Manders Automation - Challenging Each Other to Work Better and Smarter

The relationship between Manders Automation and itsme is all about flexibility and the drive to do things better and smarter. Take, for example, the 2BIN system for grab stock management and the complete kits for serial machine construction. “We are constantly challenging each other. We also want to take additional steps in digitalization and become more sustainable.”

Manders Automation in Venray builds customised production automation for sectors such as automotive, life sciences, electronics and construction. The company (60 employees) develops solutions for assembly, connection technology and handling. Manders Automation is growing at a steady pace, says John Thijssen, director and owner of this “fantastic company”. “In the Netherlands, a lot of work is still done manually, and staffing problems are an obstacle to growth in production companies. So people come to us for production automation. Customers also increasingly ask us to upgrade their installed base. We have to overhaul these, provide them with new controls and optimise their safety, to make everything futureproof for at least another ten years.”

2BIN system

Manders Automation has all engineering disciplines in-house, boasts a machining department and does its own panel and cabinet building. For the supply of electrotechnical components and control products, Manders Automation has enjoyed a relationship with itsme for well over 25 years. “We were looking for a company based nearby (itsme has a branch in Venlo, ed.) that could supply a full package of components and that could also offer software support, training and a back-office for answering difficult control-technical questions. They have been delivering on that promise from day one. For example, by training our software people, and through their support of Siemens products, in which we are standardised. Meanwhile, we have also experienced that they are at the forefront of improvement processes. From faxing and retyping, for instance, we have made steps towards digital order processing by means of an EDI link. They have been encouraging us to explore all possibilities.”

“itsme is at the forefront of improvement processes.”

The latter also applies to stock management. “They presented overviews of our use of material, showed that we ordered a lot in small volumes and had challenging questions about our stock system. We concluded that we hadn't organised it very well. Next, they suggested taking care of part of our warehouse operations. This is how the 2BIN system was introduced over 15 years ago, initially taken care of by itsme. Every week, they sent someone over to replenish the grab stock and scan the empty bins. Then the financial crisis happened and we had to cut costs and were less busy. Together with itsme, we found a solution to start managing the warehouse operations ourselves. We scan and order the articles and once they're delivered, we put them in the correct location ourselves. Meanwhile, we have been getting busier and while we could switch roles again, things are being handled very efficiently, so we have decided to keep doing it ourselves. I like their flexibility a lot. It’s not important to itsme that they take care of the entire warehouse operations. If we want it set up like this, they are completely fine with that.” Every year, or whenever necessary, itsme runs an analysis so they can give us recommendations about removing certain low stock turnover rate products from the 2BIN and add high-volume products. In this way, we are constantly looking at the balance of what we stock and how we match this to our projects. It works like a charm and my people are very happy with it.”

On behalf of itsme, Djoeke van den Hoven and Marco Altgassen are Manders Automation’s contact persons. Van den Hoven: “As a consultant of itsme Connected Business, I always want to find the best solution for the customer.

If it’s a VMI system, we’ll add the option to choose between full-service or self-scan. It often depends on the handled volumes, as well as staffing and how disciplined the customer is. Manders Automation is very good at this. This doesn’t mean that we've completely let go of the reins; we still provide them with advice, statements, etc. However, as soon as things change at Manders Automation, they know that we can switch back to a full service situation. It’s a flexible option we can and want to continue to offer.”

Supply of complete kits

With “kitting”, the partners have taken the next step because of Manders Automation’s strategy to also get involved in the serial construction of modular machines. “With this, we want to lay a stable foundation under our project-driven customisation”, explains Thijssen. “When we build a series of identical machines, we can order the individual components for them, but that's a lot of ordering lines. If the components arrive at our shipping department in neat packages, these must first be unpacked, sorted and prepared for assembly. As a result, we are left with a lot of waste. itsme suggested filling a crate per machine with a complete kit of all the required components. The result is not only much less packaging material, but it’s also sustainable and cost-saving, plus, procurement only needs one order number. At the assembly department, they can work right out of that box. This greatly unburdens us and it makes the work very structured. Their kitting precision is outstanding. Only once did we spot a mistake on their end and it was immediately fixed.”

“This greatly unburdens us and it makes the work very structured.”

Over at Manders Automation, they are thrilled with this form of kitting. “Again, this is where itsme’s flexibility comes into its own. Sometimes we have a large series of machines that we don't need to build all at once. In that case, we can call off the required number of kits in steps. And when in 2020-2021 the delivery times for many components were extremely long, it was no problem at all for itsme to partially deliver kits so that we could move forward. They made sure the remaining items were shipped as quickly as possible and helped us look for alternatives. I truly appreciate that administrative support and proactive involvement.”

More digital and sustainable

In short, Thijssen is very content. “We collaborate well and our contacts are a group of great, competent people.” Obviously, he does have some things on his wish list. “With regards to our digital coupling, we've come a long way. However, we are still working with paper documents. There are therefore still things to improve, and - especially on our side - we need to make some adjustments. We may also want to start working with kits for our large single-piece machines. At the moment, we're placing project-based orders for these and receive a lot of packaging. I also want to explore how we can become more sustainable in tandem, by increasing our efficiency. Not just in terms of less packaging, but also with fewer trips from itsme to us. Digitalization makes it very easy to order something and if you do that every day, that can also mean a delivery every day. We could bundle those orders more often and have them delivered once or twice a week so that itsme only has to make an extra trip in exceptional situations for items that are needed immediately. In this way, we are constantly challenging each other to work better and smarter.”

Check out our other success stories:

Stay up to date with the latest news:

Why not take a look at these trainings we offer: