High quality diversity and quality service

With the slogan "Quality is not an act, it's our habit," the Zonhoven family business Fraiponts sets a high standard for itself as a machining company. And in these times, that is nothing less than a reason to exist. Speaking is Managing Director Davy Fraiponts.

Davy Fraiponts took over his parents' business in 2006, and today represents the third generation of a family business that originated as a supplier in the once thriving mining industry. 

Specialization

"Our specialization is in the fabrication of parts and custom parts, ranging from prototypes, spare parts in the context of a repair, to also small series. Our offer is very varied," says Davy Fraiponts. 

That was once different, but in the wake of some setbacks, the company decided to differentiate more strongly and bet on a broader customer base. This did not do the company any harm: Fraiponts meanwhile managed to build up a steady clientele, which gladly falls back on the company as its reliable one-stop-shop for mechanical solutions.

Today, this translates into a nice market share, spread across different sectors such as automotive, food, general engineering, medical and even aircraft industry. This is reflected in the materials used: in addition to aluminum, mainly stainless steel. Davy Fraiponts: "The fact that we are very diverse is also a major strength of our company. " Thus, in milling, the company can handle a range of workpieces ranging from very small size to pieces of up to 3 meters. Turning work can be done up to 1200mm between centers. 

People

Fraiponts collaborates with a number of dynamic engineering firms active in mechanical engineering. Keeping yourself sharp as a company is then crucial. Davy Fraiponts: "The generation of classic fitters is getting older, and for many companies within our sector, finding suitable personnel is a tough job. However, Fraiponts permanently invests in its very young team, which at the same time can fall back on a package of experience of three generations."

The new people with potential are taken straight out of school by Fraiponts. A policy that requires a lot of time and energy, as the firm circulates its name mainly through local operation in the area. Davy Fraiponts: "We like to target summer bars or other events where local youth circulate, to get noticed and promote what we stand for. We also sit on juried technical schools, so we can follow potential talent up close." 

Quality

The young manager has a modern view of the aspect of quality: "Quality is first and foremost what the customer asks for; the pieces that go out here must be correct according to the working drawing to begin with. Deviations are out of the question." 

Quality has now obviously taken on a much deeper dimension, determined, for example, by flexibility, delivery time, response time and empathy toward the customer. It has become a total package. Above all, Fraiponts' own qualities and expertise to advise the customer in terms of manufacturability and cost is a decisive asset. 

Investment and ambition

"We generally invest in high-end machines because we want to guarantee high quality to our own customers as well. In addition, we especially look at the service the brand offers us in case of breakdowns, among other things. Every lost machine hour is a downright disaster for a company with a fully booked schedule, because your production planning always represents a cascade."

Probing into the future, Davy Fraiponts maintains a fine, defined ambition, and that is to develop a unique machine in-house.