Modular workbench for efficient assembly of precast rebar

Precast concrete plants produce elements in different shapes and sizes every day. This requires a different reinforcement configuration each time, a process that is difficult to automate. SKEW's modular workbench helps the craftsman to quickly and efficiently assemble a high-quality reinforcement element. A 100% Dutch manufacture that is particularly well known abroad and will soon be on live display at the BIBM congress in Amsterdam.

"Reinforcing steel is a crucial component for precast concrete plants," begins Bernd Worm of SKEW. "Concrete factories work to the millimeter and this requires the same high quality of the precast reinforcing steel. With our modular workbench, the so-called SKEW JIG System, concrete plants can now assemble the reinforcement themselves. It is in fact a modular jig system without a fixed configuration and in that respect similar to Meccano. Parts are interchangeable to assemble the right reinforcement configuration every time, where high quality is guaranteed."

Standard SKEW JIG setups are available in various sizes and designs to provide a specific solution for each application. "Elements are getting bigger and bigger, columns higher and higher, and beams longer and longer. So our JIG system is infinitely expandable in standard 120 cm sections," says Worm. "We recently did an implementation in the UK of four setups over 30 meters long. Anyway, we operate a lot abroad. As such, the system has now been on the market for 12 years and has been implemented in more than 45 countries worldwide, where tools and good working conditions are considered important. Everyone benefits from good tools and good resources." 

SKEW's JIG system is unique worldwide. "We are the only party that offers rebar processors or precast concrete plants a tool to make high-quality elements manually, even by less skilled people," Worm states. "Bracers are becoming increasingly scarce and there are more and more people doing this work only temporarily. Such tools are then crucial to ensure high quality." 

At the upcoming BIBM Congress in Amsterdam, from September 27-29, SKEW will be in attendance. BIBM is the voice of the precast concrete industry at the European level. As in previous years, the congress is accompanied by an extensive supply industry trade fair. With more than 80 exhibitors, manufacturers of machinery and equipment as well as components and materials for the manufacture of precast concrete products. Worm: "Our systems fit seamlessly with the various precast concrete industry companies presenting there. We like to engage with visitors about the challenges they experience regarding rebar assembly. Using a small demo version of our JIG system, we will show how to assemble a reinforcement configuration in an efficient and structured way. See you in advance at the trade show!"