History of the ART-Group
The ART Group originated through a merger between GVW (Gereedschapmakerij Van Wijnen) and SMS/WTS. In 2009, the two companies joined hands to establish a one-stop-shop concept for dies, moulds and to manufacture components for metal and plastic.
The ART concept (Always Right Tooling) was introduced by Nico van Wijnen, the managing director and founder of GVW. His vision was to position standard tool- and die-making higher up in the supply chain: to change the company from a contract manufacturer of dies, moulds and components to an organisation with possibilities for growth and the in-house knowledge and expertise to be able to advise clients during the design phase. In parallel with this, an office was established in Asia with the objective of outsourcing work to pre-selected companies. This made it possible to offer the right tools under the right conditions – Always Right Tooling.
In profiling the company in this way, the ‘standard’ tool and die manufacturers GVW and SMS/WTS grew together to be an organisation with unlimited possibilities for advising OEMs, thereby taking care of the complete project management trajectory, from idea to final product.
History of SMS
SMS was founded in 1958 by the Schoormans brothers, with the objective of manufacturing die components. In addition, the company produced rifle bullets, which were sold for 1 cent a piece. From 1980, SMS grew to be a global company specialising in the production-ready supply of complex serial dies in tool steel, hard metal or ceramic.
The current premises in Hermes Street, covering a total area of 15,000m2, were taken into use in 1997, with a 5,100m2 industrial building in which SMS Stamp Tool & Mould Technologies and sister company WTS Worldwide Mechanical Components are based. The building and the cooling fluids for the machines are automatically kept at a temperature of 20ºC by a revolutionary new environmentally-friendly cooling system
History of WTS
WTS was founded in 1997 by what was then the board of SMS in order to provide an answer to the increasing demand for quick and flexible production of spare parts. Often this concerned HSS or ceramic components. At WTS (which stood for ‘Worldwide Tooling Service’), the necessary parts were often produced and shipped within 24 hours.
The constant innovation in aid of quicker and more efficient production led in 2005 to the development of a fully automated grinding cell, an innovation that was rewarded with the ESEF Engineering Award in 2006.
In 2009, WTS and SMS merged with GVW to form the ART Group, and WTS was renamed ‘Worldwide Mechanical Components’.