Cage welding machine for „pipe champions“ in Costa Rica
According to the company‘s own information, the outstanding product quality of mbk is the result of excellent know-how, optimized transfer of knowledge, unimpeded innovative power, and the reliable entrepreneurial instinct for solutions to meet tomorrow‘s market requirements. Since the company was founded in 1961, mbk has been developing and selling welding machines and equipment for the concrete industry and is very much appreciated all over the world because of the extremely high degree of individualization. More than 900 welding machines and 1,100 machines in total being sold in more than 60 countries across the world as well as strong customer orientation show that mbk has established as a leading company in the industry.
From mobile concrete basin to concrete pipe
In 1961, mbk began to expand its activities to the Latin-American market. Long since, mbk has built up an impressive reputation in South and Central America, having sold 40 machines there until today. A BSM-300-R has only recently been delivered to the customer Fábrica de Tubos Campeón in Costa Rica. Fábrica de Tubos Campeón based in Alajuela, a city in the Central-American country of Costa Rica, is an important manufacturer of concrete pipes in accordance with the international standards ASTM C 76 and C 14 as well as INTE. Founded in 1955 by Isauro Castro Cruz as Fábrica de Pilas Campeón, the small production facility was initially manufacturing mobile concrete basins for laundry washing, mosaics and posts for fences. In May 1989, the sons Luis Alberto Castro López, Marvin Castro López, and Alfredo Castro López followed in their father‘s footsteps and expanded the company to today‘s Fábrica des Tubos Campeón, shifting the focus to the production of concrete pipes – as the name suggests (tubo = pipe, editor‘s note).
Quality, progress, new technologies, and a high degree of customer orientation are the values characterizing the day-to-day business of Tubos Campeón. These aspects played an essential role in considering about the daily business and to change things. In 1998, the vision of the owners was turned into reality and the production process was automated. This investment in cutting-edge technology achieved an output increase and quality optimization for a sustainable benefit of the customers. The markets in Latin America are permanently changing too, forcing companies to adapt to the changing needs and requirements. The agile owners of Tubos Campeón have always recognized the signs of the times thanks to their reliable entrepreneurial vision, thus they now expand the vertical range of manufacture accordingly. For this purpose, they acquired a reinforcement welding machine of type BSM-300-R from mbk.
BSM-300-R acquired from mbk
The BSM is a cage welding machine for the manufacture of reinforcement cages used in the manhole and concrete pipe industry, and is designed for high production outputs. The machine can be used for manufacturing reinforcement cages with diameters ranging from 330 mm to 3,000 mm and cage lengths up to a maximum of 3,500 mm, the number of longitudinal wires is 24. Apart from the rugged design, the BSM-300-R is distinguished by extreme reliability, high productivity and flexibility – like all other machines of mbk, too. Tightest production tolerances ensure precise and straight cages as well as compatibility with every standard. The very low maintenance and energy costs, the high user friendliness, and the minimum labor input make the machine extremely suitable for everyday operation where requirements on the basis of economic criteria have to be met. The cage welding machine of mbk comes with an enormous range of accessories, with which optimum equipment or retrofitting is no problem. The BSM can be upgraded up to a fully automated machine by the addition of the automated wire feeding and cage removal – whereas automation of the machine is possible at any later time.
The opening ceremony of the new plant of Tubos Campéon was attended by numerous engineers, architects, suppliers and customers. They all could assure themselves of the efficiency of the new cage welding machine of mbk – in fact, under real everyday production conditions. At present, the new cage welding machine enables Tubos Campéon to manufacture about 200 pipes in a wide variety of sizes per day. The newly gained capacities will now be used to execute incoming customer enquiries and orders in even less time.
Pipe diameter up to 2,440 mm
Tubos Campeón is a very good example for how much the optimization of technical processes can influence the company‘s daily operations: work is noticeably facilitated, turnover increased, and new quality benchmarks are set. The expansion of the range of services is a benefit for both the manufacturer of pipes and the customers. The concrete pipes made by Tubos Campeón are considered to be premium products and can be provided in diameters ranging from 300 mm up to 2,440 mm. This turned the company into one of the most important suppliers of concrete pipes in Costa Rica. Their major customers include government and municipal authorities as well as construction companies, for instance.
Tubos Campeón will not rest on its laurels and already has a new vision: the development and realization of embankment sections, pipe elbows, water channels, etc. are planned for the near future. And then, there are further goals which have to be achieved. This is because the involved persons, according to their own statement, want to move forward, keep in motion, and open up new markets without losing sight of sound growth. Success needs courage, know-how, empathy, and sense of responsibility, all these are strengths of both Tubos Campeón and mbk.
