Customer Success StoryInno­va­tion is born through collab­o­ra­tion

The year is 2006: a windy Tuesday  morning in a rural area of southern Holland. After a two-hour drive, Guido Segers arrives at his desti­na­tion and is surprised. Instead of the company premises he expected, the then SCHUNK sales repre­sen­ta­tive finds himself standing in front of an ordi­nary house.

When he rings the door­bell, a woman opens the door, offers him a cup of coffee, and tells him that her son will arrive shortly for their appoint­ment. A short time later, 24-year-old student Frank Biemans stands in front of Segers and enthu­si­as­ti­cally tells him about his plans. He explains that he wants to auto­mate a CNC machine that is housed together with a robot in a small garden shed. All he needs is a gripper, which is why he arranged the appoint­ment. Guido Segers recalls: “The machines were old, but the idea of using a robot to load a machine auto­mat­i­cally was a good one.”

As a student, Frank Biemans has hardly any money, but he strikes up a good rapport with Segers right from the start. The latter recog­nizes the poten­tial behind the plans, selling him one gripper and giving him another one. As they part, Frank Biemans promises him in return: “If my machines are successful, you’ll be part of my success.”

Now it’s 2026: Frank Biemans has moved on from his shed a long time ago, but he did keep his promise – and has since purchased hundreds of SCHUNK grip­pers. His idea for automa­tion has grown into a successful company: BMO Automa­tion, a specialist in automa­tion solu­tions for the metal industry. Biemans is the owner and Managing Director, and still works closely with Guido Segers, who now heads the Dutch company SCHUNK Intec B.V. Today, just as they were 20 years ago, the two are united by their enthu­siasm for new tech­nolo­gies and a strong drive to inno­vate.

 
Stan­dard­iza­tion + modu­larity = a recipe for success

 As Frank Biemans’ idea evolved into a viable busi­ness model over the years, he made SCHUNK compo­nents stan­dard in his systems. The collab­o­ra­tion with Guido Segers has become more inten­sive and strategic. SCHUNK actively contributes not only its prod­ucts but also its exper­tise.

The approach remains the same, explains Frank Biemans: “We’re always looking for ways to improve so we can find the best solu­tion for our customers.” “This means addressing their needs while also relying on stan­dard­iza­tion and modular building blocks. Together with SCHUNK, we seek tailored solu­tions and are contin­u­ally expanding our product port­folio.” The combi­na­tion of stan­dard­iza­tion and modu­larity has also given rise to the newest product in BMO’s port­folio: the BMO Infinity Plat­form. It makes it possible to grad­u­ally expand robotic cells in a modular fashion, thereby automating the entire factory step by step at the customer’s own pace.

The Infinity plat­form is based almost entirely on stan­dard­ized SCHUNK compo­nents, which BMO combines intel­li­gently and supple­ments with its own in-house devel­op­ments. For example, BMO uses a SCHUNK PGN-plus‑P universal gripper fitted with adjustable, mecha­tronic grip­ping fingers. The modular VERO‑S quick-change pallet system provides fast, precise clamping, while BMO engi­neers use NSR 100 and 160 rdobot couplings for auto­mated pallet handling. The plat­form also includes KSP plus and KRP pneu­matic clamping force blocks and SCHUNK change systems, which allow grip­pers or pallets to be changed flex­ibly within the cell.

Frank Biemans has already received the Tech­niShow Inno­va­tion Award for Infinity, and Guido Segers is also thrilled: “Frank has this incred­ible drive to improve things.” “He regu­larly shows us his concepts, and we then consider how our prod­ucts can help imple­ment and jointly develop them further together.” He smiles and adds: “He chal­lenges us to think outside the box.” “This bene­fits both BMO and SCHUNK equally.”

Together, we’re simply more inno­v­a­tive

A good example of this collab­o­ra­tive inno­va­tion process is the modular VERO‑S quick-change pallet system, which clamps work­pieces and clamping devices quickly and with a repeat accu­racy of less than five microm­e­ters. During a joint brain­storming session, Segers and Biemans came up with the idea of turning the system into a robot coupling. Guido Segers empha­sizes: “This collab­o­ra­tive work also provides us at SCHUNK with valu­able inspi­ra­tion for new compo­nents.”

Based on a specific prac­tical require­ment, the part­ners worked closely together to develop a solu­tion that later evolved into the NSR robot coupling. At SCHUNK, this prin­ciple under­pins the claim: “Hand in hand for tomorrow”. Collab­o­ra­tive devel­op­ment produces solu­tions that actively shape the future of manu­fac­turing. Guido Segers empha­sizes: “When you work together honestly and trans­par­ently, and focus on inno­va­tion, you make progress together and can truly solve your customers’ prob­lems. It’s a win-win situ­a­tion and a part­ner­ship on equal footing that helps us move forward.”

Bring on the future

Like Frank Biemans, Guido Segers also likes to think one step ahead and considers the require­ments of tomorrow. He says tomor­row’s require­ments will be char­ac­ter­ized by rapid change and uncer­tainty, but will also offer major oppor­tu­ni­ties.

“Digi­tal­iza­tion and AI will shape the coming years. This devel­op­ment will affect not only the processes but also the prod­ucts them­selves. So we need to work on solu­tions that are smarter and more connected,” says Segers, adding that devel­op­ment is progressing much faster than it was only a few years ago. In his view, compa­nies must be extremely flex­ible and contin­u­ously evolve in order to keep up. “We are already thinking about what customers will need in five years’ time.” He plans to capi­talize on the oppor­tu­ni­ties presented by this devel­op­ment together with Frank Biemans. They are well placed to do so, as both can build on a solid foun­da­tion: a part­ner­ship rooted in personal trust, a strong pioneering spirit, and the courage to break new ground.