Artist impression

In a bit more than 1 year time this will be the brandnew state-of- the- art premises
of VAF Instruments at the same location as we were before. In this impressive building we will be together again under one roof serving all our agents and customers.

Untill that moment we will stay working for you in our 3 temporary locations. In our largest production hall we now have installed most of the CNC machines we need to produce our instruments. This means that all machining is concentrated together increasing further our production efficiency.

In 2 month's time we expect to install 2 prover loops to be able to calibrate our flowmeters also in the same production hall. Below you find some impressions of VAF 's ultra-modern machine center:
new machinery.

As already mentioned a few weeks ago we now have signed an agreement to rent an extra temporary production hall in the same area. At the end of this year in this hall will be installed a number of new production machines.
Subject machines are now already in operation at various locations at suppliers in Holland machining parts for VAF flowmeters and ViscoSenses.
Having these machines in the area will improve our logistics a lot.

Extra temporary production hall.

Meanwhile the shipping department in our present location is being loaded with orders to be shipped.

Orders ready to be shipped.

Delays:
We are proud that after 4 month’s of building up production from “ground zero” we have delivered so many orders already. However being ahead of schedule in many aspects we of course also faced various difficulties causing delays, for which we have to apologize. It concerned the maching of various flowmeter parts as well as calibration capacity of flowmeters in general. Extra actions are being initiated to cope with this and to keep the delays(on several flowmeters) to an absolute minimum.
In case of special situations please use your contact at VAF to discuss and if necessary to find flexible solutions together.

Production getting on stream at our temporary production location.
Just compared to the situation of "June 12th 2009".
From a brandnew empty hall into a fully loaded production center in about 2 month's
Warehouse, testing equipments, assembly departments, porta cabins with various laboratories and a fullly equipped shipping department ....all in operation.

Within a few month's we will rent another production building in the same area.
In this building new machines will be placed to produce various parts of our Flowmeters and Viscosenses.
This will improve our logistics a lot because subject machining is now being done at various sub-suppliers.
In the meantime also the design of our brandnew VAF factory to be built on the same location as before is well underway.
Somewhere in the second half of 2010 we should be there.

Will keep you posted.

No factory holiday shut-down for VAF Instruments.

In times where most people are celebrating their summer holidays the VAF team continued to put all effort in getting production output back on track.

And the results can proudly be reported as follows:

The first series of VAF ViscoSenses produced after the fire have just been delivered

Also the first complete Oilcon monitor system is now ready for transport.

A first batch of 1” flowmeters will be sent out for calibration at a flow lab in the area.
Next week the results will be available.

Also next week the first Palco torsion meter system will so be ready next week.

In other words the first deliveries of the VAF core product lines are on track. Even more than that they are a few weeks earlier than everybody expected.

A great compliment for the special emergency VAF production and out sourcing team which is responsible for this fantastic result!

Based upon these first experiences we will (re)schedule all your existing orders and confirm our best possible delivery time.

This proces will take the next few weeks. For any detailed question ask your contact person at VAF.

In our temporary production location the proces of getting in new testing and machining equipment is on schedule. A new hydraulic test rig has been commissioned and beside a new “hoon machine” which coming in next week. As mentioned before we have a strategic partnering agreement with Gibas numerics being an all round machine shop supplier. Below an impression of machining 2” housings on the new OKK horizontal milling machine.
OKK horizontal milling machine

Production in our temporary location is now “full speed ahead”.
In fully equipped and conditioned porta cabins various production processes are
starting up.
Above a part of ViscoSense sensor assembly department where the inside of the ViscoSense pendulum is being prepared for further processing.
As mentioned before the first ViscoSense sensors series will become available in August.
The ViscoSense electronic interface box is already available now!
It is obvious that all lead times as mentioned in our last update are indications and should be further specified on specific project basis together with your contact person at VAF.

VAF Instruments received the first parts on their production location
Pieter Zeemanweg 131 ready for further assembling to complete products.

'Flowmeter housings and ViscoSense parts'

The delivery schedule for complete product lines is expected to be as follows:

• ViscoSense, viscosity control systems from fourth week of August
• Flowmeters (25-50mm series ProFlow/MidFlow) from third week of September *
• Flowmeters (15-25mm series ProFlow) from fourth week of October
• Flowmeters (80-250mm series MidFlow/HiFlow) from fourth week of October
• Flowmeters (10-25mm series LoFlow) from fourth week of October
• Flowmeters (8-12mm series Milliflow) from fourth week of October
• Mark6M, oil discharge monitor from third week of September
• Palco, torque measurement system from second week of August
• Spare parts for above mentioned products as of today!!

