A renowned European Manufacturer-coachbuilder Gruau has selected AXIOME integrator to supply the robot needed to reach the capacity of a very important market on behalf of a car manufacturer. Referenced by both companies, ABB was the perfect supplier.
European leader in the development of commercial vehicles, the manufacturer-coachbuilder GRUAU located in Laval (Mayenne) is facing major orders. In order to guarantee a high level of quality and high production yields, the family company needed to equip itself with a robotic cell for cutting and milling plastic parts. "We met the AXIOME integrator who has skills in this field" explains Philippe Oger, method technician. “The first contact with them was excellent. We gave them a brief specification and they immediately made us relevant suggestions.”

A suitable robot
Designer and manufacturer of robotic machines, the Vendée-based integrator AXIOME has applied a rigorous work methodology recognized by its customers. "We received the people from GRUAU and redefined their needs after long technical exchanges," explains Hervé Reigner, technical sales representative. We then determined together the choice of the right cutting and integration process. From there we picked from the ABB robot database to find the one with a 6-axis configuration with a good load support and a simple programming system. The choice was made for a 45 kg IRB 4600 model. Since 1987, AXIOME has regularly integrated ABB robots - about forty per year - as a sign of its confidence in the manufacturer.

Efficient synergy
After validation of the studies by GRUAU, AXIOME launched the assembly and cabling. The start-up took place at the integrator's premises with the manufacture of the first customer parts. AXIOME then proceeded to the final receipt of the cell in the GRUAU workshops. The company's mission did not stop there, as the technicians then collected the customer's comments to make the final adjustments. "I am very satisfied to have dealt with experts who have a perfect sense of service and a very high level of responsiveness when asking for changes and developments," says Philippe Oger at the time of the assessment. "On our side, this case is a success because the exchanges between GRUAU, ABB and us were conducted in a fluid and very professional manner," concluded Hervé Reigner.

"We helped GRUAU find the right integrator"
Fabrice Galisson, sales representative in the robotics division at ABB

“In this case it’s was Gruau who contact us so that we could help them to find the best integrator able to propose adapted solutions for their plastic parts machining applications. AXIOME has been integrating ABB robots for a long time, we are used to supporting them to help them choose the best solution. The wide range of robotics and our recognized know how make it possible to meet a large number of applications. ABB/AXIOME customer service has given GRUAU complete satisfaction.”
 

ABB, 2017