Reference Cases

Read how Sistag orchestrates both stand-alone operations and FMSs with Manufacturing Management Software and WCO.

WALTER Maschinenbau redefined CNC manufacturing by achieving serial production-level efficiency in their high-mix, low-volume production. At their Kuřim plant, Fastems’ FMS enables precise, scalable, and highly efficient machining of strategic components. Discover how WALTER combines innovation, modular systems, and intelligent software to gain long-term competitive advantage.

Read how Boll & Kirch utilizes predictive maintenance services to ensure 24/7 operation with their FMS system.

Read how Cutmetall automated their 5-axis machine with Fastems FPT to gain fast automation insights for flexible manufacturing!

Discover how TeknoComp’s investment in a 5-axis machining center and Flexible Pallet Tower FPT is enhancing efficiency, precision, and customer satisfaction.

Kostwein, a top contract manufacturer in Europe, boosts efficiency with Fastems’ Flexible Pallet Tower (FPT) and Manufacturing Management Software (MMS). This powerful combination enhances productivity, flexibility, and space efficiency while ensuring seamless production planning. Discover how these solutions are transforming Kostwein’s aluminum machining processes.

Gearbox manufacturer Flender invested in automated turn-mill machining and achieved many times higher machining capacity – around the clock.

Emerson Professional Tools AG automated horizontal 4-axis machining to manufacture high mix of press jaws and rings for tools more efficiently. Today, they have an unmanned night and weekend shifts – and up to 95% spindle utilization.

A Customized Automation System Has Made the SLB Facility in Béziers a World-Leading Part Manufacturer for Multiple Industries In 2021, the SLB facility in Béziers, France, implemented a unique flexible manufacturing system (FMS) that integrates the entire production value chain. Thanks to a process-centric, rather than a product-centric, approach to manufacturing, the facility is now […]

Avant Tecno, the world-leading manufacturer of multi-functional loaders doubled production capacity by investing in an automated 4-axis horizontal machining center.

Bringing Transparency and Situational Awareness to The Shopfloor – Factory Cockpit at Tasowheel Tasowheel is a Finnish family-owned contract manufacturer founded in 1979. The company has established itself as a leader in precision engineering with over 45 years of experience. Renowned for its expertise in power transmission, controlled motion, and complex machining, Tasowheel specializes in […]

RAD Torque Systems needed help in their company’s reshoring efforts so he enlisted Fastems, to be his automation partner.

24/7 production with Fastems’ FMS Sandvik makes body parts for their rock drills with a Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) from Fastems. See the highlights below and in the video:

Cepai automated their six 4-axis machining centers from OKUMA and Makino to manufacture a large variety and low volumes of high-end valves for energy industries. Read how they doubled their efficiency with FMS!

HÖGG Produktionstechnik automated their two horizontal milling machines with Fastems FMS – achieving spindle utilization of up to 90%, reducing most of the production setup work, and enabling data-based production development decisions.

Intelligent Automation Enables Order-driven and Sustainable Manufacturing at Wärtsilä “We walk the talk. Our ambition is to decarbonize the marine and energy sectors, and we make our own operations as sustainable as they can get. We only produce per order and have made our single-piece flow just as efficient as high-volume manufacturing would be. Practically, […]

Multi-Million-Dollar Automation Investment Bore Fruit Immediately, on Several Levels   ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN MASKINOPERATÖREN AUTUMN 2023 Having grown from one-man’s horse drawn carriage workshop to a leading forestry product manufacturer with over 100 employees, Swedish company Hultdins can proudly say that their products are used in every second logging in the 35 countries they export […]

Thorough digitalization – How an SME reorganizes its entire production Sistag AG has recognized the potential of bits and bytes, as the Swiss SME thoroughly examined its production from a digital perspective while modernizing a Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) from Fastems. This approach resulted in interesting new experiences and ambitious plans. The globally active Sistag […]

A revolutionary business model needs revolutionary automation this article is A SUMMARY. see original from the mtdcnc magazine 11/2023, pages 28-30   Rodin Machining is a Dutch contract manufacturer, offering an online portal for their customers to order parts with. Thanks to AI, quoting takes less than a minute and manufacturing can start almost immediately. […]

Growth enabled by people, continuous improvement and automated processes THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN MASKINOPERATÖREN 09/2023 IN SWEDISH   Large increase in customer demand sets new targets for the production capacity. This is what started a long-term development work at a Swedish manufacturer Rototilt Group AB that transforms construction machines into efficient tool carriers. The […]

