Case study - Voortman Steel Group

Automating steel fabrication from cut to finish

The Challenge

Voortman Steel Machinery, a leader in advanced equipment for the steel industry, faced a critical efficiency bottleneck. Sorting many small steel parts for large constructions was a manual, time-consuming, and error-prone process. They required a custom software solution to automate the output planning and coordination for their advanced plate-sorting machines.

Engineering & Craftsmanship

Baseflow engineered a customized SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) and HMI (Human Machine Interface) solution, utilizing a modern software architecture to handle complex industrial tasks:

Event-Driven Architecture (EDA)

We built the system around real-time events, allowing for a highly modular and decoupled architecture that can respond instantly to machine occurrences.

Microservices design pattern

The application was broken down into small, independent services, each with a specific function. This allowed for individual service scaling and simplified deployment.

Smart coordination layer

Developed a customized logic layer that coordinates the entire plate-sorting process, verifying all conditions before executing a physical task.

Intuitive interface

Paired the robust backend with a seamless and easy-to-use operator interface to ensure a high-fidelity user experience.

Business result

The automated solution has transformed plate sorting into a streamlined process:

Elimination of manual bottlenecks

Replaced manual part sorting with an automated system, significantly reducing the margin of error and time required for assembly.

Operational efficiency

The microservice architecture ensures efficient resource use, reducing operational costs while improving performance.

Technical scalability

The modular, decoupled design ensures the system can be easily extended as Voortman’s machinery and business requirements grow.

Summary

This project serves as a premier example of how advanced software patterns like EDA and microservices can solve real-world industrial problems, optimizing complex manufacturing processes for the 21st century.

"We work safely or we don't work at all" and "If we do something, we do it well": two important mottos that Voortman applies within their company every day."

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