Category: 2018 SC AutoSummit

Agoria,  Belgium‘s largest employers’ organization and trade association, provides services for its members on international business development and specialized technology solutions which focus on enhancing business opportunities for its members.

The Transport and Mobility Technology Club was founded in the fall of 2016 and is the newest of eight active manufacturing sectors represented within Agoria. Despite its youth, the club already has nearly three dozen member companies.

Agoria means progress through technology, and the organization paves the way for all technologically-inspired companies in Belgium that strive for progress in the world through the development or application of innovations.

Agoria is proud that more than 1,800 member companies, who together represent around 300,000 employees, put their trust in the three pillars of our services: consultancy, business development and the creation of an optimal business climate.

Click here to read about the Belgian presentations at the 2018 SC Automotive Summit.

About the speaker: Ward Vleegen holds a Master’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and joined Agoria in 2015, where he is in charge of the Agoria Transport & Mobility Technology Club. Ward has held different positions in the automotive industry for more than 20 years, including engineering, project management, account management and consultancy. https://www.linkedin.com/in/wardvleegen/

Ward Vleegen – Business Group Leader Markets
E-mail: ward.vleegen@agoria.be
Tel: +32 2 706 79 15 / Cell: +32 493 31 09 12
Address: Agoria, vzw
Bd. A. Reyersln 80,
B-1030 Brussels, Belgium
Website: http://www.agoria.be

 

 

AMS Belgium is a young, global and dynamic full-service provider of automation projects using robots & PLC systems. AMS offers turnkey automation solutions for manufacturing industries, and has extensive experience with the automotive and food industry. Customers include BMW, Volvo, Daimler, Volkswagen, Tata and Ford.

Its new Robomoulding division molds plastics using rotational robots, opening potential new markets. Since a furnace is not used in the molding, up to 95 percent of traditional energy used in production is saved.

A Global Presence

The company has offices in Belgium, the Netherlands, South Africa, Germany, Romania, India and Italy, as well as partnerships with main line builders in Austria, Brazil, Mexico and the USA.

AMS has nearly 400 installed robots, as well as about 50 employees around the world – a number it expects to double by 2021.

Family Business

Founder Johan Potargent and his son, Laurens, run the company from their office in Bilzen, near Brussels. Johan says the two fundamental themes running through all of his projects are safety and superior quality.

The company has seen good growth throughout the world, and expects to continue growing its robotics and molding businesses, to be followed by software and consultancy.

Click here to read about the Belgian presentations at the SC Automotive Summit.

To request an opportunity to meet with AMS, please email trip@scconnect.us, or use the form found here.

About the Speaker: Johan founded AMS Belgium in 2006, after several management functions in different automotive companies. Johan carries a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering and an MBA in International Marketing Management.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/johan-potargent-754a302/

Johan Potargent – CEO
Email:Johan.potargent@amsbelgium.com
Tel: +32 475 28 66 82
Address: AMS Belgium, BVBA
Kieleberg 5 B- 3740 Bilzen, Belgium
Website: http://www.ams-innovation.com/

To request an opportunity to meet with BEP Europe, please email trip@scconnect.us, or use the form found here.

The Burke Porter Group is a global leader in the design, manufacture, and supply of advanced technological testing and assembly solutions. The company encompasses 31 locations across four continents, with manufacturing and support capabilities across the globe. Leading experts for more than 60 years, BEP is passionate about delivering the best products and the greatest customer experiences.

Started  in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Burke Porter began producing high-quality, high-durability machinery in 1953. By 1994, the company had developed the first, modern roll and brake testing machine, which integrated AC motor technology and replaced older hydraulic machinery methods.

Expanding Business

According to a recent blog post of the Burke Porter Group:

“… BEP Europe (BEPE) works together with other companies within the group to build intelligent machines for automotive, life science and advanced manufacturing markets. Until 2009, BEPE focused exclusively on end-of-line test installations for automotive assembly plants, with some of its biggest customers including PSA and the VW Group.

“Today our position in the market is a far more diverse one, although end-of-line tests still remain our main revenue generator,” begins Ward Van de Walle, Chief Technology Officer at Burke Porter Group. “Alongside BEP Europe’s original customers, the larger group now works with the likes of BMW, Mercedes, Fiat and JLR, offering full vehicle end-of-line testing, axle testing and component testing.”

