TRUMPF Express 1/07

14 How 12,000 rivets take to the air
26 Football promotes teamwork
32 What Glory does with Japan’s cash
Magazine for
Sheet Metal Processing
SpecialFinance
More success with TRUMPF
leasing and financing
From page 19
A change for the better
Give up five generations of company history ? Wolfgang Stephan persisted and prevailed.
1/07
1/ 07 CONTENTS
Illustration TRUMPF Express_107
INHALT Seite 2 — Hubkalibrierung
14
16
24
26
23
gernot walter | aichwald
28
32
This component backing panel made of brushed aluminum
(graphically modified in this depiction) is only two millimeters thick.
The Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co. KG plant at Teisnach in Germany
uses it for electronic products. Today this sheet metal component
frames insights into the stories of some of TRUMPF’s customers.
Express 1/ 07
TOPICS
IDEAS
14 The roar of the engine
Who would buy a model airplane at the price of a BMW ?
Four to five people every year, Harald Müller estimates.
BENDING TECHNOLOGY
16 Sensing at the edge
At Gewing the robot knows, on its own, what it has to do.
And that fosters growth.
Know-How
23A tolerant stroke
Feature
10
Keeping it in
PORTRAIT
the family
TruPunch machines can now feel: They recognize sheet metal
thickness. The ram takes care of the rest, automatically.
It was at the tender age of 24 that Wolfgang Stephan
S OLUTIONS
it the responsibility for more than 130 years of lively
24Intelligent engineering
Kaufmann shaves off almost 300 kg for Bombardier — and what that means for the German Railways.
TEAM BUILDING
26 The football factor
Erhard Bühring wants his employees to play football:
a recipe for his company’s success.
REPORT ON AUTOMATION
28A good night’s sleep
Partial automation ? Or the whole nine yards ?
What pays off for whom? And what questions you ought to ask.
JAPAN
32 Making cash go round
Japan’s yen is in perpetual motion. Sooner or later it will
make its way through Glory equipment.
took over the family firm in the Erz Mountains. And with
company history. The start of a minor Wirtschaftswunder.
TO THE POINT
05 Everyone is large enough to
make his mark in the world
STANDARDS
06
35
36
38
38
40
Panorama
THE ANSWER CHARActers
Stories in sheet metal
credits
closing point
SpecialFinance
Leasing and financing with TRUMPF
From page 19
Express 1/ 07
Everyone is
large enough
to make his mark
in the w rld
Express 1/ 07
TO THE POINT
“today we´re right at home, all around the world.”
.
TRUMPF was already a global player, albeit a small one at the time,
long before the buzzword “globalization” had become commonplace.
Today we are, more than ever, on location all across the face of the
planet. Internationalization was and continues to be both a central
strategic element and a growth engine for our firm. And it is an expression of our overriding objective: close proximity to our customers.
This means pursuing activities on site, in the local markets, and being
familiar with the local operating setting on every continent.
“Everyone is large enough to make his mark in the world” — that
described thinking at TRUMPF well before the firm reached its present
size. The opening of a Swiss sales office in 1963 signified the beginning
of our foreign efforts. Today TRUMPF realizes nearly three-quarters
of its turnover outside Germany.
The dynamics of growth are driven equally by western and eastern
Europe, the USA and Asia. New market potentials can be developed
virtually anywhere. This is true both for the industry as a whole and
for TRUMPF in particular. That is why we are continuing to expand
our market presence primarily in Asia and eastern Europe. The most
recent steps forward — in India, Vietnam and Poland — illustrate
this.
Internationalization offers major opportunities even for the supposedly “minor-league players”. The current issue showcases, on pages
16 and 24, examples of successful internationalization among our
customers. We want to exploit the chances offered by international
business, both with and for our clients. We stand ready to support
anyone who says, as we once did: “Everyone is large enough to make
his mark in the world”.
Mathias Kammüller, Dr. Eng.
Express 1/ 07
PANORAMA
It´s not quite DIY
Training for in-house laser maintenance work
Michael Muckle
shows seminar
participants how
they can carry out
maintenance work
themselves.
Training at a level almost equivalent to that for our own service technicians
is the promise held out by the TRUMPF laser maintenance courses for the
TruFlow and TruCoax lines. This phased training concept addresses customers using machine tools featuring these types of lasers and those who build
these laser units into their own machines. The prerequisites for participation
are an apprenticeship in a technical field and training as an electrician. These
maintenance seminars are TRUMPF’s response to rising demand in this
field. “These courses enable our customers to conduct laser maintenance and
repair work on their own, and to identify and rectify malfunctions,” explains
Michael Muckle, group leader at the German TRUMPF Training Center.
“Calling our service technicians becomes the exception — and that call will
then be based on a qualified diagnosis of the problem.”
> Additional information and course reservations:
Phone: +49 (0) 7156 303 – 700, e-mail: [email protected]
or in the Internet at www.mytrumpf.com/training
3000 images per second reveal details otherwise invisible during punching.
Punching earns silver
TRUMPF production wins Business Film Prize
For the second time now, SCHOKOLADE Filmproduktion GmbH was
honored for the TRUMPF film “Visions of the future”. Having already
received the ITVA gold medal, this production on stamping was also
awarded the German Business Film Prize, in silver, in November of
2006. Using high-speed exposures, these moviemakers achieved entirely new insights into the punching process in TRUMPF machines.
Slow-motion studies reveal details that even experienced specialists
had never seen before. The visual images are backed up masterfully on
the sound track with the rhythm of the machine itself. This film was
selected from about 200 entries. The prize has been awarded for the
past 39 years by the Federal Ministry of the Economy and Technology.
> Additional information: www.schokolade.tv
Express 1/ 07
TRUMPF in the Netherlands
On January 31, 2007, TRUMPF took over all the outstanding
shares of Möller Metaal B.V. — its long-standing Dutch sales
partner. The new subsidiary, now operating as TRUMPF Nederland B.V., will remain at its traditional site in Hengelo and
continue to employ its staff of about forty. Möller Metaal began
as a sales agent for TRUMPF in the Netherlands in 1953. Its
prime focus was on the sale of machine tools, while TRUMPF
itself sold lasers directly. All this is to change as Möller Metaal
is integrated into the corporation. This new subsidiary will
pool all the essential market activities for the entire TRUMPF
Group in the Netherlands. This step is a part of the TRUMPF
internationalization strategy. The corporation has set up its
own subsidiaries in many markets in order to be close to its
customers. In the Netherlands, those customers can continue
to depend on the expertise of the staff at Möller Metaal, now
known as TRUMPF Nederland B.V.
Photo credits: KD Busch, Schokolade Filmproduktion, TRUMPF Group, Werner Huthmacher, Fotostudio Loster
A new subsidiary:
Möller Metaal
PANORAMA
New reading material
TRUMPF republishes pamphlets
At the 2006 EuroBLECH TRUMPF unveiled its new naming system, intended to ensure greater clarity for product designations. This has now made
its way into the brochures for TruBend and cohorts. These publications
contain in-depth information on the technology in each field and detail the
machines’ requirements and performance capacities. These new brochures
are available for download in the various sections at www.trumpf.com.
Printed versions can be ordered from Margot Mattheis.
A colorful bouquet of information:
The new TRUMPF brochures.
> Order brochures from:
Margot Mattheis, Phone: +49 (0) 7156 303 – 464, e-mail: [email protected]
TRUMPF´s front gate
A matrix of stainless steel and sheet metal
About 380 square meters of support structure, comprising 85 tons of
sheet metal and stainless steel, will greet visitors and staff at
TRUMPF´s headquarter in Ditzingen as of the summer of 2007. At
the main gateway the new roof structure, 32.5 meters long and 11.5
meters wide, will rest on just four pillars — and a full 18 meters will
be cantilevered! “The challenge was to weld with minimum warping
so that the stainless steel cladding could be mounted exactly to fit.
The sophisticated structural engineering had to be executed precisely,”
said Eckhard Diller, manager at the Arnold Company, the steel
fabricators carrying out the work. The design was created by Barkow
Leibinger Architects, structural engineering by Werner Sobek
Engineering & Design (read more about Werner Sobek on page 36/37).
The TruPunch 5000 NEW boosts
productivity by up to 15 percent
A striking roof design: the new main gate
Quick and industrious
The TruPunch 5000 NEW is the world’s most productive punching machine
The TruPunch 5000 NEW promises even faster sheet metal processing — and at even higher
quality. It features, as standard equipment, a new control computer that can boost output by
as much as 15 percent and can machine contours particularly quickly. Thus this machine, especially when dealing with thin sheet metal components, is a genuine alternative to laser cutting. The unit changes tools in only 2.8 seconds — and
that’s just 0.3 seconds in the MultiTool version. The TruPunch 5000
NEW also handles deburring, thus eliminating an additional phase
in the work. Also new is spray lubrication for the matrix. It extends
the service Life of the shaping tools by as much as 20-fold — when
machining stainless steel, for instance.
> Please direct queries to:
Hanns Menzel, Phone: +49 (0) 7156 303 – 463, e-mail: [email protected]
Express 1/ 07
PANORAMA
EU’s share
| 40 %
10 % |
China’s
share Global output in mechanical engineering
1,160,000,000,000 €
2005
Quick replacement
New TRUMPF spare parts warehouse
Since January of 2007 the automated spares warehouse newly built at
the TRUMPF headquarters in Ditzingen has made for quick dispatch
of replacement parts. As part of the centralized spare parts supply
concept, all the products stored here are ready for immediate dispatch, all around the world. Automatic pickers and placers, conveyor
systems and shipping stations linked directly with the warehouse
optimize processes and ensure excellent service. The site is staffed
around the clock, seven days a week. The logistics center, just like
the new training center now under construction, demonstrates once
again TRUMPF’s commitment to Germany as an operating site.
