Our location in Germany Our location in Germany

2 | 2014
fluid
International news & information of the fischer group
Our location in Germany
Growth in Achern propels the entire group forward
fischer Maschinentechnik:
Lots of room for solid
machine construction
fischer China:
Precision landing for
new building
fischer USA:
Winglet tubes in
three-shift operation
Editorial
News
Focused on flexibility
Dear Business Partners,
Dear Colleagues,
We are faced with a somewhat paradoxical
situation. On the one hand, we have noticed
again recently that quality and continuity
pay off. We could thus note several “returnees”
among our customers who did not receive the
quality from other suppliers that they were used
to getting from fischer. We are of course pleased
by this. In addition, the global automotive
market has been very positive. Nevertheless, at
this moment we won’t attempt any medium or
long term forecasts. The short term fluctuations
up and down have been too large in recent years.
We will thus focus increasingly on flexibility
while continuing to emphasize outstanding
quality. Fast, individual, and first-class solutions
even for complex requirements – that is a fischer
quality that we will continue to cultivate. This
applies both to challenging tube forming or
global shifts in quantity. The fischer group is
ideally positioned in Achern and throughout the
world – and also ideally suited to meet rapidly
changing demands. You can take our word for it.
fischer Germany
Yours sincerely,
Premiere at the POWER-GEN Europe 2014
fischer Edelstahlrohre demonstrates its expertise in heat exchanger tubes
Hans-Peter Fischer
Managing Director of the fischer group
Greeting
Targeted support
for the new generation
Dear Business Partners,
Dear Colleagues,
The fischer group has always supported qualified
young workers within the company itself. On the
one hand out of a sense of responsibility for the
people and on the other hand of course also because we have made sure that we have had the
right people in the company from the beginning:
highly qualified and motivated employees who
know what fischer quality means.
We have now gone a step further with the new
training workshop (>>see page 8). We now offer
the skilled workers of the future an environment
in which top-level training can be even better
addressed with fun and motivation. I am personally very pleased with it. Because our youth
need our appreciation and a bright outlook.
The fischer group participated in the
POWER­-GEN Europe for the first time. At
the leading European trade fair for power plant
technology and energy supply in Cologne from
June 3rd to 5th, the tube specialists demonstrated
their special skills as a producer of longitudinal
welded tubes and complex components manufactured from them.
Thereby, the globally active tube manufacturers underlined their focus as a supplier of highly
corrosion resistant tubes with excellent thermo-
dynamic properties for the heat exchanger industry. In this sector, fischer Edelstahlrohre was
already able to score in some demanding power
plant projects. From France to Russia and from
Finland to Italy, the fischer tubes are in use already today in highly modern large-scale plants.
“With our own booth at the most important
European industry event, we wanted to show
competence and proximity to customers,” explained Manfred Seewald, Head of Sales for
Industry & Trade at fischer. “Judging by the re-
Title Theme
fischer group: Our location in Germany – Continuous growth ............... 4
I would like to wish all of the trainees, interns,
and students of the Cooperative State University
an instructive and fulfilling time and Thorsten
Schmiederer, the director of the training workshop, every success always. You are the ones who
will create our future. Make the best of it!
Yours sincerely,
Germany
fischer Maschinentechnik:
Lots of room for solid machine construction .......................................... 6
fischer group Achern: Only the best for the next generation .................... 8
fischer Edelstahlrohre & fischer Rohrtechnik:
Long goods warehouse expanded .......................................................... 10
fischer Germany: Energy management in the fischer group ................. 11
Publisher: fischer group, Gewerbegebiet 7, 77855 Achern, Germany
Hans Fischer
Founder and Chairman of the fischer group
Editor: Dr. Michael Kühner (responsible)
Contributors to this issue: Hans Fischer, Hans-Peter Fischer, Roland Fischer,
Dr. Stefan Geißler, Frank Schneider, Thomas M. Prell, Dr. Heinz Paar, Hans
Wolfgang Szymanek, Erich Kotzenmacher, Thorsten Schmiederer, Alex Huber,
Mike Müller, Thomas Dinger, Jens Helmbrecht
Contact: Tel. +49 7841 6803-0, E-mail: [email protected]
sponse and the discussions at the booth, we were
very successful in doing so,” Seewald summed
up the event with satisfaction.
