Who is Simplimatic Automation?

Simplimatic Automation, located in Forest, Va., is a worldwide leader in material handling and automation systems for a variety of industries. Simplimatic offers these systems as off-the-shelf or custom solutions and includes material handling systems, automation, and robotics.

These three categories cover a vast range of products, with each one possessing the ability to be modified to fit every customer’s factory layout or exacting requirements. Material handling systems include the safe transportation of products using long-lasting and reliable modular configurations, setups, and controls including conveyors, elevators/lowerators, buffers, FIFOs/LIFOs, and pucks.

From the safe storage of unstable products throughout the production line using pucks, custom molded carriers, to the bends and curves of the plastic, flexible chain of Simplimatic’s very own brand of Simpli-Flex conveyor, Simplimatic covers each aspect of material handling. Custom elevators and lowerators, combined with buffers allows product to travel along the production line at just the speed and elevation each customer desires.

“Simplimatic is unlike any other company because of our ability to supply each aspect of a production line,” Simplimatic Marketing Manager, Kevin Welsch said. “We can design and assemble a completely custom automated line completely under our own warehouse roof.”

Oftentimes, Simplimatic produces a complete line by pairing material handling products with automation equipment. This equipment is reliable and able to perform repetitive tasks to product increased line throughput and decreased labor costs. This equipment includes assembly systems, stackers/ destackers, traceability, and washing systems. Automation systems greatly decrease the chance of worker error by performing tasks that are repetitive and, at times, strenuous.  

“By automating tasks, companies are able to be more efficient and have ‘workers’ who are always on task and very reliable,” Welsch said.

Simplimatic also is a specialist in robotic automation. Simplimatic is a tier three Fanuc integrator and an integrator of Universal Robots (UR). As an integrator, Simplimatic pairs customers with a robot which can best meet their automation needs, then carefully programs and integrates the robotic into a production line.

“Robots have many different functions and make a larger amount of automation tasks possible for a vast amount of companies,” Welsch said.

Simplimatic serves each customer through expert design and engineering services, along with superior integration and installation. Each customer and project is paired with one of Simplimatic’s experienced project managers who hold many meetings with each company to best design for them a production line which can meet their exact needs.

When a line and products are decided upon, Simplimatic’s team of electrical, mechanical, and system integration engineers work in tandem with the managers to create and design the line in house using factory layouts, custom controls, and line simulations.

“We have a very innovated team who routinely researches the best and most efficient way a production line can be designed to best serve our customers,” Welsch said.

After the line is designed, assembly can take place. The experts at Simplimatic take individual components and system of a line and carefully integrate them to function as one cohesive unit. Simplimatic offers the option of installation of each system into a customer’s facility. After installation, Simplimatic’s highly trained team will support and service the equipment to ensure the line functions consistently at optimal operation.

“I’m very proud of where we are today,” Welsch said. “Although we were previously a much smaller business, we are growing to really be an unstoppable force.”

Simplimatic’s History

Simplimatic began operations in 1965 as a business which specialized in the design and manufacture of conveyor and automation for the bottling industry. Over the years, Simplimatic has grown to meet evolving industry demand and ever changing market trends. The business has established enduring relationships with the companies they served.

As this brand recognition and product notoriety continued to grow, so did the sales of personal computers throughout the mid-to-late 80s. Recognizing this trend, Simplimatic launched its first line of SMT conveyor and board handling equipment to accommodate the massive growth in the PCB and chip manufacturing market.

This growth continued as in 2000, Simplimatic became the cornerstone of Simplimatic Engineering Holdings, LLC, a business development and private equity firm. Included also in that portfolio is Advantage Puck Technologies, a leading global supplier of pucks; MultiFlex, a company dedicated to modular conveyors and pallet transfer systems for packaging line automation; and Dramco Machine Technologies, a leading integrator for FANUC robotics.

With these acquisitions came experts in those areas of production, pucks and robotics. Advantage Puck is a valuable resource when creating custom pucks, which work in seamless tandem with Simplimatic’s conveyor, automation, and robotics systems. The pucks allow Simplimatic to offer companies complete lines. Suddenly, customers no longer need to go to several different companies to get a complete line, they can simply turn to Simplimatic.

“Our tagline says it all, Keep it Smart. Keep it Simple,” Welsch said. “We really strive to make the automation process smooth and efficient. We don’t want companies going to businesses across the globe to make their production line vision happen. We want them to come to us.”

 Another acquisition, Dramco Machine Technologies proved to be a valuable asset which propelled Simplimatic’s growth into the integration of robotics into material handling lines.

“Dramco definitely marked our expansion into the robotics integration practice,” Welsch said. “The employees we gained have brought new abilities that have been a very valuable resource.”

Dramco brought with them many different robotics customers who are now calling on Simplimatic for those Dramco products. So, with the acquisition of Dramco came a huge learning curve of suddenly offering robotics and of being considered an expert because their acquisitioned company was an expert.

Simplimatic’s Exponential Growth

According to Kevin, this growth of Simplimatic into the robotics industry is optimal timing for the apparent growth of the use of robotics in the world over the next several years. According to an article posted by IDTechEx, the robotic industry is on the brink of a revolution. Over the past 50 years, robots were commonly used to articulate robot arms in the automotive industry.

