User:MariaMacy/Robland (brand)

Robland is a brand name for woodworking machines made by the Belgian company Werkhuizen Landuyt, which is based in Bruges.

History
The company was founded in 1968 by Robert Landuyt. The company started with the manufacture of combiners and later complemented this with panel saws. In 1971 it became a limited company. In the meantime, the company has grown and is active in more than 100 countries.

The company was the sponsor of the Belgian Isoglass-Robland cycling teams (Geert Van de Walle, Freddy Maertens) and the forerunner of the Collstrop-De Federale Verzekeringen cycling team and of the oldest 'krachtbal' club in Belgium, namely KBC Robland.

In 1972, the first machines of the K line were launched. These small, compact combination machines with 5 operations (sawing, milling, planing, thicknessing and drilling) were the cornerstone on which Robland built its success. Although the first machines are almost 50 years old, they still prove their reliability to many woodworkers every day.

In 1987, the K line was replaced by the X and LX lines. These improved and larger versions of the combi benches, further increased the company's worldwide success.

In 1992, Robland decided to significantly broaden its program and focus even more on the needs of the carpenter. In this year, Robland launched its highly successful Z 320 panel saw. Through a combination of mechanics and sturdiness, Robland increased its market share even further and the Robland Z 320 became the synonym for a solid, affordable and robust panel saw in many countries.

Shortly after, in 1995 Robland continued its renewal of the program and launched the T 120 milling machine. The aim was to provide carpentry workshops with a full range of robust machines manufactured according to the same standards. In the following year, Robland therefore also released the SD 510, a robust plane and thicknessing machine.

In 2012, Robland even took a technological step further. It went outside its known comfort zone and brought an affordable entry-level CNC into the market. This became the BM 3000. This vertical CNC drill was not only the first CNC in a lot of workshops, due to its easily written software and its space-saving nature, this machine brought a shockwave to the market. It attracted the attention of many competitors and many tried to bring a Chinese copy onto the market, but with little success.

In 2018, Robland celebrated its 50th anniversary with a complete renewal of its range of iconic panel saws. At that time, the Z 3200 was replaced by the Z 300, Z 400 and Z 500 series, which are even more responsive to the demands of contemporary carpentry.

Sales Network
Robland nv works with dealers and importers worldwide. In our own country and neighbouring countries, we use various dealers. In countries further away (85 countries to date), importers are often employed who supply the entire country with machines, for example, Poland, Algeria, Peru, Uruguay, America, Spain... Exceptionally, Robland sells directly to end customers if there is no importer present (for example, the Seychelles). Robland also has 3 sales offices. One is located in Bruges, one in Paris and one in India.

As much as 85% of Robland machines are exported, only 15% are built for the Belgian market. Nevertheless, the company is the market leader in woodworking machines in Belgium.

Factory in Bruges
Robland nv has 20,000 different parts for its entire machine program. 85% of these parts are manufactured or modified in the company's own factory in Bruges on Kolvestraat, which occupies more than 20,000 m².

Thanks to this unique way of working in the sector, Robland manages to manufacture all of its machines itself in Bruges, unlike many of its competitors, despite the high labour costs in Belgium. Robland currently employs around 80 people.

A Robland machine goes through the following steps in the factory:

- Sheet metal welding

- Folding of the lasered sheet steel

- Turning the mechanical parts

- Welding of the machine frames

- Powder coating of the machine frames

- Planing the cast iron tables

- Milling the runners on machines with a sawing section

- Full assembly including electrical cabling and adjustment of the machines

Presence in the world
Robland machines can of course be viewed in showrooms at its importers around the world. Robland also participates in all major woodworking events around the world where its machines are displayed.

These fairs take place on all continents. Some regular engagements include:

- Ligna in Hannover, Germany

- AWFS in Las Vegas and Atlanta USA

- Promueble in Mexico

- Dehliwood in India

- Drema in Poznan, Poland

- Hout PRO+ in s'Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands

- Prowood in Ghent, Belgium

Out of love for wood
Not only is Robland's official slogan " out of love for wood", Robland also released a book in 4 languages (Dutch, French, English, German) in 1987 about woodworking and the passion that unmistakably describes working with wood.

For Robland, its long-standing connection with wood and woodworkers is what drives it to continue. Even after 50 years, it still makes the right machine to give young carpentry graduates a smooth start and to be able to start their own business on a limited budget.

In 2019, the BUSO school Ravelijn in Bruges became a finalist for 'De strafste school' school of radio station MNM. They are very proud of the collaboration with Robland where they make a number of wooden components for the company on Robland machines.