Today, owner Remco Baartmans and a number of employees are driving the first pile into the ground for the new Alumet BV building. “This expansion is a long-standing wish to be able to continue to meet the growing demand for our product,” says Remco Baartmans. “Thanks to more capacity and a fully automated process, we accelerate the delivery time and increase the quality.”

More than 50 years ago, Alumet moved into the building on the Nieuwe Donk in Etten-Leur. Since then, the company has changed and grown. Alumet started with anodizing aluminum combs, but after a number of successful years the company focused more and more on facade construction. “We see the demand for high-quality anodization increasing every year. The architect rediscovered anodization and we responded to this in 2014 by investing in new colors and techniques. But we had not predicted the increase in demand, both at home and abroad.” The new modern factory ensures faster delivery times and more importantly, even better quality. “Once again we are expanding our color palette. Thanks to the new line, we will be producing more gray and brown tones and a special clear shine; bright anodizing”, says Remco.

New logistics concept
At the moment the delivery time for color anodizing is 10 working days. The modern building and the new installation give the opportunity to reduce this to five working days. “In 2020 we will be working according to the Now-and-Next concept,” says Frans Tijs, production manager. “We prepare every order in one go and then go into full production. While the first order is being anodized, we are already preparing the complete second order.” This concept, plus the line's capacity of 3 million per year, should guarantee a delivery time of five working days.

Improved Process
The new installation also heralds a new era in quality. The line is fully automated and controlled by computers. During the preparation, Alumet labels and scans all products. During and after anodising, Alumet measures the color of each product. The aim is to deliver flawlessly to our customers according to the six sigma principle. The ecological making process has been incorporated in the design of the new anodising line. “We are going to insulate the series of baths and collect the residual heat to reuse it for heating the baths,” explains Coen Bakker, head of technical service. “This is one of the many adjustments we are making to reduce our ecological footprint.”

New work environment
The design of the new building comes from the construction company Valeres. The hall consists of two parts. The anodizing line will be installed on the one side and there is space for work preparation and packaging of the material on the other side. This creates a safe, clean and pleasant working environment for all employees. The total surface area covers 10,000 m² production hall and 850 m² office. The facade of the office will have composite panels from Alucobond. Placing them unevenly gives the office a dynamic look. Naturally, the panels are anodized in their own color. In order to bring the facade even more to life, a part will be fitted with Panelox panels. A double anodized panel with an etched pattern.