‘Electrical mechanisms are hidden behind the mirror of your car. They allow the mirror to be tilted to the left and right, and upwards or downwards’, explains research engineer Peter Hamming. ‘This is our core business. We also produce actuators for adjusting grille shutters. These shutters close if the engine requires little cooling, which improves the aerodynamics. We also produce the mechanism for adjusting the front bumper. The bumper lowers when the car is on the motorway, which reduces air resistance and thus fuel consumption. This also means we indirectly contribute towards a better world.’

Validation testing
The company’s development department is based in Woerden, as are the testing, quality control and sales departments. ‘The production locations are based in Ireland, China and Mexico. They often contact us when complex problems arise at one of these locations. Our production process features a total of six phases. Phases 1 and 2 are for research, 3 to 5 for engineering, and 6 is for production. Promatrix is primarily involved with the first two phases. They make the prototypes that allow us to perform initial validation testing on the product we have developed. After all, regardless of all the calculations you make, you only really see exactly how the combination of oil, friction, temperature and material properties interact, and whether it actually works, once you have tested the instrument. Our customers often come to us because their existing product lacks certain functionality, or the product must be made cheaper or stronger. We then investigate new products or optimise existing functionality. We can show our customers the new (partial) concept using the products that Promatrix makes. We believe it is important for the product to look almost like it is when in production. This gives customers confidence.’

‘The products look as if they are almost in production’
– Peter Hamming, MCI

This is always the case because we have worked together for many years. ‘Promatrix understands what we’re looking for. Once the first products are ready, we visit them to see whether they meet our expectations and if anything needs to be changed. Thanks to the short lines of communication and rapid response, there are very few issues during the evaluation or the engineering process. One area where Promatrix really beats its competitors is their flexibility if a product needs to be modified. Many companies ask you to re-order the entire product, as they cannot modify it in their automated process. Promatrix is more effective in this regard. If we test parts of the design and discover that the plastic we have used to make a gear doesn’t work, for example, we must order a different plastic. But the new material will shrink differently, which means the geometry must be modified. Promatrix is able to easily handle such modifications. It’s not easy to modify existing products, especially at the speed they are capable of. We really appreciate this. Time is often tight in the automotive industry and new parts must be tested again as soon as possible to meet the customer’s deadline. I believe we are both very happy with our working relationship.’