What's the most efficient way to ensure the quality of millions of mass-produced series parts used in highly demanding, safety-critical applications? Plogsties meets this challenge by putting its trust in vision systems from Kistler for optical quality inspection – the key to zero-defect production backed by technical advice, state-of-the-art image processing, and all-round service.
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, so the popular saying goes. Figuratively speaking, this also applies to supply and value chains. Many components – even the very smallest ones – travel halfway around the world before they reach their destinations in applications such as safety belts. 'This tiny component saves lives,' says Andrea Leicht, Managing Director at Plogsties GmbH in Reinbek near Hamburg, Germany. 'It's installed near the safety belt in a car. If the safety belt deploys in case of an accident, this component must be technically faultless.' The component in question is the rivet for the seatbelt buckle, which is connected to the entire seat by a steel cable to ensure the crucial grip.
The people at Plogsties know a thing or two about series parts and fasteners such as these. Their portfolio includes cold forging parts, stamping parts, precision turned and milled parts, laser and welding parts, heat treatment systems – and much more besides. Many of these products are used in airbag and safety belt systems for the worldwide automotive market. Plogsties also supplies customers in the industrial vehicles and escalator sectors. Udo Plogsties founded this family firm back in 1983, together with his wife Monika. Since then, their two daughters have taken over management of the operational business – which currently has 64 employees and activities in 36 countries. 'We inspect and sort around 420 million parts each year to ensure they meet the quality requirements. Zero-defect is absolutely critical so we can guarantee maximum customer satisfaction. And to achieve that, we have Kistler as our valuable – and really very strong – partner,' Leicht points out. Together with Kistler, Plogsties has grown consistently since 1994. The company now operates 23 inspection systems from the Swiss measurement technology expert to guarantee 100-percent quality assurance.