Success stories

25% increase in cycle speed and no dropped parts

Background PARADOR Parkettwerke in Austria was looking to improve their cycle speed and efficiency when handling pieces of laminated parquet flooring. The pieces of flooring shift and move while being handled and the number of pieces vary with each cycle. The variation in the number of handled pieces results in suction cups ...

53% reduction in air consumption

Background Arla Foods, northern Europe’s largest cheese manufacturer, was looking for a new solution to handle its heavy rounds of cheese, which are coated in wax. Although the company’s existing automation process was a major improvement from the original, manual system, the company wanted to upgrade its system in order to improve ...

A big car manufacturer saves over 1500 € each month

Background As the production costs have constantly been rising, it has become necessary for the car manufacturer to find ways to compensate. The energy consumption has been one of the priorities. The measured air consumption for each tool was300 l/min. Solution Piab performed a vacuum audit in the welding department and delivered a ...

Achieving efficient and reliable transport with vacuum technology

Background German engineering solutions provider W. Strothmann GmbH was searching for solutions that would transform its automation and handling technology for the automotive industry. The company wanted to design a conveying system with reduced cycle times, higher reliability and increased flexibility. Solution Strothmann designed a ...

Apolo obtains substantial savings in maintenance and operation costs

Background Editorial Impresora Apolo, owned by Grupo Espinosa, one of the largest Mexican-owned companies in the graphic industry, sought to implement a new vacuum pump solution that would both improve the quality of printing and reduce maintenance costs and downtime. Solution Apolo installed 208 Classic and Classic MP vacuum pumps ...

Automotive fuel tank manufacturer decreases changeover time

Background TI Automotive, a world leading supplier of fuel systems, recently approached Piab to come up with an innovative way to improve automated handling of its complexly-shaped plastic fuel tanks. Piab worked with TI Automotive to optimize the design of the company’s current system, in which sudden acceleration was causing the tanks ...

Automotive OEM reduces product damage with flexible grippers

Background COMAU, an Italian automotive OEM, wanted to reduce the number of miniature valves that were being damaged during robotic engine assembly applications due to poor robot end effector gripping. The company wanted a compact and lightweight, yet powerful, vacuum solution that was reliable and capable of quickly and accurately ...

Broadened market share for Spanish food industry manufacturer

Background Filneapack manufactures original solutions for food industry end-users. The company wanted to design a machine that could handle bags ranging in weight from 200-1500 grams. The machine needed to integrate seamlessly into the existing bag handling system. Solution The company designed a decentralized vacuum solution by ...

Bustling manufacturer increases productivity and plant efficiency

Background US-based Globe Die Cutting Products specializes in automatic die cutting and manufacturing for a wide range of industries. To keep up with its demanding production schedule, the company sought ways to maximize productivity and reduce downtime. Solution By integrating Piab’s P6010 vacuum pump with the Cruise Control option ...

Capacity increased by 30% in handling MDFs

Background The company manufactures “HPL” (High Pressure Laminate) sheets on hardboard plates for kitchen furniture. In one of the process steps, they handle “MDF” (Medium Density Fibreboard) slabs of wood immediately after treatment in a glue press. The boards differ in sizes, from 2000x1000 mm to 4100x1300 mm with a maximum weight of ...

Compact hygienic conveyor is just the right size

Background A world leader in the pharmaceutical industry had only a small space in which to transfer granular ingredients from fluid bed dryers to sterile containers.  The company required an automated solution that was easy to operate and compact enough to fit within tight parameters. Solution The company purchased Piab’s vacuum ...

Customized gripping system reduces energy consumption by 30%

Background Joulin Aero, a world-leader in automatic vacuum gripping technology, specializes in gripping solutions for porous and difficult-to-handle products. The company was recently challenged to design a universal vacuum gripping system for palletizing equipment that would minimize production time and cost. Solution The company ...

Doubled stacking speed without damage to products

Background S2F Engineering designs integrated automated systems for pulp, paper, film and foil manufacturers. The company recently designed an automated machine to replace the manual method of filling plastic sleeves of the foam trays used in food packaging. The machine needed to be flexible and gentle to handle a wide product range of ...

Electrolux experiences a 50% maintenance cost reduction thanks to Piab's friction cups

Background The Electrolux plant in Motala, Sweden, manufactures white goods of the very highest quality and precision, and the fit of the parts is of great importance to the feeling of quality of the finished product. It is therefore extremely important that the stamped metal sheets are not dislocated during their travel through the ...