Overall, the commitment at the POWER­GEN Europe 2014 was convincing proof that the
fischer group is no longer only at home in the automotive industry. Today, fischer is also a major
supplier in the energy sector. Which proves once
again: It is just worth building on better quality.
Just as the fischer group has been doing for more
than 40 years.
‹‹
International
fischer China: Precision landing for new building ................................. 12
fischer Canada | fischer USA: Further processing in North America ..... 13
fischer USA: Winglet tubes in three-shift operation .............................. 14
fischer Mexico: Ultramodern tube welding line for the Americas ......... 15
fischer South Africa:
Growth and continuous improvement in all areas ................................. 16
fischer Austria: Factory 2013 – a thriller to experience ......................... 17
Team Talk
fischer Germany | fischer Austria:
Dragon boat race – Records for the anniversary .................................... 18
fischer Germany:
hoch³ corporate race – Respect: 11th place out of 136! ........................... 18
fischer Germany: Biking for the rehab hospital ..................................... 19
fischer Germany: Stronger in sales ......................................................... 19
fischer Germany: Hans Fischer celebrates his seventieth birthday ........ 20
Design: Frank & Konsorten Werbeagentur, Lahr, Germany
Print: Straub Druck+Medien, Schramberg, Germany
Photo credits: fischer group, Jörg Wilhelm, fotolia
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Titel Theme
Expansions of fischer Achern in recent years
Our location in Germany
Continuous growth – not only in Achern
The fischer group has been successful worldwide for decades – and the new fischer China
plant is the largest single investment in the
company’s history. Nevertheless, the heart
of the fischer group is still in Germany. To
illustrate this, we have summarized the most
important examples of investments in recent years in table form. It should be noted
that in the wake of the general financial and
economic crisis of 2008 / 2009, investments
were initially somewhat delayed. With the
renewed growth of economic activity, things
have correspondingly moved along at a
more rapid pace.
fischer Maschinentechnik assembly hall
fluid 2 | 2014 // 4
The latest achievements: fischer Maschinentechnik has received a new production hall.
A trainee workshop has been opened. fischer
Rohrtechnik has received its own production
hall for the construction of prototypes and a
professional start-up management. Intralogistics has taken on a new quality with the expansion of the long-load high-rack warehouse and
shipping depot with its shifting of floorspace
and automatic transport of empty skeleton containers right into the production area. These are
all current developments here in the location
in Germany. Of course there is also a whole lot
happening in the other worldwide locations of
The new fischer training workshop
the fischer group. Yet for all the internationalization, these developments demonstrate that
the fischer group knows where its roots are. And
they are being nurtured locally – as a solid basis
for the worldwide success.
Good reasons
It has simply been proven time and again that it
is worth investing in the Achern location. Labor
costs in international competition are as a result
not at all decisive. What counts is quality, qualifications, and high productivity. At our headquarters, the distances are very short between
The expanded high-rack warehouse
2009
fischer Edelstahlrohre
Production hall 9 built
Expansion of capacity of tube production
2012
fischer Rohrtechnik
Expansion of hall 9;
pallet high-rack warehouse built
Relocation of Rohrtechnik from hall 6 to hall 9;
reorganization of the shipping logistics
2012
fischer Edelstahlrohre,
fischer Rohrtechnik
Long load high-rack
warehouse built
Temporary production storage and tool storage
for optimization of the production processes
2014
fischer Maschinentechnik,
fischer Rohrtechnik
Production hall 11 built
Expansion of the capacity for assembling tube
profiling and special systems;
installation of a prototype construction for
efficient start-up management
2014
fischer Edelstahlrohre,
fischer Rohrtechnik
Expansion of the long load
high-rack warehouse
Capacity expansion of further processing of tubes
2014
fischer Edelstahlrohre,
fischer Rohrtechnik
Expansion of the logistics hall
Reorganization of the handling of empty
containers
machine technology and production. The company can respond here flexibly and on short
notice to customer’s requests and even faster than
at the other locations. Even complicated issues
can be rapidly implemented.“The investment can
thus simply be used to its best advantage,” says a
pleased Hans Fischer, the founder of the company,
Solid investment for the future:
the new fischer training workshop
who is still very involved and full of energy even
after more than four decades. This means that
the highly qualified tube production and tube
processing pros achieve a very high added value
with state-of-the-art technology. That also pays
off when compared internationally.­
The customers really appreciate this. Not
without reason have the capacities been increased over and over again and more and more
people have been employed at the fischer group
in Achern. Even customers who left a few years
ago for cost reasons have returned today – because others have simply not supplied the desired quality.
