Case study
One system in 2021. Three years later, three more.
BEAM Consolidated · Ain El Sokhna, Egypt · First machine installed 2021
Customer background
BEAM Consolidated is a building materials group with factories in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, making gypsum board, fiber cement board and other finishing materials. Its Egyptian subsidiary, ECOBAT, specialises in fiber cement board.
Concerns before buying
ECOBAT first contacted us in April 2021. They needed a 4000 × 2500 mm cutting table for fiber cement board up to 20 mm thick, and they warned us up front: at around 1600 kg/m³, their board is harder than ceramic fiber board and highly abrasive. Could a waterjet really cut it day after day?
They also wanted to know what the consumable parts would cost and how long they would last, and how fast the machine would cut with one cutting head versus two. Their plan was to cut identical patterns on two 1250 × 4000 mm boards at the same time.
Why VICHOR
ECOBAT's engineers reviewed our technical proposal and approved it, even as they compared us with another supplier. Three things decided it. First, the proposal: one pump driving two cutting heads, cutting two boards side by side, held up to their engineers' scrutiny. Second, speed: we answered their questions quickly, and they took that as a sign of the service to come. Third, the price.
Less than three weeks after their first enquiry, on April 30, they confirmed the order. With travel ruled out by the pandemic, they sent an engineer they work with in China to inspect the machine at our factory before it shipped.
Machine and configuration
| Model | WCM-P60III-G2540-A3x2 |
| Ordered | April 2021 |
| Intensifier pump | WCM-P60III |
| Cutting table | G2540 · 2500 × 4000 mm |
| Cutting heads | Two 3-axis cutting heads on one gantry beam, 1.2 m apart |
| Setup | Two 1250 × 4000 mm boards side by side, identical patterns cut at the same time |
Installation
The machine arrived in 2021, in the middle of the pandemic, when our engineers could not travel. So ECOBAT's own team installed it, with our engineers guiding installation and commissioning remotely every step of the way and training their operators online. It has been in production ever since.
Three years later
In 2024, BEAM came back and ordered three more VICHOR systems at once:
- Saudi Arabia: WCM-P60IV-G3020-A5C-ECS, with a 5-axis cutting head and ECS CNC System. A VICHOR engineer installed it on site and trained the operators.
- Lebanon: WCM-P60IVS-G2540R-A3x2, another dual-head system, with a P60IVS pump built specifically for BEAM.
- ECOBAT production line, Egypt: one WCM-P60IV pump supplying four cutting heads at the same time.
BEAM also asked to see a test cut on 18 mm board. In May 2024, we filmed one on 25 mm board, thicker than they had asked for, and they confirmed it met their expectations. BEAM has kept buying its consumable parts from VICHOR ever since.
Apr 2021
First enquiry
Apr 2021
Order confirmed
2021
Remote installation, production starts
2024
Three more systems ordered
2026
Still in production
What this case shows
After three years with one VICHOR machine, BEAM brought VICHOR into its factories in Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, and added a four-head line in Egypt.
FAQ
Fiber cement cutting: common questions
Can a waterjet cut fiber cement board?
Yes. ECOBAT in Egypt has been cutting fiber cement board on a VICHOR waterjet since 2021. Their machine was specified for board up to 20 mm thick, and in 2024 we test-cut 25 mm board for BEAM.
How many cutting heads can one pump supply?
It depends on the material: the pump has to supply every cutting head at the same time. At ECOBAT, the first WCM-P60III runs two cutting heads, and the later WCM-P60IV on the production line runs four.
Does VICHOR install machines on site?
Yes. VICHOR engineers install machines and train operators on site, as they did at BEAM's plant in Saudi Arabia. When travel is not possible, we guide installation, commissioning and operator training remotely. That is how ECOBAT's team installed its first machine in 2021, during the pandemic.
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QUOTE
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