Reliable CNC lathes help supplier stay competitive

At Buyse Metal Works Group, they know this like no other. 'You ask, we turn' is the motto of the supplier of CNC turning, milling and grinding work. For the modernization of their machine park, they consciously choose to cooperate with reliable partners, including Germond. Over the last five years, the machine supplier installed four CNC lathes type Doosan Puma 2600 Y at the facility in Lier.

Text: Johan Debaere  Image: Buyse Metal Works Group/Germond

For more than sixty years, Buyse Metal Works Group has been a leading supplier of CNC turning, milling and grinding work for the metalworking sector. In the context of 'one-stop-shopping' they also work closely with suppliers of surface treatments, such as anodizing, heat treatments, galvanizing, nickel plating ... In addition, the client can go there for subassemblies (welded or mechanically assembled). At the sites in Aalter and Lier (Desart Industries), more than 100 employees are working every day to produce all possible work pieces. To do so, they can use a state-of-the-art machine park with 95 CNC machines.

Staying competitive

"We want to remain competitive at all times and strive to offer our customers total quality in terms of their product, including service and customer focus. Through the implementation of 5S and Lean and a thorough digitalization and automation, we have invested heavily in increasing efficiency and productivity. In the end, this leads to a reduction in TCO for the customer," says managing director Philippe Buyse. "Moreover, we can count on our enthusiastic professionals, whom we continuously train. State-of-the-art machinery allows us to manufacture the most complex workpieces in steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper and brass with precise tolerances. Continuous optimization and modernization of our machinery allows us to produce more efficiently and keeps setup times to an absolute minimum."

CNC lathes from Doosan

When Buyse Metal Works Group started looking for a new lathe for small and medium series at the Lier facility five years ago, a thorough analysis of possible systems was made. Eventually they ended up with Germond and Doosan. Shortly thereafter, the first Doosan Puma 2600 Y was installed on the shop floor. In order to respond even more flexibly to customer requirements and increase capacity, four of these lathes are now running at full capacity at Desart Industries. The latest system was commissioned in August of this year. Two machines are combined with a robot from RoboJob for automatic loading. "This compact lathe with sleek design includes an X, Y and Z axis of 260, 105 and 830 mm respectively, a 255 mm chuck and a spindle with a 22 kW motor and a speed of 3,500 rpm. Because this machine is equipped with a Y-axis, most workpieces can be finished completely inside the machine," explains Franky Grammens, commercial director at Germond: "This unit is ideal for machining all possible products with a maximum diameter of 375 mm and a length of 750 mm. The machine is equipped with a large control door that closes completely and comes with a simple control module."

Quality of product and service

Like Buyse Metal Works Group, Germond carries the quality of its products and service as a high priority, again ensuring satisfied customers. "Once we have chosen a particular supplier, we remain loyal to him and together we build a long-term relationship. Unless significant problems arise during the process, of course," Buyse concludes. "Germond is a reliable partner in all areas. They assist us with expert advice for the purchase of machines. They guarantee reliable delivery and quality installation and commissioning. For the machine supplier, however, it doesn't stop there, because they also handle maintenance and think with us how we can further optimize our machines over the years."