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Wemeco Poland reaches next-level quality and triples welding output

Based in Southern Poland, Wemeco Poland sp. z o.o. is a preferred supplier for OEMs in various industries, including agriculture, renewable energy, automotive, infrastructure, gymnastics, and fire protection. The company has experienced strong growth in recent years, thanks in part to the use of welding robots. “With the robotic welding systems provided by Valk Welding, we can offer our customers finished products with high product quality”, says Sjoerd Silderhuis, Managing Director.

As part of the Dutch Wemeco Group, Wemeco Poland sp. z o.o. supplies light construction work, semi-finished products, (sub)assemblies and finished products of a repetitive nature. “The focus here is on long-term customer relationships, for which we are a regular production partner”, says Silderhuis. “This is only successful when you have your organisation under control in all areas. That means thinking in terms of manufacturability, short lines of communication, high delivery reliability and, above all, a high and consistent quality of our products.”

Welding as a core business

The supplier presents itself to its customers as a one-stop-shop and, therefore, has all disciplines in-house, from machining and sheet metal processing to welding, coating, and assembly. Managing Director Silderhuis: “Welding of aluminium, stainless steel and steel is the core business. By using welding robots, we are able to weld a large volume, keep lead times short and achieve high, consistent quality. This also helps to address the shortage of well-qualified welders.”

Transitioning to robotic welding

Seventeen years ago, Wemeco Poland sp. z o.o. started with a robot which they had converted into a welding robot. “The results eventually prompted further investment in welding robot cells”, continues Silderhuis. “In mid-2015, we reached a production limit where the number of hand welders could not keep up with the volume. A welding robot rented from Valk Welding provided the solution. Thanks in part to the good support, we took the step towards robotic welding”. The company currently owns four Valk Welding cells for MIG/MAG welding: one FRAME-H system and three TRACK-FRAME-E systems, including one with a gallow. Additionally, one of the robots is equipped with the cold Super Active Wire process and TIG welding capabilities.

A higher level

The welding process is now fully ISO 3834-2 certified, and the product quality has been elevated to a higher level, as emphasised by Welding Engineer Konrad Kordas. “The organisation surrounding robotic welding is also geared to this. We invest a lot of energy into the training of our employees at the Wemeco Academy, where robot operators and programmers are trained by Valk Welding CZ in Paskov, Czech Republic.”

Complex welding assembly

Kordas illustrates the tasks that the Valk Welding robots perform within the company: “Among other things, we now weld boiler systems with about 10 meters of weld on the welding robots. The combination of steel and stainless steel and the high requirements for achieving an absolutely leak-free end product, cannot be replicated manually. We also weld many other complex weld assemblies, ranging from 30 to 40 metres of weld, such as chassis modules for refrigerated trailers, complex frames for agricultural machinery, and heavy-duty traffic hatches.”

The latest technology

Wemeco Poland sp. z o.o. works with the latest technology. For example, the Valk Welding installations offer automatic wire change for the transition from steel to stainless steel. Kordas adds: “We also maintain continuous monitoring of the welding process to further reduce welding time where possible. The welding robots operate 80-120 hours per week in 2 or 3 shifts.”.

Future expansions

“In order to be able to weld longer and more complex products with the robot, as well as to shorten the lead time of various existing products, we are working with Valk Welding on a concept where we can start welding the products with two welding robots at the same time”, reveals the Managing Director.

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“Essentially, we achieve at least three times the output of manual welding, and for some products, this can even increase to five to six times.”

Konrad Kordas, Welding Engineer at Wemeco Poland sp. z o.o.

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