Strict emissions standards
make a case for fischer
Finally, even the EO emissions standard plays
into the hands of the fischer group. The standard ensures that auto manufacturers fight for
every kilo. This benefits the engineers and thinwall specialists of the fischer group greatly. They
are developing ever thinner, lighter, and thereby
extremely efficient pipes and components for
the exhaust system.
All in all, there are plenty of good reasons why
the location in Germany still retains a special significance in the fischer group.
‹‹
fluid 2 | 2014 // 5
fischer Germany
fischer Maschinentechnik
Lots of room for
solid machine construction
1,100 m² for assembling tube profiling and special systems
Our own machine technology has always
played a key role in the fischer group.
“From the beginning we have emphasized tube
profiling systems that we developed ourselves,”
stresses Roland Fischer, Managing Director of
fischer Maschinentechnik in Achern. This fundamental philosophy of quality has received a
new dimension with the new hall 11 at the Upper Rhine headquarters of the fischer group of
companies.“We now have enough room to build
two new systems in parallel,” Fischer is pleased
fluid 2 | 2014 // 6
to say. The assembly area is normally around 50
meters long. It can be extended around another
20 meters for special systems. Only a flexible
dividing wall has to be temporarily removed
for this purpose. “The expansion was urgently
needed,” says the head of fischer Maschinentechnik. “Our order books have been well filled.
High safety standards, replacement machines,
and capacity expansions for the worldwide production locations of the fischer group keep us
on our toes.”
to the assembly area by the shortest route, where
they can be immediately installed. Five trainees
are employed in this area in addition to the fischer
Maschinentechnik employees. Once a machine
has been completely assembled and tested, it can
be directly loaded on the opposite side of the hall.
A truck can drive right into the hall for transport
and load the transport-ready machine segments.
The New Energy Center for Halls 1, 2, and 11
Combined heat and power plant 50 kW electrical and 80 kW thermal
30 kW heat recovery from air compressors
Control system integrated into the site’s building automation
The energy center is designed for possible expansion
Designed for productivity
The new production hall of fischer Maschinentechnik allows significantly more productive
work. In addition to the actual work area, another
190 m² of storage space and four storage towers
with 90 2 m² storage trays each are available.
fischer Maschinentechnik however only uses
two of the towers. The other two are intended for
warehouse parts of fischer Edelstahlrohre or the
electrical workshop.
From the storage area, the machine parts get
Energy efficient from the ground up
– thanks to CHP
The new hall is of course also technically stateof-the-art. This also includes an energy center
with an integrated combined heat and power
(CHP) plant. The energy center generates both
electricity as well as heat and compressed air
for the entire hall. If needed, cooling is also employed using an absorption refrigeration unit
from fischer eco solutions.
‹‹
Hall 11 in numbers
Assembly hall: 1,100 m²
Storage area:
190 m²
Four storage towers each with 90 storage trays
Two for fischer Maschinentechnik
Two for fischer Edelstahlrohre or the fischer electrical workshop
fluid 2 | 2014 // 7
fischer Germany
Training Occupations in the fischer group
Industrial mechanic for production technology
Prerequisites: Certificate of Secondary Education /
Intermediate school-leaving certificate desirable,
training period: 3.5 years
Electronics technician for industrial engineering
Prerequisites Certificate of Secondary Education /
Intermediate school-leaving certificate desirable,
training period: 3.5 years
Thorsten Schmiederer
is completely in his element as director
of the training workshop.
fischer group Achern
Only the best for the next generation
The new fischer training workshop opened in April 2014
The fischer group has also invested in its own
trainee workshop as part of the expansion
of fischer Maschinentechnik with the new
assembly hall 11. On a total area of 230 m²
divided into workshop, training room,
and office, up to 20 trainees are finding
first-class conditions for a future-oriented
qualification. “I am very happy that I can
prepare our young workers here under such
good conditions for a professional future,”
Photo 1
Photos 1-3:
All sorts of playful creativity are also in demand
in vocational training.
fluid 2 | 2014 // 8
Photo 2
Photo 3
Thorsten Schmiederer, the head of training,
is pleased to say. With the new workshop,
the fischer group is now also certified as
an official testing location of the German
Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
ally and CNC controlled turning and milling
to the practical assembly of components and
machines to software-based design and simulation of complex circuits as well as a training
robot.
