A
36-roller raising machine manufactured in the year 1918 has recently been
delivered to its final retirement home – as a historic showpiece at the
Monforts Advanced Technology Centre (ATC) in Mönchengladbach, Germany.
The
machine remained in operation at a plant in Poland up until early 2000 and has
now been handed back in full working condition to its manufacturer.
Monforts
veterans Walter Dresen and Fred Vohdahl – both of whom each worked for the
company for more than 50 years and are themselves now retired – ensured the
smooth landing of the machine as it was unloaded from its delivery truck.
The
raising machine was introduced by Monforts at the end of the 19th century and
represented a gamechanger at that time, due to the use of low friction ball
bearings for its raising rollers. This greatly reduced the wear and maintenance
of the raising rollers and was a first for the market.
Spirit of innovation
“We
are proud to have such an old-timer now on display at our ATC,†said Monforts Marketing Manager Nicole
Croonenbroek. “It demonstrates the spirit of innovation that has been a
part of Monforts since the company was founded in 1884 and is now in our genes.
“Our
two former colleagues, Walter Dresen, our Head of Service for many years, and
Fred Vohsdahl, who was the Manager of the ATC until his recent retirement, took
charge of the rebuild and restoration work. They have been able to find and
replace the leather transmission belts which were the crucial drive element
between what would originally have been a steam engine and the raising machine
in the textile mill.
“Visitors
will be interested to see this example of Monforts Industry 1.0 engineering and
can compare it to the latest Industry 4.0 features of our latest finishing
lines at the ATC.â€Â
Despite
any current travel restrictions, the Monforts Advanced Technology Centre (ATC)
is fully operational for industrial-scale trials which go beyond lab or pilot
plant testing, to be run by highly experienced staff on behalf of customers.
Since
its opening in 2013, over €3 million has been invested in equipment at the ATC,
which over an area of 1,200 square metres, houses two full finishing lines,
engineered to accommodate an extremely diverse range of processes based around
the industry-leading Montex stenter, in addition to a Thermex range for
continuous fabric dyeing and the newly developed CYD process for yarn dyeing.