July 26, 2016 Fastening The Industry

Volume 10 | Issue 1

ARAYMOND BRASIL Ltda. is one of the biggest companies to specialize in clip fasteners. The company’s clips and quick connectors supply t

In ARAYMOND’s business, the products are small, very small. Some clips produced by the company are even less than a quarter of an inch and weigh just a few grams. It would be a mistake to think that because of their reduced size these pieces are of no importance. In fact, it is quite the opposite. The small dimensions of the clips produced by ARAYMOND play an exceptionally important role.

One clip, made either of metal or plastic, can be used to assemble one or many other components. The advantage of the clip in comparison with other means of fastening is that the clip does not require any specific tool in the assembly plant. The small clips engineered by ARAYMOND ensure perfect functioning as well as long durability for assembled components.

Because of its specialization in small size pieces, the skill behind what ARAYMOND makes is comparable to the sophistication of manufacturing jewelry: very small pieces mean high accuracy. Because of their reduced size, the products must be perfectly modeled and set with exactitude. Otherwise, the final product’s efficiency and functionality may be compromised. For this reason, utter precision is more than a constant aim for ARAYMOND. Utter precision is the stuff that ARAYMOND is made of.

A LONG HISTORY OF RIGOR AND PRECISION
The history of ARAYMOND goes back to 1865. At that time, in Grenoble, France, the mechanic Albert-Pierre Raymond got the idea of producing fasteners for gloves and shoes, and ARAYMOND was born. The idea was so well received that the Maison Raymond rapidly started business in the shoe and textile industry. Yet in 1898, just a few years later, ARAYMOND established itself in Germany. Since then, ARAYMOND has become a multinational company that deals with many different fields.

The period in which ARAYMOND expanded most, though, has been over the last 30 years. During this period, ARAYMOND developed installation processes for the facilities worldwide, in countries like Japan, England and the United States. During the 1990s, after Brazil opened its doors to automobile companies from all corners of the world, giants from Europe, like Renault, Peugeot and Citroen, and Japan, like Honda and Toyota, ARAYMOND also decided to create a unit in Brazil. That was the beginning of a prolific partnership between Brazil and ARAYMOND.

ARAYMOND IN BRAZIL
ARAYMOND’s plan for Brazil was to continue its innovative heritage and to increase its participation in the automobile industry in South America. The state of Sao Paulo was the one chosen for the new ARAYMOND unit. The reason was that most automobile companies are concentrated in this region of Brazil.

Today, in its 5,840-square-meter facility, the company is able to produce a great variety of pieces following detailed specifications and observing high standards of reliability. ARAYMOND’s capacity to meet high precision standards consistently is also related to the frequency with which the company upgrades its equipment. In fact, ARAYMOND has the newest in terms of machinery. The company’s equipment in the Sao Paulo facility is, on average, no more than two-and a- half years old.

According to Sergio Proto, the General Manager for ARAYMOND in Brazil, all the investments in the Brazilian unit reflect the group’s trust in the country, as well as the group’s interest in the growing Brazilian automobile market: “The company has been registering growth every year and all the investments shows our belief in the continuity of positive results.”

ARAYMOND BRASIL is responsible for the activities of ARAYMOND in all of South America. ARAYMOND BRASIL offers aid, solutions, and creates products for automobile companies throughout the continent. The fastening know-how of ARAYMOND is concentrated on plastic and metal engineered fastening systems and also on technical structural pre-applied adhesives.

The company’s philosophy is to create products taking advantage of plastic, metal and the combination of both. In order to show this initiative of inventing new products, ARAYMOND has 800 trading permits and everyday the company creates four new products for future applications.

Besides its innovative character, according to Proto, it is the outstanding thoroughness with which the company makes its products that has modeled the philosophy of ARAYMOND. Precision is required in all the stages of production, from processing raw materials to the delivery of the final products.

One example of the extreme care ARAYMOND takes to ensure the integrity of its products is in the production of quick connectors, used in the automobile industry for fluid handling systems. In the facility where these connectors are produced, access is restricted in order to avoid any kind of dust, hair, or particles that may pose a threat to ARAYMOND’s quality standards.

The expanse of the quick connectors division also shows how important it is for ARAYMOND products to be reliable. This division designs automobile connections for break systems, fuel systems, air conditioners, cooling systems, crankcase breathers, power steering, pipe fixing, and washer jets. It’s a matter of simple math to realize the importance of quick connectors: just one automobile needs anywhere between 10 to 20 of them.

The type of attention that is given to the production of quick connectors is maintained in the assembly stage of the products and in their delivery. The process of assembly is geared to making sure that, after the products are installed in the vehicles, they function perfectly. There is no room for ARAYMOND to lower its standards, since any alien materials can threaten the functions of the products.

According to Proto, besides quick connectors, the company’s other products are utilized in automobile companies around the world because of the high patterns of security that ARAYMOND follows. Just in one car, we can find ARAYMOND products in the power train, the fluid system, the electrical system, and around external and interior parts of the vehicle.

In some sense, the detailed care with which ARAYMOND deals with all the stages in its production system makes this company responsible for the growing value of the small pieces of plastic and metal (and the combination of both) in the fastener, bonding, and connection industries.

ENVIRONMENTAL CARE
Another facet of the company’s success deals with its contribution to reducing the emission of hydrocarbonates and other gases responsible for pollution. Besides aiding in the reduction of gases, the development of new technologies that aim to make cars more efficient and resistant have also resulted in quieter engines, thus contributing to the reduction of noise pollution.

ARAYMOND’s concerns with the preservation of the environment, however, go farther than the development of technologies that help reduce pollution. The facility in Sao Paulo, while promoting the economic development of an entire region, is meant not to alter the natural characteristics of the local environment. By using recycled materials and simplifying the production processes, the company helps to protect the environment of the region.

During the years of collaboration between Brazil and ARAYMOND, the company has sustained several programs aimed to provide professional education. The idea is to make ARAYMOND workers more aware of the chain of production and its implications. According to Proto, “It is part of ARAYMOND to value the human being and to create a work environment both productive and very pleasant.” It seems that working with such small pieces has somehow made ARAYMOND see a bigger picture.

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