In addition to its automotive test installations, BEP Europe is skilled in the development of new machine technology. The majority of its R&D work in recent years was based on the Organic Rankine Cycle – converting waste heat into electricity – with these machines commercialised under the brand name, E-Rational as part of its constantly developing portfolio.

Organic growth

The post continues:

“…Burke Porter Group (BPG) focuses its energy on both organic growth and growth through company acquisitions. The past two years has seen the acquisition of six companies, including Universal Balancing, CIMAT, Epic Equipiment, Kleinknecht, Korvis and Lismar, all of which have brought new product lines and technologies to the company.

“For our automotive business line, we have invested in new product development with a main focus on autonomous driving, the electrification of powertrain in cars and NVH testing,” explains Van de Walle. “There are vast amounts of disruptions today that are driven solely by technology and that is a factor that we are attempting to tackle in our work.”

Click here to read about the Belgian presentations at the SC Automotive Summit.

To request an opportunity to meet with BEP Europe, please email trip@scconnect.us, or use the form found here.

About the Speaker: After working for Chevron for 4 years, Ward Van de Walle joined BEP Europe in 2002. He has had different roles in the company, such as engineering manager, managing director energy and infrastructure and currently VP New Business Development & CTO of the Burke Porter Group. Ward has a Master’s Degree in Materials Engineering and an MBA. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ward-van-de-walle-7b7b031/

Ward Van de Walle – VP,  New Business Development & CTO
E-mail: ward.vandewalle@bepco.com
Tel: +32 50 40 85 65 / Cell: +32 486 43 77 20
BEP Europe, NV
Ten Briele 6
B-8200 Sint-Michiels (Brugge), Belgium
Website: www.bepco.com

To request an opportunity to meet with conTeyor, please email trip@scconnect.us, or use the form found here.

conTeyor is a leader in the innovative niche market of B2B re-usable packaging solutions.

Plastic bags, cardboard, bubble foil and the like are made obsolete. conTeyor offers solutions that eliminate the need for expendable, single-use packaging materials by tailored designed solutions.

Increase Efficiency and Profitability

conTeyor focuses on parts protection and lean manufacturing. Their customized packaging solutions allow companies to increase efficiency and profitability. Their goal is to eliminate all waste packaging and to increase the component ‘s load factor in a container or box, thereby reducing transport costs. Special attention is given to the ergonomics and weight of the final solution. conTeyor considers its job well done only when the operator likes to work with the conTeyor solutions. conTeyor has specific expertise and experience in various sectors of industrial assembly, meaning both the automotive as well as the non-automotive industry.

conTeyor offers customers better protection for their components, a higher packing density, re-use of packaging material, and easier & more ergonomic handling. This allows them to cut costs and lower their carbon footprint at the same time.

Click here to read about the Belgian presentations at the SC Automotive Summit.

To request an opportunity to meet with conTeyor, please email trip@scconnect.us, or use the form found here.

About the Speaker: Jos van Bree founded conTeyor International in 1995. He is a self-made man who started his professional career at the assembly line of VOLVO in Ghent Belgium. He was working for Volvo cars, Volvo Trucks and Volvo parts division. The link in his career is the passion to improve processes, products and performance.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/conteyor-jos-van-bree-01726b54/

Jos van Bree – Executive Chairman
E-mail: jos.vanbree@conteyor.com
Tel: +32 9 272 69 69
conTeyor Holding NV
Burg. Maenhautstraat 44D
B- 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
Website: www.conteyor.com

 

Troy A. Saunby – Commercial Director, North America conTeyor US
E-Mail: troy.saunby@conteyor.com
Tel: +1 248 439 6487 / Cell +1 248 228 0263
conTeyor US, 750E
Mandoline Avenue, Madison Heights, MI 48071

 

James Guy – Customer Solutions Manager
E-Mail: james.guy@conTeyor.com
Cell:   +1 (980) 875-0077
conTeyor US, 750E
Mandoline Avenue, Madison Heights, MI 48071

To request an opportunity to meet with Facil, please email trip@scconnect.us, or use the form found here.

