Spie invests in the future with purchase of wire manufacturing machine Komax Zeta 640

Innovations determine the future. As a manufacturer of wire sets for production cabinets, Spie is well aware of this. With the purchase of a fully automatic wire manufacturing machine, they are taking a big step towards innovation and automation.

Automation on the work floor

“We had been thinking for a while about automating the production part”, Jan de Kort and Oscar Korsten of Spie explain. “Automation solutions contribute to shorter lead times and faster delivery dates. This is how we present ourselves as a flexible partner.”

After thorough market research, the Komax Zeta 640 proved to be the suitable solution. This flexible fully automatic machine meets the increasing variety of customer-specific requirements perfectly.

A few advantages of this machine at a glance

• Suitable for Just in Time production of different batches, regardless of size
• Processing up to 36 different wires
• Insertion of a terminal or ferrule without having to switch over
• Automatic wire marking using inkjet
• Sorting of wire in the correct order, even with a wire without final processing
• Various extension possibilities

Reduction of throughput time and error margins

How does Spie experience the operation of this machine? “In the past, the assembler would manually cut the wires to size, strip them to length and attach a ferrule if necessary. Now the Zeta 640 assembles the wire sets for the assembler. The wire sets are already ready while the mechanical part can be prepared. Everything can be prepared in advance, which reduces the lead time. We save an average of 30 – 70 % in wiring time with the arrival of the machine. The production floor is also not so full anymore and we have more capacity.”

More production requires more final inspection you would think. Thanks to the 3D drawings, digital production flow, automatic wire confection and printing on the wire, the error margins are so small that these final checks are quick.

POSSS software as a must-have feature

The Komax Zeta 640 from Spie is shown to full advantage by linking it to POSSS software. POSSS stands for Production Optimising Software, Services & Solutions. It is a simple bundle that enables employees with a minimum of technical knowledge to produce more efficiently.

The software digitizes the production flow for electrical wires from EPLAN Pro Panel (or another program) and automatically calculates the number of jobs or wire bundles. These wire bundles are then exported into the software of the Komax Zeta 640. This gives Spie full control over the total number of bundles already made and which manual actions the operator still needs to perform.

Wire bundles that require manual finishing are placed at the front of the wire list and produced. In this way, POSSS allows the operator to manually finish the wire bundles while the Zeta continues production. This saves up to 70% of the assembly time!

Investing in your people

The purchase of the Zeta 640 also contributes to a more efficient distribution of work among the employees.  “Our technical people will be better able to manage less skilled personnel and will be given opportunities to grow. In addition, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find qualified personnel.  Thanks to this investment, we can continue to assemble at the same level without losing quality.”

How did Spie experience the cooperation with Smans? It was clear from the first contact that Smans has enormous expertise in the challenges of our sector. All possibilities are considered and that gives a good feeling. Furthermore, we had a very tight planning, which turned out not to be an issue thanks to the partnership.”

Despite competition from low-wage countries, Spie keeps production in the Netherlands. This creates job security and ensures that they stay close to their clients. In the future, they want to convert more projects to wire-fabrication. They want to help clients make the conversion and take over more of the engineering.

Are you thinking about optimising your production process? Would you like to see with your own eyes how other companies in the sector approach this? As a full-service partner, we will guide you through the entire process. Contact us for an appointment!

POSSS software for panel building

• Efficiency first
• No more wiring schematics
• Logical arrangement and bundling
• Up to 70% gain on assembly time
• Clear specifications for manual finishing

Smans NV | Official distribution partner Benelux