Frequently asked questions

SMO designs and builds tailor-made machines, automations, industrial constructions and production lines. SMO mainly works for processes where standard solutions do not suffice: too specific product, too tight space, too high speed or a special quality requirement. SMO starts from your reality and builds the solution around your process, not the other way around.

SMO is a family business, founded in 2002 in Eeklo by Sander Mollet. What started as a technical drawing office grew into an internationally active machine construction company with some 50 employees, including its own team of engineers, and two production halls in the Meetjesland. As a result, SMO has the capacity to realise a single machine as well as a complete project in-house.

SMO is based in Eeklo, in the heart of the Meetjesland region in East Flanders. SMO works for clients throughout Belgium and also realises projects internationally. The fixed base in Eeklo makes SMO a logical partner for manufacturing companies in East and West Flanders, while remote support and its own assembly teams also make projects further afield possible.

SMO works for a variety of sectors, including food, general industry, agro and horticulture, infrastructure and recycling. The common thread is not the sector but the demand: a process that cannot be solved with a standard machine.

Yes. SMO realises projects for clients at home and abroad. Thanks to FAT, SAT, remote support and clear documentation, SMO also guides projects far beyond Belgium to a successful conclusion.

A standard machine is designed for a general application and you adapt your process to it. A customised machine is built in reverse: around your product, space, speed and quality requirements. A standard machine is available faster and cheaper if it fits exactly, a customised machine pays off once your process becomes too specific to squeeze into a standard solution.

Buying works as long as there is a machine that really covers your process. Building your own takes time, knowledge and follow-up that most companies do not have in-house. Having SMO built gives you a solution that fits your process exactly, with engineering, production, safety and service all from one source, so you can stay focused on your own activity.

When your product, process, space, speed, quality requirements or integration with existing lines are too specific for a standard machine. At that point, forcing a standard solution often costs you more than it delivers. A customised machine from SMO starts from your situation and adapts to your process.

They often do. Many clients knock on SMO's door because they cannot fill technical profiles. Automation takes over repetitive, physically demanding or hard-to-schedule work, so you can deploy your people on the work where they really make a difference. The goal is not to replace people, but to keep your production going despite a tight labour market.

SMO keeps the entire chain in-house: engineering, production, welding, sheet-metal working, assembly, software and testing. A traditional supplier often sells an existing product, while an integrator puts together third-party components. SMO designs and builds the machine itself, from concept to service, which keeps the lines short and makes adjustments faster.

A local partner like SMO means short lines of communication, quick intervention in case of problems and a point of contact in the same language and time zone. Buying cheaper abroad seems advantageous, until you take into account service, spare parts, language barriers and travel time in case of downtime. SMO produces in Eeklo and remains close during and after the project.

Both. SMO builds individual machines, robotic cells, transport systems, industrial structures and complete or partial production lines. SMO can solve one bottleneck or set up an entire process.

Yes. Not every problem requires a new machine. SMO also does retrofit, overhaul and expansion: making an existing installation faster, safer or more energy efficient, or making it suitable for a new product or packaging.

A customised machine has no list price. The cost price depends on the complexity of your process, the required speed and output, the degree of automation and the integration with your existing installation. That is why SMO always works with a clear scope and a budget estimate in advance, so you know where you stand before the project starts. Just as important as the purchase price is what the machine delivers: less manual work, higher output and less downtime. In most projects, payback time is the real measure. Feel free to ask for a no-obligation estimate.

It depends on the complexity. Adapting or expanding an existing line is quicker than a completely new machine, and a distinctly innovative project with a proof of concept requires more time. You get a schedule in advance with clear milestones, from engineering to production and assembly to testing and installation.

SMO works for a variety of project sizes, from a single machine or modification to a complete production line. Smaller SMEs can also come to SMO: a project doesn't have to be big to be worthwhile. If you doubt whether your question fits, just submit it.

SMO starts from a clear scope, planning and budget estimate. How exactly the price will be composed, is something SMO discusses transparently during the tender. Changes during the course of the project are discussed openly, always including the impact on planning and budget, so there are no surprises afterwards.

Investments in automation and innovation are often eligible for government support in Flanders, for example through VLAIO. The conditions change regularly and depend on your company and your project. Check your situation in time through VLAIO or your accountant so that you can take it into account when planning your investment.

Yes. A project does not have to start with a finished drawing. SMO helps to get the question in focus, examine technical risks and translate your idea into a feasible concept.

Then a conversation with SMO is just the right starting point. SMO examines the technical feasibility, identifies the risks and, where necessary, first builds a proof of concept or test setup. This way, you know if and how your idea works before a full machine is built.

Typically, it starts with an intake and defining the scope. This is followed by concept, engineering, production, assembly, testing at SMO, FAT, transport, installation, SAT and finally service or further development.

By critically testing early, agreeing clear milestones and, where necessary, building a proof of concept or test setup first. SMO's approach focuses on manageable innovation, not experimentation on the customer's shop floor.