> Please direct queries to:
Stefan Stagel, Phone: +49 (0) 7156 303 – 6670, e-mail: [email protected]
Off to Ukraine
Bühler AG expands its presence in the East
Bühler AG, headquartered in Uzwil, Switzerland, is banking on
TRUMPF as a supplier of systems used for sheet metal fabrication —
and makes use of the markets in a thriving region. At the beginning
of 2007 this technology company, offering systems and services for
the foods, chemical processes and die casting industries, opened its
new office in Kiev. The company has represented by a branch office
in Moscow been 1991, and it is from that location that the staff of 23
serves the markets in Russia, Byelorussia and Moldavia. The office
in the capital city Kiew will be responsible for Ukraine in the future.
Among the machinery and equipment the Bühler AG manufactures
for that eastern European country are units for grain and feed mills,
chocolate production and noodle manufacturing.
Express 1/ 07
Sales growth
in China 2006
| 20%
Machinery exports, world-wide
564,000,000,000 €
6 % |
2005
.
Sales growth
in the EU 2006
World-wide boom
VDMA predicting further growth
The German Mechanical and Plant Engineering Association (VDMA) has revised and raised its growth forecasts
for almost all the world’s countries. 2007 should be the
fourth growth year in a row for the global mechanical
engineering industry. VDMA is projecting about a four
per cent rise in industry turnover, in real terms. The reasons for this development include great demand in countries that export natural resources, such as Russia, and in
the up-and-coming economies in China and India. Investments in the 15 “old” EU countries are also making a major
contribution to the full order books many mechanical
engineering companies currently enjoy. These EU countries noted turnover growth of about six per cent in 2006.
World-wide, machinery turnover in 2006 rose by about
eight per cent, in real terms, when compared with the prior
year. Once again worthy of particular mention is China
with turnover growth of about 20 per cent. This increase
was not, however, attained only by “native” Chinese companies. Many foreign firms have in the meantime launched
production in China and are participating in that growth.
Photo credits: KD Busch, Intec gGmbH, TRUMPF Group
Customer service made even better: Peter Bergmann in the new warehouse
PANORAMA
Holding tight
Using the TruLaser Tube 5000 made by
TRUMPF, the Stechert Company in Wilhermsdorf has struck out on new paths
in table design. This special laser unit cuts
steel tubing not only in specialized shapes,
but is also so precise that manufacturing
tolerances are virtually eliminated. Thus
the company can manufacture the individual components as close-fitting socket
systems secured with screws. This not
only eliminates welding — it is every bit
as stable as welded units. A further advantage: the new model can be knocked
down, simplifying delivery and reducing
freight costs.
Express –
entirely American
Now available on the Web: the revamped American
version of TRUMPF Express. The updated 40-page
magazine will be appearing three times a year in
English and Spanish. The American Express follows the graphic precedents of its European “parent edition” and the reports in the volume have
an international outlook. Express for North
America is available for download at TRUMPF’s
American Website.
> Download here:
http://www.us.trumpf.com/31.trumpf-express.html
The first American edition of
Express in a new look.
Paving the way
Intec integrates handicapped persons
Intec employee Gerhard Kröner inserts a laser-cut sheet metal blank
in the TRUMPF bending machine.
Facilitating the transition from a “sheltered workshop” for the handicapped into the primary labor market is the aim of Intec gGmbH. This
integration project, run in cooperation with the Lebenshilfe charitable
organization at Erlangen-Höchststadt, offers people with learning or
cognitive disabilities regular employment. It specializes in metalworking, electrical items and packaging and assembly. “Quality and flexibility
are important — but it’s the people who are in the limelight,” says general
manager Johann Kraus. Now and in the future. Purchasing a TRUMPF
bending machine has enabled the company to create new jobs and expand
its range of capabilities.
Market success
TRUMPF Taiwan builds 500th bending machine
There was ample reason to celebrate. In 2006 the team at TRUMPF
Taiwan Industries Co. Ltd., manufactured its 500th TruBend Series
3000 machine. The staff passed this magic milestone in the sixth
year of production for these machines. TRUMPF founded the Taiwanese subsidiary in 1999. Since 2001 the firm has been located in
Huaya Technology Park, close to Taipei.
> Additional information: Alfred Hutterer, Phone: +43 (0) 7221 603 – 110,
e-mail: [email protected]
The team at TRUMPF Taiwan celebrates the 500th TrumaBend.
Express 1/ 07
Looking back upon more than 130 years of
company history and optimistically into the
future: Wolfgang Stephan with a journal
kept by his forefathers in the 1890s.
Keeping it in the family
Two emperors, two world wars, two dictatorships, a peaceful revolution and a crisis. A company can indeed survive all that turmoil because there’s one thing entrepreneurs like Wolfgang Stephan and his family cannot do: give up.
10 Express 1/ 07
FEATURE
Company patriarch Reinhard Stephan at an eccentric press dating from the
1930s, one that’s still in daily service.
The German state of Saxony is roaring along, full speed ahead. And
sheet metal rumbles continuously through this production hall in the
Erz Mountains. The air smells of cooling lubricant and molten metal.
Workers in their traditional blue coveralls are busy deburring, welding
and punching. CEO Wolfgang Stephan shows us through his own miniature Wirtschaftswunder at the edge of the eastern German village of
Schwarzenberg. “This is our new Stopa storage facility,” he shouts over
the scream of the saws. “There’s the double-head laser we bought in
2002 and here our 1938 eccentric press. And it’s all used every day.”
In business for 132 years
When he strides through his production hall in jeans, tennis shoes and
a hooded T-shirt he looks almost like one of his own apprentices. At just
35 years of age, this trained toolmaker is certainly one of the youngest
SME-entrepreneurs in the region. The company, however, is among the
oldest in all of eastern Germany. Wolfgang Stephan Blechverarbeitung
has been around for 132 years. His great-great-grandfather Hermann
had shaped sheet metal in the Erz Mountains to make mass-market
bathtubs or watering cans for cactuses. Now in its fifth generation, the
family works all kinds of metals. And there’s no end in sight.
But every generation has had its threats to existence. Most recently
affected was Wolfgang Stephan’s father, Reinhard, in 1993. The company had survived two emperors, two world wars and various global economic crises since 1875. And then there were the 40 years of
centralized planning in East Germany. But then the currency union,
which made the deutschmark legal tender in the east, and plummeting
sales after German unification almost forced the Stephan family to
close up shop. “In those days my parents were faced with the question of whether they once again wanted to start anew. It was a very
difficult period for supply companies in eastern Germany,” Wolfgang
Stephan recalls.
Up to that point the ten remaining employees had made standard
parts. Perhaps the most famous product was the gas pedal for the
East German Trabant motorcar manufactured by Sachsenring. →
Express 1/ 07
11
FEATURE
Wolfgang Stephan took the reigns as industrial companies
all around were folding. Four years later he was
already looking for a new and larger operating site.
And probably the most popular was a simple pedal-operated trashcan.
But both became history soon after reunification. New machinery
that could do more than the old hand-operated spindle presses and
press brakes proved to be the key to survival. The first was a new press
brake. When an acquaintance of Wolfgang’s father began specializing in commercial kitchens, the father and son, together with their
remaining staff of four, became the primary supplier.
Soon thereafter the family began manufacturing meat smokers and
butcher shop equipment. That is how the company survived reunification. Elsewhere in the Erz Mountains small foundries, medium-sized
utensil makers and even the large mining companies were finding
themselves forced to shut down.
Master craftsman masters the crisis
1995 brought additional changes with it. Wolfgang Stephan earned his
certificate as a master toolmaker and — on June 1, 1995 — his father,
Reinhard, turned management of the company over to Wolfgang. The
date was not entirely coincidental, as it was a memorable one in the
family’s history. Exactly 100 years earlier to the day, great-grandfather
Emil had token over the business from his father, Hermann.
Wolfgang did not introduce any major, immediate changes. As is so
often the case in family companies, all the profits are re-invested in the
firm. Wolfgang Stephan even retained the old company logo with his
father’s initials — RS. The new boss likes best to stand at the workbench
himself and fabricate special tools to handle tricky orders. “I’m not
much for paperwork,” says the man who, having become boss, is seen
ever more often at his desk. Wolfgang Stephan adds, almost defiantly:
“Tool making — that’s my world.”
Family traditions also determine leisure-time activities in the
Stephan family. It goes almost without saying that in Bernsbach, where
he and his family live, Wolfgang Stephan is the deputy chief of the
volunteer fire brigade, just like his father once was.
His profession and hobby complement each other perfectly: He welds
practical eyelets and brackets on the Unimog fire truck, for instance.
Stephan even mounts the sirens on the roof. Any active volunteer fireman who is looking for work has a definite advantage if he applies here.
Photo credits: Thomas T. Müller
Today 89 employees work for Wolfgang Stephan.
One of them is André Weiß — seen polishing grease
reservoirs for central lubrication systems (left).
Another is René Schnerrer, who is moving containers
holding copper strip to the TRUMPF machinery (right).
12 Express 1/ 07
The family has been in business for five generations. And Wolfgang Stephan has nonetheless sworn that the next generation is to decide on its future itself.
Particularly since orders, thanks to sales work by Tom Dittrich, have
been rolling in faster and faster. In 1999 the company had already grown
to 20 employees and, due to a shortage of space, relocated to Schwarzenberg. It is not easy to find skilled workers in this hilly region. That is
why Stephan invests a great deal of time in training his apprentices and
attempts to retain them over the long term. He also takes the term “family company” quite literally. His sisters, brothers- and parents-in-law,
uncles, aunts and nephews all work in the company. “That has both its
advantages and disadvantages,” Wolfgang Stephan notes with a sly smile.
