The system supplier SBS-Feintechnik mainly deals with customer-specific drive technology and works for the mobility industry on two and four wheels, but also for customers from the building, household appliance and medical technology sectors. There is also mechanical and plant engineering. "We also have a 100% market share in mechanical movements," adds Thomas Burger with a wink, who steers the fortunes of the company as Managing Partner of the owner Burger Group.

Constant availability

The demands on the transfer technology used are high. "We had already installed a belt conveyor system in the 1950s. This was followed a few years later by a workpiece carrier system," explains Burger. "Although this was innovative for its time, at some point it no longer met our requirements, so it was time for something new in 2016." Burger looked around the market, compared systems from different suppliers and quickly opted for the solution from Stein in nearby Villingen-Schwenningen.

"One of the arguments in favor of the Stein 300 with logistics control and data storage is the system itself. Its modular design gives us the flexibility we need and allows us to react quickly and easily to changes. Thanks to Softmove, which prevents the hard collision of the workpiece carriers, we can also transport our components gently, quietly and energy-efficiently between the individual workstations," explains Helmut Obergfell, Assistant to the Technical Director of the Burger Group. "The close proximity, the fast response time and the close and trusting cooperation at eye level should also not be underestimated," adds Burger. Just how well the collaboration works was also demonstrated when the first Stein 300 needed to develop individual solutions. "We sat down with Stein, looked together at what a possible solution could look like and developed it quickly in cooperation," explains Obergfell.

SBS now operates four Stein 300s on two continents: The first system in Schonach was soon joined by a second, and two Stein 300s are also doing the rounds at the production facility in Barrie (Canada). "We use the Stein systems exclusively for the production of parts for the automotive industry - 24/7," explains Obergfell. "In addition to high system availability, flexibility is particularly important here. We manufacture chaotically, i.e. with different products that run simultaneously on the same system but require different production steps." The Stein 300 uses an RFID chip on the workpiece carrier to identify which components require which steps.

Stein continuously supports SBS in optimizing the systems, provides the company with advice and assistance and sometimes takes unusual and new approaches. For example, when the second Stein 300 was commissioned in Barrie (Canada) in the fall of 2020: "We commissioned the plant from Germany. That was an exciting and challenging experience," says Jürgen Noailles, Managing Director of Stein. "In 18 hours of Facetime, the whole thing was done. If we had flown over, it would have taken a similar amount of time and would have had a negative impact on the environment." Stein and SBS have not only done something for their green footprint with the remote commissioning, but have also gained many new and important insights. "As we had access to the right digital equipment at SBS and in-house, the project ran smoothly," says Noailles.

Counteracting the shortage of skilled workers

"I think the fact that we have now purchased three more Stein 300s clearly shows that we are more than satisfied with the transport solutions and the cooperation with Stein," Burger sums up. A fifth system was even added in summer 2021. This is located at the Donaueschingen vocational school and is used in the training of plastics technologists. "This is a project with regional partners in which school, industry and politics work closely together to do something about the shortage of skilled workers," explains Burger, "it is becoming increasingly difficult to find people. Shift work and the great flexibility required of employees don't make the work any more attractive, of course." This is why SBS is already in talks with the automation specialists about the next stone system for its production. "And as people are becoming increasingly scarce in production, we will have to rely even more heavily on robots or cobots," says Burger, looking to the near future.