What you share with SMO about your product and process remains confidential. Working under secrecy (NDA) is negotiable and often the starting point for sensitive projects. The agreements about ownership of the design and intellectual property will be recorded by SMO together with you in advance, so that there is no discussion about this afterwards.

Yes. Mechanical design, electrical engineering, PLC/HMI, software, assembly and testing are close together at SMO. That keeps the lines between design and implementation short, and makes adjustments faster.

Yes. SMO integrates robotics, PLC/HMI, vision, motion control, safety and peripherals into existing or new production environments.

Yes. Several of SMO's projects combine robotics, vision, gripper technology, sensing and quality control.

Yes. SMO provides links to your existing systems where necessary, so that the machine or line runs with your production and data flows instead of functioning as an island.

It can. SMO can equip machines to track production data, performance and breakdowns. That data helps you adjust production, reduce downtime and plan maintenance better.

Yes. Energy consumption and efficiency is taken into account by SMO in the design, from component selection to control. A more economical machine not only reduces your costs, but also your impact.

Where possible, SMO works with common, widely available components and well-known brands. This makes maintenance easier and spare parts readily available, even years after completion. If you have a company standard or preference, SMO will take this into account.

SMO keeps the critical steps internal: engineering, production, welding, sheet-metal working, assembly, software and testing. This keeps quality, planning and adjustment under better control, and you don't have to wait for a chain of external parties.

Yes. For the food industry, SMO designs with attention to cleanability and hygiene: suitable materials such as stainless steel, easily accessible parts and a design that makes cleaning go smoothly. SMO tailors the concrete hygiene requirements to your production environment and sector.

Yes. SMO can industrialise prototypes and build machines, modules or structures in series, with established working methods, test steps and quality control.

SMO works according to ISO 9001:2015, VCA and EN 1090. In addition, SMO provides CE marking and machine safety.

Yes. SMO incorporates machine safety and CE marking from design onwards, including risk analysis, safety measures, technical file, manuals and declaration of conformity.

The Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 replaces the current Machinery Directive and is directly applicable across the EU from 20 January 2027, without national transposition. Among other things, it adds requirements around software, cybersecurity and the use of AI in machinery. SMO follows this evolution and takes it into account in new projects, so that your machine remains compliant beyond 2027.

A FAT, or Factory Acceptance Test, is a test at SMO before the installation leaves. The machine is checked against agreed criteria such as operation, safety, performance and product quality.

An SAT, or Site Acceptance Test, happens after installation at your place. This is when SMO checks whether the machine or line works correctly in the real production environment.

That's exactly what the FAT and SAT are for. Before a machine reaches your company, SMO tests it against the pre-agreed criteria. After installation, SMO checks whether everything works correctly in your own production environment. This way, you know beforehand and afterwards that the machine does what was agreed upon. SMO makes the guarantee agreements clear in the quotation beforehand.

Upon delivery, SMO provides the necessary documentation, such as manuals, electrical diagrams and maintenance information. That documentation helps your technical department to operate, maintain and troubleshoot minor problems on its own.

Yes. Upon delivery, SMO can train operators, technical service and cleaning crew in operation, maintenance and troubleshooting.

SMO remains available after delivery. Many problems can be detected and solved quickly via remote support, and where necessary, SMO comes on site. Having built the machine itself, SMO knows the installation through and through. For those who want extra certainty, maintenance or service agreements are negotiable.

Where possible, SMO works with common, available components, so that spare parts remain readily available. For critical parts, SMO thinks along with you about a stock or a maintenance plan, so that downtime is kept to a minimum.

In many cases, it does. Thanks to its broad expertise in mechanics, electricity and software, SMO can also review, repair, adapt or improve existing installations from other makers. Ask SMO about the possibilities for your installation.

Yes. Machines from SMO can later be expanded, adapted or upgraded, for example for higher capacity, a new product or new packaging. So your investment continues to grow with your business.

Contact SMO by phone or the contact form on the website, with a brief description of your question or challenge. SMO will then schedule a conversation or visit to get to know your process and look at the possibilities. An initial exploratory conversation is non-binding.

The more SMO knows about your product, process and purpose, the faster it will arrive at a good proposal. Useful information might include a description of the problem or desired operation, data on speed and volume, any drawings, photos or samples, and the location of the machine. If you don't have all that yet, no problem: SMO will help you get the question in focus.

Yes. SMO realised diverse projects at home and abroad. Feel free to ask for references or examples that fit your sector or challenge.

Yes. Besides customised machines, SMO developed its own brands and products: PINTRO (machines for the food industry such as brochette, ball, hamburger and chipola machines), FleXiever (vibrating sieve machines for screening materials such as soil and stones), WIWAM (automated robotic systems for plant phenotyping), GreenGen and DESMO.

Yes. SMO is Belgian distributor of MK Technology Group products such as aluminium profiles, conveyor systems, operating equipment and linear technologies.