In the coming weeks, we will be installing eight new milling machines and two robots. BKB Precision decided to make this major investment partly due to the growth of the market, including ASML, but also with an eye on the future. These new machines will raise our capacity, enabling us to carry out more complex and accurate work at a higher level. It also supports our philosophy of continuous quality improvement.
After an exhaustive selection process, various machines were chosen and ordered last summer. Given the size of the project, we drew up a step-by-step plan for the transition to the new situation. To minimise the impact as much as possible, we are carrying out this plan with almost military precision.
The following machines will become operational between Week 51 and Week 2 of 2023. And our website will be update subsequently.
2x Hermle C32 + RS1 Robot (5-axis)
1x Hermle C52 + RS2 Robot (5-axis)
3x Datron vacuum machines (3-axis)
2x Haas VF2 (3-axis)
We will be installing a new transformer to provide the necessary electric power and laying new cables and connections. To complete this challenge, we have also upgraded our ERP package. To be honest, there are likely to be disruptions, but with prompt problem-solving and the flexibility of our employees and suppliers, we see everything coming together one step at a time.
For more information on what our new machinery could mean for you, please contact our sales department.
Successful staff outing to celebrate 40 years of BKB Precision
Although officially the Van den Berg Kunststofwerking company was forty years old on 1 May, it was on Friday 10 June that the entire staff of BKB Precision and ANKRO boarded a bus which would begin the 40th anniversary celebration. The venue was the Gelderse Vallei and Groene Hart, beautiful areas of the Netherlands . The outing was also a great opportunity for us at BKB Precision to get to know our colleagues at the recently acquired plastics machining company ANKRO Kunststof Verspaningstechnieken.
After both companies had locked up their premises for the day, everyone got on the bus at 10 am with a goody bag and new softshell jacket.
The first stop was Veenendaal, where everyone enjoyed a delicious lunch. Director Mannes Westhuis gave the group a warm welcome, sharing a look back on 40 years of BKB Precision and a look ahead to the future. The world will keep changing and our strength lies in changing with it, anticipating the opportunities that the market will offer. It’s that approach that has brought us to where we are now, and we intend to keep our market leadership position as we continue to grow and evolve.
We got into the bus with full bellies and went on to Bunnik where twelve Citroën 2CVs awaited us. After instructions on the ins & outs of the ugly duckling, we all left with treasure hunt booklets in hand and Google Maps at the ready, for a tour through the Groene Hart. For two hours, people had lots of adventures, gears were crunched, cars almost landed in ditches and one 2CV was towed away after a breakdown. But most of all, there was a lot of laughter and great connections made between colleagues.
We were very lucky with the weather during the event and afterwards most people were craving a cold beer or fizzy drink. Fortunately, that was all arranged for at Fort Vechten, our last stop of the day. The terrace was the perfect place for drinks and a BBQ and as the sun went down, the party continued with DJ Balthasar. Tired but satisfied, the last partygoers got back on the bus to head for the hotel where we were staying overnight. The following morning, stories from the day before were shared over breakfast and then we were back on the bus and heading home. In short, it was a hugely successful staff celebration. On to the 50th anniversary!
BKB Precision welcomes new majority shareholder and acquires ANKRO Kunststof Verspaning BV
BKB Precision (Van den Berg Kunststofbewerking BV) is pleased to announce 365 Capital as a new majority shareholder of BKB Precision, alongside current owner and CEO Mannes Westhuis. Together they announce the acquisition of Ankro (ANKRO Kunststofverspaningstechnieken BV).
The group will be led by Mannes Westhuis, whilst the current owners of Ankro will remain onboard to aid in the integration of the two organisations and provide support in the future growth plans. The BKB Precision and Ankro labels and propositions will both be maintained going forward.
BKB Precision, founded in 1982, is the plastics machining specialist for the high-tech industry, especially for the semicon-, medical-, food- and analytical industries, both in The Netherlands and the rest of the world. BKB Precision is well known for her capabilities to machine complex and accurate parts in high performance plastics such as manifolds.
