Behind the scenes, safety comes first
 

Bruynzeel Storage Systems opts for new Leuze safety light curtains
 

The innovative storage solutions Bruynzeel produces in Panningen in Limburg (the Netherlands) are distributed all over the world. Almost all their products are custom-made, but this doesn’t stop Bruynzeel from achieving tight delivery times. And with that in mind, smoothly running machinery becomes all the more important. So when a number of safety light curtains were in need of replacement, it was essential to act quickly. A collaboration with Leuze and itsme provided support. 

When it comes to customisation, you immediately think of longer delivery times. Not so at Bruynzeel Storage Systems. On the contrary. The company’s strength lies in the combination of customer-specific and fast production. “We deliver to companies in Australia and the US, but compared to local players we are still competitive with our delivery times. And that includes sea freight”, says Theo Rutten. His degree in teaching Mechanical Technology never actually led to a classroom career, but has been very useful over the past thirty years when it comes to sharing his knowledge in his position as head of Technical Services at Bruynzeel Storage Systems. Together with his team he keeps all machines up and running and handles any repairs as efficiently as possible. 
 

Specific products demand brand standardisation
 

Almost the entire machinery at Bruynzeel Storage Systems has been built to special requirements. Therefore, the components used are often not standard and consequently not always easily available. Theo explains that this underlines the importance of good, steady partners as well as brand standardisation. “itsme supplies 90% of our electronic components. The lines are short, enabling us to act quickly. And in our market that is enormously important. We look upon itsme as a service centre; they take care of everything for us and are also there for technical support and questions. For instance, on the basis of an article number or a product alone, they find out which replacement parts offer the best alternative. That saves us a lot of time and weighs in more heavily than those few dimes you save by shopping on the internet at a random box-shifter. And in addition, we only work with standardised lists of brands. This standardisation ensures a certain level of knowledge at both itsme and their suppliers. And this is of the utmost importance with machinery that doesn’t come out of a standard catalogue.”
 

 “We look upon itsme as a service centre; they take care of everything technical for us”
 

One of those selected brands is Leuze, which is often used by Bruynzeel Storage Systems in relation to safety. Moreover, Leuze has been a long-standing partner of itsme when it comes to solutions in industrial automation: detection, security and identification are being skilfully offered to a variety of areas in industry. Theo explains that they immediately sprang into action when the safety light curtain of one of the palletising robots broke down. “The robot is protected, but there is an opening through which a forklift can pass to remove the products. And the same area is also used by truck drivers to unload their cargo. There is a physical chain, but sometimes people accidentally walk past that. In those cases, the safety light curtain causes the robot to stop, which is just as well. If you have to replace such a curtain, then you want to do that as quickly as possible out of safety concerns.” 
 

“New technology requires specialist knowledge. The right partners help your organisation with that”
 

Bruynzeel approached itsme, represented by technical sales engineer Thijs Hanssen and account manager Guido Hahnraths. In order to share specific product expertise immediately, making it possible to act quickly, Leuze account manager Raymond Leerintveld joined in. He explained how they changed from a mechanical to an electronic control system: “Previously we had to deal with conventional communication with the control box. We still had old-fashioned relay contacts in the curtain. By using a converter, we were able to overcome the differences in outlets  – electronic instead of relay.” Theo confirms that a one-on-one replacement is not always possible: “New technology requires specialist knowledge. The right partners help your organisation with that.”
 

More flexibility
 

In part because of the smooth collaboration between the three companies, the new safety light curtain was installed within two weeks. According to Guido, strength also lies in knowing about each other’s activities. “When customers need something, I always ask them if they want to explain what it is going be used for. This automatically leads to collaboration with the right manufacturer, in this case Leuze, so that together we can come up with the best solution.”
 

The new electronic set-up also brings a lot of flexibility, says Theo: “We will inevitably have to replace that robot one day and at that point communication with the curtain is immediately compatible. And in addition, we can also transfer the safety light curtains to another location within the company. With that, we are prepared for the future as well.”