FACE TO FACE
The E-Brake Mini Cell on SafanDarley ’ s stand .
AutoPOL offline programming .
ASC-Control enables us to offer a total package for all automated solutions . As a result , our customers are no longer dependent on third parties and have only one point of contact for the entire package .
There is a special software corner on our booth where we display software advances to visitors . Around 75-80 % of our development projects are now software-related .
You can also see our intelligent lights-out factory solution : E-Brake 35T Premium Mini Cell , with a 25kg Fanuc robot , working with Kumatech ’ s Pallet Jack ( AGV ) on our booth . The customised system is designed to be modular but all the elements are controlled by the same software .
Machines from our standard product range , such as H-Brake Hybrid 110T - 1600 Premium and the E-Brake 130T Ultra equipped with an intelligent bending aid ( the I-Mate ), are also showcased on our booth .
SafanDarley ’ s 90th anniversary celebrations . dinner and party in a castle . A week later , we held another party for our employees and partners .
ISMR : What are your views on the current global business climate for sheet metal professionals ? What about the climate in 2024 ?
GD : Europe is struggling at the moment and Germany is in recession . Customers are waiting for investment decisions . In The Netherlands , many machine builders are having to reduce costs because numbers are going down . Obviously ,
economies are affected by waves . The markets recovered well after COVID downturns in 2021 , then the Russia-Ukraine war broke out in 2022 and markets went down from May / June . They haven ’ t really recovered since then .
However , I see more optimism in the North American market ( Mexico , Canada and USA ). Investment , however , could be better . We demonstrated our robotic solutions at FABTECH in Chicago recently . I also see potential growth and opportunities in Poland , Italy and the United States , as well as some markets in Asia and the Middle East .
I think markets will stay at the same level in 2024 so there may need to be an increased focus on cost cutting . Energy prices are going up again in Europe . December is ‘ Year End ’ for lots of companies and they will need to spend the last of their investment budgets . Our turnover this year will be higher than last
ISMR : How have you celebrated your 90th anniversary this year ?
GD : We have been delighted to celebrate our 90th anniversary with our customers , partners and employees .
This May , we held a distributor meeting and party at our main office in Lochem and also partly in Eijsden . We invited 50 people from 45 countries , set up a big tent in Lochem and held a series of market discussions and presentations . We then hired 25 classic VW Cabriolets and took our guests on a tour of the local area . In the evening , we held our formal
Robotic bending .
38 | ismr . net | ISMR November 2023