INSIGHT


The different dimensions of Stafa


E


ven with snow seemingly covering the whole of Europe the short flight to Eindhoven was a simple one; the only difficulty proved


to be negotiating the skating rink that masqueraded as Eindhoven’s airport car park. Making it to the car just left a short and uneventful drive to Maarheeze and the Stafa offices, to meet Ivo and Joep van Gool. Stafa Holland BV was established


in 1977 and started as a distributor of imported nuts. Over the years the company continued to expand and add products to its range, so that it now offers a remarkably comprehensive fastener programme including hex bolts, sockets, threaded rod, nuts, washers, screws and construction products. “We can offer our customers 70,000


different items, along with special parts and special coatings,” states Ivo van Gool, export manager at Stafa. “Each range that we offer has a good depth to it and with nearly 30,000 pallet and box locations in


Hall: 6 Stand: L80


Having managed to find a day in December when the airports were actually open Will Lowry headed for Stafa Holland BV, to learn more about the different dimensions of this family managed group of fastener businesses.


has numerous connecting warehouses, all immaculately clean with clear gangways and every pallet and box properly located. Stafa originally had an in-house


packaging department, but in 1996 it decided to create a separate company for the private label and boxing service it offers. Officially incorporated as Gopak, it was moved into its own premises only a few streets away from Stafa. Gopak started off with just one


customer - Stafa - passing its customers’ packing needs onto Gopak. However, it didn’t take long for Gopak to build its own reputation and, today, over 85% are Gopak’s own customers, with the remaining 15% Stafa customers. “The majority of Stafa customers we


have are for mainly private labelling,” explains Joep van Gool, Gopak company manager. “Being in the same group allows us to give the customer the benefit of buying the sales package they desire from one source. It is possible to ship through Stafa or Gopak which means that the customer only receives one invoice when they receive their order, again making the process a lot more efficient.” A key target


for Gopak is the bagging and kitting market, which it has made a concerted effort to expand. “At the beginning we actively searched for customers, and realised that there was an opportunity to multi-pack


our 12,000 square metre warehouse we have a lot of products in stock.” Several expansions, over a number


of years - the last in 2008 when an extra 7,000 locations were added – mean Stafa


products,” says Joep. Gopak is able to pack various sized kits


on its fully automated bagging lines, which include two lines with twelve feed stations, one line with four feed stations and one


108 Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 67 January 2011


line with two feed stations. All four lines can be run by as few as two staff. The bagging process involves parts


being fed from vibratory bowls, through a weight count gate, onto a central conveyor of metal trays. Reaching the end of the line each completed kit tray is tipped into a bagging system, where a final weight check ensures the kit is correct. “We started automating the bagging


and kitting process in 2006 and have invested approximately 1.4 million euros,” says Joep. “We are one of the few companies that have this kind of equipment and I think it is fair to say that we now have one of the most modern bagging facilities in Europe.” The fully automatic bagging lines give


Gopak the capacity for 24/7 production if there is demand from a customer. Each line has a camera installed in it so there is no need for Gopak to man the machines during the night. “I can log in off-site during the night to check everything is working,” explains Joep. “If there are any problems the lines will automatically stop and then call my mobile to tell me there is a problem.” In addition to the fully automatic lines


Gopak also has seven semi-automatic packing machines for bagging and kitting. Three of the semi-automatic machines are brand new machines and have counting and weighing integrated. There are plans in the future to upgrade or replace the


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