Proven technology

The innovation is mainly in the process and, simultaneously, in thinking about a possible product optimisation. Schuurmans has significantly benefited from Festo's help in this respect. "We don't want to invent the wheel ourselves regarding the technology we use. If you can make the technical solution with building blocks, it saves you a lot of engineering. We try to get as much as possible from one source. The lead time of the project was of the utmost importance. You can't deliver Christmas balls after Christmas. Festo was able to deliver quickly and helped us a lot with the knowledge about building blocks and components."

The personalised Christmas ball is a transparent ball containing a photo that the consumer can upload during the ordering process. The ball consists of two halves. These are positioned in the machine, one half with the rounded side down, the other half with the rounded side up. The photo is placed on the first half using a vacuum piston, the second half is placed on the first, and the ball is turned so that the closing cap with loop can be placed.

Wrapping machine

The end customer not only commissioned the bauble wrapping machine but soon came with more questions. For example, the company also supplies personalised Toblerone bars. These need a unique wrapper. A project with entirely different challenges. "In one machine, we wrap three different sizes, randomly mixed together. To compensate for the difference in product size, we used a guided cylinder. We made a carriage on a rail with a carriage cylinder, and thanks to a tip from Festo's Rijk Hamoen, we mounted a three-position cylinder with two carriages, thus getting a very compact adjustment that can even handle four positions."

With this machine, there are even more peaks in the order entry than with the Christmas balls. "A team of forty IT people is constantly working on the order engine for this client. With special days like Valentine's Day, Father's Day and Mother's Day, the demand is very high."

So, three sizes of bars are processed in one machine. Van Leeuwen: "This machine uses 'normal' packaged bars, and a personalised sleeve is glued around the bar. This sleeve has four sides and a breakable sticker so that the sleeve can be removed neatly. We made a concept of the solution, and when the customer saw it, their wishes grew. Well, then you have to manage expectations very well and find the question behind the question. We first worked out the concept and went through all the steps with Festo."