But, Dr. Jon Harrop, the writer of IDTechEx’s article says the new growth of robots will transport us, deliver our goods, spray and harvest crops, among other functions.

“Robots are definitely growing,” Welsch said. “From hotel attendants, to automated mobile robots who take out the trash, companies are beginning to see how many tasks can be automated.”

These existing and emerging robotics market sectors amount to a $25 billion market today and is estimated to grow to $123 billion by 2016. Simplimatic is taking this blooming market trend and turning it into an opportunity by expanding their manufacturing facility, hiring employees who are robotics experts, focusing on using robotics to re-shore jobs, and highlighting their robotics in several annual trade shows.

In 2015, Simplimatic’s facility expanded from 20,000 square feet to 60,000 square feet, tripling production space to accommodate sales and robotics growth. Simplimatic’s former operations were held in three different buildings, complicating the available resources and making communication between employees very difficult.

Simplimatic’s current facilities allow all operations to be under the same roof, from designing to final assembly and integration. Employee interaction and ideas are much more free-flowing in the new facility and allow for more rapid growth of abilities.

“The new building has afforded us more opportunities than our other three warehouses offered,” Welsch said. “It’s been a very nice change.”

Simplimatic’s impressive facilities feature manufacturing and assembly areas with ample space for tools, along with a massive spares department which allows for same-day delivery of parts to customers. Simplimatic’s project managers, engineers, and other employees have spacious cubicles and offices with a customer conference room featuring a full kitchen, manufacturing conference room, large break room with another full kitchen, and a fitness room. The fitness room features treadmills, ellipticals, weights, medicine balls, yoga mats, and a rowing exercise machine.

“Our offices are very impressive,” Welsch said. “We’re proud to be able to serve customers from this facility and give them grand tours. Plus, it’s so nice to be able to get an engineer simply by walking over to the other side of the building where they are working. Before, communication was very challenging.”

The facility hasn’t been the only aspect of Simplimatic that has grown rapidly. According to a Simplimatic monthly newsletter, in 2015 alone Simplimatic has hired 25 employees such as Allen Bancroft, senior product manager. Allen is an entrepreneurial electrical engineer with 27 years of experience in robotics, manufacturing, and new product development. Allen has been awarded 10 United States Patents and currently has two additional patents pending. He also has his Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, which represents his commitment to continual process improvement.

“When I saw Simplimatic’s current vision and potential future growth, employment here was a no-brainer for me,” Bancroft said. “I immediately wanted to be a part of this team.”

Allen’s main task at Simplimatis will be to work closely with Simplimatic’s robotics and automation customers to further marry Simplimatic’s trusted material handling systems and new robotics techniques. Welsch highlighted the new robotics techniques he hopes the company soon will develop.

According to Welsch, he hopes Simplimatic will continue to expand robotics ability to encompass custom end-of-arm tooling for robots. Robotic tooling is made to accomplish the job they are designed to do, whether that be with a suction arm, claw, etc.

“It would be great if we could have something like the tooling that is all our own that we are able to offer to customers,” Welsch said. “But, we are still working to simply inform customers that our abilities have changed and we now can integrate robots after the Dramco acquisition.”

According to Welsch, Simplimatic is hoping to aid the progression of re-shoring jobs using robotics. By involving robotics into more companies production lines, workers are needed in the U.S. to complete intelligent job functions. This movement is exactly what Welsch is hoping to fulfill through Simplimatic.

“When you bring jobs back to the U.S., a lot of things improve, “ Welsch said. “The entire community that receives jobs is improved, along with morale and the economy that surround those jobs."

One way Simplimatic is spreading the word of their growing abilities is through their four annual trade shows, Semicon West, SMTA International, Pack Expo, and IPC APEX Expo. The most recent expo, IPC Apex, was from March 15-17 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Simplimatic displayed a robotic cell which demonstrated the assembly of a tangram puzzle by a FANUC® LR Mate 200iD and a Universal Robots ® UR3 collaborative robot.

“This year’s show demonstrated to Simplimatic customers that we are more than just a material handling company,” Welsch said. “Visitors were able to see our robotics and automation. I’m excited to see where these leads take us and what future projects we can develop.”

This year’s show garnered a 9.4 percent increase in leads versus last year’s APEX show. Simplimatic gained a total of 277 show visitors who showed interest in Simplimatic products.

“We look forward to other shows to continue to show our advancements in this area, and the others as well,” Welsch said.

In the future, Simplimatic is looking forward to continuing this growth in employees, reshoring, and robotics in general. As employees enter Simplimatic, new ideas begin to form and these ideas are beginning to take root. For instance, the team developed the idea to allow the robots involved in the last IPC APEX show to interact with visitors. This was a task that was never before attempted. Although there were a few programming issues, the interaction was a success. The robots taunted visitors, asking humans to challenge them to a dual of putting together the tangram. Ideas such as these will further accentuate Simplimatic’s involvement with robotics. 

Their growth brings along other challenges as well, such as keeping up to date with social media followings and beginning a newsletter to update companies and employees.

“We’re focusing more, now than ever, on how people are perceiving Simplimatic,” Welsch said. “We are growing, so we want to use that growth to our advantage and project that growth across many platforms.”

Although Simplimatic has grown rapidly in the last few years, they don’t anticipate this growth slowing down, and they are doing all they can to see that it continues by offering impeccable customer service, faster project deadline completion, and more innovative product offerings.