Company: Breman Machinery BV
Industry: Heavy steel fabrication and contract manufacturing
Location: Genemuiden, Netherlands
Website: www.breman-machinery.nl
Cobot System: Universal Robots UR10e with SmoothTool
From shoulder pain to renewed purpose – how cobot welding and SmoothTool gave seasoned welder Jacky a second career.
A proud welding legacy at Breman Machinery
Breman Machinery in Genemuiden, the Netherlands, has been working with steel since 1864. Over five generations, the company has evolved from a local blacksmith’s shop to a world-class supplier of complex steel components and complete products shipped across the globe.
Inside Breman’s 25-metre-high workshops, with crane capacities up to 320 tonnes and a state-of-the-art range of machinery — craftsmanship and precision are still at the heart of everything they do. And few represent that craftsmanship better than Jacky, a seasoned welder who has been part of the Breman team for decades.
When experience meets limitation
After years of welding by hand, Jacky developed severe shoulder pain that made manual welding nearly impossible.
“Before, I could handle manual welding fine. I loved doing it by hand,” Jacky recalls. “But now, I couldn’t keep up.”
For a craftsman like Jacky, whose identity was built around his skill and precision, stepping away from welding wasn’t an option he wanted to accept. That’s when Breman Machinery introduced collaborative welding robots — Cobots — equipped with SmoothTool from Smooth Robotics.
A new way to weld – powered by SmoothTool
With SmoothTool’s intuitive yet powerful software, Jacky quickly learned how to operate the Cobot and apply his deep welding experience in a new way.
“Honestly, it’s gone better than I expected,” he says. “Because I can barely handle my mobile phone… but with this, I’m getting further than with those dang phones!”
SmoothTool allowed Jacky to control and refine every detail of the welding process — dwell times, weaving, push or drag, and stitch settings — just like in manual welding.
“With SmoothTool, you can optimize all of that. It has all the techniques built in,” Jacky explains. “It even lets you refine things manually. I can linger longer on one side or adjust dwell time, just like I would by hand.”
Precision, productivity, and purpose
The results at Breman Machinery have been clear — and measurable.
“Now that we’re using Cobots with SmoothTool, productivity has clearly increased,” says one of Jacky’s colleagues. “The welds are longer, tighter, and more consistent. And the quality has definitely improved.”
But for Breman, the impact goes beyond output. The Cobot takes over the heavy strain and repetitive movements, allowing experienced welders like Jacky to stay active, share their expertise, and continue doing what they love.
Breman’s Q&A Manager, Ruben van der Kamp, has seen firsthand how Cobots can make a difference:
“There are cases where welders with physical limitations can still be deployed thanks to the Cobot,” he says. “Jacky’s a perfect example, his shoulder wore out, and he couldn’t weld anymore. But with the Cobot, he can keep welding until retirement, hopefully.”
A future-proof approach to craftsmanship
At Breman Machinery, tradition and innovation go hand in hand. With SmoothTool, the company not only improved productivity and consistency, it also kept invaluable welding experience in the workshop.
“With the Cobot, I can still contribute,” says Jacky. “This could keep me working for another ten years.”
For Breman Machinery, SmoothTool has proven that automation doesn’t replace craftsmanship — it amplifies it.
Key Takeaways
- Human-centered automation: SmoothTool helps welders like Jacky continue contributing their expertise.
- Higher quality and consistency: Longer, tighter, and cleaner welds with optimized Cobot control.
- Increased productivity: Faster welding cycles and less manual strain.
- Workforce sustainability: Keeps experienced welders active even with physical limitations.
