Birth of a coil-joining solution developer
In the 1960s, the American company Taylor Winfield, the pioneer manufacturer of welding machines for coil-joining, granted an operating licence to the Belgian company Electromécanique authorising it to manufacture and maintain the equipment in its range: Limited-overlap, Narrow-Lap, Prep-Lap, Pres-Lap and Flash-Butt equipment.
In 1981, Electromécanique S.A. went bankrupt and was acquired by the VERSON EUROPA group. The group inherited Electromécanique’s operating licence and took over the manufacturing of the coil-joining equipment. Alex Quaranta was promoted to manufacturing director and Mario Vivone became deputy director of studies for welding machines.
In 1987, VERSON EUROPA faced serious difficulties. Alex Quaranta and Mario Vivone founded MALEX S.A. and set up business offering engineering, automated mechanical manufacturing, metal manufacturing and machining services to their customers.
In 1996, VERSON EUROPA went bankrupt. MALEX S.A. decided to make use of its knowledge of welding processes and specialised in the design, manufacturing, maintenance and revamping of resistance seam and flashbutt welding machines. MALEX S.A. became a partner of Coil-Joining International, the Belgian subsidiary of the world leader in the welding machine field.
At the beginning of the 2000s, MALEX S.A. decided to go it alone and broke free from it exclusive contract. Its activities developed in Benelux.
In 2005, the company obtained a welding machine maintenance contract for the Arcelor group.
In 2008, MALEX S.A. filed a patent for a hybrid “laser-resistance” cutting and welding device for coil joining using a laser technology previously unknown in this field of application. Maurice Casagrande, head of mechanical, electrical and hydraulic design of coil-joining welding machines at VERSON-EUROPA for 18 years, left his position in the Estom-Debelle workshops to take charge of the MALEX S.A. design office.
In 2010, Coil-Joining International was dissolved. Christian Cardon, the company’s assistant managing director, placed his expertise at MALEX S.A.’s disposal and became its sales director.
Activities developed throughout Europe with the Arcelormittal, NLMK, Tata Steel, Thyssenkrupp, Riva, Tenova and Voestalpine groups and in North Africa with the Maghreb Steel group.
In 2011, MALEX S.A. was the successful bidder in a major call for innovation projects launched as part of the Cwality research programme initiated by DGO6 of the Wallonia Public Service Department. Financed by the Region, the research for this project developed by MALEX S.A. in partnership with the Research Centre, the CEWAC, will enable the company to have, at the end of 2013, a technological demonstrator for a hybrid “ laser-resistance” welding and cutting machine providing an innovative, flexible and lasting solution to coil-joining problems for 0.2 to 3 mm special steel coils currently developed in the steel industry. This exclusive high-tech product, which takes into account not only developments in the steel sector and line operator safety but also environmental concerns, will then be added to the company’s range of products and services.
In 2013, while its research project is in the development phase, MALEX S.A. is asserting its position as a developer of coil-joining solutions by taking the first steps in a second project aimed at offering the steel sector an innovative solution for welding of their 1.5 to 6 mm special steels. The research phase for this project will begin in 2014.