BÖLLHOFF

Thirty years of quality and competence in assembly systems in Italy

680
Rivquick blind rivets.
Rivquick blind rivets.

After precisely thirty years of activity, Böllhoff Italia represents a competent and acknowledged partner on the market, providing not only innovative products but also customized high added value solutions.

Part of the homonymous German Group that for over one century has been representing a reference partner for the design and production of assembly components and systems, Böllhoff Italia is a consolidated reality on the Italian market celebrating its thirty years of activity just this year. A period of constant growth and support to industry for the supply of technical solutions always in the forefront, able to satisfy the most different requirements. A result that today means a turnover of 16 million Euros and a working team composed by around forty motivated and skilled people. «A valid staff – declares Fabrizio Gambarini, managing director of the Italian subsidiary – that includes also the workers employed in our small production unit manufacturing cylindrical and hexagonal thread inserts. And I refer to components obtained by turning and forming machining exclusively of stainless steel, both 304 and 316. Unit organized to satisfy high technical-performance, as well as qualitative, requirements, in small-batch productions intended for niche ambits like railway, electromechanical, food and telecommunication industry». It is worth highlighting that the German Group (which counts over 2,200 employees in the world for a total turnover exceeding 430 million Euros) has been managed by the same owners for over 130 years and, as family company, grants an uncommon continuity of industrial and commercial policies, characterized by absolute farsightedness and oriented to targeted development projects, to itself and to its branches (including the Italian one).

Fabrizio Gambarini, managing director of the Italian branch of Böllhoff Group.
Fabrizio Gambarini, managing director of the Italian branch of Böllhoff Group.

Know-how and experience at customers’ service
About 40% of Böllhoff Italia’s turnover derives from the automotive sector, to which the company dedicates increasing attention through the release of numerous products and solutions. «Böllhoff – adds Gambarini concerning this– offers in fact a wide range of assembly components, especially for thin sheet metal, but also for plastic, together with state-of-the art manual, semi-automatic and automatic embedding systems». The remaining part is instead dedicated to the general industry sector, to which more or less predominant ambits belong, among which stand out conditioning, light steel structural works, the already mentioned railway and electromechanical fields, besides the always present reference sector of machine manufacturers. In this context the market answer is expressed on more levels, with specific requirements that vary according to the operational ambit to which is submitted the commercial offer. Common denominator for Böllhoff concerns anyway the high supply competence, with very low personnel turnover, besides constant training permitting to offer technical-applicative competence that is fruit of product and use know-how. «A sort of technological transfer – adds Gambarini – that is positively welcomed by customers because they consider our personnel as a partner “speaking the same technical language”, perceiving their criticalities, proposing concrete problem-solving solutions. Far away, then, from the mere product sale activity». Great attention is then paid by Böllhoff not only to huge investments in informatics and KPI instruments (in order to measure clearly and unequivocally the performance indicators to optimize the whole development cycle of products and commercial activity), but also in technology. «As in the case of our above mentioned productive unit– underlines Gambarini – that, in wider way, anyway demonstrates the Group’s precise will of strongly producing in Europe only and exclusively for the European market. This through the factories located also in France and Germany, and leaving the production carried out by the Chinese pole to Asian markets».

B2000 and B3000 are the new battery assembly tools for blind rivets proposed by Böllhoff.
B2000 and B3000 are the new battery assembly tools for blind rivets proposed by Böllhoff.

The “just-in-time” importance
A targeted production, then, that analytically tries to satisfy the various reference markets in the most adequate manner. And especially the different needs that, by dynamics and evolutions, today are deeply different from the past. «Changed requirements – points out Gambarini – that concern not only the higher attention to costs, and then higher quality/price ratio conditions, but also the more and more important aspect of the product availability and of its attainment. In other words the research of advanced logistics at supplier’s charge». A sort of “just-in-time” supply, considering that Böllhoff (at Group level) boasts more than 100,000 articles in stock. «Not by chance – adds Gambarini – the last 5 years have been significant from this point of view for the whole Group, with a review of the whole supply chain, just to satisfy these needs without, at the same time, charging this optimization on the final cost. On the contrary, enhancing the added value for customers». A clear example of such approach is for instance given by the project called Rivkle24H, since its birth (occurred in 2012). This through the decrease of logistic costs granting, within the 24 hours following the order, the optimized product availability, that’s to say of the homonymous thread insert, to raise the service rate to the outstanding 95% level. Without forgetting the in-depth research and development activity, in order to enrich the product offer constantly, widening its applicative opportunities. In short: innovative products and customized solutions, attention to customers, competence and reliability. A winning mix that since 1877, that’s to say since when Böllhoff was established as small bolt producer upon the initiative of Wilhelm Böllhoff, has been constantly developing and diversifying over the years and that still today finds its highest expression in a primary industrial Group.

New hydraulic assembly tool for blind rivets of the P series.
New hydraulic assembly tool for blind rivets of the P series.

Assembly systems for blind rivets
Lightness, presence of a quick-release tank for the nail recovery and availability of a vacuum suction system for nails. These in short the main strong points of the new range of hydraulic assembly systems for blind rivets of the P series. Available in three different models (P1000, P2000 and P3000) they stand out for capacity (diameter of mounting rivets from 4 to 6.4 mm), maximum stroke (17. 21 or 25 mm) and maximum stroke respectively corresponding to 7.3 kN for the minor model, 12.5 kN for the intermediate and 16. 0 kN for P3000. Unchanged the pressure (5-7 bars) while the weight, even if reduced for all versions, varies from 1.25 to 1.8 kg. Rivquick B2000 and B3000 are instead the new battery assembly tools still intended for the use of the above mentioned rivets. In this case the fastening capacity includes diameters from a minimum of 2.4 to a maximum of 6.4 mm, with machine stroke of 20 or 27 mm, for a torque of 10 and 18 kN. With respective weight of 2 and 2.2 kg, both models, sturdy and reliable, are provided with two batteries with user-friendly charge indicator. Böllhoff supplies the said systems for the assembly of Rivquick, ideal blind rivet for a flexible planning, construction and production. We are speaking of a blind fixing system available in two different head typologies and three material combinations: aluminium, steel and stainless steel.