More Efficient Production, Better Organization

What began about thirty years ago as a construction company has since grown into a modern wire-bending factory. The Croatian company Pero Sternafer, based in Novigrad, manufactures rebar cages and rebar mats for challenging infrastructure projects, using the BlueMesh mesh welding machine and the Progress Group’s aheadSuite MES software.

“Since we’re producing more and more rebar cages, we’ve decided to invest in a highly automated machine to meet market demands. Choosing the BlueMesh was a major investment for our company,” explains Director Nevio Perić.

Higher productivity with less effort

Particularly in tunnel and infrastructure construction, Pero Sternafer strives to prepare as many work steps as possible in the factory. This significantly reduces the workload on the construction site. With the BlueMesh, the company has been able to automate a great many manual processes. Tasks that used to be performed by a large number of employees are now carried out much more efficiently. “The BlueMesh performs tasks that used to be done entirely by hand. Where about ten employees were once needed, three people can now carry out the tasks effortlessly,” says Perić. “The benefits include lower labor costs, less material waste, and significantly higher speed.” Automated production also results in lower material consumption, less waste, and a tidy, efficiently organized construction site.

aheadSuite as a digital control center

The aheadSuite software is at the heart of digital production management at Pero Sternafer. From planning through production to delivery, all processes are managed centrally.

Shortly after implementation, processing and production times were significantly reduced. In addition, projects can be broken down into separate production and delivery phases, allowing for better resource planning and more reliable meeting of deadlines.

Full traceability

A key benefit of the aheadSuite is the complete digital traceability of materials. All materials are registered upon receipt and tracked digitally throughout the entire production process. Using the barcode labels generated by the aheadSuite, each individual reinforcement element can be uniquely identified and assigned to the relevant project. This makes it possible to verify at any time when and where an element was manufactured, what materials were used, and in which construction phase it is being used. For Pero Sternafer, this means not only greater transparency and a higher guarantee of quality, but also significantly simplified documentation for customers, clients, and project partners. ‎‎

Every mat, every basket, and every manufactured component can be uniquely traced. This transparency provides a decisive competitive advantage, particularly in complex infrastructure projects with high-quality standards and strict documentation requirements. At the same time, digital record-keeping significantly reduces administrative burdens and ensures that all relevant information is available at any time.

Network of Production Processes

Another key advantage of the aheadSuite lies in the integration of all production processes. The aheadSuite not only controls the Progress machines but also the other rebar machines in the factory. This gives the team a real-time overview of the current production status at all times and allows them to optimally coordinate production and delivery schedules. “Thanks to automation, we’ve been able to virtually eliminate paperwork and significantly reduce the setup times for our orders,” says Sara Perić.

The software also offers significant advantages for manual work processes. Employees working at the welding stations receive visual guidance for carrying out production processes through the production orders created in aheadSuite. In addition, they can digitally document individual steps, enabling significantly more accurate planning of working hours and resources. At the same time, production and delivery dates can be coordinated more reliably. This ensures transparency, improves planning, and reduces administrative work. The aheadSuite also supports the generation of data for rebar mats and cages. This allows projects to be optimally aligned with production using BlueMesh as early as the planning phase.

A Partnership with a Future

The positive experiences with BlueMesh and aheadSuite have prompted Pero Sternafer to plan further automation steps. At the same time, the company values its close collaboration with the Progress Group, particularly the rapid technical support and high quality of service. “It’s as if the aheadSuite were developed specifically for our needs. The software simply fits our workflow perfectly,” says Perić.

By combining BlueMesh and aheadSuite, Pero Sternafer has taken a significant step toward digital and automated rebar production. The software ensures transparency across all processes, shortens lead times, improves material utilization, and enables full traceability of all produced elements. This, combined with automated production on the BlueMesh, has enabled the company to increase productivity, reduce labor costs, and improve profitability in a sustainable manner. As a result, Pero Sternafer is excellently positioned to continue successfully meeting the growing demands of modern infrastructure and construction projects in the future.