Weighing into the baking industry in France!

Aria, based at Vieillevigne, in the Loire Atlantique department of France, has been for more than 30 years, and continues to be, a specialist in the manufacture of storage, handling and weighing equipment for the baking industry. Aria very recently parted company with its mechanical welding business to set up Aria industrie.

This new entity has set up and is developing a subcontracting business offering its excellence to companies in the region, initially within a radius of 150 km, focusing on the food industry, robotics or special equipment. Being within convenient distances of customers, the company is able make heavy, large dimensioned parts of up to 1 metric ton and 4.5x2.0x3.5 m at competitive prices and with attractive carriage rates.

Boiler making excellence on industrial scale
Company manager, Benoit Sieler, is backed by a production workforce of 15 who are fully experienced in boiler making, whether it be steel, stainless steel or aluminium. The manufacture of folded parts and frames for conveyors or robot systems is carried out directly from customer drawings by dealing industrially with constraints associated with welding, such as folding radii. After welding, Aria Industrie carries out all necessary second operations including machining, drilling, tapping and painting in order to deliver finished products to its customers.

Eurochain VR Vario hoist and Verlinde jib cranes are indispensable for production

The 2500 m² workshop is made up of two adjacent buildings with a throughway between them; the first is fitted with a 2 metric ton capacity suspended crane which travels a distance of 20 m. Its roller path is supported by a stand-alone metal structure. The 2-metric ton Verlinde Eurochain VR Vario hoist borne by the suspended crane, travels 8m horizontally and 6m vertically. Used in the storage facility, it handles 14m long metal bars and transfers them to the sawing hall to be cut into sections.

The Eurochain VR Vario hoist is powered through a trailing cable and the radio remote control ensures good operator safety. Indeed, as the metal bars are heavy and very long, it is vital for the operator to be able to stand back physically to ensure proper supervision and guidance of the load. The variable speed electric motors integrated in the Eurochain VR Vario hoist ensuring up/down travel and in the trolley for horizontal travel, also contribute to the system's safety by preventing loads from swinging due to jerky travel. Finally, limit switches for horizontal travel and for the hoist brake complete the safety aspect of the hoist unit for this shop in which the Eurochain VR Vario hoist is installed.

The other building is equipped with 3 Verlinde jib cranes one of which incorporates a 500 kg hoist and the other two, 1-metric ton hoists. Each hoist is controlled by a hand control with a cable link. Loading and off-loading operations at work stations are carried out by the jib cranes that facilitate the handling of pieces, like turning them horizontally or vertically at 180° (the latter operation is carried out in two phases). The jib cranes are indispensable for shop operations and are entirely focused on productivity. They must ensure fault-free serviceability.

"No-worry" handling equipment
According to Benoit Sieler: "the Verlinde handling equipment installed is vital for our manufacturing processes and from our point of view, its main quality is that it can be forgotten! As we cannot call to mind any failure or inopportune downtime, we consider it as 'no-worry' equipment. To date, annual scheduled maintenance has always enabled fault-free continuity of service."