* except for flowmeter model B5023

Artist impression of new VAF Instruments facilities to be build at original location,
Vierlinghstraat 24 in Dordrecht.

VAF has entered into a partnering agreement with Gibas Numerics.
Gibas will supply machines, production space, programming capacity and tooling in order to facilitate a quick start with the VAF mechanical workshop.
The first CNC workcenter was in operation within a week! and we started producing ViscoSense^® parts.
A soon as the new VAF production facilities are in operation the machines will be moved from Gibas to Dordrecht.
VAF will be rebuilt at the original location at the Vierlinghstraat.

The new Nakamure workcentre, Leo Blankenstein and (Gibas) Steven Gijsen.

The first produced batch of ViscoSense parts.

In a short time the empty hall is being loaded with electric and pneumatic “infrastructure” ,extra internal offices and test rooms(porta-cabins), wharehouse structures a.s.o.

Next week test equipment, packing machines and other necessary equipment
will be installed.
In other words we are on schedule with the recovery and will keep you posted.

We repeat the address of this production location (also for delivery of goods!):

VAF Instruments B.V.
Pieter Zeemanweg 131,
3316 GZ Dordrecht.

Thanks again for your understanding and support.

Sincerely Yours
VAF management and personel.

Just 2 weeks after the fire, VAF Instruments is operating from a new office with all communication systems up and running. This building, which was a monastery in the early days, is very practical and all our office colleques exactly fit in.
A unique office in a high level area which in fact suits us perfectly in this temporary situation.
(also refer to the nice photo in our previous update)

Last week we informed about our new temporary location of around 2000m² for storage, assembly and production, located in the same area which we have rented.
Below a photo of this brandnew hall.

The address of this production location(also for delivery of goods!) is:
VAF Instruments
Pieter Zeemanweg 131
3316 GZ Dordrecht
The Netherlands

Next week this building will be loaded with all facilities to create things like an incoming goods inspection, a wharehouse, an assembly section, a testing area , a service area, a.s.o.
As mentioned before it will take some weeks to deliver parts again and a few month’s to be able to deliver complete products. Just 2 weeks later we can say “we are on track” in our emergency recovery schedule.
More details next week. For any question you may have please use your normal contactperson at VAF.

Just one week after the terrible fire accident wich should be classified as “force majeure” and which destroyed our complete factory, VAF Instruments is now operating from a new temporary office.

This office is located in the same area as our previous premises and is fully equipped now with computers, furniture etc.
Servers and software are restored, telephone and e-mail is working.

Our new adres is: VAF Instruments B.V. Amstelwijckweg 21, 3316 BB Dordrecht Holland

P.O. box is the same: VAF Instruments B.V. P.O.Box 40 3300 AA Dordrecht Holland

Other fantastic news is that we have rented a new location of around 2000m² for storage, assembly and production. This place is also in the same area as the previous factory.
The massive program together with our suppliers and strategic partners to have materials and products available as soon as possible is well under way and more detailed results will be communicated next week.
Do not forget to inform customers in your area about the situation and the fact that we will inform as soon as we can about the possibilities to fullfil our obligations on existing and future orders.
As soon as our complete production control system is recovered and we have an overview of all orders which were running in production we will contact again.
Of course it will take a few month’s to be able to start delivering complete products.

VAF Instruments has been suffering from an intensive fire on Thursday evening May 21st 2009 resulting in a complete loss of our premises.
On this Ascension day the company was closed and nobody was present in the building.
The fire, which started around 21.00h has damaged a lot, but we are very grateful that nobody was hurt.The cause of the fire is completely unclear.

Temporary location

The management of VAF Instruments has undertaken all necessary actions to start up all activities again from a temporary location. All computer data are available because these are saved elsewhere.
Last year the 100 employees VAF Instruments celebrated the 70 years anniversary of the company. VAF Instruments develops and delivers control and measurement instrumentation for shipbuilding and power plant industry. As world market leader for a few of their product lines VAF Instruments is renowned for the high quality of the equipment.
VAF Instruments has doubled the production capacity over the last five years thanks to the enormous growth in world wide shipbuilding.
VAF Instruments has also been awarded as one of the 10 pearls in the high end of Dutch manufacturing companies.
Directors and management of VAF instruments are currently involved in preparing a temporary location in the same area to start up all activities as soon as possible. All VAF’s partners like agents, customers and suppliers will receive more detailed information soon.
Based at a new (temporary) location the people of VAF Instruments will continue to work with unsurpassed energy at the succes which they have built up in all these years.