One big, happy family
Whether related or not, 89 people are now on the payroll. And 14 of
them are in the fire brigade. The twelve apprentices are almost guaranteed to have a job once they have completed their training. In 2006
orders were received from the most renowned industrial companies.
Instead of gas pedals for the Trabant, the company now manufactures
radiator grills for Mercedes trucks.
And what’s in the future for this family tradition? Wolfgang
Stephan’s children are now two and eleven years old. “I swore I would
never force anyone to follow in my footsteps,” says the fifth-generation
entrepreneur. Twenty years from now, at the earliest, he will want to
determine, together with his children, whether business in Saxony is
still roaring along.
> Please direct queries to:
Manuel Berzoso, Phone: +49 (0) 7156 303 – 458,
e-mail: [email protected]
> A long history
Company name:Wolfgang Stephan Blechverarbeitung mit
CNC Technik GmbH & Co KG
Founded: 1875
Staff: 89 regular employees and 12 apprentices
Product lines: Blanks and bent profiles cut to dimension, laser-welded
Turnover:
housings and machinery components complete with painting, through to fully completed assemblies, conveyer belts and components for utility vehicle construction
6 million euros
TRUMPF machinery:
TRUMATIC 5000 R FMC (TruPunch 5000), automated
Contact:
TRUMATIC HSL 4002 C (TruLaser 7040), TRUMATIC L 3030 with 4 kW (TruLaser 3030), press brakes of the TrumaBend V-Series (TruBend Series 5000), one Robot cell (TruLaser
Robot 5020), one TruLaser Weld 2310, each with 3 kW laser
www.stephan-blechverarbeitung.de
Express 1/ 07
13
IDEAS
A unique bird: This “Beaver” will be the world’s
first airborne model airplane to be fabricated
entirely in aluminum and absolutely true to the
original. The full-size predecessor dates back
to the 1940s and became a worldwide legend
as the classic bush plane.
The roar of the engine
A laser cutting machine and 3-D CAD were intended to make metal fabrication easier and faster. The model is true to the original, rib for rib. Left to right: the fuselage, its internal structure and wing without skin.
14 Express 1/ 07
Photos: Harald Müller GmbH
In fact they made it possible for proprietor Harald Müller to develop a product for a unique market niche.
IDEAS
Some dreams can be made true and true to
scale. This one is at 1 : 2.5 scale, with a wingspan of almost six meters, almost four meters
in length. A radial engine, in which the cylinders are arranged like fingers around the propeller shaft, clatters in the nose, just like in the
original. Those five cylinders deliver 23 horsepower and move the 70 kg airframe through
the air at 100 km per hour. This alone makes
this model airplane something special.
Up to three years ago the DHC-2 Beaver
would have been grounded, however. And
then a new weight class encompassing units
of up to 150 kilograms was introduced for
model airplanes in Germany. “This increase
means much more than just larger aircraft,”
explained the father of the Beaver model. “In
this order of magnitude it is at last possible to
build in metal, just like the original.”
An idea based on fun
Harald Müller and his 30 employees actually
manufacture sheet metal and tubular components or construct trade fair booths and stage
structures. Müller initially began developing
his airworthy metal models simply for the fun
of it. Among the initial purposes was to test
and demonstrate the capabilities offered by
his laser flatbed machine TRUMATIC L 3030
(TruLaser 3030) and the 3-D CAD software for
very detailed, complex components. “But the
idea of building such a model in short production runs and marketing them was in the back
of my mind from the very beginning.” It was
in his own company that he found the perfect
collaborator for this project. While Harald
Müller, a specialist in lightweight sheet metal,
dealt with the structure and skin, Manfred
Schimmel, a trained aircraft mechanic, tended
to the model-building needs. It is to his credit
that the Beaver not only looks like the original
de Havilland airframe, but flies like it, too.
In their search for those components they
decided not to manufacture themselves — the
engine, for example — Müller and Schimmel
contacted the small circle of enthusiasts for
larger model airplanes. “In Germany this size
class was and is new,” Müller explains, “but in
the USA, Canada and the Emirates, for example, there is a firmly established community of
fliers.” He has identified additional potential
customers in Japan and England, both indeed
more densely populated, but both with an affinity for technology, adventure and aviation.
And no matter who he speaks with: the model
builders are enthused at the prospect of at last That is quite a respectable figure if one considflying an aircraft that corresponds to the origi- ers that each aircraft costs about as much as
nal in its engineering and materials.
a larger model BMW. But that’s the way it is
with hobbies. “There are some people who pay
The luxury aviator niche
just as much for a wrist watch. Others cannot
Müller and Schimmel remain faithful to the imagine anything finer than a perfect model
original, as far as possible, rib for rib. 12,000 airplane,” says Müller.
aluminum rivets are set. Only in this way will
To ensure that the Beaver is later truly perhis model have any chance among the targeted fect, it is to be offered from the very outset in
clientele. But the effort still remains within the three versions. Thus, just like the original, it
realm of the feasible and affordable since most can land on pontoons, wheels or skis. It’s just
parts are programmed in the CAD system and that the pilot won’t alight from the plane. Inare then cut, to include the rivet holes, by la- stead he will be seen a few meters away on
ser. Harald Müller is confident: “We have a the shore, in the snow or on a field, the renumber of serious prospects and estimate that mote controls at his waist, happy as a child at
we will be able to sell about five units per year.” Christmas.
> Please direct queries to:
>
Michael Sellner, Phone: +49 (0) 7156 303 – 5372, e-mail: [email protected]
>
The model:
www.hm-metall.de; www.mhm-scale-aircraft.de
The original:
www.dhc-2.com
> Specialists for special products
Company name: Harald Müller Sonder-Metallbau GmbH
Founded:
1980
Staff: 30
Product line: Sheet metal and tubular components as single units or in small production runs, including surface finishing such as painting or galvanizing; special struc-
tures such as demanding stage and movie sets; metal airplane models
TRUMPF machinery:
TRUMATIC L 3030 (TruLaser 3030), TrumaBend V130
Internet: www.hm-metall.de
Where there’s a hobby, there’s also a market: The prototype at a gathering of model plane owners.
But until it has received the required certification, the DHC-2 “Beaver” will have to stay on the ground.
Express 1/ 07
15
BENDING TECHNOLOGY
Sensing at the edge
Laser light darts over the workpiece before the robot arm lays
the panel in the machine. At Gewing, re-measuring components has
Punches, welding units, milling machines, saws other countries as well. “30 to 40 percent of our
and lathes form an animated backdrop in the customers are located in other European counGewing production halls. The way the Bend- tries,” reports Hermann Gewing, CEO at
Master does its work seems almost leisurely in H. Gewing GmbH. He founded this metalworkthis setting. The robot arm moves quietly along ing company in 1991, more or less in his garage,
its floor rails toward the metal sheets resting on after working as a production manager in the
pallets, without the typical staccato movements plastics industry. “I had always wanted to go out
of other automated systems. A laser beam scans on my own”, recalls Hermann Gewing, “under
the edges of the topmost sheet. Once the Bend- the premise that my sons would later take over
Master has determined the exact position of the the company’s operations.” And they supported
sheet metal, it lifts the sheet with its suction him — not only in the decision to set up his own
cups, raises it in an overhead arc and places it shop, but also in the company’s operations toin the TrumaBend V230 press brake. “A blank day. The one, Bernd, is a technician, while the
normaly weighs about 30 kilograms — and I am other, Dirk, is a business administrator.
not unhappy about not having to lift it,” is how
Hermann Gewing continued to expand his
Ivo Kreisel, the operator of this bending unit, company in many small steps — sometimes to
sees the new system.
the amusement of his neighbors, each time he
The pressure bar lowers and the sheet metal extended his production hall by another 30 meis bent. The numbers in the digital display for ters. His success proves how right he was. Today
the ACB angular position measuring system, Gewing, with 210 employees, 15,000 square meinstalled at the press brake, race upward until ters of production space and an extensive range
they show an exact 90° angle. The BendMaster of equipment, processes about 125 tons of sheet
lifts the sheet metal, bent at one edge, rotates it metal every day. Automating bending technolthrough 180° and sets it down again. The bend- ogy is the current project being undertaken by
ing procedure is repeated and a U-shaped pro- Hermann Gewing in order to offer his customers
file is fabricated. The BendMaster lifts and even better performance and quality. He inmoves it over to the waiting pallet and lays the stalled the first BendMaster in April 2006, the
component down exactly next to those already second in January 2007.
made up — row by row and layer by layer. Without taking a break until the job is finished.
Higher daily piece count
“The great advantage of the automated bending
A classical garage start-up
process is that it works continuously, without a
The company, located in Münsterland in the break,” says Hermann Gewing. “Whenever the
north of Germany, has no shortage of orders. blanks are positioned by hand the worker is goNot only from the nearby region, but from ing to have to take a break at some point. The
16 Express 1/ 07
Photos: Claus Langer
become a thing of the past. The system can do that on its own.
Fingertips instead of heavyweight
lifting: While the BendMaster
does the tough work, Ivo Kreisel
programs upcoming jobs offline.
Express 1/ 07
17
BENDING TECHNOLOGY
The second generation
is already on board at
Gewing: CEO Hermann
Gewing (center) with
his sons Bernd (left)
and Dirk (right).
The company processes
about 125 tons of sheet
metal per day in the
15,000 square meter
production hall.
