VM Inox meets the market challenges with BLM’s laser technology
Italy-based VM Inox S.a.s, a renowned name in the world of stainless steel fencing and railing, has come a long way since its inception in 1975. The company has grown and evolved with the changing consumer demands; be it security fencing or decorative fencing.
During my second trip to Italy during October, 2014, I had a chance to visit VM Inox and meet Mr. Renato Vanzulli, Owner of the company. I got a lovely warm welcome when I arrived at the facility. I was fascinated witnessing the job shop that dealt with tube and sheetmetal processing work. It was not what I had seen in India, it was huge with minimum manpower (7-8) including, operation, design, admin, or for that matter the owner himself. The whole operation was fully automated; raw material and machines were kept in a systematic way to optimize the space.
Each and every product related to tubes were made by VM Inox, be it a garden bench or company fencing; many beautiful designs made using the BLM laser cutting machines spoke of Mr. Vanzulli’s passion for the same.
While talking to Mr.VanzulliVanzulli, I realised that the fencing demands and preferences have changed over the years, the present day consumers do not consider fencing just as a security option, but also as a decorative element and a status symbol. Keeping these factors in mind Mr Vanzulli has left no stone unturned to fulfill the consumer demands and has invested in high-end technologies. In its 39 years stint, the company has grown to become a one-stop-shop for fencing and railing solutions.
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Technology & Trends
Looking at the vast opportunities in the fencing and railing industry, the company has invested in various tube processing technologies including a range of machines from BLM Group.
“In the past, almost everything was done manually, even operations like punching and drilling. We even developed our own machine for punching and continued to operate the same way for 30 years with few technologies up gradations,” says Mr Vanzulli with a smile on his face. “But with every passing day we witnessed a growing demand for fast delivery and complex products; that is when we made up our mind to invest in high-end laser technology.”
Talking about the first purchase Mr Vanzulli says, “We bought our first modern machine in 2006 after we came across BLM Group. We bought a ADIGE TS 72 sawing machine for faster cutting operations. The machine was extremely fast and effective, and it is still used for the production of standard high-volume applications. This technology not only helped us cut down on scrap, but also provided us with high cutting speed.”
Use of right technology
During 2007-08, VM Inox bagged a project which involved cutting six meter long tubes, but the ADIGE TS 72 sawing machine being used capacitywas not sufficient to carry out complex cuts required for that project. So the company decided to opt for the combo machine ADILAS 2 from BLM which was able to process both tubes and sheet metal efficiently.
After the machine was installed, BLM group helped VM Inox in the training process. Recalling those days Mr Vanzulli says, “The after sales service from BLM was impressive, they spent time with us in our facility and provided us training which turned out to be very useful.”
After two years, VM Inox replaced the ADILAS 2 system with its advanced successor, the LT COMBO.
Control system from BLM has the capability to apply small corrections on the machine so one does not have to go back to CAD. Talking about the capability of the machine Mr Vanzulli adds, “We had realised the capability of laser, but to put it to use we needed design capability. The off-line programming system ARTUBE from BLM Group is capable of the designing process it made our lives easy. Also, the ARTUBE software supports other CAD software’s STP files, we just need to send the STP file and post process it. As we started receiving 3D drawings from Customers, we also had to update our design capability, so we opted for SolidWorks”.
[blockquote style=”1″]The real estate business in Italy has been unstable since 2008 and affected VM Inox’s fencing business. On one side the volumes reduced and on the other hand there were more ups and downs with shorter and shorter delivery times. Talking about the challenges Mr Vanzulli says, “Our capability to handle different kind of jobs, materials and sizes with laser has helped us sustain through’ these difficult years.”[/blockquote]
Marching Ahead
After adopting laser technology in their process, the company started to look forward to expand their territory and started by taking contracts for job works. “Initially we undertook only fencing and railing work, but the potential of laser technology led us to other job works which at times are very complex. To cater to the growing demand we have started adding more machines to our facility.”
Currently, VM Inox owns four BLM Group machines LT COMBO, LT722, LT8 and TS 72 and is confident to take up any kind of job related to tube and sheet metal.
With the BLM machines, the work efficiency has seen a tremendous rise. “We have one control room from where the cutting programmes are directly sent to all the machines. Today, our manufacturing time is less than 50% compared to what it was before.”
Looking at the capability of BLM machines and to reap added benefits, VM Inox developed another software, standard software for fencing, it is a parametric software that has made the designing process easy and fast for them. “We have developed templates that can work well with BLM Group machines,” says Mr Vanzulli with a grin.
Setting an example
VM Inox is riding high on innovation, from investing in software & technology to upgrading the manufacturing system and much more. The company is planning to install the fourth laser machine from BLM Group soon.
“We believe that a company has to be flexible in order to address customer demands,” concludes Mr Vanzulli.
I have always heard, how important it is to adopt new technology if we want to be competitive in the changing market scenario. After visiting the VMInox facility, I realised how true it is. The company proved that investing in right technology is necessary not only to survive but progress and it can reap good result. VM Inox turned out to be an inspiration to be taken back home for all those job-shop owners and fabricators who are struggling with changing demands in terms of materials to be processed, changing batch sizes, tight delivery schedules and high quality. budding entrepreneurs in machining industry.
