Innovation, customization and speed are key in the field of factory transport systems. Technologies, concepts and ideas are constantly being overhauled and renewed in order to deliver and transport building blocks for the production of automobiles or airplanes. The goal is always to achieve even more efficient and cheaper production. One of the most consistent and innovative system developers of the past decades is
TRANSpofix, the producer and distributor of transport systems and floor coverings, based in Berching, Bavaria. The company, founded in 1987 and with current a turnover of more than 40 million euros, is a full-service provider: they develop, produces and support industrial shuttles and independent floor conveyor systems as well as special transport frames and load carriers. "If you're not innovative, you slowly lose the market," says Maciej Mackowiak, explaining the urge for constant modernization. "Our strengths are flexibility, fast response times and short decision-making processes," says the project manager for container conversion and prototyping at TRANSpofix. Industry giants such as BMW, Daimler, Porsche and the aircraft technology manufacturer MTU Aero Engines have been relying on those very strengths for many years.
MSF Compact, a space-saving 2D fiber laser machine, is the go-to solution for cutting prototypes and small batches from thin plates.
Growth and prototyping requires own capacitiesThe main part of production at TRANSpofix has been traditionally outsourced to Polish plants. In the German headquarters, the focus was mainly on development, design, prototyping and manufacture of tools for injection molded parts. In the past decade, however, the company has been steadily expanding its own manufacturing capabilities. “Our sales and projects in Germany have increased enormously. So that we have the capacities and can react flexibly, we have built up our machinery over the past few years. This also gave us a certain degree of independence from subcontractors,” says Mr. Mackowiak.
The outsourcing was also a major problem in the area of prototyping. Development times are getting shorter and shorter, the market requires even faster reaction times to technological developments. “Especially in prototyping, we outsourced. The delivery times were often very long. And very often we had the problem that something changed during the production of the prototypes. That meant: order again, wait again.”
The MSF Compact has been in operation since January 2020 – first primarily for prototyping purposes, later also for serial production, depending on the project.
Speed and quality drive decision toward laserSo the company started looking for a suitable cutting solution to improve response times and reduce dependencies. “We initially had plasma in mind and looked at a few providers. For us, the requirement was that they must have a seat in Germany and ideally a service location nearby. As the market leader in the plasma sector, MicroStep was automatically in focus,” Mr. Mackowiak reflects. When analyzing the materials to be cut and the quality requirements, the company realized that laser technology might be a better solution. After a few test cuts, the decision finally fell on the
MSF Compact from MicroStep. The space-saving 2D fiber laser machine has been in operation since January 2020 – first primarily for prototyping purposes, later also for serial production, depending on the project. “We made the decision in favor of the laser system because of the speed and the quality. In many cases, we can install the freshly cut part straight away without any rework,” says Mr. Mackowiak contentedly.
“We made the decision in favor of the laser system because of the speed and the quality. In many cases, we can install the freshly cut part straight away without any rework,” says Maciej Mackowiak, project manager at TRANSpofix.
