For Stöckl Maschinen und Gerätebau in Schliersee (Germany), the moment finally came when a neighbouring customer placed a large-scale order: this prompted the company to venture into robot-based welding – with a Weld4Me cobot complete cell by Yaskawa.
Success came literally overnight for Holztec-Leitner based in Schliersee in Upper Bavaria: no sooner had company boss Franz Leitner placed his self-designed, hand-made swing and relaxation loungers made of larch and spruce in an online shop, the first orders started to come in. And numbers have been growing ever since: subject to copyrighted design throughout Europe, the Himmelsliegen (“sky loungers”) are no longer just at home on the banks of Lake Schliersee but on numerous terraces and in gardens and parks as far afield as Mallorca and Italy.
After the initial surprise, Holztec-Leitner quickly realised that a partner was needed to supply the high quantities required on an ongoing basis. The partner was to take over production of the high-quality pivot mounts made of solid metal: the sky loungers are not only attractive and comfortable, they also rotate by 360°.
Practical experience
The new Weld4Me cobot welding cell has been up and running successfully at Stöckl Maschinen und Gerätebau since the beginning of 2022, with a current annual throughput of around 1,000 pivot mounts. “All in all, our entry into robotics has been a success,” says Managing Director Kamil Kowalski, who wouldn’t want to do without the robot: “The Yaskawa welding cobot will remain our only robot for the time being – but it’ll be taking on even more tasks in the future.”