Ankro, founded in 1998, is a well-known machining partner, supplying engineering plastics components. From their production facility based in Werkendam, Ankro produces plastic precision components for its loyal customer base in the food, pharmaceutical-, petrochemical-, analytical-, medical and graphical industries, mainly in the Netherlands.
Johan van Anrooy, together with his wife Sonja van Anrooy, founders of Ankro, says: “The acquisition by BKB Precision is the result of a perfect match in culture, ambition and craftmanship. It gives us the opportunity to make a big step forward and offers continuity for our employees and customers. I really believe we will empower each other to move forward in a fast-developing market”.
Mannes Westhuis, CEO and co-owner of the group, shares the same enthusiasm about this acquisition: “By Ankro becoming a member of the group, we enlarge our potential to fulfil the growing demands of the high-tech market, regarding capacity and capability. From the moment we got in touch with each other, we felt the same ambition and the will to move forward together to stay a trustworthy partner for our customers with all kinds of challenges ahead. Customer satisfaction is key for us”.
Reinaert Molenaar, partner at 365 Capital, added: “The end markets that BKB Precision and Ankro operate in are continuously subject to significant technological advancement, resulting in growing demands and changing roles for the component- and assembly suppliers of those end-markets. We look forward to supporting the BKB Precision and Ankro combination in mastering those challenges and to help them realise further growth, both organically and through strategic add-on acquisitions”.
For more information, please contact BKB Precision or 365 Capital:
We already knew what CBS figures have confirmed: that the industry is back to normal. In fact, the industry seems busy trying to reclaim its lost capacity and in some cases even increase it. This strong recovery is very good news.
With regard to the corona pandemic, it is great to have entered a phase in which most sectors are already allowed to move around as usual. We can visit customers again and the first trade fairs have already taken place.
The big question is once more how to fit everything into the order book.
However, this economic recovery also presents the high-tech chain with countless challenges. One particular challenge is that when demand picks up or even increases, this can cause scarcity with supply. This can mean scarcity of raw materials for product articles, but also scarcity of skilled workers.
Sometimes, scarcity is the result of difficulties when restarting. Let’s say factories are at a standstill with stocks all used up, and then suddenly the manufacturer has to restart production, and at capacity too. If there is a problem with obtaining metal, for example, this can lead to big delays and price increases on items like nuts and bolts and all kinds of necessary materials.
The consequence in the chain is delay or even standstill, which leads to more expensive end products, as we have also seen in the market around chip shortages.
Effects driving prices in the market are becoming visible
It is no different in plastics processing. At BKB Precision, we do everything we can to mitigate the effects of scarcity as far as possible for our customers, but we too cannot escape delays and price increases.
If the chain falters and we cannot get necessary materials on time, we unfortunately have to delay and that can also occasionally lead to hiccups further down the chain. In general, we can’t complain when it comes to the availability of plastics, but we do see that prices are rising sharply.
The degree of a price increase also depends on the type of plastic. There is a high demand for plastics coming from the US and Asia and the export business to those regions threatens availability in Europe. As a result, prices are being driven higher.
Price increases in the near future inevitable
Within BKB Precision, we stay up-to-date on what is happening with availability and prices, and we take this into account in our quotations. So, if you have any questions regarding production options and prices before submitting a production order, please do not hesitate to contact us. That way, you will know where you stand from the beginning.
The downside of recovery
This scarcity will also put BKB Precision under pressure, although we will always try to limit as much as possible any problems for both our and your customers. You can expect that from us, even in these hectic times. But the downside of the economic tide in which we now find ourselves is that we can no longer absorb the resulting price level with a regular index increase of a few percent.
This means regretfully that we cannot avoid having to pass on price increases to our customers. And with that, the good news of the improving economy has a small shadow side. We hope with you that the economy continues to prosper and that prices will quickly stabilise.
BKB Precision makes a great contribution on BNR Nieuwsradio
BNR Duitsland is a BNR Nieuwsradio programme about Germany. Over a number of episodes, companies and enterprises which have lots of experience in Germany talk about how to do business with Germans and offer practical tips and insights
On Monday 13 September, BKB Precision was a guest on the programme. This episode included an interview with our sales director, Berrie van de Burgt, talking about the challenges of the plastics market in Germany.
