Ben Schmidt, Industry Sales Manager for The Bradbury Company, said part of what he enjoys about his job is helping roll-forming companies overcome unique challenges.
“That actually makes it interesting for us. It would get boring if we just made the same machine all the time,” he said.
Space restrictions that won’t allow standard-designed machines do their jobs is a frequent problem faced. That happens especially when trying to retrofit an existing factory.
One example Schmidt shared was a customer with two roll forming lines side by side, but there was no room to navigate the forklift on one side. “So we built a coil car for them that rotated, and they could load from the backside of the line.”
Another example of tight space called for embedding the I-beams of a coil car into the factory floor, allowing the forklift to drive over the I-beams undeterred.
Schmidt encourages customers to talk to their equipment dealers if looking to solve a problem. “Whomever you’re working with, let them know your goal, because there are ways to be creative,” he said. RF
