Over a seven-month production period, WECUBEX Systemtechnik GmbH in Herbolzheim manufactured a tube reactor measuring more than 200 metres in length for a major project in Asia – a project in a class of its own. Not even a handful of companies worldwide are capable of manufacturing this specialised equipment.
“An enormous wealth of experience among our production employees was required. Not everyone has this level of expertise,” says Ernst Schiller, Team Leader Equipment Manufacturing at WECUBEX Systemtechnik, explaining in more detail: “For example, our welding specialists had to pay close attention to the correct handling, use the right machine and maintain precisely the right temperatures. In this case, even the smallest details were crucial.”
Not an individual achievement, but genuine team spirit
Looking back, sheet metal specialist WECUBEX, still known to many in the Herbolzheim area as KLB, received the written order on 14 August 2019. However, in order to be able to submit a quotation in the first place, suppliers and partners had to be brought on board. Due to the complexity of the project, this was not at all straightforward. “Only through long-standing partnerships was it possible for us to procure the materials required for this major order,” explains Project Manager Björn Oswald. Pure aluminium, among other materials, was required.
Once it had been established that the material was available, the next steps were structural calculations and design. Oswald explains: “Due to its size, the reactor was planned across several levels, which meant that additional steel construction was required.” WECUBEX even manufactured this steel framework in-house at its own plant in southern Baden with its approximately 280 employees.
Several interim inspections were carried out together with the customer, and finally the complete equipment was trial-assembled in the steel structure for a leak test. A hall near the manufacturing site was rented specifically for this purpose. “It was an even greater challenge during this period, when we had to maintain social distancing due to COVID-19 and reorganise our shift operations,” Oswald recalls proudly. “It was a major team project in which all our employees did a fantastic job.”
The equipment was transported in 46 wooden crates, some of which were the size of shipping containers, approximately 14 months after the order was received. It was transported to the Port of Hamburg and from there to the end customer in Asia. Not even a handful of companies worldwide would have had the expertise and machinery required to carry out a manufacturing project of this scale. WECUBEX Systemtechnik GmbH therefore demonstrated what the German SME sector is capable of achieving.
About WECUBEX Systemtechnik GmbH
As part of a Europe-wide group of companies, WECUBEX Systemtechnik GmbH is one of the leading system suppliers in the field of flexible sheet metal fabrication – from the initial idea and design through to implementation. Around 280 employees work at the company’s largest site in Herbolzheim. WECUBEX sets new standards in sheet metal processing through quality, flexibility and innovative complete solutions. WECUBEX operates exclusively in the B2B sector and supplies customers in mechanical engineering, the automotive industry, rail and transport, and the furniture industry, among others.
The company was founded in 1998 as “KLB Blech in Form GmbH” and has operated under the name WECUBEX Systemtechnik GmbH since 2018. The Managing Director is Christian Graeve, who looks back on the project with pride.
