ROMER measuring arm for quality control in plate component manufacture

Successful quality control at Terrier, a French company and part of ArcelorMittal‘s TOP group, relies greatly on the ROMER arm. Its use brings time and cost savings, which results in higher productivity and dependable quality.

Dynamism is everything at Terrier. Since being founded by Paul Terrier in 1996, the company‘s history had been one of successive sale and repurchase. Today, it is part of the ArcelorMittal TOP Medium Gauge Solutions division within the ArcelorMittal concern, the largest steel producer in the world. The 300 employees at the Villefranche-sur-Saône factory, situated in the South of France some 25 km north of Lyon, specialise in the manufacture of small and medium-sized components from steel plate from 1.5 to 8 mm thick. Sister companies are also capable of processing plate up to 80 mm thick. Carefully organised processes ensure that 800,000 finished parts leave the works every month – this amounts to about 6,000 tonnes of plate per annum. However, the staff still make time to greet every guest and explain their job.

Quality Manager Christophe Ducrot explains a little about Terrier‘s main customers. “The spectrum is broad. Important clients in the vehicle industry include Renault Trucks, now part of the Volvo group, and Caterpillar, the construction machinery manufacturer. We also manufacture plate parts for lift manufacturer Otis and for agricultural machines carrying Claas or AGCO badges.“ Automation is widespread on the factory floor – presses, blanking or metal-forming machines use digital data to produce a wide range of plate components in just a few seconds, in some cases with the help of robots. If the job demands it, the plate may also be further processed, brazed or welded and surface treated. An in-house paintshop and a 1000 m2 assembly area mean that Terrier can offer its customers, such as Caterpillar, a complete bodywork component that has been completely produced on the premises. . . . .