BeamAce at Funke Metallbau
Indispensable
Funke Metallbau GmbH & Co. KG, located in the Schöning district of Delbrück, is a genuine family business. Company founder Reinhard Funke and his son Tobias agree: without modern machines and tools, nothing works any more – BeamAce is a good example of that.
Employees at Metallbau Funke work with modern machines and time-saving tools.
Reinhard and Gisela Funke work in the company together with their children Tobias and Laura. A few years ago, master metalworker Tobias Funke joined as a partner – “a first step towards handing over the business”, as his father puts it. From the outset he has relied on modern equipment and smart aids.
From side business to top-performing company
In 1994, Reinhard Funke initially registered the business as a sideline. Nine years later he hired the first employees and moved into full-time operation.
Today father and son share responsibility for technical design and work preparation. Tobias Funke designs in 3D using HiCAD, while his father prefers to stick with AutoCAD: “I no longer need to change – I leave that to my son, who knows the software inside out.”
For more than 25 years, Funke Metallbau has been delivering projects of all kinds – from simple coat rails to complex steel halls.
A team of 14 employees implements projects for customers from private industry, manufacturing, trade and agriculture.
“Every year we build many steel halls in which numerous beams have to be provided with holes and cut-outs,” explains Tobias Funke. This is where the BeamAce digital measuring and marking system comes into play.
“We have been using BeamAce for two years now and deploy it almost every day. It allows us to mark holes and cut-outs with millimetre precision.”
Regional roots, supra-regional projects
Most of our orders come from the Paderborn, Bielefeld, Gütersloh and Detmold region. Funke also regularly works on projects in Munich, Berlin and Hamburg.
“Many of our customers come from the region and appreciate the quality that leaves our workshop,” says Tobias Funke. The two managing directors themselves are also often on the road – visiting customers, on construction sites or at installation jobs. “Our teams in fabrication and assembly talk to each other directly whenever something doesn’t quite fit.”
Tobias Funke is enthusiastic about BeamAce.
Skilled workers wanted
Like many craft businesses, Funke Metallbau is also struggling with a shortage of qualified employees and apprentices. “We would love to have one apprentice in every training year, but the market simply doesn’t allow that at the moment. We are always happy to offer internships – but experienced skilled workers are very hard to find.” Nevertheless, the company regularly presents itself at career and training fairs in the region.
Used almost every day – Rockroth’s BeamAce digital measuring tool.
Reinhard and Tobias Funke are successful thanks to their innovative spirit.
Technology that eases the workload
“We continuously invest in our machinery in order to relieve our employees and ourselves,” says Reinhard Funke. The fleet includes, among other things, a telescopic forklift with electric drive – emission-free and therefore suitable for use inside halls – as well as a low-loader trailer for transport.
For installing stair railings, the team uses a crawler mini crane: “With it, even heavy elements can be moved and installed precisely, even in narrow stairwells.”
For Reinhard Funke one thing is certain: “The question is not whether we invest, but when. The earlier a new piece of equipment goes into service, the faster it pays for itself.”
Greatly facilitates installation work: the hybrid crane.
BeamAce, the measuring tool
Five questions for Tobias Funke
Mr Funke, can modern equipment compensate for a lack of manpower?
“Of course you can never completely make up for missing employees. But with modern machines and fixtures we save time and avoid sources of error. Smart tools help us here – the BeamAce digital measuring and marking system is one such example.”
Why BeamAce in particular?
“With BeamAce, any employee can quickly and easily transfer dimensions onto steel beams and centre-punch them directly. Measurement errors and transposed digits are avoided. The accuracy is high, so rework and corrections are virtually eliminated.”
“The device is simply placed on the beam and aligned. Length, width and position can then be set and read off precisely. Each position can then be scribed or centre-punched. It is really very straightforward.”
Can you estimate how much time this saves?
“We have not measured it exactly. It depends on the amount of work and the number of holes. But I would estimate that we are at least 20 percent faster. Even more important: the error rate is close to zero. That means the investment pays for itself quickly.”
How often do you use the measuring tool?
“That also depends on the workload. I would say at least every one to two days. The device is ready for use in seconds and also works on the web of the beam or in a U-profile.”
Who mainly works with BeamAce?
“Anyone in our workshop can use it. Operation is very simple. As a result, we have largely replaced folding rules and tape measures.”
Easy to use: BeamAce
CONTACTS
Funke Metallbau GmbH & Co. KG
Grafhörster Weg 6a 33129 Delbrück-Schöning
Tel. +49 (0)5244 1423
info@funkemetallbau.de
funkemetallbau.de
Rockroth
Vaahteramäentie 4B, FI-04150 Martinkylä
Tel. +358 40 487 2590
sales@rockroth.com
Get in touch with Rockroth:
This article has been machine translated. Read the original article from the 06/25 issue of Metall-markt.net
https://www.metall-markt.net/fileadmin/Seiteninhalte/Archiv/Zeitschriftenarchiv/metall-markt/2025/06/viewer/index.html#p=55
Photos: metallmarkt.net