Flexible automation enables round-a-clock production and higher employee retention for Koneistus Suomi Koneistus Suomi, a Finnish contract manufacturer of hydraulic blocks, wanted to achieve more flexible and efficient production. After deciding to work with Fastems and invest in CNC automation, their competitivity is in another level with higher production capacity and 24/7 production that runs […]

Wood Processing Equipment Leader Achieves Consistent and Efficient Throughput For with Software Maintenance Agreement Woodland, WA – USNR is a world leader in the building and maintenance of sawmill and wood processing equipment. Their Woodland, Washington, location specializes in the machinery components that go into the impressive equipment units that cut, shape, plane, and chip […]

Fastems’ automated laser-ablation cells increase efficiency and quality in F-35 lightning II wing assembly. In December of 2020 Fastems announced an agreement for the delivery of two automated structure laser ablation (Auto-SLC) robot cells to Lockheed Martin’s Fort Wort site. The cells are used in the F-35 Lightning II wing assembly line. As the delivery […]

From a garage shop to a multi-billion listed company eComponent of Engcon group multiplied their productivity with the help of automation ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN SWEDISH IN MASKINOPERATÖREN NO 6 | SEPTEMBER 2022 EDITED BY ULF SAMUELSSON Rapid technological development and globalization are reshaping the playing field of Swedish manufacturers – in order to be and […]

“Better, Faster, Stronger” – Joensuun CNC-Machining improves productivity with Fastems software upgrades   Joensuun CNC-Machining Joensuun CNC-Machining Oy is a local pioneer metal shops in Finland, thanks to their significant investments in flexible, automated, and intelligently controlled manufacturing. Fastems’ Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS) and Manufacturing Management Software (MMS) have been the key enablers for Joensuu […]

Milltamo is a family-owned company located in Ylöjärvi, Finland. This small yet feisty machine shop has been operating since 1987, and it manufactures parts for the needs of e.g. the mining and sawmill industries. In addition to the CEO Kaisa Juortamo, the company employs 12 machinists and a foreman.  Milltamo had been struggling with an […]

Flexible automation cut down the setup times in gearbox housing manufacturing ABM Greiffenberger is the leading manufacturer of sophisticated and powerful drive solutions for machines, plants and mobile devices. Together with Fastems and WEMCO, the company developed a flexible, low-labor production system for gearbox housings – in which the setup times are no longer an […]

An integrated manufacturing system from Fastems improved Lockheed Martin’s forward fuselage production – 75% reduction in span time, plus minimized process and labor costs.

Kvalitetslego from Hälsingland – From 6 to 18 pallets in a smaller footprint with Flexible Pallet Tower THIS TEXT IS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN AKTUELL PRODUCTION 06 | 2023 IN SWEDISH. The locality of Alfta in Hälsningland in Sweden has long been a cradle for entrepreneurship and technology. What started as a village smithy in 1913 […]

Fastems helped Gilbert to double the production output with the same number of employees. That enabled Gilbert to expand the product line and to more than double their sales revenues in just a few years.

Development-mindset and flexible automation make a local machine shop pioneer Joensuun CNC-Machining Oy has grown to be a local pioneer of metal shops in Finland. This development is based on significant investments in flexible, automated, and intelligently controlled manufacturing, thanks to which the company has multiplied the value of its multi-axis machining expertise for its […]

Automation – A Driver of High Importance to Modern Production Hakfelt Produktion AB is a contract manufacturer from Bräcke municipality in Sweden with capabilities in gas and laser cutting, CNC machining and welding. The cornerstones of their operations are to work strategically, and with a determined, long-term mindset. The business is blooming at the moment: […]

Automating has lowered the unit cost and cut down the setup times in KP Component’s production.

Automating existing machine tools has increased Supset’s production capacity by nearly 50 percent.

FMS for Low-Volume, High-Mix shop provides stable, predictable process. Increased requests for complex components? The solution: Fastems FMS.

CNC Industries invests in Fastems FMS. The result? Maximized spindle uptimes and flexibility to schedule for just-in-time delivery to customers.

Kongsberg automotive successfully automated five existing makino 4-axis machine tools boosting productivity and usability.

