AAV Contractors SA: Success has many foundations - fast solutions for standard and custom-built designs

The long list of projects successfully delivered by AAV includes complex and challenging building designs.

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www.elumatec.com

Date: 14 November 2017

With a wide range of services, a strong customer focus and state-of-the-art machinery, metal engineering business AAV Contractors has enjoyed great success in Geneva and the surrounding region.

The company supplies both standard products developed by its design engineering department and custom-built designs.

Whether facades with irregular bevels or balcony parapets with varied pitches, a look at the company's track record will show that AAV goes beyond standard designs to manufacture complex, custom-built products.

"Customer orientation, readiness to produce innovative and creative custom solutions, flexibility, fast delivery and the ability to handle projects which meet the demands of our customers or overcome operational restrictions - these are some of our strengths", says Edward Kernen, CEO and owner of AAV Contractors in Geneva.

Four departments make up the company structure: "Facades and Aluminium Windows", "Metal Engineering", "Doors, Gates, Windows and Automatic Systems" and "Maintenance and Troubleshooting". This allows AAV to offer a wide range of specialised solutions, including:

Post and beam construction using aluminium profiles or structural glazing facades, minimalistic and elegant aluminium windows, specially designed doors made from aluminium, fire doors, security doors and emergency exit doors.
Steel and stainless steel designs, support structures, staircases, balustrades, porches and awnings.
Garage doors, industrial doors, gates and automated solutions.

Led by owner and CEO Edward Kernen, AAV Contractors also meets specialised customer requirements using its expertise and state-of-the-art machinery. The elumatec SBZ 151 5-axis profile machining centre ensures efficient aluminium machining processes.

Versatile profile machining

AAV stands for "Acier (steel), Aluminium, Verre (glass)". The company uses these materials to realise the architectural dreams of its customers by designing and building industrial, administrative, commercial and residential buildings.

A critical element of the aluminium machining department is the elumatec SBZ 151 5-axis profile machining centre with a 7.30 m machine bed. The angle head allows 6-sided machining on a stationary profile, while the on-board tool magazine means tools can be changed quickly.

A separate on-board storage area accommodates the saw blade with a diameter of up to 500 mm, allowing fast switching between sawing and machining while working.

Edward Kernen says: "We need a flexible machine that allows us to machine one-off pieces for special orders on the one hand, and quickly mass-produce large numbers of windows and doors on the other. The machining centre saw means we can carry out both machining and sawing jobs in the same place. I can't tell you how important that flexibility is for us."

The data generated by the LogiKal construction software in the AAV design engineering office is sent via the company network and saved by the eluCad profile machining software, which creates the machining programs for the machines at the factory.

Quick and precise cutting

AAV also uses the elumatec DG 244 double mitre saw, in addition to other smaller elumatec saws. The DG 244 is connected to the network and controlled from the design engineering office.

A barcode printer and the eluCad software are used to identify the bars, and they can be automatically machined without having to capture the data again.

Auxiliary equipment for assembly

Auxiliary assembly equipment from Ruchser Fensterbaumaschinen GmbH is also used at AAV, playing a crucial role in reducing working time at the factory.

This includes:

Mobile mounting aid for one-person vertical and horizontal positioning of long bars for the double mitre saw. This mobile mechanism can also be adapted for the SBZ 151 profile machining centre or used for sorting the bars in a basket.
A workspace for cutting glazing beads with a storage area, an elumatec TS 161 table saw, a stop system with automatic positioning and a wireless electronic measurement system, allowing employees to produce the required number of glazing beads efficiently and without reworking.

Well-equipped for the future

"Our efficient machinery, high-output production lines and experienced, highly motivated team allow us to meet the demands of our customers as quickly as possible. With this philosophy we have gained a market edge in our region and are well-equipped for the future", says AAV CEO Edward Kernen.