Since its establishment in 2001, WE-Metal has been collaborating with MCB as a supplier. Originally starting as a contract laser cutting company, operations quickly expanded to include bending, welding, and finishing. Over time, WE-Metal has evolved into a system supplier of high-quality products, and they have certainly lived up to that reputation in recent years.
Managing Director Johan Rigters states, "Our goal is to deliver complete semi-finished products to OEMs. Our strength lies in a combination of craftsmanship and automation. We have many skilled engineers in-house who collaborate with clients to achieve an automated production process. This allows us to maintain consistent quality while delivering high-quality products at competitive prices. For example, we produce crane boom parts using robot laser welding, ensuring excellent quality at a competitive price. Our customers are very satisfied with this. However, high-quality material is essential."
S700MC Specialist
WE-Metal manufactures components for agricultural vehicles, the automotive industry, and various lifting and handling equipment. Approximately half of the materials they use consist of S700MC. Due to its high tensile strength, this high-quality material is particularly suitable for lifting and handling equipment and vehicle components, which happen to be their specialty.
WE-Metal possesses extensive expertise in working with strong materials such as high-strength steel S700MC and has the machinery to precisely process these materials. High-strength steels are unique materials with exceptional properties, making their processing more challenging than that of more conventional steels. For instance, they utilize laser welding for long weld lengths to minimize heat impact and post-processing. Additionally, automated robotic welding systems are employed for finishing welds. Thanks to their advanced machinery, WE-Metal can process crane boom parts up to 4 meters in length!
For about 6 years now, they have been using large quantities of S700MC, increasingly sourced from MCB in recent years. Rigters explains, "We were particularly seeking high-quality S700MC because the quality of this material can vary significantly. MCB now offers S700MC from both Arcelormittal and Voestalpine. We are still testing which product best suits our applications, but both are high-quality S700MC products."
Sustainable Mindset
At WE-Metal, electricity consumption is monitored on every machine, detecting when a machine is in standby but not in use. Rigters explains, "The operator then receives a WhatsApp message, allowing them to shut down the machine. This significantly reduces consumption. Additionally, we carefully consider options for new investments. For example, the new laser we acquired earlier this year consumes approximately half the energy of the old one." The facility has been modernized with insulation measures, and lighting has been adjusted accordingly. They are also considering participating in MCB's Wood4Wood program, where all delivered pallets are collected and reused by MCB, as currently, pallets often end up as firewood.
Collaboration with MCB
The collaboration with MCB is excellent. Rigters notes, "MCB offers a wide range of materials of good quality, and we can rely on their prompt and reliable deliveries. We use electronic data transmission via EDI, which streamlines administrative tasks. Material certificates are easily accessible, and our material price database can be automatically updated through integration with MCB, ensuring that we always have current prices in