The Dutch company Leering Hengelo B.V. has designed a special product for a large European airline; a range of very specialized blast cabinets, where the focus is not only on high productivity but also on ease of use and ergonomics. The cabinets are used for blasting turbine blades and other small parts. The newly developed blasts cabinets can also be used in other branches than the aerospace industry. Interview with Managing Director André Gaalman and Project Manager and Engineer Albert Brinks of Leering Hengelo B.V.

(?) MFN: How important is this new product for Leering Hengelo B.V.?

(!) A. G: Once again we have been given the chance to prove that we are in a position to quickly meet very specific demands in the market by developing and producing a new product. We have designed eight blast cabinets especially for this customer. And you can see that we have been successful, by the fact, that we have received new orders from the particular airline to supply more cabinets. On top of this we have also requests from companies in other sectors for this cabinet.

(?) MFN: What sort of a company is Leering Hengelo B.V.?

(!) A. G: We have been developing and producing blast-technical equipment for the industrial market for over fifty years. We have our own engineers who design products based on specific customer requirements. We design and make blast cabinets, blast rooms and blast units. We produce these cabinets for the international market under the name NormFinish and for our German partner.

(?) MFN: Who are your customers?

(!) A. G: Worldwide we deal with many different companies, from large international to small local companies. These are companies in all sectors of the market which are involved in the area of surface treatment using blasting in the broadest sense of the word. For example producers of new products, companies working in the area of overhauling and service and foundries.

(?) MFN: Can you give us some concrete examples?

(!) A. G: Of course, but our customer base is so diverse that it is hard for me to justly giving some names. But I can give you examples other than the aerospace industry. We make, for example, cabinets and equipment for the fully automatic blasting of tweezers for the medical sector, for the semi-automatic blasting of shafts and complete large-scale blast rooms.

(?) MFN: How did you win the order from the aerospace company?

(!) A. G: The company asked us to provide a solution for the blasting of turbine blades. The solution should also be suitable for blasting other small parts. This aerospace company looks after the maintenance of its own aircraft. As well as the desired blast result, the customer had high requirements in terms of the ergonomics of the blast cabinet, ease of use and environmental requirements. It turned out that Leering Hengelo B.V. offered the best solutions at a competitive price and within a short time frame.

(?) MFN: How did you handle the order?

(!) A. B.: We went through the design stage along with the customer. We developed a concept for the requested cabinets, in other words, ones that met all their demands and ultimately built a range of eight types in different variants.

(?) MFN: Was the fulfillment of the  ergonomic requirements a demanding issue?

(!) A. B.: We focused a lot on a cabinet design that would be suitable for people to work in either a sitting or standing position. With the stand-up cabinets we put in electrical height adjustments so that the operator can adjust the working height to his own body size. We designed the sitting cabinets with a specially formed chute for more leg room. We used a large inspection window and put a small drawer at the front to facilitate the quick changing of work pieces.

(?) MFN: What were the spearheads in the design?

(!) A. B.: Based on the order, a good work posture for those standing or sitting. A good cabinet range with large arm holes and a perfect view through a wide inspection window. All of this combined with high-quality lighting and good suction and dust filtering.

(?) MFN: Is the concept designed purely for the aerospace industry?

(!) A. B.: The concept blast cabinet is suitable for a wide customer group. The starting point was in the first instance to design a product based on the customer’s needs. Because we completed the development of the concept with a modular structure, there is great flexibility in the set-up and production of the system. As a result of this, we have been able to develop a blast cabinet that can be used in a much wider customer base. We have combined new benefits with the traditional well-known qualities of previous Leering Hengelo B.V. products.

(?) MFN: When did you land the contract?

(!) A. G: That was in August last year and in March we completed the whole process; in other words fairly quickly. We have invested heavily in terms of time and manpower. This enabled us to show that on the basis of our very long experience and broad basic knowledge, we are able to respond very quickly to highly specific requests in the market

(?) MFN: How do you measure the satisfaction of the customer?

(!) A.G: The representatives of the aerospace company have confirmed it to us verbally. And they placed follow-up orders fairly promptly. And of course this speaks for their satisfaction in particular.

(?) MFN: Is Leering Hengelo B.V. currently working on new projects?

(!) A. G: We are constantly involved in innovation. We are currently mainly very busy developing applications for this latest product line for companies in the market active in sectors other than the aerospace industry.

(?) MFN: How do you intend, in concrete terms, to further launch this latest product line on the market?

(!) A. G: Our ambition is to expand it worldwide. Alongside our existing distributors we are looking for new distributors for the American market and in Europe for England, Spain and Poland. We are always interested in new competent retailers.

We at MFN would like to thank you for this interview.

For Information:
Leering Hengelo B.V.
7554TC Hengelo Ov, Holland
Tel +31.74.255 82 82, Fax +31.74.291 56 34
E-mail: info@leering.nl, www.leering.nl