You don't have to be big to be good

A hobby that got out of hand. That's perhaps the best way to describe DK Metal, Devid Klein's business. The passion for turning and milling makes him take up the gauntlet even after working hours to deliver craftsmanship in metalworking. The machinery he has amassed in a short time, however, speaks a clear ambition for more. The last machine in the line, the ProtoTRAK RMX 3500 bed milling machine, takes the step to CNC and small series work, without sacrificing flexibility. The future beckons.

Hard work was instilled in Devid Klein from childhood. Although active as a welder, as he approached retirement age, father Jan managed to convince his wife to put a lathe in the porch. As a hobby, he would use it to make a steam train. "But that got out of hand in no time," Jan Klein recalls. Word of mouth that there was someone in Kontich with an eye for craftsmanship in machining quickly spread. Everyone still needed some pieces. Father and son decided to join forces and made their business official in 2016: DK Metal was born.

Since moving to a brand-new building on a new industrial site in Kontich, DK Metal's workshop is starting to look more and more like a Crispyn Machines showroom.

Introduction to Crispyn

The lathe soon proved too small. "A bad buy. My son saw it right away when it arrived: it won't last long. Through the Internet you can't really feel what kind of meat you have in the tub," explains Jan Klein. A more thorough search for a new one brought him to Crispyn from Maldegem. It clicked, both with the machines and manager Jan Crispyn, and they immediately bought a milling machine as well. "My son and I are both used to working with quality machines. We found them at Crispyn, but they were also affordable investments, which was important for a starting business like ours. And we feel the same enthusiasm for technology with Jan. When we walk in, it's never for half an hour." When the machines gradually threatened to take up even more ground than the porch, at the beginning of this year they found a home in a newly built industrial park, a stone's throw from the parental home.

"It's more than just pushing a button. You still feel like you're in control of the machine. If things get a little more complex, I can easily switch the power supply back."

Jump to CNC

Since then, the workshop, which is otherwise immaculate, has begun to look more and more like a Crispyn's showroom. The latest addition (for now) is Devid Klein's pride and joy: the ProtoTRAK RMX 3500 bed milling machine. "It is my dream to eventually be able to make the leap to full-time self-employment. However, I was constantly bumping up against the limitations of our current machines. That meant saying no to certain requests that came in for more complex work with contouring or combing. A mortal sin, if you want to grow. With the ProtoTRAK RMX 3500, I am now moving towards CNC and series work, without sacrificing flexibility. Simple pieces I can still finish conventionally in no time. And what's important to me, it's more than just pushing a button. You still feel like you have the machine in your hand. If things get a little more complex, I can easily switch the feed back."

With the move and the arrival of the new machine, DK Metal has grown tremendously in a short period of time.

Simple, user-friendly control

After a day's training, Devid Klein was off. "A good basis, the rest you learn at the machine. Due to the simplicity and user-friendliness of the ProtoTRAK control, programming time remains extremely short. Even without knowledge of CNC, it is easy to get started. If you do encounter a problem, you can rely on the excellent service of Crispyn. I am always helped immediately, even as a small customer." Because of the move and the arrival of the new machine, DK Metal has grown tremendously in a short period of time. In six months, sales even doubled. "I had hoped beforehand that an industrial zone acts as a kind of network. And that turns out to be true. We have already been able to help a number of neighbors out of need to great satisfaction," says Devid Klein. Jan Klein is also proud of the steps his son has taken. "Had I known thirty years earlier, I would have taken my chances as a self-employed person myself. I am now retired, but I assist my son in the business. I have worked perhaps harder in the past year than ever. Side by side. When I see how he can finish pieces to a thousandth of a millimeter ... I would sweat on it, he does it off the cuff," Jan Klein proudly concludes.