Complexity Tamed

Facil transforms the low-cost, high complexity world of fasteners into a full-service support system that standardizes parts, streamlines re-supply and cuts time and labor costs. OEM customers such as Daimler and Volvo use Facil from the early concept and design phase throughout the product’s entire lifecycle.

Facil calls its employees “Fasteneers”, and coordinates 400 Fasteneers in 17 sites around the world from its headquarters in Genk, Belgium. The group has its North American headquarters in Twinsburg, Ohio, as well as a distribution center in Charlotte.

Pieter Houben, vice president of marketing, says Facil’s chief differentiator today remains what it has always been: a cemented set of morals filtered down from a mother company partnership steeped in family values and entrepreneurial flair.

“We have to be the most innovative in the world of fasteners,” Houben says.

Created to Streamline

Facil is a joint venture between a German and a French company, both of which were Ford suppliers tasked to standardize and streamline parts procurement.

The companies created Facil, which works from initial part design to material sourcing to delivery, lowering costs and adding value. In short, Facil works to eliminate duplicative parts in system, then sources the parts to OEMs and others.

It’s quality has been recognized by both Ford and Volvo, and Facil won significant contracts from both in 2016. For Ford, Facil has been named the full-service provider for the Ford Focus.

In South Carolina, Houben will be looking to build relationships with OEMs and looking to meet with advanced material companies. In the end, he sees the trip to the SC Automotive Summit as a way to extend and build relationships.

Facil, he says, would rather have 50 long-term partners than 1,000 customers.

Click here to read about the Belgian presentations at the SC Automotive Summit.

About the Speaker: Pieter joined Facil in early 2015. Prior to that, he worked at Agfa Gevaert where he held various positions mainly in Supply Chain. Pieter carries a Master’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and an Executive MBA. https://www.linkedin.com/in/pieter-houben-587718/

 

Pieter Houben – Vice President, Marketing
E-mail: pieter.houben@facil.be
Tel: +32 89 41 04 75
Facil Europe, BVBA
Geleenlaan 20
B-3600 Genk, Belgium
Website: www.facil.be

To request an opportunity to meet with FlandersMake, please email trip@scconnect.us, or use the form found here.

FlandersMake is the strategic research facility for manufacturing in Belgium’s industrial region. Its ten university facilities with about 300 researchers are available for private U.S. company use and collaborative research with U.S. institutions.

More specifically, FlandersMake supports the innovation projects of manufacturing companies, contributing to new products and processes that help realize the vehicles, machines and factories of the future.

Optimal interaction between machines and humans is a crucial feature to respond to the increasing trend of customized products. In such factories, the creativity and intelligence of operators and the precision and power of machines are a perfectly working match. Flanders Make will guide you through the different research objectives and results related to create smart workstations, adaptive, human-centered, robot-collaborative manufacturing organizations and systems and cognitive and physical interaction between man and robot using the technology offered today (augmented reality, closed loop MES interaction, etc.)

Opportunities for Partnerships

FlandersMake offers several collaborative approaches:

Manufacturer/Sector Research

Manufacturers or entire sectors often underwrite research into a particular issue. When complete, results are shared with the sponsors. This provides opportunities for
— Manufacturers, which can benefit from the FlandersMake applied research, and
— Colleges and Universities, which could assist and benefit from the research effort.

Small Batch Manufacturing

FlandersMake has the facilities to support high precision manufacturing. The process allows for quick, low-expensive prototyping so that new products can get to market faster.

Testing

Manufacturers frequently rent the specialized equipment and expertise of FlandersMake to test new prototypes. This can include the nearly 50-mile Ford Lommel Proving Ground, located adjacent to FlandersMake’s Lommel office. For 40 years, the Lommel Proving Ground has been Ford’s most important automotive testing site.

FlandersMake has earned the trust of industry, which uses the extensive facilities to test discreetly prototypes and experimental ideas without fear of publicity.

Click here to read about the Belgian presentations at the SC Automotive Summit.

To request an opportunity to meet with FlandersMake, please email trip@scconnect.us, or use the form found here.

