Customer Interviews - Lansas
Customer Interviews
In this customer interview series, we talk with our Clients about how they experience working with TANIQ.
Interview with John Custers, CEO of Lansas
Lansas develops and supplies high quality pipe-plugs and packer systems. In 2013 Lansas started their first development with TANIQ, which lead to an optimized plug design, automatically manufactured on robotic equipment. Since then several new plug types have been developed, and new designs will follow in the coming years. In 2019 Lansas will be expanding their production facilities and upgrading their robotic system with further automation functions.
"The development of the new pipe-plug series and setting-up the robotic production process at our facility went incredibly fast. Within nine months after starting the project we were in production."
What is your business?
Lansas develops their own sewer plugs and disc plugs, which we manufacture in the Netherlands. From initial design and product development, from raw materials to production and testing – all takes place in a fully controlled in-house environment using state-of-the-art robotics. Lansas pipe-plugs are known for their thicker outer cover and continuous (seamless) aramid reinforcement structure providing long-lasting durability.
What was the incentive for working with TANIQ?
We were manufacturing the Lansas plugs manually in The Netherlands and we had the ambition to grow our business and improve the performance of our plugs. When we learned about the pipe-plug technology of TANIQ, we saw an opportunity to improve the plug performance and automate its production. TANIQ gave a demonstration of the automated production at their facilities which showed their unique capabilities and expertise in this field, which convinced us to work with them on this new development.
What was your development project about?
We wanted to automate the production of pipe-plugs to scale up our production and introduce higher consistency and reliability in our products. The solution TANIQ offered was not automation of our current process but introduction of a new method of designing and manufacturing. The basic principle was a mathematical calculation of the cord construction required for optimal plug performance, in combination with accurate placing of all materials using robotic winding equipment. Already in first prototypes the technology showed the advantages of repeatable quality and consistency. In addition, having software models for optimizing the design and having accurate control over the material positions in the product enabled to optimize the designs for maximum performance.
What is your experience of working with TANIQ?
TANIQ has a team of smart engineers passionate about their work. I can imagine these innovation and automation projects could take a company many years to accomplish. However, in collaboration with TANIQ the development of the new pipe-plug series and setting-up the robotic production process at our facility went incredibly fast. Within nine months after starting the project we were in production.
What happened after the project?
After introducing our new plugs to the market in 2014 we have been able to consolidate our position in the market and we were able to realize a solid growth. In addition, the large size plugs which we were previously buying in the market, we are now manufacturing ourselves with the robotic equipment.
Following the initial pipe-plug range which we developed with TANIQ for automated manufacturing, we continued to expand our pipe-plug product portfolio with large size plugs and special designs. Today, we are still working with TANIQ to develop new pipe-plug innovations, which we will launch in the next years.
TANIQ has expended their technology platform with improved software models for designing pipe-plugs and extended automation functionalities for the robotic production process. With their finite-element toolbox we can optimize new designs in an online simulation environment first, before investing in prototype development, reducing our development time and costs significantly. Furthermore, TANIQ will upgrade our robotic system with extended functionalities to further automate our production process.
Would you recommend TANIQ to others?
Yes, for all manufacturers looking to improve their product designs and automate their production processes, I would definitively recommend TANIQ. They have proved to be a technology partner providing us with the latest technology and supporting us to keep improving and innovating.
