Trafalgar Safety Invests in High-Quality Demmeler Solution
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JNI Pallet Systems, based in southwest Sydney, has been in business for more than 35 years and is one of Australia’s largest manufacturers of steel pallets, cages, and stillages for transportation and storage.
Acquired by the Trafalgar Group in early 2020, an Australian business that creates specialty building and safe handling products, JNI Pallet Systems, now part of Trafalgar Safety, also builds customised products to meet specific customer needs. Providing a complete offering to customers undertaking consultation, design, engineering, 3D drawings, and prototyping at their company headquarters in Ingleburn and South Granville, ensuring a cost-effective solutions for any application.
Before the Demmeler table system
Prior to the acquisition, JNI Pallet Systems was owned by Joe Camilleri and his now-retired business partner. Now as Operations Manager in the Trafalgar Safety, part of the Trafalgar Group, Joe’s focus has been on improving internal processes. He started looking for more efficient and more accurate ways that his company could produce its steel pallets, cages, and stillages.
Before purchasing the Demmeler table system in mid-2020, JNI Pallet Systems would produce a temporary jig for every custom job. This was a functional solution, but it didn’t enable the precise accuracy that the Demmeler system would. Once the job was complete, the steel jig would be cut up and discarded, which was both costly and wasteful.
“While we’d previously thought about upgrading our systems for producing custom orders, we felt it was beyond our budget,” said Camilleri. “It wasn’t until the Trafalgar Group acquisition that I began to investigate.”
“We should have bought it years ago”
Camilleri now concedes that he should have made the upgrades years ago. He estimates that the upgrade will save Trafalgar Safety at least $6,000 per year, which would quickly cover the cost of the Demmeler system used to produce the pallets.
Despite still being relatively new to the Demmeler table system, Camilleri estimates Trafalgar Safety now saves $300 to $350 on every custom job – all while producing much more accurate work. These savings are achieved through reduced labour costs and reduced material costs (the steel to make the jig).
The investment in a new Demmeler table system has made life so much easier for fabricator, Fasi. “The new system makes his job easier and more satisfying. He’s a quiet guy, but his smiles say it all,” said Camilleri.
Choosing Demmeler over other systems
Before choosing Leussink and the Demmeler table system Camilleri undertook extensive research and looked at several other products. He focused on hardened table systems – an essential design requirement given the nature of the work that Trafalgar Safety would perform on the table.
“During our manufacturing processes, a table is going to be put through its paces. It needs to stand up to the welding splatter and items being dropped, so a hardened table is an attractive option,” he said.
“Leussink was able to customise a solution for us, whereas the alternative offered only a table and kit. The real value of custom solutions is not easily quantified. Buying a standard kit could easily lead to wasted money as some accessories may never get used. Therefore, a custom solution is where a lot of cost benefits can be derived,” added Camilleri.
Back up and support from an Australian company
Leussink is the exclusive Australian distributor of Demmeler table systems. Based in Germany, Demmeler first developed its 3D clamping system in the 1990s. It has since become the international industrial standard due to the many possible applications and combinations it offers.
“The Demmeler table itself is made in Germany, but everything else is Australian, so we’re supporting another local company,” Camilleri said. “We could have saved money upfront by buying from an online distributor, but I felt much more comfortable with a company like Leussink that offers local support and training.”
Throughout the sales process, Camilleri received great service from Leussink, particularly when it came to putting together a custom accessories package that would best suit how Trafalgar Safety would use their new Demmeler table. This included 3D layouts that take out the guesswork.
“Without that expertise, we would have wasted money on experimenting while trying to find the right products,” he explained. “Overall, we couldn’t be happier with the Demmeler system and Leussink’s service and training. It’s just like the Meccano set that I remember from my childhood, but it comes with much better instructions and training. The people at Leussink really believe in the products they sell and I gained trust in them pretty quickly.”