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Testimonial KRECO Steel Fabrication
- Core business:
- Location:
- Founded:
- Employees:
- Tonnage:
- Steel fabrication
- Blair, Nebraska
- 2000
- 12
- 2.500 / year
"You only need one operator for both machines. It's all automatic. You don’t have to sit there and baby it the whole time. You can do other parts of the business that keep you efficient."
KRECO opts for fully automated production
"People who buy machines and think they can do their own material handling. I think it's a waste of time and money when you can have everything fully automated. How you guys do it. It's amazing to me. I've seen some other material handling. It doesn't compare to what Voortman provides." said Steve Cook of KRECO Steel Fabrication. A relatively small company based in Blair, USA, employing 12 people.
They process 2,500 tonnes of steel a year on 25,000 square feet. "It would have slowed us if we had to do all that work manually. Then we would never have got it done in the time frame we had".
Speed of production increases output by 100%
In 2014, KRECO installed a saw-drill line, the Voortman VB1250 and Voortman V630. It was the best choice to fit in the space they had.
Enthusiastic about the back-to-back, Steve Cook says: "I have always been amazed at how fast it produces parts. It boosted our output 100%. The beauty of the Voortman V630 is that the machine will always keep running. Whether you are loading the infeed up or getting the next set of profiles ready for the infeed. You can do it all. Everything is automated from the moment we feed the drill-saw line to where it comes out. For me, the quality of the material handling is the best. That is what makes the machine so good, in my opinion".
One operator manages both machines
"You need one operator for both machines. It's all automatic, from the infeed to going through the saw-drill line and the Voortman V807. "You don’t have to sit there and baby it the whole time. You can do other parts of the business that keep you efficient. The machine does the work. We are able to produce parts much faster than before," Cook says with a smile on his face.
The saw-drill line has since been expanded to include the Voortman V807 and Voortman V310. This has increased production by 50%, with still the same number of employees.
Finally, he says that for him, the Voortman machines are the best on the market and is curious to see what else is coming to the market.