Rolflex discovered Promatric when it was looking for ways to make the assembly process for its industrial doors more plug-and-play. ‘We never imagined that our product would be suitable for injection moulding as a single piece, but Promatrix was able to find a solution’
Innovation is a top priority for Rolflex. ‘When I took over the company from my parents in 1990, I knew I didn’t want to keep doing the same thing as others. I wanted to make something unique’, explains owner Joost Megens. ‘We began innovating and bringing unique products to market. We now supply doors to the industrial market worldwide. We have three hundred distributors across the globe. You can even find our products in New Zealand.’ Rolflex doors are unique because they require less space to install than other doors. ‘For industrial buildings with large amounts of infrastructure, our doors can be installed in many different configurations. We also pay a great deal of attention to design, which means they are also beautiful to look at. This shows how we strive for uniqueness. If you are not unique, all you can do is fight to stay in the game.’
Large injection moulded products
Rolflex discovered Promatrix when it wanted to increase the consistency of its production process. ‘A significant part of our doors was made of steel. However, how effectively steel U-profiles can be bent is determined by the quality of the material, the machine and the person operating it. We wanted to improve this aspect of the production process. We also wanted to make our assembly process more plug-and-play, so we didn’t have to produce so much ourselves. We already worked with local companies for injection moulding, but never expected our product to be suitable for injection moulding in a single piece. Until Promatrix said: “Let’s talk”. They showed us in an easy-to-understand manner that our product really was suitable for injection moulding in a single piece. Because they have machines with very large clamping forces, they can produce large injection-moulded products. Another benefit is that they work with aluminium moulds. This reduces our tooling costs and makes it easier for us to work with smaller production runs. All this meant that injection moulding became a very attractive option.’
Joost is happy with the partnership. ‘We always thought that you would have to order at least 100,000 pieces when using injection moulding. But Promatrix showed us that this is not the case. They don’t turn their noses up at small production runs, which was a real eye-opener for us. This allowed us to make our assembly process more plug-and-play, which means we can outsource more of our production and thus focus more on what we are good at. What’s more, it is a no-nonsense partnership – they are honest and direct, and, of course, really know what they are doing. Their technical capabilities are outstanding and they are used to operating as a supplier for complex industrial processes. This is something we really appreciate.’