Gewing employs a staff of 210 —
and 10 to 15 new colleagues join them each year.
automated system, by contrast, runs continuously and without interruptions.” Thus, owing
to automation in the bending process, considerably higher piece counts can be achieved each
day. This effect can also be multiplied, Gewing
continues: “We handle many parts which weigh
more than 10 or 12 kilograms. In that case, and
if we are working with a manual press, a second
employee is necessary. With the BendMaster,
by comparison, I can not only get along with
just a single worker, but that worker can also
operate a second machine at the same time.”
Thus the higher initial investment for the automatic system quickly pays for itself.
“I get all the programs needed to control the
BendMaster and the press through the intranet,
from the work preparation unit,” explains Ivo
Kreisel. He shows how he uses the order number
to call up all the data necessary to set up the
machinery. “I don’t need more than a half hour
to set the system up for a new product — and
even less for a part that’s already been produced.” Gewing adds: “There‘s a lot of work
that can be finished in advance, thanks to the
programming done in the job preparation
unit. And the reject rate is also reduced.”
Exact angle measurement system
The ACB angular position measuring system
makes a contribution here. “When bending
manually, it is of course necessary to measure
18 Express 1/ 07
continuously and make corrections,” explains
Hermann Gewing. “The measuring system now
does that automatically. Not only does it measure
the angle but it also continuously monitors and
regulates the whole bending process. This way
the time-consuming trial phase is eliminated
and accuracy is far higher than with manual
bending.” That is why this businessman had
his TRUMPF press brakes fitted with the ACB
angle sensor. “Parts where accuracy is critical are
now fabricated exclusively on the TruBend machines.”
In spite of this, Hermann Gewing postponed
buying the BendMaster: “We didn’t want to automate bending technology until the system was
able to automatically detect the position of the
incoming blanks.” Standing near the system itself, he points out the flickering laser beam the
BendMaster uses to detect the alignment of the
blanks before picking them up. “That does away
with an alignment unit and simplifies system setup.” All this with the goal of attaining even
higher productivity.
“Speed, on-time deliveries and quality in even
the shortest production runs — those are the
expectations we measure ourselves against. We
can meet those expectations with automation.
That, in turn, ensures new orders and our company’s growth.” Thus the Gewing organization
has expanded by an average of 10 to 15 employees
each year over the past years.
> Please direct queries to:
Alex Lindenmann, Phone: +49 (0) 2541 – 98 03 29,
e-mail: [email protected]
> Through to complete assemblies:
Company name: H. Gewing GmbH
Founded: 1991
Staff: 210
Product lines:
Custom fabrication, standard batches and series;
sheet metal work to include complete assemblies;
for vehicle and agricultural equipment engineering
and components for bridge, conveyor technology,
equipment engineering and handicraft enterprises.
TRUMPF machinery:
Three TRUMATIC L 6030 (TruLaser 3060),
TRUMATIC L 4050 (TruLaser 5040), two TRUMATIC L 3050 (TruLaser 5030 classic), two TRUMATIC
L 3030 (TruLaser 3030), TRUMATIC HSL 4002 C
(TruLaser 7040), TRUMATIC 600 L FMC with
Duplex cart (Cart system with tracks), TRUMATIC
5000 R FMC with Duplex cart (TruPunch 5000
with Cart system with tracks), TRUMATIC 5000 R
FMC with TwinCarts (TruPunch 5000 with Cart
systems with belt drivers), TRUMATIC 500 R, three
TrumaBend V 230, two TrumaBend V 230 with
BendMaster
Contact:
www.gewing.de
SpecialFinance
How to get your ideas rolling
Greater latitude with TRUMPF leasing and financing
Special Finance
Leasing means leeway
Leasing has become a standard alternative to traditional bank loans. Leasing directly from the manufacturer,
Leasing the company’s fleet of vehicles is the selling the machine at the end of its service life.
rule nowadays and this type of financing is Manufacturers tend to set this market value at
Leasing brief
certainly no exception for information tech- a level considerably higher than banks do (see
nology equipment or machine tools, either. In the large box on page 21).
(1) Using leasing as a mode of financing
particular leasing directly from the manufacturer,
is based on the principle that it is not
offered by TRUMPF since 2001, is becoming Closer to customers and markets
ownership but utilization that is decisive
ever more popular. Hans-Joachim Dörr, re- That is why Dörr sees the advantage of leasfor business success.
sponsible for leasing services at TRUMPF, is not ing directly from TRUMPF above all in the
(2) The lessor posts the item to his own
at all surprised: “Manufacturers like TRUMPF proximity to and good relations with the
assets; the lessee does not bind up any
know — better than any bank — about the ma- customers. “In addition to realistic market
equity capital.
chinery being leased and the market being values, we also take into account the special
served.”
features of a machine and the possibilities for
(3) Leasing is comparable to bank loans
cashing in on them at the end of the contract
in regard to costs.
Forward-Looking
period. In this we distinguish ourselves clearly
(4) Important balance sheet indicators
The basic advantage when leasing, as compared from banks or leasing companies associated
such as the equity capital rate or debt
to bank loans, is found in the view of the item with banks.” Moreover, the five-member leasrate are, however, unaffected.
in question. While the banker uses balance ing team works closely with other TRUMPF
sheets to analyze the past and has to forecast service and sales units. “We can quickly and
the market position and future corporate de- flexibly take account of any peculiarities in the
velopment for numerous customers in widely machine being leased and the customer’s invarying industries, the lessor is interested not dividual requirements when drafting the cononly in the company’s development but espe- tract. And in so doing we actually breathe life Leasing to boost independence
cially in the success that the new machine can into leasing,” Dörr emphasizes. To mention “We see leasing as an important element in our
bring. This is an aspect which is also decisive just a few examples: TRUMPF takes account range of services and want to find the right
for the question of which machine is to be of maintenance and service contracts when solution for every customer. That begins with
procured. Should it be the cheapest one that calculating the leasing terms, customizes exit the best possible machine, including maincan do what is needed at present, or instead clauses and develops tax-optimized leasing tenance, and concludes with financing — all
the more sophisticated unit that can open up models. Customers appreciate this flexibility from a single source,” says Dörr. He also sees
new markets ?
in defining the contract terms. In the period manufacturer leasing as a sensible alternaThe banker tends to favor the “cheap” ma- that has elapsed since the leasing division was tive from the financial strategy viewpoint.
chine because he wants to keep his own risk initially set up, TRUMPF has concluded con- “Anyone who distributes his credit needs over
as low as possible. Often the progress of the tracts with invoice values in excess of 280 mil- several lenders also improves his negotiating
machine’s market value is disregarded. This lion euros and is now offering this service in position vis-à-vis the bank and thus gains
is the amount the businessman can get when thirteen countries (see the figure on page 21). greater independence in financing.”
20 Express 1/ 07
Photo: KD Busch
in particular, can make a significant contribution to business success.
Special Finance
Leasing made by TRUMPF
TRUMPF leasing services in 2006
TRUMPF offers all types of leasing, suitable for accounting as prescribed by the
Customers in 13 countries
can benefit from the
option of financing
equipment through
TRUMPF leasing.
German Commercial Code and as per the IFRS International Financial Reporting
Standards. The choices here include leasing contracts with
→
→
→
→
Early termination clause,
Option to offer for sale,
Purchase option,
Operative leasing.
Sweden
Why lease right from the manufacturer?
Netherlands
The customer’s specific needs and requests are always taken into account when draft-
Poland
Germany
ing the contract:
→ Individual clauses governing extraordinary termination and exit modes.
→ Orientation on actual market prices when determining residual values. While leasing companies associated with banks take the market value at the date of purchase to be from 40 to 60 percent of the purchase price, companies closer
to manufacturers assume from 75 to 80 percent.
Czech Republic
Slovakia
France
Switzerland
Italy
→ Operative leasing contracts with open residual values. Utilization, not owner-
ship, generates yields. Short and medium-term contracts can be worked out for the appropriate machine and for a defined period of time. The machine can then be returned or continue to be used for subsequent orders.
Austria
Hungary
Romania
Spain
→ Taking a maintenance contract into account when setting the leasing install-
ments. A maintenance agreement will have a positive influence on the quality of the second-hand machine and thus on the market value that can be realized.
Always well advised
Know who you’re dealing with: Our leasing and financing team
The TRUMPF leasing team ( left to right ):
Hans-Joachim Dörr Phone: +49 (0) 7156 303 – 221, [email protected]
This graduate banker and B.B.A. holder has headed the TRUMPF Leasing Department since 2003.
He directs his attention primarily to expanding international sales financing.
Bettina Trump-Sterk Phone: +49 (0) 7156 303 – 280, [email protected]
This B.B.A. holder has been with TRUMPF Leasing since 2001 and, in her role as project manager,
is responsible for financing sales in Germany and the Netherlands.
Katharina Knehr Phone: +49(0) 7156 303 – 6644, [email protected]
Before transferring to TRUMPF Leasing in October 2004, this business administrator worked in several
other TRUMPF departments, both domestic and foreign. She is now available to leasing customers to
answer any and all questions associated with leasing contracts.
Sabrina Mebus Phone: +49(0) 7156 303 – 1867, [email protected]
Following three years in domestic sales for TRUMPF machine tools, this industrial commerce specialist and
business administrator with Chamber of Commerce certification is now the sales assistant for the Germanspeaking regions.
Melanie Duss Phone: +49(0) 7156 303 – 5277, [email protected]
After completing her studies in business administration in Paris and an internship in Singapore, this
banking specialist is now bringing her international experience to bear as a sales assistant.