About the Speaker: Dirk Torfs, CEO of FlandersMake, earned a PhD in Applied Science from KU-Leuven based on a thesis on Modeling and Control and an MBA in Entrepreneurship. Prior to joining FlandersMake as the CEO in 2014, Dirk was Vice President, Division Manager Benelux at ABB Benelux and had several other senior management functions in the electromechanical industry.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dirk-torfs-96a54510/

Dirk Torfs – CEO
E-Mail: dirk.torfs@flandersmake.be
Tel: +32 11 790 590
Flanders Make cvba-so
Oude Diestersebaan 133
B-3920 Lommel, Belgium
Website: www.flandersmake.be

To request an opportunity to meet with LASE, please email trip@scconnect.us, or use the form found here.

Since 2001, LASE has been developing turnkey automation projects for OEMs as well as Tier I and II suppliers worldwide. LASE can provide the most cost-effective manufacturing solution for interior systems, exterior plastics, fuel systems, drive trains and axles. As a turnkey integrator, LASE has all divisions in house, from design to manufacturing up to installation & training in your facility.

Clear Communication

A team of more than 30 employees allows LASE to eliminate the need for subcontractors on automation projects. In other words: LASE lessens the risk  of miscommunication, creates clear lines of communication and always takes full responsibility.

LASE also takes the appropriate measures from the very beginning in order to minimize the risk of mistakes and make your process as failsafe as possible.

Thanks to this unique approach, LASE has been a preferred supplier to many of the world’s largest automotive manufacturers for years.

Click here to read about the Belgian presentations at the SC Automotive Summit.

To request an opportunity to meet with LASE, please email trip@scconnect.us, or use the form found here.

About the Speaker: After several years at Lear Corporation, Gert Peetersem founded Labor Aiding Systems Europe (LASE) in 2001. Gert carries a Master’s Degree in Industrial Automation.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gert-peetersem

Gert Peetersem – General Manager
E-mail: gpeetersem@lase.be
Tel: +32 13 31 57 36 / Cell: +32 477 59 05 13
Labor Aiding Systems Europe, NV
Industrieweg 1086
B-3540 Herk-de-Stad, Belgium
Website: http://www.lase.be/en

 

Georg Eigster – Director of Sales
E-Mail: geigster@lase.be

To request an opportunity to meet with Proceedix, please email trip@scconnect.us, or use the form found here.

Proceedix is a young and ambitious technology company, headquartered in beautiful Ghent, Belgium.

Since its foundation in 2014, it has developed one of the leading solutions for digital work instructions.

Google Glass Partner

Early on, Proceedix was selected by Google to become one of only about a dozen official “Glass Partners”, developing industrial applications for Google’s new “Enterprise Edition” smart glasses.

In the meantime, the company has grown to about 20 people, raised 2 million Euros in scale-up funding, established an American subsidiary, and developed an impressive list of customers.

The Proceedix administration platform makes it easy to create and manage procedures, work instructions, and checklists centrally, while mobile and wearable devices -such as phones, tablets, and smart glasses- empower shop floor operators and field workers with any information needed during execution.

Using Proceedix, operators, quality inspectors, and maintenance/service technicians always have the right, up-to-date, and easily understandable information at their fingertips when and where they need it. They can easily record input such as numerical values, photos, and videos, and send action items to first-line support functions. As a result, Proceedix’ customers have been able to significantly improve quality, productivity, flexibility, and safety

Internationally Recognized Excellence

Last year, Proceedix was nominated as “Best Enterprise Solution” at the Augmented World Expo 2017. And one of their American customers, AGCO, won the AME Excellence Award, based on their work -and results- with Proceedix-on-Glass.

In addition to its Ghent headquarters, Proceedix has sales offices in San Francisco, and a strategic implementation partner located in Greenville, South Carolina.

Click here to read about the Belgian presentations at the SC Automotive Summit.

To request an opportunity to meet with Proceedix, please email trip@scconnect.us, or use the form found here.

About the Speaker: Peter carries a Master in Engineering Applied Physics, and MBA and a Black Belt, Lean Six Sigma. Prior to founding Proceedix in 2014, Peter has acquired 20 years of business process re-engineering experience at multiple positions in different companies. https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-verstraeten/

 

Peter Verstraeten – CEO
Email: peter.verstraeten@proceedix.com
Cell: +32.475.48.72.51
Address: Ottergemsesteenweg Zuid 808, bus 338B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
Website: www.proceedix.com

 

 

Stijn Van de Velde –  Implementation Partner
Email: stijn@executionpartners.us
Cell: +1.864.525.5458
Address: 33 Market Point Drive,
Greenville SC 29607
Website: www.executionpartners.us

 

To request an opportunity to meet with ProSuite, please email trip@scconnect.us, or use the form found here.

