February 28, 2025

Jeff Hagelen (WEMO): “In the pursuit of higher productivity, companies seek our automation solutions”

Collaboration is the key to everything, according to Jeff Hagelen of WEMO. His company has been around for sixty years and continues to expand. India and the United States are growth regions for this manufacturer of automated production lines for punching, bending, and connecting sheet and coil material. But even closer to home (Germany and the Benelux), the market is growing—even during weaker economic times. The reason? Experience. “We have always considered ourselves an integral part of our customers’ production processes.”

“Alone, you go faster; together, you go further,” says Jeff Hagelen. The CEO of WEMO recently joined the board of the European manufacturing technology association Cecimo. This reflects his unwavering belief in collaboration. “A sense of community fosters stronger cohesion. Sometimes, you have to make compromises, but you need unity to survive.”

WEMO designs, builds, and maintains customized production lines for the fully automated processing of sheet metal. The family business, now sixty years old, has grown into a global player in punching, bending, and connecting sheet and coil material into (semi-)finished products. The company offers standardized modules that provide flexibility and cost savings, along with a wide range of customization options.

Hagelen sees growth in many places. He frequently travels to India or the United States to further develop these growth markets. “These are markets where our solutions are in high demand. In India, for example, there may be plenty of people, but there is a significant shortage of workers with the skills needed to perform the tasks. So, companies seek automation solutions. And in the United States, we can help boost productivity. The same applies to Germany and the Benelux. In the pursuit of higher productivity, companies specifically look for the automation solutions we offer.”

Core Strength

What makes WEMO successful? Hagelen: “Sixty years of experience. We’ve always been a specialized company. The essence of our business has always been to make our customers’ needs our own. We have always seen ourselves as part of our customers’ production process. One of our clients, for instance, manufactures electrical enclosures—thousands per day. You can’t manage that with a simple press brake. Ultimately, we are the core of that manufacturer’s production process. That means our quality must be the best. If their production line goes down, it costs them hundreds of thousands in lost revenue, so we simply cannot afford to be satisfied with anything less than top quality. This client, for example, promises its customers a custom-built electrical enclosure delivered within 48 hours. At that point, it’s not just about whether we can deliver a good production line. It’s about the entire process. And we take responsibility for that.”

A Deliberate Choice

According to Hagelen, the process is central. WEMO operates within a niche market. The world of punching, bending, and connecting sheet and coil material is structured like a pyramid. At the bottom, there are press brakes requiring manual handling. The middle segment consists of standalone panel benders, which introduce a degree of automation. Panel benders are flexible and an evolutionary step forward, but they have output limitations. WEMO is one of the few manufacturers that goes beyond this, breaking through the productivity ceiling of standalone panel benders. It’s a niche market—small, as Hagelen acknowledges, but stable and inaccessible to companies that cannot move beyond standalone solutions.

“We make a deliberate choice by committing to automating the factory of the future when it comes to punching and bending lines,” he says. ‘Automating The Factory of the Future,’ as he communicates externally. Hagelen explains: “We are increasingly involved in turnkey projects, from the moment raw sheet material enters the factory to the moment it needs to be coated or transported. That means we also solve the logistics aspect with AGVs and robots. But we go beyond that—this is more than just automating a production line. It makes us a high-level discussion partner, capable of delivering not only an automated machine but an entire turnkey project.”

If necessary, this is done in collaboration with third parties, Hagelen adds. “We can handle one hundred percent of a project ourselves. But sometimes another company may be better at integrating a laser system, for example. If that results in a better solution for our customer, the choice is easy for us. We provide a tailor-made solution. We develop new mechanical and mechatronic solutions to ensure a complete turnkey system for the customer.”