Express 1/ 07
21
Special Finance
Manufacturer financing: For good reason
“Intending to finance a TRUMPF 6000 combination machine and in
so doing to coordinate cash flow with the machine’s utilization rate
during the running period, we launched inquiries at several financial institutes. TRUMPF Leasing was able to satisfy all our needs
perfectly. Their know-how regarding international accounting
standards exhibits a very high level of expertise. Naturally, there
were no ‘friction’ losses between the lender and the manufacturer
when wrapping up this project. We have found TRUMPF Leasing to
be just as reliable as the TRUMPF machinery.”
Bart Konter
selected leasing
in order to cope
with 85 percent
turnover growth.
Bart Konter, Chief Financial Officer, Exerion Precision Technology Ulft B.V., www.exerion.net
Tobias SchieblerScheibe decided
on the TRUMPF
hire-purchase
plan in the wake
of the business
upturn.
“The TRUMPF hire-purchase scheme offers us the security we need.
The leasing team devoted a great deal of effort to tailoring the contracts to meet our needs. Thus many benefits were made available
when compared with competing leasing companies. For example, we
could choose the depreciation schedule that suited us best. We very
much appreciate the trusting cooperation and good personal care.”
Tobias Schiebler-Scheibe, executive at AMT Schiebler Metalltechnik, www.smt-metalltech.de
“We quickly reached the decision to lease machinery. The reasons were,
above all, quick and uncomplicated processing, flexibility in designing
the contract, independence from banks and their evaluation criteria,
and the fact that there was no need to tie up capital as collateral for a
loan. The decision in favor of TRUMPF Leasing was made not only for
economic reasons but also due to our many years of excellent association with the TRUMPF organization. Processing was so smooth that in
the meantime we have used TRUMPF Leasing to finance other projects.”
Albert Schneider
had to increase
production
capacities at
short notice and,
thanks to leasing,
was able to do so.
Albert Schneider, General Manager, IOB Albert Schneider Blechbearbeitung, www.iob-blech.de
Leasing: The benefits at a glance
→ Liquidity: Leasing does not encumber liquidity; existing latitude
for loans is retained.
→ Taxes: The lessee is not liable for any taxes related to investments.
→ Profitability: Low overall costs in comparison with other
financing models.
22 Express 1/ 07
→ Cost congruence: The costs and returns from the investment run in parallel.
→ Replacement: A defined use period and various return options facilitate exchange.
→ Balance sheet: Leasing has no impact on the balance sheet. The balance sheet indicators, important criteria for credit ratings in accordance with the Basel II rules, are not impacted.
Photos: KD Busch, Claus Langer
Leasing offers numerous advantages when compared with traditional bank financing:
know-how
2
The ram (1) exerts pressure on the sheet
metal (2) and triggers the measurement
cycle. Compressed air escapes from
the calibration tool (3). The controls
register the pressure drop and store
the ram’s position, thus deter­mining
the thickness of the sheet metal.
1
3
A tolerant stroke
A metal sheet might vary in thickness, but tool penetration depth should not. In just a matter of seconds adaptive stroke calibration will compensate for this potentially costly discrepancy.
ernot walter | aichwald
It’s the world’s oldest measurement technique: Anyone who wants to special calibration tool. At the beginning of a measurement cycle the
know how thick a material is simply takes it between the thumb and program starts a process in which the calibration tool is drawn from
forefinger. The brain recognizes the relative position of the fingertips the linear magazine. Compressed air is injected through a port and
one to another and uses that perception to “calculate” the thickness. into the tool: The “thumb” is ready for use. The “index finger” — the
With some practice, that can be accurate down to the millimeter.
ram — moves downwards toward the sheet, in steps of a hundredth
That’s exactly what the TRUMPF TruPunch and TruMatic ma- of a millimeter. The instant it exerts pressure on the sheet metal, the
chines have learned to do: take a metal sheet between a mechanical tool’s upper section deflects downward, clearing an air gap inside.
“thumb and forefinger” and calculate the thickness. The “thumb” in The pressure drop tells the controls: the ram has made contact. The
this case is the matrix. The “index finger” is the ram. The control system stores this ram position and uses it to calculate the thickcomputer and software that follow the ram’s movement, down to ness of the sheet, accurate to 0.03 millimeter. Then it modifies the
accuracy of a hundredth of a millimeter, represent the “brain”. In machine’s ram stroke to suit. Since it uses the actual contact point
this way the machine itself can measure how thick the sheets being between the surface of the sheet metal and the ram as the reference
processed really are and set the bottom dead center position for the value, it even takes account of and compensates for thermal effects.
ram’s movement to suit.
And it does all this within 2½ seconds.
Reducing rejects
Unattended, but entirely reliable
In practice, for example, “sheet metal two millimeters thick” actually All this makes it possible not only to automatically compensate for
means “the sheet metal is between 1.87 and 2.13 millimeters thick”. variations in sheet metal thickness as batches pass through the proThis 0.26 mm tolerance does in fact satisfy the EN 10131 standard. duction process. It is also possible to achieve uniform manufacturing
But it can quickly provoke additional costs during embossing, shap- output when the same tool is used again. That’s true even if the job is
ing and indentation punching. Physical phenomena bring additional run on a different machine, provided that adaptive stroke calibration
factors into play. Certain dimensions, such as the length of the ram, is implemented. This is particularly helpful for small batches that
change as the machine warms up. This unavoidable thermal effect have to be manufactured repeatedly and just-in-time. The process
also influences the operational results. In order to compensate for can be completely automated so that the operator can be dealing with
this the operator must — again and again — check the results and the next job while the current one is running.
readjust the machine. The costs are expressed in work time, rejects
and frazzled nerves. Adaptive stroke calibration does away with all > Adaptive stroke calibration is available for:
that. The machine’s capability to adjust the stroke itself is made pos- TruPunch 3000 / 5000, TruMatic 3000 / 6000
sible through extremely precise ram guidance in the punching and > Please direct queries to:
combination machines, augmented with new control software and a Hanns Menzel, phone: +49 (0) 7156 303 – 463, e-mail: [email protected]
Express 1/ 07
23
SOLUTIONS
Left to right: Kaufmann manufactures not only individual parts but also high-voltage structures and control
Intelligent engineering
Simplifying the complex, making difficult things easier — whenever it’s a matter of machining sheet metal,
Have you ever traveled with German Rail? Even today punching, bending and welding ment with a flourish. Today the control stand
Then you will certainly have encountered a sheet metal to make up complex housings — in for the Bombardier Series 185 locomotives
product made by Kaufmann — the trash bas- combination with electrical technology — are contains only 105 aluminum components and,
ket in the high-speed ICE-train, for instance. so much in demand that even customers who at about 145 kilograms, weighs just one-third
That container was most likely made in have moved their production to other coun- of the steel version.
metalworking operations at Schwegenheim tries to cut costs still prefer to buy in SchweThis 3-D puzzle, made of perforated sheet
in the Palatinate region. And up in the cab, genheim. “We do our homework here,” says metal and profiles bent into complicated
Kaufmann technology is not just along for the Hausch. “We don’t have to move production shapes, fits together almost seamlessly. That
ride. The complex control stand frame and the outside the country.”
is to the credit of four programmers, all of
switchgear cabinet also come from the plant
whom learned sheet metal processing from
near the river Rhine. The confidence engineer- Clever ideas for fewer parts
the ground up in the Kaufmann operations.
ing companies and operators put in Kaufmann The locomotive control stand is a good ex- They use a CAD model to computer-engineer
grows out of a unique combination of experi- ample. It used to be welded from 386 steel the the control stand so it can be made up
ence, service and technical preeminence.
profiles in Great Britain. That was both from the smallest amount of material, with a
In 1986 this family company started work- time-consuming and fairly inflexible; the minimum of welding work. Ultimately Boming sheet metal after acquiring a TRUMATIC components offered only limited freedom in bardier cuts manufacturing costs in half.
235. “That was the breakthrough,” remembers laying out and installing the electrical devices.
This masterpiece would be impossible withKarl-Heinz Hausch, technical operations Adtranz, Bombardier’s predecessor, recog- out modern machine tools. Several TRUMPF
manager and company executive. The staff, nized the problem and in the year 2000 asked machines are the heart of the operations.
after painstaking apprenticeship school- Kaufmann whether it could build the control These include the TRUMATIC 5000 R (Truing and later in-service training, has grown stand from considerably fewer and, above all, Punch 5000) with automatic feeding for the
continuously since then, now numbering 145. lighter parts. Kaufmann mastered this assign- blanks. Or the TRUMATIC 600 L; it laser24 Express 1/ 07
Photos: KD Busch
manufacturers of rolling stock all around the world rely on know-how from the Palatinate.
SOLUTIONS
stands for locomotives. The products made in Schwegenheim are a source of pride for Stefan Sydoriw and Alexander Felde — and for company executive Karl-Heinz Hausch, as well.
“We do our homework here, we don’t have to
move production outside the country.”
cuts, punches and shapes sheet metal all at
the same time. “A truly ingenious machine,”
Karl-Heinz Hausch exclaims. That saves time
later in touch-up work since holes and cutouts are cut exactly at the pre-calculated positions. Hausch is full of praise for the TRUMPF
service department. The technicians from
Ditzingen completed machine commissioning without a hitch.
More volume thanks to lasers
Hausch’s pride and joy is the TRUMATIC
L 4030 (TruLaser 4030), bought in summer
2006. It uses aluminum sheeting between 2.5
and 4 millimeters thick and cuts all the parts
for the control stand, in one go. The processing programs are nested to eliminate interruptions.
The unit takes approximatly 3½ hours to
work the sheet metal for 24 control stands.
The two control stands and switchgear cabinets needed to outfit 130 locomotives leave the
plant every year. In 2007, according to KarlHeinz Hausch’s projections, 160 locomotives
will have to be equipped. Also fabricated here
are custom aluminum cable raceways for ICE
trains and locomotives. At the customer’s operating site they are mounted in a dummy
locomotive, fitted with cables and then lifted
over the roof and into the chassis.