Flexible robotic solution results in 20% reduction in production time

Background Promatech LLC, a robotic systems integrator, wanted to design an automated solution for handling heavy-duty corrugated cardboard containers that would eliminate pressure loss problems, reduce costs and improve workplace safety. Solution The company was able to provide more reliable handling at high speeds with an innovative ...

Food industry world leader Danone addresses downtime and efficiency

Background Group DANONE is one of the world leaders in the food industry, providing fresh dairy products, bottled water, biscuits and cereal products to people around the globe. To remain competitive in the industry, Danone Argentina, part of Groupe DANONE Latin America, was interested in finding a solution that would provide increased ...

Frigorífico Marba increases productivity by 30% in production process

Background One of the greatest Brazilian producers of industrialized meat products, Frigorífico Marba, has constantly expanded its product line to include new offerings. In recent years, this increase has also lead to facility expansion and the purchase of new, state-of-the-art equipment. To keep one facility clean and safe, Marba ...

From 2-circuit system to a 5-circuit system while saving 66% compressed air

Background In an application concerning lifting of heavy glass sheets, a manufacturer of lifting equipment uses a profile system with a frame of aluminium with internal vacuum channels. Worn out suction cups causes dropping of glass sheets as the centralised vacuum system is unable to compensate for the leakage and loses its ...

Fully automated solution in milling process

Background A manufacturer of airplane parts uses vacuum to hold plates of different sizes in position during manual milling. Solution Automation with 115 off Piab’s B50-2 suction cups with dual-flow control valve that are built into a fixture. Result All manual handling in the milling machine has been eliminated. The manufacturer, ...

General Motors utilizes 80% more efficient decentralized vacuum system

Background General Motors (GM) needed a vacuum system that would function in harsh environments and provide a high level of performance and safety. The major automotive manufacturer saw a number of advantages in choosing a decentralized vacuum system over a centralized one. Solution With a decentralized system, performance can be ...

Improved work-station safety with reduced handling time

Background World-leading manufacturer of ceramic membrane separation techniques, Pall Exekia, wanted a less laborious, safer and more efficient transfer system for alumina powder. The company had been manually hoisting 25kg bags of powder up 7m to a hopper. Solution Pall Exekia replaced its manual material handling processes with an ...

Industry leader develops innovative vacuum solution for its “bag-in-a-box” system

Background The BluePrint Automation Group is an industry leader in the design and manufacture of secondary packaging solutions for flexible and other hard-to-handle packages. The company wanted to design a machine for plastic bag handling that would provide a stronger grip and increase the speed of production. Solution The company was ...

Installation of Piab's vacuum conveyor resulted in an additional yearly revenue of US$270,000

Background A leading company within the flavours and fragrance industry wanted to enhance the conveying process of powder to mixers. They wanted to improve productivity by 20%, minimize contamination and reduce waste by 20%, and improve the work environment, especially safety related areas. Solution Piab's vacuum conveyor with ...

Less wear and noise in sawing operation

Background A producer of wooden structures for buildings and transport vehicles uses vacuum when handling wood panels and boards. They were looking for a more efficient and less noisy solution than what they had been using so far. Solution The company consulted Piab and a vacuum gripping system was installed. VGS™3010 with B110 ...

Maintenance costs and downtime significantly reduced

Background Millboard is a family owned manufacturer of polyurethane decking boards for commercial and domestic usage. A typical place where their decking boards would be used would be in gardens of hotels and restaurants. The advantage of polyurethane decking boards over wooden decking boards is that they require no maintenance at all, ...

No more dropping of plastic bags – productivity has increased considerably

Background An Italian customer active in the consumer industry was handling various bags with coffee pods up to 0.5 kg. The bag was either made of a thick plastic film or a plastic and aluminum film (as the one normally seen for coffee beans). The working cycle was from 20 to 40 picks per minute. The customer being energy conscious was ...

OKI reduces maintenance and downtime with a safe, speedy conveying system

Background OKI was founded in 1881 as Japan’s first telecommunications equipment manufacturer. At their plant in Glasgow, Scotland, more automated processes and equipment were introduced in order to remain competitive and to meet increased operation requirements. One process they decided to improve upon was the transfer of toner powders ...

Piab provides turnkey powder handling solution for tablet press OEM

Background In many cases, customers buying a Fette Compacting tablet press face the problem of moving the tablet powder into the press in an efficient, safe and hygienic way. Since vacuum conveying is not within Fette´s product range, their customers have to find and integrate a solution for transporting the powder themselves. Even when ...

