Festive opening of the facility in Hooglede

On June 11, the newest branch in Hooglede (BE) was festively opened. About a hundred invited guests descended on the newest branch of 247TailorSteel. An excellent opportunity for customers, partners and suppliers to get acquainted with this newest production facility.

The first symbolic ‘shovel in the ground’ was placed in Hooglede on 20 September 2022. Production then started a year later, on 2 October 2023. The first machines became operational and a completely new team of over 60 people was onboarded. The factory currently has 5 laser cutting machines, 2 tube lasers, 4 press brakes and 2 machines for finishing edges. In time, the aim is to create 250 new jobs.

"The arrival of 247TailorSteel will help to strengthen the municipality's metal processing industry, which has been growing for generations. The arrival of this branch means that it is now possible to supply metal products quickly, on demand and on time from the beating heart of West-Vlaanderen", explains Lord Mayor Frederik Demeyere.           

The 17,000 m² production site was designed by the renowned Roeselare-based architectural firm Vandamme Vandeputte. Knowledge and experience from other factories was used to design a production site where efficiency is the primary objective. The trees (one for each machine) and the bright production hall prove that this site differs from traditional factories. Focus has been placed on creating a pleasant working environment, and that's something you notice immediately.

EUROPEAN EXPANSION

The construction of this branch is part of an ambitious growth plan. The goal is to be able to serve all customers within a radius of 200 km. With a site surface area of 185,000 m2, more than 45,000 customers and six branches in three countries (the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium), the company is well on its way to becoming the European market leader.

“We want to be the leading manufacturer of metal plates, tubes and bent products in Europe. Our aim is to offer our customers online ordering possibilities that they can use day and night. We want to use this new branch to reinforce our market position in Belgium and northern France, so that we can continue our European expansion”, says Berlo.

ONLINE SOFTWARE SOPHIA® AND AI

Sophia® is the backbone of 247TailorSteel. This online software is available to customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The software makes it possible to submit a design, receive a quote, and place an order within a single minute, while pressing just one button. This order can then be delivered at the desired time within 48 hours.

The huge impact that Sophia® and its AI has on how the company operates is clear to see. When the ‘order’ button is pressed, a whole series of invisible processes are triggered. Things such as ‘nesting’ (the process of avoiding waste by taking as many pieces as possible from a single metal plate, Ed.), AVG’s (machines that drive through the production hall autonomously, Ed.) and lifting arms that reduce the workload for operators all show that this is a company of the future.

INDUSTRY 4.0. DIFFERENTIATION BASED ON CORE COMPETENCIES

The services of 247TailorSteel offer a solution for issues that manufacturers have been encountering since the emergence of industry 4.0. Outsourcing between engineering and assembly means that customers do not have to purchase raw materials such as plates, tubes and profiles. Stock management has thus been consigned to the past. There is no more sawing, drilling, cutting and grinding, which means customers can focus on their core business: assembling and finishing the end product. Major investments are avoided and difficult-to-find employees, such as welders, can be deployed efficiently. This helps to increase total output, thus enabling growth without having to increase capacity. In the long run, this differentiation based on core competencies is essential for manufacturing companies.