Meijer Metal deliver precision quality and reliable products with Laser DCO3™ steel

Agile production has become the cornerstone of manufacturing, allowing businesses to order and produce parts as demand peaks and troughs. Meijers relationship with SSAB is a fluid partnership which is based on trust, speed and quality.

Meijer Metal's Chief Operating Officer, Reinder Hoekstra explains:

“For most of our customers, we deliver from our production line direct to theirs, so we have to get the specification right, every time. Being a critical supplier to many OEMs means we often work together to define the criteria of a part, or in some cases a complete assembly, and then we come up with the best production solution. When our customers rely on us to deliver each item to the exact agreed standard, we also need a supplier who can do the same for us.

“SSAB have been able to deliver that service, with the right type of sheet steel that is both consistently reliable, versatile, and right for specific jobs. The Laser DCO3™ is one steel that gives us flexibility to be able to plan and laser cut full sheets of different parts and we know that each sheet and each individual item will be to the exact high quality and standards that our customers demand.”

With supply and demand shifting day by day, particularly during uncertain times associated with the pandemic, suppliers across the entire supply chain have needed to be flexible and accommodate a changed production landscape. For Meijer Metals, this has impacted their normal orders from customers, and in turn, influenced the need for steel.

While reliable service has always been part of the relationship with SSAB, Reinder Hoekstra explains how important this is:

“Each day we review our orders and plan the production for the next day. Our state-of-the-art laser cutting machines are able to assess the items that need to be cut and rearrange these into the best configuration for maximizing each sheet of steel. This allows us to order the exact number of sheets of steel needed to fulfil our production commitments, on a daily basis. We are not storing steel or holding a large inventory, it is all worked out to maximise output and minimize waste.

“The trust that exists between us and SSAB, and then between us and our customers is the foundation for successfully meeting ours and our customers’ needs. While the logistics support the process, it is the quality of the steel that ultimately makes it all seamless.

“The Laser DCO3 steel™ gives us high-quality every time. If we have to cut, bend and assemble a part, we only want to have to do it once. This consistently reliable steel means our run time is better, our productivity is optimized, and we deliver an end product that our customers trust.”

The reliability and quality of SSAB Laser DCO3 steel is not just important in the production process, but for both the end application and sustainability. For Meijer Metal, this is a key factor in choosing the product. Reinder Hoekstra concludes:

“We can make hundreds of different products from the same steel, and always get the best results. Combined with our technology that can map out and laser cut pieces of all different shapes and sizes, each sheet can be planned with wasted space absolutely minimized, meaning less scrap and a higher return on investment.

“The possibilities with steel are being pushed every day, both by technology in cutting and planning, but also with steel like the Laser DCO3 that always bends with the same pressure, the same angle, while retaining its tolerance and quality.”