ILMEA expands capabilities by integrating their TECOI large-format laser with automated storage

ILMEA encountered several significant challenges before joining forces with TECOI

With constrained production capacity and flexibility in mind, ILMEA’s pre-existing facilities and equipment imposed limitations on their ability to undertake new projects, adapt to varying customer demands, and explore expansion into different product areas. These capacity constraints not only hindered their ability to attract new clients and expand their business but also made it difficult to meet the requirements of potential customers and boost sales. Reliance on standardised equipment, ILMEA’s machinery was not tailored to their specific specifications and requirements, which resulted in restricted productivity and the complexity of their work. This standardisation hindered their ability to efficiently address unique production needs. Competing in a Global Market and struggling to stay competitive in a rapidly globalising industry, ILMEA faced a formidable challenge due to their outdated facilities and equipment and keeping pace with international rivals became increasingly difficult in such circumstances.

About ILMEA: In Boncore, a small town by the Adriatic Sea in the Italian region of Puglia, the metallurgical company ILMEA has been manufacturing the bodywork for all kinds of industrial machinery for more than half a century. Its parts, made of iron, carbon steel, stainless steel, Corten and aluminium, are used in excavators, graders, agricultural equipment and other heavy transport and lifting systems. Given its close ties with the sea, ILMEA has also specialised in the production of material for the nautical sector, including essential components in the field of professional fishing. In other words, complex articles are designed to meet the high standards demanded by this type of industry. In this demanding environment, ILMEA has found innovation and technology an effective way to differentiate itself from its competitors and to always guarantee product quality. That is why, after becoming the first Italian company to install an internal 5G network, the company has decided to turn to TECOI to build its revolutionary new production centre. ILMEA: 35 workers, 57 years of history and more than 6000 m2 of production facilities.

TECOI’s large-format laser and plasma cutting line integrates automated storage for streamlined, versatile production

This innovative installation stands out for integrating laser and plasma cutting services with automatic storage systems, all of them focused on large formats and all of them developed by TECOI. The line starts with an LS-CF of more than 3 metres wide and 6 metres long. Capable also of bevelling thanks to the exclusive BEVEL ARC technology, this member of TECOI laser range gives way to the impressive STOCKTEC, a robust sheet metal storage system also designed by the Spanish company which collects and distributes the material according to operational needs. On the other side, STOCKTEC links up with TEKNOS, to which, like the LS-CF, it supplies new sheets, and from which it extracts the parts once they have been finished. Equipped with plasma heads and also with a machining head prepared for drilling, milling, threading and countersinking, TEKNOS completes a fully automated production line, although, as ILMEA states, the best feature of the whole might be its high versatility.

A TECOI TEKNOS with plasma cutting and bevelling as well as drilling capabilities completes ILMEA’s new cutting line

Antonio Pisanò, ILMEA’s administrator and second-generation leader, highlights the company’s need to enhance production capacity and flexibility. The facility provided by TECOI has proven to be versatile, enabling ILMEA to attract new customers and increase business opportunities. The advanced technology supplied by TECOI allowed ILMEA to expand their product offerings, take on more complex custom orders, and meet the variable demands of new customers. Antonio credits TECOI’s willingness to customise their equipment to match ILMEA’s particular needs and specifications. He believes TECOI’s bespoke solutions, rather than their standardised platforms, enabled ILMEA to boost their productivity and enter new markets. Antonio is proud of how the strategic machinery acquisition from TECOI positioned the decades-old Italian manufacturer to thrive in an increasingly competitive global marketplace. He expects the partnership with TECOI to facilitate ILMEA’s growth for years to come.

Ready to add more capability to your metal fabrication operation?

If you’re looking to upgrade your sheet metal fabrication capabilities, TECOI’s cutting-edge technology is worth exploring. Reach out to the experts at Headland today to learn more about how TECOI’s systems can benefit your manufacturing operations.