New Machinery for Truck Cover Manufacturer in Turkey

Turkey has taken a giant technological leap forward due to its close ties with Europe. Several industrial sectors have been upgraded. As a result, they can go toe to toe with the competition the other side of the Bosporus, no matter what aspect of the industry. One example of this new development is the Kadesan Karadeniz Branda Company located in Istanbul. Kadesan produces complete truck bodies. Currently, 12,000 truck covers, 20,000 sliding roof systems and 700 chassis bodies are delivered annually to not only Turkey itself, but also throughout the rest of Europe, Russia and the Near East. Founded 27 years ago, this innovative company currently employs 220 people and is organized into three companies. One of these companies exclusively produces truck covers. Everything is executed in-house – from plotting the graphics and executing the overlap welding for the individual parts, to welding the seams along the edges and attaching the tapes through to assembling the grommets and belts.

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Ambitious plans
In Turkey, Kadesan is the undisputed industry leader, and has a majority market share of the truck cover market. The goal of any successful company is to further enhance its already strong foothold in the market. Productivity is a core aspect of this enhancement. The speed used in welding the seams and the PVC-coated tapes in particular used to be subpar. It is no accident that Leister was the Turkish company’s choice when it came to re-outfitting the machinery for cover production: The traditional Swiss company enjoys an excellent reputation in Turkey, too. In addition, At Kadesan, three TAPEMAT are used for the tapes and three VARIANT T1 are used for seam and overlap welding. Leister suggested two welding machines that meet Kadesan's need for faster operating speed, helping to improve their productivity. Leister was able to offer the TAPEMAT for welding the tapes and the VARIANT T1 for welding the hems and for overlap welding.

TAPEMAT for reinforcing tapes...
Tapes are usually welded to the inside of the truck cover every 50 to 80 cm (19.7 to 31.5 inch). This means that a large truck cover needs up to 250 meters (820 ft.) of tapes. Therefore, efficient welding is critical to production. The TAPEMAT tape welding machine provides welding speeds of up to 16 meters (52.5 ft.) per minute A newly designed belt holder and high-performance nozzle make this possible. The belt holder makes a lifting device unnecessary; the unit can be accurately positioned very quickly. The high-performance nozzle supplies the needed amount of air for high welding speeds. The tension on the reel break is especially handy. It provides constant and even tensioning when rolling out the 50 mm (2 inch) wide belt. The clearly laid out control panel makes it easy to control speed and temperature. The benefits of using TAPEMAT have convinced the executives at Kadesan as well: They immediately ordered three tape welding machines. These machines have since been proving their worth and reliability under constant usage every day.

...and VARIANT T1 for seam welding
Three VARIANT T1 welding machines are now in use at Kadesan. They are primarily used for seam welding truck covers. The VARIANT T1 also is proving its worth as well with its high operating speed. A special, process-optimized nozzle on the machine’s hot air assembly guarantees constant, wrinkle-free welds even at 11 meters (36 feet) per minute. The VARIANT T1 is very versatile. Hems and hem cords as well as prefabricated piping can be welded 20 or 40 mm (0.8 or 1.6 inch) wide, depending on the width of the hot air nozzle. With the conversion kit, the VARIANT T1 can also weld in flexible cords. As with all its devices, Leister paid special attention to making it easy-to-use: The newly developed "e-Drive" control module is extremely easy-to-use for controlling speed, air volume and temperature. The ergonomic guide bar makes it easy to control the welding process. The lifting device and the robust transport rollers make accurate positioning easy when starting up the process. The VARIANT T1 is just as easy-to-use and can be just as accurately positioned and controlled on the floor as on a table. It is no wonder that Kadesan's management is more than satisfied with this new machinery – even the employees in production are enthusiastic.

TRIAC S for detailing
In addition to the welding machines, they also rely on Leister's hand tools. Forty TRIAC S’s are currently in use here. They are used for detail work and to attach short, transverse-running tapes in those areas where it is not worth using a machine. Perfect ergonomics, durability and reliability have made the TRIAC S the world's best-selling hot air hand tool. Its wide range of nozzles ensures that it can be used for the most widely varied applications. 

Achieving higher productivity
On average, Kadesan can manufacture an entire truck cover every 30 minutes, using the new, powerful machinery. One is much closer to achieving its defined goals since it has increased operating speed, which in turn has increased productivity. This would not have been possible without using the TAPEMAT and VARIANT T1. Tokgöz Makina, Leister's distribution partner in Turkey, has made significant contributions to this success. The Leister distributor not only provided on-site sales consultation and training on the machinery, but also made themselves available after delivery. This is one reason why customers here and all around the world trust Leister. Leister is the only manufacturer of its kind with a comprehensive network of nearly 120 certified distributors in over 90 countries – guaranteeing unique delivery capabilities and services.

Truck cover manufacturer: Kadesan Karadeniz Branda Cadir San. Tic. LTD. Sti. Istanbul
Tool supplier: Leister Technologies AG, Kaegiswil, Switzerland, www.leister.com
Leister sales and service partner: Tokgöz Makina Tesisat Sanayi Ve Ticaret A.S. http://www.tokgozmakina.com.tr
Text: Christophe von Arx, Leister AG
Photos: Kadesan Ltd.