Berrie explained that sales in Germany have steadily increased over recent years and that we see many growth opportunities, especially in medical technology (medtech) and the semiconductor industry.
Germany will be making huge investments in medical technology over the coming years, partly due to its aging population. Many new devices in medtech require plastic components, and the same goes for semiconductors in which components have to be increasingly more accurate.
Germany will be making huge investments in medical technology over the coming years, partly due to its aging population. Many new devices in medtech require plastic components, and the same goes for semiconductors in which components have to be increasingly more accurate.”When it comes to total health costs, only 2.5% is spent on equipment. However, due to the aging population, more specifically applied equipment is necessary, because people with the right skills are not available. Therefore, the challenge is to develop this equipment quickly and effectively.’
BKB Precision joins ASML Supplier Sustainability Program
Running a business sustainably is an important starting point for BKB Precision. As an SME, we cannot do everything at once, but several small steps do add up to one big one. However, achieving this requires working together in the chain – helping and being helped in the development of sustainable plastic processing. And that is important for the chain, both now and in the future.
ASML has developed a special programme to support awareness and effectiveness on the subject of sustainability. It’s called the Supplier Sustainability Program and its aim is to create a sustainable, resilient supply chain. For this purpose, suppliers must meet ASML’s high standards with regard to the quality, logistics, technology, costs, and sustainability of their products and services. Supplier management, development, performance and knowledge also play major roles.
Participation
BKB Precision was recently approached to participate in this programme, which is primarily focused on long-term, mutual partnerships. Because we also believe in the importance of environmental sustainability, information sharing on CO2 emissions, reducing CO2 emissions and waste, and increasing the possibilities for reusing materials, we committed ourselves to working with ASML on these issues.
The Joint Sustainability Commitment was signed on behalf of BKB Precision by Jan Keller (Executive Vice President Strategic Sourcing and Supply Chain) and Mannes Westhuis (CEO/Owner BKB Precision).
We hebben een verantwoordelijkheid en als BKB Precision proberen we deze verantwoordelijkheid ook te integreren in ons dagelijks werk. We staan ervoor open om samen met andere partners te leren van elkaar en informatie uit te wisselen om op deze manier een steentje bij te dragen aan de toekomst”, aldus Westhuis.
To ensure that quality control within the production process of plastics processing runs as smoothly and efficiently as possible, we work with the High QA software package ‘Inspection Manager’: an innovative quality management system (QMS) which enables us to automate most of the internal production and quality processes.
The purchase was necessary because we wanted to continue meeting the evolving quality standards of our customers. This means we can provide high-quality products in the high-mix, low-volume, high-complexity segment at a competitive price.
With High QA, we can:
extract information from 2D drawings and automated ballooning. With this information, we can create a complete list of properties for the component;
generate inspection plans automatically using the extracted data. This applies to both the ongoing process and the final inspection;
automatically extract the measured values generated and add them manually if necessary;
analyse results in real time and monitor control limits;
do most of the internal quality control process automatically and share the resulting data with customers and partners in our supply chain.
Benefits of High QA
In time, measurements obtained using High QA will be made digitally available to the company and customers anytime and anywhere. Data from the automated quality control process can therefore be easily shared with partners in the supply chain, which will minimize manual, labour-intensive tasks.
The measurements can also be analysed, so that developments and performance issues can be anticipated in time and errors avoided or eliminated.
BKB Precision is at the forefront of this trend in generating measurements digitally in the plastics machining industry.
Statistical Process Control will become increasingly important in the future
To monitor the quality of the production process in the industry, Shewhart developed various statistical methods which led to the development of the SPC field.
Statistical Process Control (SPC) instruments are indispensable for the manufacturing industry because they enable the prompt monitoring of the process, which makes it possible to continuously implement improvements to eliminate anticipated disruptions.
The challenge within the high-mix, low-volume, high-complexity market is to obtain enough accurate measurements for reliable statistics. High QA can help us with that in the future.