Up to 20 trainees can study and work here
at the same time. fischer offers a wide spectrum of training and continuing education
on the latest machines and modern computer
work stations. “Each trainee should have the
opportunity to develop and contribute to their
full potential,” says Schmiederer. The comprehensive training offerings range from manu-
In the workshop, the young professionals
are learning from the outset not only the practical skills and professional handling of tools
and machines. The training program also includes certified quality management using the
5S method, in which every part has its proper
place. “In this way the young colleagues learn
that QM is not just a nice accessory but rather
one of the basic components of our continuing
success,” Hans-Peter Fischer states convincingly. Because the fischer group relies not only
on its own machines and processes worldwide
but also on highly qualified employees from
its own in-house operation. Even employees
from the fischer group’s international locations
can continue their education periodically in
Achern, especially on the topics of machine
maintenance as well as service and maintenance of electronics.
In addition to the occupations that require
training, the practical part of some degree
programs of the Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University and special continuing
education programs, such as for example robot
trainings or training of employees new to the
profession, also belong to the offerings of the
fischer training workshop.
Numerous internship opportunities, school
collaborations, training fairs and actions such
as the “girls day” or the “fit for work” program
create many opportunities to introduce girls
and boys to the exciting career possibilities
within the fischer group. “At fischer the training
is great fun. The environment is super, the supervision is right, and there are new challenges
every day,” confirms training Luis Klein. The
best conditions for tomorrow’s motivated top
people.
‹‹
Materials tester
Prerequisites: Certificate of Secondary Education /
Intermediate school-leaving certificate desirable,
training period: 3.5 years
Industrial mechanic Electronics Technician
Industrial Business Management Assistant
Prerequisites: Intermediate school-leaving certificate
and one year commercial vocational college,
training period: 3 years
Industrial Business Management Assistant with
additional qualification of „European business
management with foreign languages“
Prerequisites: German university entrance qualification,
training period: 3 years
Specialist for warehouse logistics
Prerequisites: Certificate of Secondary Education /
Intermediate school-leaving certificate desirable,
training period: 3 years
Technical product designer in the field of machine
and plant (engineering) design
Prerequisites: Certificate of Secondary Education /
Intermediate school-leaving certificate desirable,
training period: 3.5 years
Materials tester
Industrial business
management assistant
Specialist for
warehouse logistics
Practical components of the cooperative degree programs
at the Baden Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW)
DHBW Industrial engineering studies
DHBW Studies in the field of industry
DHBW Studies in the field of applied computer science
DHBW Mechanical engineering studies in the field of production technology
DHBW Mechanical engineering studies in the field of design and development
Continuing education and internships
Robot training for employees and trainees
On the job training of employees new to the profession
Machine maintenance
Service and maintenance of machine electronics
fluid 2 | 2014 // 9
Germany
Eco Talk
fischer Germany
Energy management in the fischer group
“Energy efficiency” has become a key issue
Rising energy prices are today part of everyday life both for a company and for individuals. The issue has been declared a top priority
in many companies as an important cost and
competitive factor. In addition to the increasing expenditures for electricity, oil, natural
gas, and the like, the awareness is also growing for the careful use of scarce and therefore
expensive resources.
Even more space in the high-rack warehouse
fischer Edelstahlrohre & fischer Rohrtechnik
The fischer group early on dealt with questions around energy efficiency, e.g. with regard
to lowering consumption especially of energy intensive manufacturing processes or also
with manufacturing energy efficient products
such as heat exchangers or air-gap insulated
intensive businesses to implement an operational energy management system. With the tax
capping efficiency system regulation (SpaEfV)
of July 2013, the legislature links tax relief set
out in § 55 para. 4 of the energy tax law and §10
para. 3 of the electricity tax law to operating an
energy management system in accordance with
ISO 50001.
