Manders Automation - Challenging Each Other to Work Better and Smarter

The relationship between Manders Automation and itsme is all about flexibility and the drive to do things better and smarter. Take, for example, the 2BIN system for grab stock management and the complete kits for serial machine construction. “We are constantly challenging each other. We also want to take additional steps in digitalization and become more sustainable.”

Manders Automation in Venray builds customised production automation for sectors such as automotive, life sciences, electronics and construction. The company (60 employees) develops solutions for assembly, connection technology and handling. Manders Automation is growing at a steady pace, says John Thijssen, director and owner of this “fantastic company”. “In the Netherlands, a lot of work is still done manually, and staffing problems are an obstacle to growth in production companies. So people come to us for production automation. Customers also increasingly ask us to upgrade their installed base. We have to overhaul these, provide them with new controls and optimise their safety, to make everything futureproof for at least another ten years.”

2BIN system

Manders Automation has all engineering disciplines in-house, boasts a machining department and does its own panel and cabinet building. For the supply of electrotechnical components and control products, Manders Automation has enjoyed a relationship with itsme for well over 25 years. “We were looking for a company based nearby (itsme has a branch in Venlo, ed.) that could supply a full package of components and that could also offer software support, training and a back-office for answering difficult control-technical questions. They have been delivering on that promise from day one. For example, by training our software people, and through their support of Siemens products, in which we are standardised. Meanwhile, we have also experienced that they are at the forefront of improvement processes. From faxing and retyping, for instance, we have made steps towards digital order processing by means of an EDI link. They have been encouraging us to explore all possibilities.”

“itsme is at the forefront of improvement processes.”

The latter also applies to stock management. “They presented overviews of our use of material, showed that we ordered a lot in small volumes and had challenging questions about our stock system. We concluded that we hadn't organised it very well. Next, they suggested taking care of part of our warehouse operations. This is how the 2BIN system was introduced over 15 years ago, initially taken care of by itsme. Every week, they sent someone over to replenish the grab stock and scan the empty bins. Then the financial crisis happened and we had to cut costs and were less busy. Together with itsme, we found a solution to start managing the warehouse operations ourselves. We scan and order the articles and once they're delivered, we put them in the correct location ourselves. Meanwhile, we have been getting busier and while we could switch roles again, things are being handled very efficiently, so we have decided to keep doing it ourselves. I like their flexibility a lot. It’s not important to itsme that they take care of the entire warehouse operations. If we want it set up like this, they are completely fine with that.” Every year, or whenever necessary, itsme runs an analysis so they can give us recommendations about removing certain low stock turnover rate products from the 2BIN and add high-volume products. In this way, we are constantly looking at the balance of what we stock and how we match this to our projects. It works like a charm and my people are very happy with it.”

On behalf of itsme, Djoeke van den Hoven and Marco Altgassen are Manders Automation’s contact persons. Van den Hoven: “As a consultant of itsme Connected Business, I always want to find the best solution for the customer.

Als dat een VMI-systeem is, dan bieden we de mogelijkheid om voor full-service of zelfscan te kiezen. Dit is vaak afhankelijk van de volumes die erin omgaan, maar ook de personeelsbezetting en de discipline bij de klant zelf. Bij Manders verloopt dit goed. Dat betekent niet dat wij ze helemaal ‘los’ laten; we voorzien ze nog steeds van adviezen, afnameoverzichten en dergelijke. Mochten er bij Manders veranderingen optreden dan weten ze dat wij elk moment kunnen schakelen naar full-service – die flexibiliteit willen we kunnen blijven bieden.”

Levering van complete kits

Met ‘kitting’ hebben de partners een volgende stap gezet, vanwege de strategie van Manders om ook seriematige bouw van modulair opgebouwde machines te doen. “Daarmee willen we onder het projectgestuurde maatwerk een stabiele basis leggen”, verklaart Thijssen. “Als we een serie identieke machines bouwen, kunnen we daar wel de losse componenten voor bestellen, maar dat zijn heel veel bestelregels. Komt het bij onze expeditie netjes verpakt binnen, dan moet het eerst worden uitgepakt, gesorteerd en voor montage gereedgelegd en zitten wij met een hoop afval. itsme stelde voor om per machine een kist met een complete kit aan benodigde componenten te vullen. Dat geeft veel minder verpakkingsmateriaal, is duurzaam en ook kostenbesparend, en inkoop heeft nog maar één bestelnummer. Op de montageafdeling kunnen ze meteen uit die kist werken. Dat ontzorgt ons enorm en werkt heel gestructureerd. Hun nauwkeurigheid van kitten is bijzonder goed. We hebben hen één keer op een foutje kunnen betrappen en dat werd meteen gecorrigeerd.”

“Dit ontzorgt ons enorm en werkt heel gestructureerd”

Over at Manders Automation, they are thrilled with this form of kitting. “Again, this is where itsme’s flexibility comes into its own. Sometimes we have a large series of machines that we don't need to build all at once. In that case, we can call off the required number of kits in steps. And when in 2020-2021 the delivery times for many components were extremely long, it was no problem at all for itsme to partially deliver kits so that we could move forward. They made sure the remaining items were shipped as quickly as possible and helped us look for alternatives. I truly appreciate that administrative support and proactive involvement.”

More digital and sustainable

In short, Thijssen is very content. “We collaborate well and our contacts are a group of great, competent people.” Obviously, he does have some things on his wish list. “With regards to our digital coupling, we've come a long way. However, we are still working with paper documents. There are therefore still things to improve, and - especially on our side - we need to make some adjustments. We may also want to start working with kits for our large single-piece machines. At the moment, we're placing project-based orders for these and receive a lot of packaging. I also want to explore how we can become more sustainable in tandem, by increasing our efficiency. Not just in terms of less packaging, but also with fewer trips from itsme to us. Digitalization makes it very easy to order something and if you do that every day, that can also mean a delivery every day. We could bundle those orders more often and have them delivered once or twice a week so that itsme only has to make an extra trip in exceptional situations for items that are needed immediately. In this way, we are constantly challenging each other to work better and smarter.”

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