Benefits to our customers
Quality is our top priority. And a lot happens behind the scenes to maintain that high level of quality. High QA software is an important tool when it comes to quality assurance for our customers.
An important aspect of being a supplier to the high-tech industry is for our customers to have certainty about what we supply. It helps us to be transparent about our skills and performance and makes us an important pillar of our customers’ market position.
After all, they must be able to count on the reliability and consistent capacity of their suppliers. BKB Precision knows that and has made another great step with High QA.
5 advantages of (technical) plastics for high-tech applications
Plastic is highly suitable as a material for high-quality and leading high-tech applications. We see an increasing demand for technical and high-performance plastics for medical applications, aerospace engineering, semicon, the automotive industry, electronics, and optical and precision instruments.
The reasons why plastic is chosen are different depending on the sector and application, but there are a number of advantages which apply to almost all of them. In this article, we list the 5 most common advantages of plastics for high-tech applications.
One of the biggest advantages of plastic over other materials such as metal is its low weight. This makes it possible for manufacturers to make their products even more energy-efficient, sustainable, useful, and environmentally friendly. Being made at the lowest possible weight can be a precondition for vehicle or aviation parts, housings, packaging materials, tank components, or medical devices. Machines which have housings made of plastic are easier to handle and transport.
2. Maximal strength of high-performance plastics
Different high-performance plastics have been developed to ensure excellent performance under extreme conditions. One example is PEEK, a very strong type of plastic with excellent tensile and flexural durability under varying loads and temperatures. Like PEEK, polyetherimide – or PEI – is one of the high-performance plastics. This type of plastic is widely used for aircraft components, partly because of its high mechanical strength. PAI (Polyamide-imide) also has excellent mechanical properties and is used for manufacturing parts which might be subjected to heavy loads.
3. Ideal for high precision machining
With the right expertise and advanced machinery, high-quality technical plastics can be processed very precisely. This makes plastic highly suitable for the manufacture of applications such as precision instruments. We do this by means of 3-axis milling, 4-axis milling or 5-axis simultaneous milling, a process in which all machining axes can be controlled simultaneously. At BKB Precision, we have 6 machines in our machine park in a climate-controlled environment, including robots. These machines make it possible to keep production going 24/7.
Technical plastics have a longer lifespan than traditional materials. That makes these plastics highly suitable for applications where reliability and safety are of paramount importance. Examples include protective tubes for electricity and telecom cables, sewage systems, gas and water pipes, but also laboratory components and machine parts for the food industry.
Above all, a long lifespan results in lower maintenance costs, which means that increasingly more companies at home and abroad are looking to BKB Precision for the manufacture of high-quality plastic components for various high-tech applications.
5. Resistance to external influences
In many high-tech sectors, it is essential that the materials used are resistant to high temperatures, chemicals, and radiation. These are properties which can be found in various technical and high-performance plastics. We are happy to advise our customers on the right type of plastic to use for specific high-tech purposes.
Thanks to our expertise and years of experience in various market segments, we know exactly which engineering plastics are best suited for the desired purposes and outcomes.
We not only look at chemical and temperature resistance, but also at weight, dimensional stability, maximum strength, resistance to wear-and-tear, hydrolysis resistance, and, last but not least, processing options.
What is ISO 9001? Explanation of our strict policy on quality
At BKB Precision, quality is our top priority. This is not only because we supply high-quality products to a quality conscious, high-tech oriented sector, but also because it’s in our DNA. BKB Precision is synonymous with quality.
We always put our customers’ wishes and requirements first, and we can do this because quality is continually monitored and improved. We therefore comply with the ISO 9001 standard. You can read in this article what this standard means and how it translates into our strict policy on quality.
ISO 9001: the standard in the field of quality management
ISO 9001 is well-known in the field of quality management. This internationally recognised standard can be seen as an important measure of transparency and reliability. A company which is ISO 9001 certified can demonstrate that it is constantly improving quality in order to increase customer satisfaction. A company or organisation can decide for itself how this will be carried out. ISO 9001 is therefore a generally applicable standard, independent of a specific sector or type of organisation.