Against this background, the fischer group is
currently implementing an EnMS in accordance
with ISO 50001 at three locations in Germany. In
October 2014, fischer Hydroforming tackled the
initial certification. fischer Edelstahlrohre and
fischer Rohrtechnik in Achern will then follow
in June 2015.
Now 570 long goods cassette spaces for improved work flow
‹‹­
fluid 2 | 2014 // 10
2. Energy demand analysis
Tracking the energy sources and demands
Rough analysis regarding distribution
in terms of volume and expense
3. Management statement
Commitment to implementing an EnMS
Appointment of energy
management representative
MILESTONE 1
4. Compilation and integration of data
Stocktaking of existing technology
and organization
Planning, installing, and measuring
additional measuring points
Implementation of a data base
6. Planning and creating energy key
performance indicators
Key performance indicators,
calculations, and analyses
Statistics and documentation
When in 2011 the fully automated high rack warehouse for long
goods with its 400 storage bins was put into service, it was a big step
forward towards optimizing operating procedures. A capacity expansion had already at that time been considered in the planning.
Hardly anyone had suspected that it would happen so quickly. However, demands have increased rapidly. Expansion of the warehouse
was thus ordered in January 2014 and put into service in August.
In addition to the tube storage cassettes, 60 positions are reserved for
tools. Furthermore, two additional laser cutting systems were installed.
As part of the further optimization of the process flow, the cutting of
double-walled tubes is intended also to be relocated here.
1. Initiation and preparation
Appointing energy team
Determining goals and actions
Publication in the company
5. Energy consumption analysis
Precise analysis of all principal consumers /
energy assessment (machines, equipment,
generating of heating / cooling, lighting)
broken down by energy source, companies,
locations, etc.
Assessment of the major factors
influencing energy consumption
Long goods warehouse expanded
The warehouse serves as buffer storage for fischer Edelstahl tube
production. The tubes come directly from manufacturing and are stored
here temporarily. Then they go automatically into one of the total of seven laser cutting systems – and if necessary to further processing by
conveyor belt. With the increase in size and the new cutting systems, the
long goods warehouse makes even higher capacities possible at fischer
Rohrtechnik. Project director Thomas Dinger is very pleased: “With the
expansion we have once again significantly improved the flow of materials and the production processes.”
BEGINNING OF THE IMPLEMENTATION
MILESTONE 2
double-wall tubes. But how can a company
adopt a structured approach to reducing energy consumption or increasing the energy
efficiency of the organization?
New laser cutting systems
Implementing an energy management system (EnMS) is one possible response. The mission of such a system is the proactive and systematic coordination of the purchasing, conversion,
distribution, and use of energy within a company with the goal of continually reducing energy
consumption and the energy costs and pollutant
emissions connected with it. The DIN EN ISO
50001 standard adopted in June 2009 by an ISO
working group can serve to assist the implementation and operation of such an EnMS. In addition to the potentials generated by consistently
pursuing actions that increase energy efficiency,
there is yet another motivating factor for energy-
The most important aspects of the
implementation of the EnMS are:
Centralized compilation,
monitoring, and lowering of
energy consumption and costs
7. Analysis of potential for energy savings
Physical and technical development
Improvement measures
Calculation of profitability for investments
Transparency of energy costs and energy
consumption in the causative processes
Resource-conserving handling of energy
to reduce the environmental impact
Sustainable optimizing of
processes involving energy
Creation of the precondition for tax relief
The goal is not to meet a “standard,” but rather to produce with greater energy efficiency in the
long run, to benefit economically from this, and at
the same time to protect the environment. All employees are working towards this – to the benefit of
the group and our location in Germany.
8. Initiation of continuous improvement process
Planning, implementation, and
monitoring of measures
9. Energy management system
Determining energy policy
and goals of the EnMS
Documentation of processes and
key performance indicators
Management review
10.Preparation of the certification
Employee training
Internal audits
MILESTONE 3
CERTIFICATION ACCORDING TO DIN EN ISO 50001
‹‹
fluid 2 | 2014 // 11
International
International
A lot of room for the future
fischer China
Precision landing for new building
Expansion during ongoing production – now more than 13,000 m²
It is done: the largest single investment
outside of Germany is virtually complete.
fischer China has more than tripled its production area in one fell swoop with its new
building by expanding the area by around
10,000 m². And this within a very tight
schedule and during ongoing production!
