Photo: Fotostudio Merjenburgh – Stad in bedrijf
Qimarox has expanded its headquarters in Harderwijk considerably. Thanks to an internal renovation, the manufacturer of material handling components has doubled the number of workplaces. At the same time, the premises have been made a lot more sustainable, for example, by installing energy efficient lighting. According to Operations Manager Jaco Hooijer, the expansion was necessary going forward. ‘We continue to grow. Demand for our products is increasing across the globe.’
System Integrators from all over the world are placing orders with Qimarox for vertical transport systems and other material handling machines. They are integrated into end-of-line packaging systems and storage and order picking systems of companies in various sectors. Now that Qimarox has expanded its product portfolio over the past years with, among other things, film wrappers and stretch wrappers, demand for the machines from Harderwijk continues to grow. Consequently, the workforce is also growing.
‘We would like to take on even more new people, but until recently, there were simply not enough workplaces. With this expansion, the number of workplaces at our headquarters has doubled’, says Jaco Hooijer, Operations Manager at Qimarox.
Showroom expanded
Not only the number of workplaces has been expanded, but the showroom has also grown, from 97 to 138 square metres. ‘In our showroom, all our products are on display, and we can demonstrate them live. More and more customers from all over the world are travelling to Harderwijk, just because of this showroom. In addition, we provide training and information sessions here, which enable our customers to install and integrate our products themselves. Due to the expansion of our product portfolio, we were also forced to expand our showroom’, explains Hooijer.
The showroom is located on the ground floor, next to the also extensive company restaurant and changing rooms for production workers. Upstairs on the first floor is the office, which has been enlarged to 660 square metres of office space. ‘The renovation was made possible due to the use of the hall next to our headquarters. This 935 m2hall is laid out as a warehouse and houses all our components. We used some of space that became available in our existing property to expand the office and showroom’, Hooijer explains.
Energy efficient lighting
Qimarox has used the renovation to make its premises a lot more sustainable. LED lighting has been installed throughout the office, showroom, company restaurant and changing rooms. They not only consume significantly less energy, but also provide more, better and more pleasant light. Presence sensors ensure that lights are only on when people are present.
In the production area, we have chosen the latest generation of induction lighting, which provides energy savings similar to as LEDs. An additional advantage of high bay induction lighting is that the lights have a longer life span, and are less dazzling when people look up. This will benefit safety in the production area.
Ready for further growth
At the same time as expanding and refurbishing its location in Harderwijk, Qimarox has also examined its working methods. Qimarox has introduced the ‘Lean’ approach in both its production and office areas. This should lead to more efficient and faster processes that are continually being improved, thereby reducing waste of time, resources and materials. ‘This will also contribute to both cost savings and sustainability in our organisation,’ said Hooijer.
Thanks to the recent expansion, Qimarox is now ready for the future, Hooijer emphasises. ‘Over the past five years, sales have risen sharply. We can meet part of this growth with automation, which enables us to work smarter and faster. Nevertheless, our workforce is now 50% bigger than only four years ago. With the addition of the new workplaces, we now have all the facilities we need to continue to grow in the coming years.’
