Flexlink
Encyclopedia
FlexLink, also FlexLink AB, is a manufacturer
of flexible, modular conveyors
and industrial automation
equipment. Headquartered in Göteborg, Sweden, FlexLink has manufacturing, production and engineering facilities in Allentown, PA USA
, Poznan, Poland and Kuala Lampur, Malaysia. There are sales offices in 28 countries and partners in 32 additional nations. Since 2003, FlexLink has been ranked in the world's top 20 largest materials handling system suppliers.
as a spin-off from (roller ball bearing
) maker SKF
(Svenska Kullagerfabriken AB).
In 1997, FlexLink was acquired by EQT Partners.
In 2005, FlexLink was acquired by ABN AMRO
Capital from EQT.
In 2006, FlexLink acquired TOPS Conveyor Systems.
In 2008, FlexLink acquired Techne.
These products are used to automate
material handling processes such as filling, machining
, assembly
, and packaging. Typical industries that use these types of conveyors
and automation
equipment are automotive
, electronics
such as printed circuit board manufacturing
and surface mount technology manufacturing
, medical/health care, and Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG)
.
The conveyor system
is adapted to fit a specific industry's requirements.
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
of flexible, modular conveyors
Conveyor system
A conveyor system is a common piece of mechanical handling equipment that moves materials from one location to another. Conveyors are especially useful in applications involving the transportation of heavy or bulky materials...
and industrial automation
Automation
Automation is the use of control systems and information technologies to reduce the need for human work in the production of goods and services. In the scope of industrialization, automation is a step beyond mechanization...
equipment. Headquartered in Göteborg, Sweden, FlexLink has manufacturing, production and engineering facilities in Allentown, PA USA
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
, Poznan, Poland and Kuala Lampur, Malaysia. There are sales offices in 28 countries and partners in 32 additional nations. Since 2003, FlexLink has been ranked in the world's top 20 largest materials handling system suppliers.
History
The company was founded 1980 in GothenburgGothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
as a spin-off from (roller ball bearing
Bearing (mechanical)
A bearing is a device to allow constrained relative motion between two or more parts, typically rotation or linear movement. Bearings may be classified broadly according to the motions they allow and according to their principle of operation as well as by the directions of applied loads they can...
) maker SKF
SKF
SKF, Svenska Kullagerfabriken AB , later AB SKF, is a Swedish bearing company founded in 1907, supplying bearings, seals, lubrication and lubrication systems, maintenance products, mechatronics products, power transmission products and related services globally.-History:The company was founded on...
(Svenska Kullagerfabriken AB).
In 1997, FlexLink was acquired by EQT Partners.
In 2005, FlexLink was acquired by ABN AMRO
ABN AMRO
ABN AMRO Bank N.V. is a Dutch state-owned bank with headquarters in Amsterdam. It was re-established, in its current form, in 2009 following the acquisition and break up of ABN AMRO Group by a banking consortium consisting of Royal Bank of Scotland Group, Santander and Fortis...
Capital from EQT.
In 2006, FlexLink acquired TOPS Conveyor Systems.
In 2008, FlexLink acquired Techne.
Products, Industries
The FlexLink conveyor is based on an aluminium conveyor beam with low friction slide rails guiding a flexible plastic chain. Products to be conveyed travel directly on the conveyor, or on pallets/carriers. Products that are handled have a weight from a few grams up to 30 kg, in a variety of shapes.These products are used to automate
Automation
Automation is the use of control systems and information technologies to reduce the need for human work in the production of goods and services. In the scope of industrialization, automation is a step beyond mechanization...
material handling processes such as filling, machining
Machining
Conventional machining is a form of subtractive manufacturing, in which a collection of material-working processes utilizing power-driven machine tools, such as saws, lathes, milling machines, and drill presses, are used with a sharp cutting tool to physical remove material to achieve a desired...
, assembly
Assembly line
An assembly line is a manufacturing process in which parts are added to a product in a sequential manner using optimally planned logistics to create a finished product much faster than with handcrafting-type methods...
, and packaging. Typical industries that use these types of conveyors
Conveyor system
A conveyor system is a common piece of mechanical handling equipment that moves materials from one location to another. Conveyors are especially useful in applications involving the transportation of heavy or bulky materials...
and automation
Automation
Automation is the use of control systems and information technologies to reduce the need for human work in the production of goods and services. In the scope of industrialization, automation is a step beyond mechanization...
equipment are automotive
Automotive industry
The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....
, electronics
Electronics manufacturing
The industrial electronics manufacturing process for the electronic assemblies found in many of today's electronic devices, is a multi-step process.-Component and PCB manufacturing:...
such as printed circuit board manufacturing
Printed circuit board
A printed circuit board, or PCB, is used to mechanically support and electrically connect electronic components using conductive pathways, tracks or signal traces etched from copper sheets laminated onto a non-conductive substrate. It is also referred to as printed wiring board or etched wiring...
and surface mount technology manufacturing
Surface-mount technology
Surface mount technology is a method for constructing electronic circuits in which the components are mounted directly onto the surface of printed circuit boards . An electronic device so made is called a surface mount device...
, medical/health care, and Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG)
Fast Moving Consumer Goods
Fast moving consumer goods or Consumer Packaged Goods are products that are sold quickly and at relatively low cost. Examples include non-durable goods such as soft drinks, toiletries, and grocery items...
.
The conveyor system
Conveyor system
A conveyor system is a common piece of mechanical handling equipment that moves materials from one location to another. Conveyors are especially useful in applications involving the transportation of heavy or bulky materials...
is adapted to fit a specific industry's requirements.