BRAUN Aufzüge GmbH produce ascensori e componenti per ascensori. Con una macchina da taglio laser a fibra Phoenix FL-4020 con automazione a torre, l'azienda ha aumentato significativamente la propria efficienza.

Our company was founded in 1986 by my father as a Heinz Braun elevator service. In 2004 it was converted into a corporation with the company name Braun Aufzüge GmbH & Co. KG and at that point my sister and I took over as managers. We manufacture elevator systems and elevator components. Our customers need complete elevator systems for hospitals, hotels, administration buildings, metro stations, etc. We also manufacture elevator components for other elevator manufacturers and we also export these parts worldwide.

We currently have about 4,000 square metres of production area, approximately 3,000 square metres of storage space and around 1,500 square metres of administrative space.

It was a difficult market but we decided to invest anyway in order to be as ready as possible after the Covid crisis. We are already experiencing the benefits. We are optimistic about the future because we focus on a high level of in-house design, production and assembly, enabling us to quickly adapt to the market and be competitive in the future. Also, the elevator industry is a growth industry.

We purchased the machine in 2020, around two months after the start of the Covid pandemic. We have one press brake, the Easy-Form, which is equipped with two sheet followers - material support devices - that make it easier to bend heavy, large sheets.The new machine features a tower automation system connected directly to the laser cutting machine, resulting in a significant efficiency increase because the material no longer has to be manually placed on the machine or manually removed. That’s where we have realised the most significant savings. The fibre laser replaced a CO2 system that was significantly slower in thin sheet metal cutting so now we also have efficiency gains in terms of thin sheet metal.

In addition to the Phoenix fibre laser, which is a more standard system, the automated material tower is custom configured for our hall height so that we have additional storage space for sheet metal. We have a clearing trolley that moves in two directions, which was also a special feature we requested. 

As for the software connection, we thought a long time about how to implement it. Ultimately we decided not to use LVD software in order to be open to other technology in the future, a decision that LVD understood. We use WiCAM, manufacturer-independent software, which optimally supports the machines and is also futureproof. The open software interface, in which we were very interested, is in our opinion the only thing that competes with LVD, which speaks for LVD because the same cannot be said of other providers.

LVD is a company driven by a corporate culture that is similar to ours. It is a family business, which is reflected throughout the company. That prompted us to partner with LVD.