Without sheet metal “made in Schwegenheim” many trains would be on the sidings
today — London’s famous “Tube”, for instance.
In the course of its rehabilitation Kaufmann
delivered to Balfour Beatty all the switching
bays for the transformer-rectifier units. A
total of 68 tons of copper was bent to form
conductors capable of handling currents of
up to 6,000 Amperes, Hausch noted. “That’s
a once-in-a-lifetime order.”
But this forecast might well prove to be premature. His employees are already assembling
the next switching bays — for the streetcar system in Graz, Austria.
> Please direct queries to:
Steffen Henzler, Phone: +49 (0) 7156 303 – 1344,
e-mail: [email protected]
> Full speed ahead
Company name: Kaufmann GmbH & Co. KG
Founded: 1958
Staff: 146
Turnover: 18 million euros
Activities:
Electrical technology, metal-
Internet:
working, switchgear engineering, assemblies for rolling
stock, air conditioning
equipment, railway electrical
technology, repairs,
transformer stations,
industrial assemblies,
photovoltaic systems
www.kaufmann-ems.de
Express 1/ 07
25
Great teamwork both on the job
and on the playing field, too:
The Bühring GmbH amateur football team has already celebrated
several tournament victories.
The
football factor
Maschinenbau Bühring produces agricultural
equipment in the German village of Dreileben,
near Magdeburg, along with stairways, gates
and various hardware products. And the
“byproducts” are team spirit and commitment.
Playing in his company’s own team is something that Erhard Bühring
won’t be doing this year. The athletic goals for 2007 are simply too ambitions. What’s more, the waistline sported by this graduate engineer,
now 58, is a bit too prominent under his coveralls. And the younger
employees in his company are far too quick and in great condition.
“They are almost all active football players,” the boss says with pride.
His two sons are also regularly on the field at the Seehausen Sporting
Club, playing in the state league — for the company team, too, the 1st
Bühring Football Club.
26 Express 1/ 07
Photos: Thomas T. Müller
Strengthening cohesion and team spirit
For five years now the proprietor and his company have not wanted to
be measured exclusively on the basis of turnover. “Cohesion within a
company — the ‘we’ feeling — is decisive for any firm’s success,” says
Erhard Bühring. Community feeling, goals and victories are important to him in much the same way as international successes in selling
straw baling machines. “Company athletics strengthen the feeling
of togetherness,” is Bühring mentions again and again. Thus it
only seems consistent that this metalworking firm’s website
devotes a generous amount of space to its own football
triumphs. The photos and articles on the 2005 company
cup or the Whitsunday tournament held by the “Tractor
Sporting Club” in Dreileben occupy almost as much
TEAM BUILDING
space as the complete, 150-year company history. It’s
also equal to the description of the performance
range for the various TRUMPF machines.
Bühring has rewarded his employees with social
events and incentive trips since right after German
reunification in 1990. At that time regional functionaries in the SED (Socialist Party) insisted that invoices
for the first orders from the West be paid, in half, with
East German marks. Bühring invested the remaining West
German deutschmarks, bypassing the party entirely, in angular grinders and in a company excursion to the Soltau Heath Park.
“Our employees’ wives also went along. There was music and good
food. Everyone had so much fun that I decided: We’ll do something
like that every year,” Bühring recalls.
Expansion is the order of the day
Four graduate engineers: Jens, Sven, Karin and Erhard Bühring ( left to right )
Erhard Bühring’s company is a factor in the region simply due to
its size. Dreileben — literally “three lives” and with three big hearts
in its coat of arms — has about 600 residents. This middle-market
mechanical engineering company employs exactly 63 persons.
Two large production and warehouse buildings had for years
been situated right in the middle of the village. But the noise
emissions from three-shift operations drew protests from
the neighbors. Consequently the firm built two gigantic
new production halls on the outskirts of the village, on the
black earth of the Madgeburg Börde. This doubled floor
space so that in future Bühring can plan contiguous production lines.
At the same time he bought the former elementary school
that both his sons had attended and was located right next
door. It had been closed due to a lack of pupils some time before
and the old brick building is to provide six apartments for employees and their families. “The first staff member has already moved into
a one-room apartment on the top floor,” says Sven Bühring, now 27
years old. He sees the thrifty company apartments as a solid advantage:
“Having an apartment right next to the workplace is something of a
rarity. Particularly among young people, that is a good argument in
favor of our company and for Dreileben.”
“In our firm a community
feeling – and goals and victories –
count for just as much as inter -
Football trophies in the party room
A large party venue for company celebrations has already been set up
in the former school building. Faint scents remind us of beer, cigarettes and lots of laughter. The bar with its brightly colored lights was
built by a lathe operator who had earlier apprenticed as a cabinetmaker
and who today also plays on the company team. Also displayed next to
the bar are the three cups the company footballers have earned to date.
Two long tables offer plenty of space for the staff and their families.
About 80 people get together here to party. At present the company
patriarch is considering whether he shouldn’t also incorporate the
“orphaned” school gymnasium into his growing company and real
estate empire. But no concrete utilization has yet been found for this
small athletic facility.
Should it happen that one of the two new halls isn’t needed for
production, then Sven Bühring already has an idea that could have
come from his father: “We’ll just play football indoors.”
national successes.” Erhard Bühring
> Please direct queries to:
Bernd Zürn, Phone: +49 (0) 7156 303 – 831,
e-mail: [email protected]
> Successful – thanks to community spirit
Company name:Maschinenbau Bühring GmbH
Founded: 1856
Staff: 63
Turnover: Approx. 8 million euros
Activities:
Complete manufacture of straw baling machines for Welger Maschinenfabrik GmbH in Wolfenbüttel,
manufacturing agricultural assemblies (straw presses),
all kinds of fittings: stairways, doors, gateways, etc.
TRUMPF machinery:
One TRUMATIC L 3030 with 3 kW laser
Contact:
(TruLaser 3030), one TrumaBend V 230, one
TRUMATIC L 4050 with 6 kW laser (TruLaser 5040)
and a TRUMATIC L 3050 with 5 kW laser
(TruLaser 5030 classic)
www.maschinenbau-buehring.de
Express 1/ 07
27
A good night’s sleep
Painstaking preliminary work by TRUMPF project engineers is now paying off. The cell phone used for malfunction reporting remains quiet. The automatic TruTops Message system sends only routine reports on the current production status. That is one achievement of well-planned automation.
28 Express 1/ 07
REPORT ON AUTOMATION
“We’ve always managed somehow.” Managed to deliver on time and in
top quality. There’s hardly a supplier who can’t relate to that. Everyone
knows what it costs. If need be, additional night shifts help. But more and
more job shops are turning that “somehow” into “process-optimized” or
“automated”. Many machines in the production halls are linked to create
a synchronized production flow; tasks are automated. This is the proven
answer to market demands. That is because a multitude of models and
variants, along with smaller batch sizes and ever tighter scheduling, are
dictating the context for everyday manufacturing.
It is a tremendous help if all the steps in a process are coordinated within an overall system. According to Manfred Kussmaul, technical sales support manager at TRUMPF: “In terms of automation,
customers in our neighboring countries — in the Netherlands and
Austria in particular — are setting the benchmarks.” As a consequence,
more than 50 percent of all the punching and laser cutting systems
TRUMPF delivers today worldwide will be fitted with automation
components. Systems that process blank sheets fully automatically
are augmented with placement and removal equipment and a link to
the warehouse to become stand-alone manufacturing cells. Before
that happens, however, a great deal of conceptual thinking, meticulous planning and long-term assessments are invested in the process.
Looking far down the road
Whenever the project engineers in the technical sales support office call
on customers, those customers expect to receive well-founded answers
to their questions. Because only the customer who knows where the
next few years will be taking him can plan his manufacturing correctly.
Manfred Kussmaul, and his team form the creative backstop for this
development. As a sounding board, planner and implementer of automation solutions, he leaves no stone unturned: from taking investory
of the existing situation and planning process sequences and materials
Express 1/ 07
29
REPORT ON AUTOMATION
How to get that good night’s sleep
01
02
Visit reference facilities
Practical transfer of knowledge: a visit to
reference installations clarifies what can be done.
With the BendMaster, for instance, for fully
automated bending.
Ready for automation ?
A self-test in seven questions
Look into the future
Where do you see your company five years from now and what will you need then?
Characterize your “throughput”
What feedstock formats, materials, lot sizes and quantities of materials do you deal with?
Classify representative work pieces
What kinds of work and workpieces do you typically handle?
Describe the desired degree of automation
Where do you want to implement automation and where would you rather do the work manually?
Calculate your investment
Automation is a process. Can you allocate an investment volume that can be held to
over the long run?
Follow the material paths — preferably on foot
Bottlenecks, intermediate storage, discontinuities in the material flow — where are the challenges in
regard to space?
Take a look at the competition
What is the competition doing today that you ought to be doing tomorrow or doing better now?
flows, through to detailed new shop floor layouts — that is
the process engineers’ spectrum of services. The aims here
are ideal production patterns, the best possible utilization
of available space, maximum material and machinery availability, exact inventory accounting and smooth material
movement.
Far more than an academic exercise
3-D display, and calculations of the economics form the
decision-making aids for management. The results are
quickly seen in monetary terms: automation pays for itself.
Few specialists can operate several machines at once, the
effort required for logistics is reduced and customers profit
from greater process reliability, reduced handling times and
optimized warehouse inventories. And the employees soon
learn to appreciate the comfort and convenience. Jobs are
upgraded by reducing the physical effort and variable work
time models become feasible.