“What our Chinese team has accomplished
here with energetic support from fischer Germany is quire an achievement. An outstanding
international collaboration – and in the end a
precision landing on schedule,” reports fischer
China Managing Director Wolfgang Szymanek
euphorically. “fischer China would like to take
this opportunity to extend its sincere thanks to
all the employees of fischer Menden/Chemnitz
and Achern who have worked together on this
project as well as our customers and suppliers
for their excellent collaboration.”
Effective April 2014:
ISO TS 16949 certified
Parallel to the expansion, Jian Li, the Chinese
Quality Manager, made sure that fischer China
got ISO TS 16949 certification in April 2014 on
the first try.
Now there is also in China the entire product
range of the fischer group: from slit strip to the
fluid 2 | 2014 // 12
tube and from there to hydroforming and other
complex components.
Quality Manager Jian Li got fischer China through
ISO/TS 16949 certification on the first try.
Three halls with
development potential
The Chinese location of the fischer group now
consists of three halls. In the first, which existed
before the expansion, are housed a tube welding line and a sawing center. “We began with a
tube welding line and a sawing center. But we
have room for 3-4 tube profiling systems and
two sawing centers,” Szymanek explains optimistically. The first tube welding line was put
into operation by Alex Rothweiler from fischer
Edelstahlrohre in Achern. He has been very involved in training the Chinese employees and
has shown – like the entire team – tireless commitment since his arrival in August 2014.
The second hall is reserved for hydroforming.
“The first press with complete peripherals for
rinsing, annealing, and coating is in operation,”
Dr. Stefan Geißler, the head of fischer Hydroforming, is pleased to note. “We bring with it our
full range of hydroforming expertise to China,”
he explains. Everything here is also designed for
growth and multi-stage hydroforming with 3-4
presses.
If you consider what it alone meant in the area
of technical building services or carrying out the
foundation trenches for the presses, you can get
a sense of the magnitude of this achievement.
The Chinese employees have also earned greatest
respect. Within a very short period of time, they
adapted to new machines and new work processes with the highest quality requirements.
So everything work out in the end, and the
automotive customers were very satisfied with
the long planned process audit. Now it can therefore move quickly forward.
We wholeheartedly thank Wolfgang Szymanek and Office Manager Yan Hu for their
extraordinary achievement and wish fischer
China from here as well: All the best!
‹‹
Wolfgang Szymanek
Yan Hu
New machines at fischer China
Annealing furnace
Washing system
Bending machine up to Ø 60 mm
Tube welding line up to Ø 80 mm
Calibration machine
Sawing center with brush deburring
and washing
Single saws
2,500 t hydroforming press
Coating system
fischer Canada | fischer USA
Further Processing in North America
Tube bending technology relocated from Canada to the USA
The third hall is partly two-storied and
around thirty meters tall on the other side. In
the upper floor is housed the vacuum cleaner
pipe production, with which everything began
at fischer China. With the height of the building,
a high rack warehouse has already been considered and can be installed here later. fischer
China with now around 13,300 m² is optimally
equipped for the future. With good reason, when
you consider the previous development. fischer
China has developed at breakneck speed from
vacuum cleaner pipe production to tube production and further processing for an automotive
customer to complex hydroforming.
Customer service and proximity to our automotive customer base are some of the key
concepts that contribute to the success of
the fischer group.
Because the deadline was fixed from the beginning by a planned process audit is the reason
why the expansion was also a challenge. All organizational and technical hurdles were overcome
within only 12 months. In doing so, fischer China
itself coordinated and implemented everything.
In order to make sure the launch is smooth
from the beginning a team of experts needed
to be assembled. Mr. Trey Phillips, a veteran in the tube bending industry with over 20 years of experience joined fischer USA in February of
2014. In order to familiarize Trey with the ‘fischer’ way he underwent some
Following this proven strategy fischer USA
just recently entered the value added arena.
It all started with an equipment transfer from
its sister facility in Canada towards the end of
March this year. Thanks to a great effort by our
maintenance departments on both ends the
machines were loaded, shipped installed and up
and running by the end of April in Manchester,
Tennessee.
cross training with his counterparts in Canada
in early March while fischer Canada personnel
also assisted with the launch of this endeavor
in April. Parts were successfully PPAP’d to our
customer in early May and the mass production
of parts commenced at the beginning of July.