PMAT Vacustat greatly reduces energy consumption

Background A company handling car glass (side windows) was looking for a vacuum solution with energy saving system that would function efficiently even when there was water on the glass. Solution The company installed two PMAT Vacustat units and measured the difference in compressed air consumption using two digital flow meters. ...

Polydata Huber reduces noise to 68dB with compressed air pumps

Background Polydata Huber, a mid-size print shop in the German graphic industry, strives to provide an ideal work environment for employees. To battle heat and noise issues on the shop floor, the company decided to replace its electrical pumps with compressed air pumps from Piab. Solution A test installation of Piab’s P6010 pumps was ...

Premium coffee producer experiences rapid amortization with automated conveying solution

Background The Drury Tea & Coffee Company, located in central London, has been meeting high production demands by leveraging innovative manufacturing solutions.  Drury needed an automated conveying solution that could transport a large quantity of freshly roasted beans into its packaging machine without causing damage in the ...

Printing company discovers out-of-the-box vacuum solution

Background Warners plc, a magazine and brochure printer based in the UK, purchased a new, state-of-the-art binder. The binder was selected for its high productivity level, and so an out-of-the-box solution to minimize heat generation and noise was needed. Solution Six P6010 pumps from Piab were installed for vacuum and blow functions ...

Productivity increased by 80% in the stamping process of hard-to-handle parts

Background Volkswagen Brazil produces high quantities of passenger vehicles at its plant in Anchieta, where an improved work environment and smoother assembly process are imperative. VW needed an effective solution for its boom assembly line that avoided dependence on vacuum switches, and was reliable enough to manipulate heavy parts ...

Reduced cleaning time by 600 hours with piFLOW®p

Background A contract manufacturer for solid dosage forms develops and produces multi-layered tablets, film-coated tablets, sugar-coated tablets, pellets and hard gelatine capsules. In a highly competitive market, productivity improvements and reduced cleaning times create a strong competitive edge – something the company searched for ...

Reduced energy consumption and downtime in tooling and transferring process

Background A manufacturer of military and commercial airplanes uses vacuum to hold plastic, wood and aluminium plates during tooling and transferring processes. The currently used electric vacuum pumps sometimes contaminated the industrial water circuit with leaking cooling liquid, causing a lot of downtime issues for the ...

Reliable conveyors decrease downtime for tile manufacturers

Background One of Europe’s most innovative producers of automatic systems for weighing and dosing applications, Euroelettra, was challenged to provide its customers in the ceramic tile industry a cost-effective and reliable dosing system that is able to safely transport the thin colored metal oxide powders commonly used in ...

Robot increases performance and consumes less compressed air

Background Animex, a plastics manufacturer, challenged an ABB strategic partner to design a new vacuum solution for its Xflex integrated work cell.  Animex wanted to reduce energy and increase performance while handling plastic parts used in the automotive industry. Solution Having had success with Piab’s DURAFLEX® suction cups ...

Searching for a conveying solution in a leadership position

Background Achieving a leadership position in the Fresh Dairy Products market would not be possible without the hygienic, efficient transporting of key ingredients. This is why Danone Poland was interested in finding a cost-effective conveying solution that could quickly and reliably transfer powders like moisture-absorbing whey and ...

Sleek end-effector design reduces energy consumption by 34% for end user

Background Based in Montgomery, Alabama, VonGal delivers quality, reliable, high-performance palletizing solutions to a multitude of industries. Recently, one of VonGal’s customers requested a robotic palletizing solution that was capable of handling recycled cases of various sizes and weights with a single end-of-arm tool. The customer ...

Tube manufacturer reduces energy consumption with industrial vacuum conveyor

Background Tectubes, a Swedish manufacturer of tubes for the food, pharmaceutical, personal care and chemical industries, needed a conveying solution that would reduce manufacturing downtime and decrease maintenance costs. In order to manufacture more tubes in less time, Tectubes sought to improve the way that its plastic granules were ...

Vacuum pump P3010 reduces air consumption to a non-issue

Background A manufacturer of electronic, electrical and fibre optic connection systems assemble electronic components onto flexible thin film circuits to be used for automotive computers. The manufacturer was searching for a new vacuum solution with a minimum of wiring and less need for maintenance and spare parts. Solution Piab ...

Wrigley Poland sees reduction in energy consumption, maintenance and cleaning time

Background Wrigley is a name well-known in the consumer goods industry for its wide variety of chewing gum and mints. Wrigley Poland recently decided to follow the company move toward process automation by simplifying its conveying process to reduce downtime. Solution Piab’s conveyors were installed for the transfer of flavouring ...

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