The ISO 9001 standard therefore covers the entire work process: from advising customers and drawing up specifications to production, assembly, and (cleanroom) cleaning, right up to final delivery. In short, from customer demand to customer satisfaction. Checks are made to ensure that:
The company can meet the wishes and requirements of customers and other stakeholders;
All applicable laws and regulations are complied with;
All processes and systems are aimed at continuously improving customer satisfaction.
BKB Precision: ISO certified for years
Since 1997, BKB Precision has had a certificate of quality which conforms to the ISO 9000 and later the ISO 9001 standard. Our customers and employees can see this in our high-quality plastic processing, the products we supply, and in the open working atmosphere that enables us to continuously improve ourselves.
We initiate improvement projects based on market developments or customer requirements. Improvements we make are recorded and regularly checked for effectiveness.
By communicating openly and effectively with employees, customers and other stakeholders, we keep in touch with what is going on in the market and with our customers. We also invest in training, state-of-the-art machines, and the latest production methods.
High-quality plastic processing thanks to a strict policy on quality
Without our strict policy on quality, we could never have developed into the reliable partner and specialist in high-quality plastic processing that we are today.
We understand better than anyone that the high-tech market segments we serve with custom-made plastics make strict demands on the durability and reliability of these complex, high-performance products.
As a link in the chain, we are well equipped to meet those demands. We do this, for example, by supplying various measurement reports and certificates. Whether plastics need to be machined, moulded, assembled or (cleanroom) cleaned, our well-trained, motivated staff are ready daily to meet every challenge and deliver products of great precision and high quality.
Plastics milling: What are the trends in high-tech markets?
Turning and milling plastics is one of our specialties. It is a machining operation in which material is removed to create the right finish for the desired product. Thanks to the versatile properties of high-quality plastics, there is an increasing demand for plastic products and therefore also for various processing techniques in this field. We have identified four important trends in the field of plastics processing within the professional markets.
The way we mill plastics is rapidly changing thanks to technological developments. Where not so long ago it was skilled handwork, nowadays it is computer controlled. We call this CNC milling, where CNC stands for Computer Numerical Control. This means you can work faster and more accurately. For example, our advanced turning-milling machines can accurately process plastics of up to 3μm.
Moreover, computer-controlled milling makes it possible to carry out more complex procedures. This trend seamlessly meets the market’s need for innovative high-tech plastic products made to the highest possible quality requirements, and which are also manufactured with the greatest possible precision. In addition, CNC milling also means one can get a clear picture of complex designs at an early stage so that engineers still have the freedom to develop them further.
Trend 2: 5-axis simultaneous milling
Another technological feat we know everything about at BKB Precision is 5-axis simultaneous milling. This is the most advanced method of machining, in which all machining axes can be controlled simultaneously. It’s not for nothing that this technique is often used in the manufacture of highly complex products.
We have six such machines in our air-conditioned production hall, which includes robots. Thanks to robot loading, we can work even more efficiently and accurately. Trends and developments in this field are also advancing rapidly. The first robots to use self-learning algorithms are already on show at trade fairs. Of course, we keep close track of these developments.
Trend 3: Manufacturing plastic manifolds from high quality plastic
A plastic manifold has several branches or pipes. An important trend within the professional market is to have such a product manufactured from high-quality plastic. This is a highly future-proof solution at a relatively low cost.
In addition, plastic offers more design freedom and very high chemical resistance. High performance plastics such as PEEK or PEI in particular are excellent alternatives to metal components. Their low weight also means that highly dynamic systems perform even better.
Trend 4: High performance plastics milling
Another trend we cannot ignore is the growing demand for high performance plastics. These are plastics which perform well under extreme conditions, with qualities such as a high degree of temperature and chemical resistance. This makes such plastics ideal for the high-tech industry.
Consider applications in the aerospace industry, medical industry and semicon industry. Some high performance plastics can even be used as an alternative to steel. Thanks to our many years of experience in milling high performance plastics, we know all about its possibilities and can offer our customers the best advice in the field. You can also have your prototypes developed with us.