“I would like to thank teams on both sides
for their great efforts to launch this project
successfully and in a professional and timely
manner,” expressed Thomas Prell, Managing
Director of fischer Canada and fischer USA, his
gratitude to his employees.
The value added capabilities at fischer USA
include perforating, tube bending up to 80mm,
ram forming of complex components, expanding and reducing and the forming of intricate tube ends.
fischer fischer USA welcomes your inquiries.
‹‹
fluid 2 | 2014 // 13
International
International
fischer USA
Winglet tubes in three-shift operation
Successful start of production in the USA with German support
Exhaust Gas Recirculation
(EGR) – has been helping to
make trucks and commercial
vehicles more environmentally
friendly on the road since the
end of the 1990s. With today’s
EGR systems, the stringent CO2
and emission standards are being met. A key component for
the exhaust cooling system of
a leading manufacturer are the
“winglet tubes” which are produced by the fischer group.
After decades of successful collaboration in
Germany, the exacting production know-how
has now been transferred to America. Mike
Müller from fischer Edelstahlrohre in Achern
has managed and accompanied the process
the production supervision and
quality management on site. “Colleagues in Germany and the USA
have really worked fantastically
together across all departments,”
says Project Manager Müller, very
pleased about the successful start
of production. The company is
planning to put into operation a
second tube machine in the US by
the end of 2015.
from the planning to setting up production up
to start of production. After the three-month
start-up phase the system has been running
in the USA since May 2014 in a three-shift operation. Eric Elwell from fischer USA manages
“That is one of the great advantages of the fischer group. We
bring field-tested processes into all parts of
the world – just as our customers require,” says
Managing Director Hans-Peter Fischer very
satisfied with the development of the “winged
pipes.”
‹‹
112 m long: the new tube welding line in San Luis Potosí.
fischer Mexico
Ultramodern tube welding line
for the Americas
Both fischer locations in Mexico expanded significantly
Mexico is still the gateway to the American
automobile market. Numerous manufacturers are investing in new locations and
expanding their production capacities. The
demand for tubes is also increasing. The fischer group has therefore decided to invest
strategically in Central America as well.
With the collaboration of fischer Maschinentechnik in Achern, the most modern tube
welding line in Latin America was put into
operation in San Luis Potosí from February 2013 to July 2014. All in all, fischer has in
addition increased the hall area by 7,200 m²
to a total now of 21,600 m². Another 5,000 m²
have been added to the exterior area.
Horst Wiesenberger, Managing Director of fischer Mexico, is enthusiastic about the new tube
welding line that is more than 100 m long. With
this decision, the fischer group can further expand their leading market position here as well.
The new tube welding
line in figures
Tube diameter from 25.4 to 80 mm
Tube wall thicknesses
from 0.8 to 2.5 mm
Tube length up to a
maximum of 8 meters
Length of the system: 112 meters
Width of the system: 15 meters
Investments also in
tube technology
Capacities have also been increased at the second Mexican location, fischer Tubtech in Puebla – as we reported in the last fluid magazine.
Not only has the 1,500 t hydroforming press
from Menden been installed in a new produc-
tion hall. Additional bending machines, underfloor sawing machines, and a robot welding cell
are also now available for further processing.
“We are thus concentrating completely on
customer proximity and further growth,” says
Wiesenberger, looking optimistically into the
future.
‹‹
More tube technology capacities as investments in the future in Puebla.
fluid 2 | 2014 // 14
fluid 2 | 2014 // 15
International
International
fischer Austria
Factory 2013 – a thriller to experience
Industriemagazin and the Fraunhofer Institut Austria honor efficient production
For the fourth time, the Austrian periodical Industriemagazin together with the
Fraunhofer Institut Austria organized the
“Factory 2013” competition. The competition describes itself as the “toughest production competition in the country” and covered
an evaluation period from January 2013 to
November 2013. 19 companies took part in
the selection process.
fischer South Africa
Growth and continuous
improvement in all areas
Hurdle no. 1: Courage to participate
Path-breaking developments
Outstanding quality
honored
Lowering costs with
energy efficiency
fischer South Africa has prided itself in
the fact that in 2004 it achieved certification in ISO/TS 16949 (Quality Management
System), in 2007 certification in ISO 9001
(Quality Management System), and in 2009
certification in ISO 14001 (Environmental
Management System). Each year since then,
fischer South Africa has maintained these
certifications.