It is not unusual to find that the prerequisites are missing.
A shortage of space, unnecessary buffer storage, poorly
documented warehouse inventories (some even banned to
remote locations) and ever more forklift traffic are easily The race to catch up
recognized weak points. Collaborating with the TRUMPF Precepts that have long since become standard in punching
project engineers, the operations and production manag- and laser cutting are still in their infancy in regard to benders get to work on optimizing the process chain for sheet ing. According to Jörg Ellerkmann, technical sales manager
metal. Working exactly to the particular customer’s require- at TRUMPF: “The necessary system flexibility, time-conments, the project team prepares a master plan — often built suming tool mounting and the difficult-to-depict process
around a new compact or all-purpose warehouse. Visits to pose genuine challenges for automation.” Finally, the step
reference facilities, alternate layouts showing materials flows, into the third dimension is what makes bending so complex.
simulation of a new manufacturing environment with a Moreover, inserting and positioning the workpiece is more
30 Express 1/ 07
REPORT ON AUTOMATION
04
Simulation and realization
Computer-aided simulations illustrate the proposed investments. Safetycritical areas and moving components are highlighted here. This makes
it possible to recognize early on, at a glance, any weak points — and to
correct them. This is the best basis for trouble-free implementation.
03
Planning and calculating
Individual concepts are created on the basis of standard components. At the
center is the fully automated warehouse. It is designed to suit the particular
customer’s exact needs, with an almost endless number of interfaces for laser
cutting and punching machines — together with conveyors to move blanks to
the TruBend press brakes.
difficult than for cutting and punching. It was in 1997 that once again an advantage applicable to all types of processTRUMPF, when it introduced the ACB angular position ing. “With our control technology we can intervene deeply
measuring system, laid one of the vital cornerstones for au- in the machinery control circuitry and network all the proctomation. Further key technologies for automated bending esses,” Manfred Kussmaul emphasizes.
are specialized handling units with refined gripping technologies that master insertion, positioning, bending and Process chains
removal. They are augmented with sensors that monitor the Automation is naturally worthwhile when bending with the
entire procedure, instrumentation and control systems that BendMaster, too. The average additional investment volume
ensure precise results for every component, and program- of about 30 percent is amortized in two-shift operations afming systems that automatically calculate all the operating ter barely three years in service. In three-shift utilization the
steps.
BendMaster will already have paid for itself after about two
At the heart of this solution is a specialized bending robot. years. Jörg Ellerkmann and Manfred Kussmaul are looking
TRUMPF has named this 5-axis robot the BendMaster; it to the future: “There’s no question about it — complete netautomates the TruBend press brakes. Thanks to an image- working of the process chain is on the agenda.”
processing sensor head that uses an electronic camera to
identify the workpieces on the pallets, the robot can set up > Additional information:
the bending machine without a teach-in cycle. The bend- Manfred Kussmaul, Phone +49 (0) 7156 303 – 1070,
ing machine and BendMaster are operated by a single con- e-mail: [email protected]
trol unit. They are programmed jointly, off-line, using the Jörg Ellerkmann, Phone +49 (0) 7156 303 – 1321,
TruTops Bend software developed by TRUMPF, exhibiting e-mail: [email protected]
Express 1/ 07
31
The laser cutting head for a TRUMATIC 6000L manufactures the “nuts and bolts” of a coin counting unit at Glory.
32 Express 1/ 07
Photos: Junichiro Takahashi
Cash is their business: Group manager Masakatsu
Ando, general manager of components production
Kiyoyuki Kitawaki and Shoichi Kimura.
Japan
Making cash go round
The Glory company incorporates “kaizen” into everyday business life.
Using the latest in technology, this Japanese specialist in ATMs and vending machines always strives to achieve “continuous improvement”.
Cash passes through many hands. optimization of product and process quality.
And whenever a yen changes hands, Kaizen involves many other aspects in addiit usually renews its acquaintance- tion to continuous quality improvement. Exship with cash registers, automatic amples include employee-oriented leadership,
teller machines, coin changers and greater worker influence on the processes,
vending machines. Manufactured a broader scope of responsibility for each infrom stainless steel and using the dividual worker, and institutionalizing both
newest technologies in sheet met- quality management and the company sugal processing, all these machines gestion plan.
are among the products made by All in all, kaizen puts its faith in strong
Glory, a Japanese manufacturer process orientation. These stringent expectalocated in the city of Himeji, lo- tions start with the final product, of course,
cated northwest of Osaka.
but extend back to its manufacturer and to the
It all began with a coin-count- production machinery — in this case, the maing machine, the first product Glo- chines used to work sheet metal. Ultimately
ry marketed after the company was TRUMPF, as a machine tools supplier, has to
founded in 1944. Vending machines satisfy these standards. “International comfor cigarettes and chewing gum fol- parisons show that quality pressures are the
lowed toward the end of the 1960s. highest in Japan,” explained Hartmut Pannen,
Barely 20 years later magnetic card read- managing director at TRUMPF Japan.
ers joined the product line-up. Among the
Japanese companies have long since found
items most recently developed are luggage themselves confronted with developments
lockers for railway stations. Here customers in sheet metal processing that could become
can pay either with their rail cards (a debit more significant in other markets. Consecard issued by the railway) or directly by cell- quently Japanese companies for some time
phone. Thus Glory has gradually expanded its have now manufactured, in short producspectrum to include all types of equipment tion runs, equipment offering great variety in
that in some way or another handle money. design and features. Shallow manufacturing
And in doing so, the company has consistently depth makes it necessary to get many contraclived up to Japanese quality expectations.
tors involved. At the same time, due to the
extreme costs involved, Japanese companies
Continuous improvement
have cut inventories to the bone and thus are
Those expectations will not tolerate even dependent on smooth integration of these
the most negligible compromise. It seems as contractors. This has resulted in extremely
though in Japan — where kaizen (“change for short delivery times throughout the Japathe better”) was first put into practice — the nese metalworking industry and has brought
entire country is dedicated to continuous about the associated scheduling pressures. →
Express 1/ 07
33
Japan
No compromises
“We manufacture demanding products that,
Kiyoyuki Kitawaki, components manufac- for instance, check banknotes to detect counturing manager at Glory, explained how terfeit bills. It follows that the quality expectacritical quality expectations are from his tions in such processes are applied one-to-one
point of view: “We use temporary employees to our machinery. This means that we require
more and more frequently in our production not just ideal development technologies, but
operations. Consequently, we are attempt- innovative production techniques, as well”,
ing to automate the entire process chain as Kitawaki noted.
completely as possible — in a way that will
boost production effectiveness without en- High precision
countering sacrifices in quality. Automation One of Glory’s contractors drew the comalso facilitates the work in general, makes pany’s attention to the TRUMATIC 6000 L
for shorter set-up and training periods, and (TruMatic 6000) made by TRUMPF. “As a
helps us optimize our delivery times.”
combination punch and laser cutting machine,
In addition to traditional assembly-line the TRUMATIC 6000 L surpassed all our
manufacture, Glory also introduced the so- previous conventional production methods
called cellular manufacturing, a concept in terms of speed, quality, handling and prothat is particularly beneficial for products duction profitability”, Kitawaki explained.
with short set-up times. Kitawaki: “We use
In Glory’s estimation, punching and laa production control system that steers our ser cutting speeds and cutting quality were
manufacturing capacities in a very flexible definitely in the foreground. But the many
fashion to follow demand fluctuation. This options integrated into a single machine were
has allowed us to slash inventory levels.” That ultimately what convinced the company’s
is a decisive advantage since Japan is the decision-makers. These capacities include
country with the highest rents for produc- punching and deburring, tapping threads
tion floor space. Efforts to reduce inventories and reshaping limited areas while manufacor optimize the footprints of machinery and turing housing components. Thanks to the
automation components are among central SheetMaster, which transports the finished
management concerns.
components singly to the intermediate stor-
Fully automated and in service
around the clock at Glory:
the TRUMATIC 6000 L
34 Express 1/ 07
age area, Glory was able to do without using
micro-joints, an option otherwise widely
used in Japan.
In the manufacturing operations at Glory,
the TRUMATIC 6000 L supplants a press
brake and another combination machine.
“Since its introduction we have upped productivity by 30 percent in this manufacturing
section”, Kitawaki summarized.
> For questions, please contact:
Andreas Krause, Phone: +81 (0) 45 931– 5710,
e-mail: [email protected]
> Guardian of the cash
Name:
Founded:
Employees:
Products:
Machines:
Contact:
Glory Ltd., Himeji, Japan
1944
3,331
Banknote sorting, counting,
destruction and storage systems;
automatic coin counting and coin
wrapping machines
TRUMATIC 6000 L (TruMatic 6000)
www.glory.co.jp
THE ANSWER
“One axiom for me is to
always deal respectfully
and candidly with each
player on the team.”
Photo: Herbert Rudel
Armin Veh on the question:
“How do you form a successful team?”
Armin Veh knows how important communication
is to success.
“The team proved to be a harmoni- players are accepted by all the others
ous unit”, “They closed ranks for this
in the team and this requires far less
match”, “Every player meshes with all
outside influence.
the others” — phrases like this are used
Regardless of how much or how little asregularly whenever commentators talk
sistance is needed to successfully shape and
about successes in team sports. In this
guide a team, communication plays a central
context, of course, the legendary dictum
role. This is as true in athletics as in all other
expressed by football hero and team captain
areas of life. One axiom for me is to always deal
Fritz Walter cannot go unmentioned: “You
respectfully and candidly with each and every player
have to be eleven friends !” Times have indeed
on the team, thus uncovering their unique abilities and
changed, the atmosphere has become rougher
perspectives. In any performance-oriented group — and
and certainly less personal than at the time of
here football does not differ much from industry — conflicts
the so-called “miracle of Bern”, when Germany
come up again and again where individuals are dissatisfied or
unexpectedly won the World Cup in 1954. Friendthey feel their performance is not adequately appreciated. That
ships have become the exception in professional
is why clear and reliable messages are essential. They help exclude
athletics. But still, even today, a functioning team
misunderstandings from the very outset and avoid envy and ill will
is one prerequisite for athletic success, just as it was
within the team. The result is that the words of praise quoted at the
back then.
outset will be heard as often as possible.
