Precision metrology for industrial excellence

The benchmark on the French market for sheet metalworking and tube bending and an expert in working with aluminium, galvanised steel and stainless steel, the Poncin Metal Group provides a wide range of services and solutions, from prototyping to large-scale production.

Combining three structures at the heart of the group, Poncin Metal is expanding in B2C sectors with its indoor and outdoor garden furniture, but also in the B2B sector across various manufacturing industries. To better meet stringent client requirements, the B2B sector is expanding, and metrology needs are being clearly expressed by its clients. Poncin Metal hopes to develop in three areas to respond to these new needs: more extensive communication, developing internalisation in the B2B sector and achieving industrial excellence.

Industrial excellence for exacting clients

Jean-Charles Valet, Managing Director of the group, explains: “We have historically been a leading supplier of blue chip companies, which include large groups such as Renault, Volvo, Iveco, etc. Looking at the clients that we have had for over 15 years, there is very strong demand and requirement for quality in particular, which is certainly something which makes us stand out with our end clients.”

The company mostly uses dashboards for management control, trade, production and quality. Despite all of its indicators, it must be able to support changes by implementing efficient organisation, which will be based on the company’s core focus: its staff. A ruler and calliper used to comprise the rudimentary ‘pool’ of measuring equipment. They were simple, but became too innacurate and slow.

Enhanced, more precise checks

Julien Tribolet, the company’s Quality Controller, is delighted with the acquisition of the ROMER Absolute Arm: “I now carry out my daily quality checks and inspection reports much faster at the request of our clients. Thanks to the measuring arm, we are able to perform enhanced, more precise checks because we have strong demand for extremely precise control reports from our main clients.”
The group carries out two different checks. The first consists of a rapid dimensional check, following bending for example. Tribolet explains: “When my colleague from the bending department comes to see us and asks us to check the 3D dimensions, the measuring arm allows us carry out the simple checks extremely quickly.” Our company is now able to carry out a check during production.

Fast measurements and traceability

The second check consists of client requests for more enhanced checks that follow precise plans. Tribolet continues: “Thanks to the measuring arm, we can create inspection reports, which we then send to clients. This gives us speed of checking but also satisfied customers! They trust our work even more as well as our inspection capability. So the portable measuring arm is clearly an important asset for our company.”

“Metrology must be efficient and reliable, transparent and sharable. Nowadays, everything is heavily dictated by standards and we must ensure compliance. We must be able to measure, control and be sure that our production is always the same, regardless of quantity. We must also be able to juggle between clients and yet always provide them with the same level of quality”, Valet adds. “With equipment like the Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence measuring arm, our company is now able to carry out a check during production, which enables us to improve quality at every stage of the production process. For us, it ensures an innovative future.”