Kiefel’s innovation and strong partnership in recent years is being rewarded with membership in the ABB Authorized Value Provider Program.
ABB robot technology is utilized in Kiefel’s Fiber Thermoforming systems – the Natureformer KFT 90. The ABB robots are used for pick and place applications and heavy-duty robots for the KFT 90 tools. Kiefel admits that due to ABB robots’ integration, the company’s customers enjoy full flexibility in the manufacturing of plastic and fiber products.
Kiefel develops and produces high-quality machines for processing plastics, bio-based materials, and natural fibers for medical engineering, refrigerator, and packaging industries. The company has a global presence as it owns sales and service branches in the USA, France, the Netherlands, Russia, China, Brazil, Indonesia, India, and sales partners in more than 60 countries. Kiefel owns the Dutch thermoform toolmaker Kiefel Packaging and the Austrian company Kiefel Packaging, a supplier of tools and automation solutions.
Implementation of RobotStudio
According to Kiefel, due to the implementation of the RobotStudio – a comprehensive simulation and offline programming software – development times can be shortened, and start-ups can be made significantly quicker. During machine operation, robot processes can be changed faster and adapted to altered conditions such as switching to another product – quickly and efficiently.
The company also said the interface between the robots and Kiefel control technology allows customers to benefit from a proven and reliable system. The safety function claims to offer maximum safety for the operator.
ABB supports Kiefel in various applications. Moreover, the exchange of experience allows Kiefel and ABB to penetrate new market sectors successfully. As a partner in the ABB Authorized Value Provider Program, Kiefel offers certified sales, support, maintenance, and engineering services in close cooperation with ABB.
Being part of the future-oriented collaboration, Michael Kremer, head of Sales at ABB, handed over the AVP (Authorized Value Provider) certificate to Peter Eisl, chief financial officer of Kiefel. According to the press release, by participating in the ABB Value Provider Program, Kiefel can offer its customers several advantages:
• Fast global support and parts supply by Kiefel or ABB
• Continuous joint development of the robot and interface integration
• Access to demo robots for specialized customer applications