That’s why coaches and managers, when assembling
a team, always attach great importance to the question
Armin Veh is the trainer for the VfB Stuttgart, a Premier League footof how potential newcomers will integrate into the team
ball team in Germany. Previous stations in his career included Hansa
structure and existing hierarchies. Good “people skills” are
Rostock and the Augsburg Football Club.
very important here, and there is no one set answer here or
for proper leadership of a team. In the course of his career a
coach will deal with a wide variety of teams. One team might
require a firm hand to enforce rules on and off the playing field.
Others have a fixed and functioning hierarchy where the leading
Express 1/ 07
35
CHARACTERS : PEOPLE AND SHEET METAL
“I’ve reduced my work to the minimum — without the
buildings appearing to be sterile or barren. Just like my
R 128 building: It is the aggregate of many ideas.”
36 Express 1/ 07
The minimalist
Prof. Werner Sobek is both architect and engineer. He is known around
the world for metal facades, planning for structural systems and special
Photos: Wilfried Dechau, Roland Halbe, DaimlerChrysler MediaServices
concepts in steel, glass, titanium and cloth. And he is full of ideas.
R 128 might sound like a chemical element but I can omit. I have consistently reduced my work
is in fact a building created by Professor Wern- to the very minimum — without the building
er Sobek. It is the real-world implementation of seeming to be sterile or barren,” Sobek relates.
his vision for a completely emission-free, envi- In addition to many other materials such as
ronment-friendly, recyclable structure with the steel, glass, titanium, wood, plastic and memgreatest possible transparency. What it cannot branes, he also likes to work with sheet metal.
yet do is generate more energy that it consumes. “The many machining options — such as punch“But some day I’ll achieve that, too,” says Wern- ing, for example — are what make sheet metal
er Sobek. R 128 stands, by the way, for Römer- so interesting and efficient. With it we can
straße 128. There — on a typical Stuttgart achieve, like almost no other material, wonderhillside — is the all-glass prototype. “This ful plays of light and shadow, partially transbuilding is the result of many ideas I have had parent but at the same time fully opaque.”
over the course of time. I wanted to try out new
technologies and building techniques. With At home all around the world
R 128 I could do exactly what I wanted since In the meantime Werner Sobek employs a staff
only I, as the owner, had to bear the risk,” says of more than one hundred in Stuttgart, FrankSobek. Questioned as to why he entered into furt, New York City and Khartoum. Global
this uncertain venture, he answers: “Only if we construction projects require a global presence.
use new technologies can we further develop “I am quite at home wherever I might be. The
them. Otherwise we come to a standstill — and pace of the city excites me in New York, while
we cannot afford that, either in the face of the in the Near East the contrasting mentality of
upcoming global climate changes or in view of the people is appealing,” Sobek says. Even many
global competition.” The effort has been most years later he appreciates the challenges associworthwhile. Sobek and his family have lived in ated with all that. “I have had to adapt to forR 128 for almost seven years now. Completely eign cultures again and again. I take a great
free of emissions, with solar panels providing deal of time to do that — not only due to busielectricity, and featuring a facade with superb ness interests, but also out of pure courtesy. To
thermal insulation values.
be perfectly frank: What can be more rewarding for an architect or engineer that to be given
Toward his own building style
the opportunity to create, all around the world,
In the estimation of numerous colleagues and unique prototypes with budgets of up to 800
business partners, Werner Sobek is one of to- million dollars?”
day’s most important engineers. His career
began with a double degree in construction
engineering and architecture at the University
of Stuttgart. Having earned his doctorate in
1987, he went to work for a renowned engineering office in Stuttgart. He was appointed to a
professorship in 1990 — and began working
independently. “One milestone along the way
to my own building style was to learn what
Tell us,
Professor Sobek …
What do you see as your greatest
strength? And your greatest weakness ?
My greatest strength is my own determination. That is complemented, I believe, with a
gift of being able to understand design and
techno-scientific contexts at the same level.
As for my greatest weakness — one to which
I readily admit — I find that I am often too
yielding to other people’s wishes.
How would you characterize yourself in
just a few words ?
I am interested in many things in this world
and would like to learn to understand a great
deal more. I most certainly enjoy being close
to other people — particularly those from other cultures. And I tote around a lot of questions that I have yet to answer.
Where do you get your energy ?
From the satisfaction in finding answers to
those questions.
What would you take along with you
to the proverbial desert island ?
Nothing. I have always wanted to be able to
say: “I am carrying everything I own.” And
now I have finally reached a point in my life
where I can be happy solely at the cognitive
level.
Which dream would you absolutely want
to make come true in your lifetime ?
I would love to ride a motorcycle through
Siberia — from Lake Baikal to the Arctic
Ocean. Alone.
Werner Sobek designed
the facade and structure for
the Mercedes-Benz Museum
in Stuttgart.
Express 1/ 07
37
SHEET METAL : A REMARKABLE STORY
CREDITS
TRUMPF Express 1/07
Magazine for Sheet Metal Processing
Pointing the way
Traffic without traffic signs ? Unimaginable in an age of increasing
traffic jams! For more than one hundred years now, these brightly
colored aids have guided us through the traffic jungle.
Published by
TRUMPF Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH + Co. KG
Johann-Maus-Strasse 2
71254 Ditzingen
Germany
www.trumpf.com
Responsible for content
Dr.-Ing. Mathias Kammüller
Editor-in-chief
Today it’s all quite clearly regulated. They have into being. One of the very first to do so was
to be weatherproof and two or three millime- the “Touring Club Italiana”, which planted
ters thick — depending on whether a traffic warning signs, initially made of cast iron, at
sign announces a no-parking zone or is posted hazardous locations in the Alps, installing the
next to the motorway. The manufacturers use first of them in 1895.
screen printing for legibility and, in the final
Since cast iron was quite expensive, the
phase of production, glue a reflective film on automobile clubs looked for alternatives. The
their traffic signs. Something quite common- solution was sheet iron, from which they had
place today is the result of a long development signs fabricated as of 1904. The clubs were
process. The beginnings are found in the early particularly creative when solving financial
days of motorcar racing.
problems: They collected donations and, in
RUMPF Express_107
addition, permitted advertising on the signs.
Thanks to the sponsor !
These appeared, next to the club’s coat of arms,
At the end of the 19th century the first traf- name of the sponsor and the actual warning,
fic signs appeared, intended to lend safety to in the form of a labeled arrow on the panel.
overland racing. There were as yet no uniform
The automobile clubs did not fail to nostandards for their design. This was because tice that they could earn good money with
at that time highway traffic safety was not this — and they set up traffic signs, even where
under the purview of public au- they were not actually necessary, until such
thorities, but rather the time as public authorities gradually assumed
automobile clubs responsibility for monitoring traffic, bringing
just then coming some order to the jungle of signs.
Ingo Schnaitmann
+49 (0) 7156 303 - 992
[email protected]
Consulting
Helmut Ortner
Edited by
pr+co. gmbh, Stuttgart
Norbert Hiller
Nadine Leimbrink
Layout and production
pr+co. gmbh, Stuttgart
Gernot Walter
Markus Weißenhorn
Roland Boeck
Reproduction
Reprotechnik Herzog GmbH, Stuttgart
Printed by
frechdruck GmbH, Stuttgart
Contribution
Julia Bechtler
Andreas Krause
Nadine Leimbrink
Mitja Marosa
Olaf Meier
Jörg Meyerhoff
Bernd Müller
Martin Reinhardt
Ralf Schluricke
Translation
Stewart Lindemann, Wuppertal
Photography
KD Busch
Claus Langer
Udo Loster
Thomas T. Müller
Harald Müller GmbH
Junichiro Takahashi
Illustration
Gernot Walter
Knowing where to go: At the end of the 19th century the first
signs warned motorists of hazardous curves in the Alps.
38 Express 1/ 07
012BE_02B_070220_TF
AN EXHIBITION OF THE
MAX PLANCK SOCIETY
SCIENCETUNNEL
C O M E A N D B E A M A Z E D ! A FA S C I N AT I N G T R I P I N TO T H E F U T U R E O F S C I E N T I F I C D I S C O V E R I E S
19.05. - 29.07.2007 | JOHANNESBURG
SOUTH AFRICA
05.10. - 02.12.2007 | SEOUL
SOUTH KOREA
W W W. S C I E N C E T U N N E L . C O M
With the support of:
With the participation of:
Express 1/ 07
39
Photos: KD Busch, GLA-WEL GmbH
Stainless steel for happy hounds
Whether an animal shipping crate or pet’s car box,
food bowl or trailer — man’s best friend is in the
limelight at GLA-WEL GmbH. To make sure he has
everything he needs, this company in Melle pays attention to quality in the manufacturing process. The solid
surface of this twin feeding bowl made of stainless steel,
for example, keeping paws from getting caught in the
openings. What’s more, it stands solidly on its rubber
feet and — thanks to its glass bead blasted surface, is
easy to clean. When making its products this metalworking specialist banks on laser technology made by
TRUMPF: Two systems with five and six kilowatts of
power bring form and function into perfect harmony — and not just for dog bowls. www.gla-wel.de