With success, BarkerBille provide customers with a specific 3D drawing of their new fan – just 15 minutes after ordering.

Article from: Jern og Maskinindustrien, May 6, 2016, no. 8.

By Simon Dinsen Hansen

PROCESS TECHNOLOGY: Machine manufacturers and project engineers are always provided with a prompt reply when ordering a fan from BarkerBille in Ballerup, Denmark.
BarkerBille has developed a 3D module that automatically generates a 3D image of the customer’s new fan based on the customer specific requests in regards to size, efficiency, use, and sanitary design.

BarkerBille’s customers within the Processing and Food industries are pleased with this new option.

“Our customers are engineering companies that build large production plants, and they need air in those processes. During the design phase, the engineer needs a 3D model of the fan so he can continue working on the plant. He has to know the exact dimensions of the fan, and he is provided with a 3D model in just 15 minutes”, says Flemming Bille, General Manager of BarkerBille.

This short time from first contact to specific drawing is crucial, concludes the Manager, who has a degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA.

“Right now we have a competitive advantage because we can provide our customers with a drawing in a specific size very quickly. This way, our customers are ensured large savings in engineering expenses because they from the beginning of the project are provided with an exact fan model. Previously, we used to spend two days drawing when making an exact 3D model, and normally we wouldn’t until the contract was in the bag”, Flemming Bille explains.

Production based on 3D drawing
Today, BarkerBille is a part of Moldow A/S, and BarkerBille specializes in fans developed especially for sanitary purposes.

When a customer has ordered a fan, the outer parts are manufactured by subsuppliers in Poland and Ukraine. Also in this connection, the exact 3D drawing proves to have great advantages.

“The customer designs according to the 3D model, and we manufacture based on the same model because it’s so precise. This means that our subsuppliers can manufacture directly based on this model that our customer has approved, ensuring accurate production”, says Flemming Bille.

The fan housing is shipped to Ballerup where the impeller and engine is mounted according to the customer’s wishes, and then the fan is tested before leaving the factory.

The impeller is manufactured in Ballerup
The rotating part of the fan, the impeller, is still manufactured by BarkerBille in Ballerup, where all the metal parts are processed.

“We manufacture the impeller ourselves because this is the heart of what we do, and the impeller is the the knowledge-intensive part”, says the Manager, who points out another reason for keeping part of the production in-house. “If we only did the mounting here, it would be difficult for us to develop prototypes, new fans and customized solutions. That’s why our welders and mounting personnel are so important for us”, he says.

3D model: With the 3D module, the customer is provided with an overview of dimensions and efficiency of the fan right away.
Photo 1: General Manager of BarkerBille, Flemming Bille, showing a large industrial fan. The fan housing is manufactured by subsuppliers based on the 3D drawing. Photo: Simon Dinsen Hansen
Photo 2: The impeller is the heart and the knowledge-intensive part of the fan, and the impeller is manufactured in Ballerup. Photo: Simon Dinsen Hansen
Large photo: A large part of BarkerBille’s fans are sold to the Food industry. Photo: BarkerBille

See the orginal Danish article here.