Fatra AS has recently invested in five Negri Bossi Vector machines installed at its Czech Republic production plants in Napajedla and Chropyně to supply plastic components to home goods giant Ikea.
In a July 28 statement Negri Bossi said the investment included new 1,100-metric-ton machines to manufacture a completely new product.
The 650- and 1,100-tonne machines were all equipped with Negri Bossi beam robots and automation, which included scales, a labeling system, a conveyor belt and guarding.
“This enables Fatra to efficiently supply a final verified product. Whilst all the Negri Bossi machines maintain very high accuracy levels, the robot monitors the component weight with any parts out of tolerance being rejected into a dedicated container,” the machinery supplier said.
After weight checking, a label dispenser adds a bar code label that the system verifies with an optical reader to validate position and readability. The products are stacked on a conveyor belt before moving to the warehouse.
Fatra, which employs more than 1,100 at the two plants, supplies “high quality components and specialized customer-tailored solutions” to customers including Swedish home furniture store Ikea.
In 2016, Fatra posted sales of 3.7 billion Czech kroruna ($166.5 million) with more than 75 percent of its production headed for international markets.
Materials processed include PVC-P, PVC-U, LDPE, linear low density polyethylene, high density PE, EVA, polypropylene, PET, and ABS.
“At Fatra our focus is always on delivering a very reliable service to our customers. Negri Bossi help us achieve this and we see them more as a partner than a supplier,” said Jitka Svobodova, project manager, Fatra AS.