When we from thenex are abroad, we often have to explain where our hometown Bocholt is situated. Then it often just helps to say: “Do you know Flender?” Because all our clients know Flender. And Flender happens to be in Bocholt, Germany too, just like thenex!

And so of course we grabbed the occasion, when we met the Flender people some weeks ago at the famous “Achema” industrial fair in Frankfurt, to accept their invitation for a company visit to the Flender works in Bocholt, more or less around our corner!

As Mr. Bruns, sales coordinator at Flender, explained in his presentation, Flender is 100% daughter company of Siemens AG, with its headquarter in Bocholt and production sites in Bocholt-Mussum, Penig and Voerde, all in Germany. Flender also has offices for sales and services in China, India and the USA amongst others.

After the cordial welcome and introduction at Flenders Head Office in Bocholt, the thenex team – consisting of our present part time trainee from Trinidad & Tobago, Mr. Andre Badal, the thenex trainees, members of the thenex Sales Team and our Managing Director Mr. Henry-Johann Nientimp, was invited to visit the Flender coupling production site in the nearby Mussum industrial area. Although the basic principle of a coupling – connecting a motor and a machine – is a simple one, we were all amazed by the variety of couplings that are being produced at Flenders and by the precision and extremely high standards applied in every phase of the production process.

The huge and clean production site had been recently extended and now accommodates more than 150 different production machines, some of them robotized and a completely automated warehouse system. No wonder couplings for any type of industry can be provided by Flender quickly, like highly flexible couplings, torsionally rigid couplings or backlash-free couplings, in all sizes imaginable and equipped with the latest precision technology.

Not only are all couplings produced in Bocholt-Mussum, Germany, but also tested and – if necessary – repaired. Of course, there is also a large research department in Mussum that for reasons we understand, could not be visited. Flenders gear units, including Helical, Bevel-Helical and Planetary Gear Units, however are produced in Penig.

Still impressed by what had been shown to us, Flender invited us to a good meal in the Flender canteen, where we agreed that thenex will – as it did in the past – provide its clients with Flender parts directly from factory. thenex cherishes this strong and competitive connection between two companies from Bocholt, both operating worldwide to the benefit of their valued customers!

Foto: The thenex team at Flender, Bocholt! From left to right Kubilay Serbes, Andre Badal, Stefanie Büning, Till Tahlheim, Henry-Johann Nientimp, Felix Unger und Till Weselowski.