Brimas

Brimas, specialised in welding and processing stainless steel, aluminium and iron, is one of the leading sub-suppliers of custom-designed products. Back in 1998, the brothers Thomas and Peter Iversen established the company under the name of Brdr. Iversen in the Danish town Horsens. Their main idea was to produce stainless steel fittings for the boat industry but soon the company also became a components supplier to local industries. Today, Brimas has a workforce of 50, and customers include the offshore, wind turbine and food industries.

Over the years, the company has experienced positive development and growth. According to Brimas' production manager and co-founder, Peter Iversen, this is due to a high level of knowledge among the employees and an ability to adapt quickly in the production.

- We do our utmost to offer short delivery times and supply our customers with high-quality products. Consequently, we always have focus on educating our employees in order to maintain a high professional and technical level, while optimising the use of our machines.

- Obviously, it is important for us to invest in modern machines and the latest technology in the business. That is why we primarily use Migatronic welding equipment. Most recently, we invested in five of their Sigma Select machines. They are user-friendly, easily adjustable and therefore ideal for the custom-designed components in our production, Peter Iversen explains.

Profitable specialist guidance

After purchasing new Sigma Select machines from Migatronic dealer 3K in Horsens, Brimas asked for the specialist guidance of Migatronic’s group of welding experts. Brimas needed advice on how to best utilise the functions of the machine to optimise its production processes. In addition, Brimas invited the welding experts to attend its internal training day, which is held once or twice a year.

- Our training day ensures knowledge sharing and keeps our employees up to date on the latest technologies and the use of them. In this way we can continue to supply our customers with high-quality products, says Peter Iversen.

There was a desire among Brimas’ employees to know more about all the functions and welding programs of the Migatronic machines, in particular the new Sigma Select.

- We must be able to move from one special assignment to another without spending a lot of time on adjusting the welding machines. So we considered it a good idea to be thoroughly trained, in particular in our new Sigma Select machines in order to fully utilise the functions of the machine, explains Peter Iversen and continues:

- The practical demonstration of the machine was of great benefit to us. Now our employees can save individual settings and adjust the machine to specific tasks, and it has become easier to determine which welding technique to use. Apart from improving our processes on all parameters, it improves the general job satisfaction among our employees. The specialist guidance has certainly moved us when it comes to welding mild and stainless steel.

Change of welding process pays off

On the training day, the welding experts also recommended Brimas to use the innovative DUO Plus technology on Sigma Select. This would enable the company to switch from TIG to MIG welding specific stainless steel components. The DUO Plus technology automatically gives better control of the weld pool. It reduces heat input and ensures a perfect weld bead appearance. 

- Previously, MIG welding was associated with a lot of weld spatter, which could impair the quality of the weld and make post-treatment of the materials necessary. The DUO Plus function enables us to weld faster without affecting the welding quality, since the amount of weld spatter is minimal, Peter Iversen explains and continues:

- Using Migatronic's advice, we have significantly reduced the production time for the components, which we are now MIG welding instead of TIG welding. This enables us to offer lower prices and faster delivery for some components and the quality is still first-rate. Moreover, we utilise the Sigma Select twice as good now.

Continuous guidance minimises downtime

When buying a Migatronic welding machine, you can subsequently ask for the specialist guidance of Migatronic’s group of welding experts. The experts will give advice on the phone and, if required, call on the customer. Brimas made use of the opportunity:

-  Some of our very skilful welders found it difficult to make a start on using the Sigma Select for welding Super Duplex steel. When we asked for the guidance of the welding experts, they demonstrated how to use the machine for this specific material, and soon our welders were up and running. When we invest in a machine, we always look at the supplier’s service level. If it is not first-class, we risk a lot of downtime in the production in case of a problem. Having a serious partner like Migatronic, who responds quickly to a problem, is of decisive importance, Peter Iversen explains.

According to Migatronic welding expert Jess Jensen, downtime in a production has a great impact in the long term, which is why he and his colleagues experience an increasing demand for guidance.

- Many companies take into consideration how they can utilise the functions of a machine and save time. Time and quality are important factors in the industry, and it is always a question of evaluating how to ensure efficiency and quality at the same time, he explains.

- Companies typically invest in new machines in order to optimise production and become more competitive. And we experience that our guidance makes a difference. You see, our guidance helps companies to improve efficiency and make the investment pay for itself, Jess Jensen concludes.