech ; Four Dee ; NC-Engineering ; MacFab ; Portafill ; Muldoon ; McAree Engineering ; DMAC Engineering ; BMI Trailers and many others ) have invested in our welding robots ,” explained Valk Welding .
Brexit has accelerated the move into welding robotisation . Brexit reduced the supply of welders from central European countries , and labour costs have risen sharply over the past five years .
“ We therefore see Ireland as a region where the demand for welding robotisation will increase significantly ,” said Remco H . Valk , CEO of the family business .
With eight branches outside the Netherlands , Valk Welding serves a large part of Western and Central European countries with engineering , construction , installation and servicing of welding robot systems . The company , with more than 40 years of experience in robot automation , offers solutions for high-mix , low-volume production environments .
“ For this , we supply everything from complete systems to welding seam tracking systems , programming systems , welding jigs , training and service . We have already installed more than 3400 systems and put a lot of resources into development in close cooperation with Panasonic Welding Systems ,
Welding robot installation at MacFab .
our supplier of welding robots ,” said Remco H . Valk .
Since the first deliveries of welding robots to Irish metal companies six years ago , the number of projects there has risen sharply . Last year , sales to Ireland already accounted for 10 % of the company ’ s entire annual turnover . Ireland is now the eighth country where Valk Welding serves the local market with its own branch office .
“ With our welding robot technology and after-sales service support , we can meet the rapidly growing demand for welding robot automation in that region ,” added Remco H . Valk , who sees a strong similarity with the Dutch way of doing business as an important success factor .
This spring , Valk Welding Ireland commissioned its own branch in centrally located Lurgan .
“ We now have facilities that allow us to serve the Irish market locally with demo , training and spare parts . In addition , we can now service our customers directly with our own Irish technical support engineers ( in close cooperation with our service team in the Netherlands ). This brings us ever closer to our goal of providing service within 24 hours ,” Remco H . Valk explained . n
www . valkwelding . com
Payroll smart app
Hourly . io sells workers ’ comp insurance policies . Its cloud-based workers ’ comp and payroll platform connects real-time payroll data with workers ’ comp policy to ensure the accuracy of premiums .
“ We ’ re the only company to combine workers ’ comp insurance , payroll and time-tracking in one software platform for small and medium businesses in the skilled trade industries ( sheet metal included ) and contractors . While other companies use payroll estimates to calculate workers ’ comp premiums , Hourly uses real payroll numbers to ensure that your business never overpays and won ’ t be hit with a big audit bill . We recently saved a painting company from a surprise US $ 81K audit bill ,” it told ISMR .
“ Hourly collects millions of data points to make insurance premiums accurate and to save people money . It automatically calculates premiums based on total monthly payroll . Payroll errors are slashed in half by collecting time data automatically without the hassle of manually calculating and importing time-card data ,” it added .
The platform tracks time , task and location data in real-time , making it easy to organize hours by client , project or location . Features include unlimited payroll runs ; same-day direct deposit ; next-day paper check delivery ; automatic tax filing ; 1099s and W2s ; seamless workers ’ comp integration ; fully managed garnishments ; Quickbooks integration ; unlimited phone support ; employee document centre and precision time tracking . Other features include GPS tracking ; geofencing ; real-time alerts ; overtime and double time ; compliance logs ; kiosk mode and job costing reports .
It is available for Apple and Android as an app and also on PCs as a web app . Two pricing plan options are offered ( Gold and Platinum plans ).
“ Many of our customers are contractors in the sheet-metal industry . We were recently featured in the New York Post as ‘ a smart app that can make your work life easier ’ and in Forbes . TechRadar even ranked us as one of the ‘ best payroll software for small businesses in 2023 ’,” the company explained . n
www . hourly . io
54 | ismr . net | ISMR July / August 2023