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Case study / Automotive

Helping Birkeland Automotive Improve Flatness, Accuracy, and Uptime with COE Precision Feed Equipment

Burkland

Project overview

Visionary Manufacturing Solutions supported Birkeland Automotive, a fine blanking manufacturer, with COE coil handling equipment designed to meet extremely tight part tolerances. The customer produces clutch and braking assemblies, transmission components, and parts requiring high-strength material processing, making material flatness, feed accuracy, and equipment reliability critical to their operation.

The COE coil line loaded with a coil, banded coil stock stacked behind it

Customer Challenge

Before moving to COE equipment, Birkeland experienced flatness issues that created downstream problems inside the press, including tooling damage, downtime, and rejected parts from end customers. Their previous equipment also lacked strong factory service support, making it harder to keep production moving when service or maintenance was needed.

VMS Solution

Visionary provided COE precision coil handling equipment, including 11-roll precision straighteners and 10,000-pound coil reels. The equipment was selected for its ability to process high-strength material, deliver the flatness required within Birkeland’s tolerances, and support fine blanking applications where quality and consistency are essential.

The precision straightener and coil reel of the COE line, seen along its length
The 11-roll precision straightener and the 10,000-pound coil reel behind it.

Automation Advantage

A major reason Birkeland standardized with COE was the automation built into the controls, including the Work Roll Advisor. Operators can enter coil and material specifications into the COE program, allowing the system to help automatically set up the straightener, feed, and reel based on the material requirements. This improved consistency, reduced setup complexity, and supported repeatable production quality.

The COE operator control on the feeder, beside the straightener and coil reel
The COE control, where coil and material specifications are entered.

Results

Key results
  • Improved material flatness to help meet Birkeland’s tight fine blanking tolerances.
  • Reduced press issues caused by inconsistent or improperly straightened material.
  • Helped prevent tooling damage and costly tooling rework.
  • Reduced downtime tied to flatness issues, rejected parts, and service challenges.
  • Supported high-strength material processing for demanding automotive components.
  • Provided industry-leading serviceability and strong support during installation, preventive maintenance, and startup.
  • Helped complete projects on time and on budget while aligning closely with Birkeland’s team.
  • Improved operator setup through COE controls and Work Roll Advisor automation.

How our customers win

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