ProSuite develops and markets paperless manufacturing software solutions. Based on a predefined workflow, their software controls the full assembly process, registers all the product assembly steps and generates a complete birth certificate.

Complex assembly processes still require operators. But operators are still humans — not robots — which means they can make mistakes. ProSuite works to minimize those mistakes by combining traceability with process control. “Traceability” means listing all registered data. “Process control” means giving an operator step-by-step instructions with the aid of a screen, and enabling and disabling equipment as necessary.

ProSuite has extensive experience in all different types of traceability and process control solutions, ranging from simply tracking tightening results to complete plant control.

ProSuite® is a standard solution, achieved by combining a flexible architecture with custom made plug-ins. Its flexible architecture makes ProSuite® usable for various assembly applications and machines from various suppliers.

ProSuite®  is offered for every industry that uses tightening tools, one station to entire assembly lines.

ProSuite® can cover up to 95% of your needs with standard software modules and our architecture allows us to make custom modules where needed to cover the last 5%.

Click here to read about the Belgian presentations at the SC Automotive Summit.

To request an opportunity to meet with ProSuite, please email trip@scconnect.us, or use the form found here.

About the Speaker: Prior to founding De Jaeger Automation in 2000, the company developing the ProSuite software, Patrick De Jaeger worked as Automation Consultant at Volvo Cars Ghent and Tier-1 companies. Patrick holds a Master’s Degree in Industrial Engineering. https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickdejaeger/

 

 

Patrick De Jaeger – International Business Dev. Manager
Email: Patrickdj@prosuite.eu
Tel: +32 93 78 49 89 / Cell : +32 495 26 11 60
ProSuite – De Jaeger Automation BVBA
Consciencelaan 79
B-9950 Waarschoot, Belgium
Website: http://www.prosuite.eu

To request an opportunity to meet with RapidFit, please email trip@scconnect.us, or use the form found here.

The RapidFit system changes the way fixtures are designed and manufactured. As a modular system, RapidFit offers a high degree of customization and accuracy, while also allowing for the re-use of standardized elements. Advanced functionality can be integrated into fixtures, such as snap-fits and clips. These in turn enable increased repeatability and a better representation of the part environment. RapidFit is a game-changer in automotive tooling, shortening the time-to-market for products.

RapidFit is a daughter company of Materialise – a worldwide leading company in 3D printing and listed on the NASDAQ as MTLS. Materialise focuses on tooling applications where 3D printing can make a disruptive improvement.

RapidFit is fully dedicated to tooling and has a specialized team of tooling engineers as well as a top-notch production facility. Being part of the Materialise Group enables RapidFit to have the best possible access to all 3D printing skills, including software developments for design and production automation.

About Materialise

Materialise’s open and flexible platforms enable players in industries such as healthcare, automotive, aerospace, art and design, and consumer goods, to build innovative 3D printing applications that make the world a better and healthier place.

Headquartered in Belgium, with branches worldwide, the company has brought together the largest group of software developers in the industry and one of the largest 3D printing facilities in the world.

The RapidFit system changes the way fixtures are designed and manufactured. As a modular system, RapidFit offers a high degree of customization and accuracy, while also allowing for the re-use of standardized elements. Advanced functionality can be integrated into fixtures, such as snap-fits and clips. These in turn enable increased repeatability and a better representation of the part environment. RapidFit is a game-changer in automotive tooling, shortening the time-to-market for your product.

Click here to read about the Belgian presentations at the SC Automotive Summit.

To request an opportunity to meet with RapidFit, please email trip@scconnect.us, or use the form found here.

About the Speaker: Stef Thulie joined Materialise in 1994, and has had different roles in the company throughout the years: project management, account management, sales management. Stef carries a Master’s Degree in Industrial Engineering
https://www.linkedin.com/in/stef-thulie-08036a4/

Stef Thulie – Sales Manager
E-mail: stef.thulie@materialise.be
Tel: +32 16 396 636 / Cell: +32 485 268010
RapidFit NV
Technologielaan 15
B-3001 Haasrode, Belgium
Website: http://rapidfit.materialise.be