With Fastems MLS, nearly double productivity, save on labor costs and significantly increase throughput while reducing setup times and manufacturing costs per piece

Smothers knew to expect increased savings when he incorporated the FMS, reorganized the cell layout, and made lights-out production possible. What he didn’t expect was just how much USNR would save.

Manufacture highly complex workpieces for up to 40 hours unmanned with the Fastems MLS.

Productivity in a double pack – Flexible robot cell automates two machine tools

The word “flexible” takes on a completely new meaning with the Fastems Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS), Multi-Level System (MLS).

“Fastems is a world leader in FMS logistics but this installation pushed even them to the limits of their technology.”

“Our kind of High-Mix, Small-Batch production would have been a challenge without Fastems FPC.”

Ingersoll Rand added capacity by automating short machining cycles and high cutting tool demand with Fastems FMS and tool automation.

The production of small batches down to single workpieces is not something generally associated with highly automated systems – however, SKF Aeroengine and Fastems have cooperated to create a solution that is capable of doing just that.

As the shop’s production mix and volume grew, the time required to construct multiple setups grew as well. The solution was Fastems FPC

“Many manufacturers were shaking their heads about my idea for automated changeover. With Fastems, we have mastered this challenge”

Fastems Robot Cell increases productivity by more than 50 percent at Märkische Werk

Benefits include an increase of machine tool utilization up to 7.000 hours per machine & quicker time-to-market for new products.

Robot-based system that processes cast-iron components for truck brake systems solves the problem around finding skilled labor.

Fastems robot cell servers two 5-axis machines and is controlled by MMS – true industry 4.0 combination.

“Companies are increasing the spindle hours of their lathes and milling machines by using the non-workable evening and night hours.”

Extension of Fastems MLS with automatic loading and unloading of clamping devices, and robotic deburring of the workpieces.

“With a 12-pallet storage and 1 or 2 machines, the Fastems FPC-750 allows us to make very short series with no stops and all flexibility.”

Flexible “just-in-time” technology down to a batch size of 1 in plastics machinery.

“We must remain competitive” says Peter C. Berger, company director, as the reason behind acquiring Fastems FPC-3000.

“Being able to gain a real increase in productivity of 25 percent, as promised in advance, was something that really impressed us.”

Fastems MLS enables a third unmanned shift daily and also production without personnel on the weekends.

The aim of this FMS was not only to optimize spindle rotation but also to reduce setting times and set-up connected with series launch.

“Today, we wouldn’t be able to produce economically without this automation solution,” says Jörg Maier, CEO of Gressel AG.

Fulfilling demands for higher productivity, longer machine running times and wide product range with intelligent automation.

We communicate the due date and the quantity required, then MMS can ‘play chess’, says Peter Doyle, COO at Hirsh Precision.

“Now it is profitable to manufacture small batches and even single parts, because the FMS reduces setup times almost to zero.”

“What convinced us was the MLS-concept: a standard system comprised of modules that can be constructed and expanded according to needs.”

With Fastems MLS and tool management the average spindle utilization of all machines is between 95 and 98 percent.

“I cannot think of anything that would make us more productive or efficient!” Says Tuukka Pasanen, Head of Quality Assurance.

“All this comes with a ROI time for the automation of less than two years” Jarmo Tuohimetsa, CEO

MMS is Fastems’ answer to the entire Industry 4.0 issue

MAN Diesel is in fierce competition but can utilize the FPC system to keep the machine running without stopping for a long time.

To maximize the production capacity of its machine tools, MTU signed a contract with Fastems for the delivery of a Multi-Level System (MLS).

“A high degree of productivity can only be achieved here with highly automated systems.” Uwe Glöckler, divisional manager of production.

“The beauty of this software is that it can respond to changes in part mix, part quantities and part due dates without additional planning by the cell team.”

“The system is able to operate completely independently, even in unmanned production.”

As downtime through changeover has effectively been cut to nil, it does not matter whether a single product or a series must be manufactured.

Challenges of accuracy and high-mix-low-volume production solved with Fastems MLS.

“Using a pallet system in place of standalone machining centers allows each machining center operator to deliver 26 % greater value.”

Fastems MLS provides increased capacity, greater availability, and a better working environment.

The benefits from the new manufacturing systems of Wärtsilä include high and uniform quality, shorter delivery times, and cost efficiency.

With various modernizations, Fastems extends the lifetime of customer’s investments.

“For us, a medium-sized batch is on average 6 parts, so that we are basically talking about an individual series or small series production.”