In view of continuous improvement and cost
reduction, fischer South Africa has embarked
on various energy saving projects over recent
years. One worth mentioning especially is
an LED project that has replaced all office and
factory lighting with highly efficient LED technology equivalents.
Toyota held its annual supplier meeting
earlier this year, and for a third year in a row,
fischer­South Africa received the award for special achievement in occupational safety. This
time fischer South Africa not only took home
the safety award, but was fortunate also to
receive an additional award for exceptionally
reliable production. The company has both
awards proudly displayed in its reception area.
Other projects include replacing traditional
electric-based water heating with heat pump
technology and replacing existing faucets
with low-flow faucets. These two projects have
yielded a monthly electricity savings of 25 %.
An investment in a water filtration system
is another resource-conserving project. The
system currently connects all tube profiling
systems through a pipeline network in the factory. It is responsible for recycling rinse water,
removing chemicals, and returning clean rinse
water back to the tube production systems.
This has had a resounding effect, both because an individual treatment system at each
tube system is no longer necessary and because
far less rinse liquid is needed, as all of the tube
units share one system. The tube profiler systems as a result are running more efficiently
and effectively, because far less daily maintenance is required to ensure that clean rinse
liquid is used.
fischer South Africa has made a few other
investments in new machinery recently. A new
polishing machine was purchased at the beginning of the year, as the demand for polished
tubing especially in the railing industry has
increased significantly. In 2013, 675,000 meters
were sold, and in the first six months of 2014,
fischer South Africa has already sold 531,000
meters. Due to increased business in the automotive industry, various machines, including a
new CNC bending machine, have been bought
to accommodate the increase in volume.
Efforts are currently being made to purchase
another CNC bending machine.
‹‹
Congratulations during the Toyota supplier meeting.
fluid 2 | 2014 // 16
Honored for safety and stable production.
The competition does not claim to be a “beauty
contest” but instead places emphasis on the most
objective evaluation possible of efficiency and
operational highlights. Already in 2012 fischer
Austria toyed with the idea of taking part in
the competition. Yet the shear volume of the required documentation seemed insurmountable.
Only after active discussions did the Austrian
fischer management team decide to participate.
Dr. Heinz Paar, the Manager Director of fischer Austria, is grateful for the special honor.
questions.” At the end of the on-site audit carried out across Austria, two finalists were to be
selected that were supposed to meet eventually
in November on finals day in Vienna for the definitive victory.
Hurdle no. 3: A surprising finalist
Hurdle no. 2: Evaluation
When at the end of October 2013 the topic of
“Factory 2013” was removed from the agenda
of the management team’s meetings, fischer
Austria reported a positive balance, knowing
that it had passed the evaluation. It was acceptable not to be among the finalists on account of
the size of the companies against whom fischer
Austria was competing. The fischer managers
were all the more surprised when two days later a phone call and an e-mail message were received, which invited fischer Austria to Vienna as
a finalist on November 14, 2013.
Industriemagazin wrote about the evaluation
on August 21, 2013: “The hand shake began exactly at 9 a.m. A three person team of production experts from Fraunhofer Austria will now
scrutinize for an entire day the production of
the Carinthian stainless steel processing company fischer Edelstahlrohre. From the materials
warehouse to the production lines to quality assurance and the break room: there was no place
in the factory that the Fraunhofer experts would
not be interested in. And everywhere the fischer
management team gives precise answers to the
very specific and occasionally also very insistent
A precisely 20 minute presentation on the
company and its management concept had to be
made in front of a five member jury of experts,
and a 20 minute hearing had to be survived.
Balance sheet, production, and management
key performance indicators were “checked off”
in a staccato rhythm. The opponent in the final,
an Austrian company that has received multiple
awards, has 700 employees and is recognized for
its expertise in cycle-controlled small batch production, was up first – and David against Goliath
took on a new dimension. In the end the jury was
Every production detail was meticulously checked.
indeed convinced: fischer Edelstahlrohre Austria
was selected as the winner of the “Factory 2013”
competition in the the company category!
Bottom line
Excerpt from the final report of the Fraunhofer
Institut in the article published in Industriemagazin: “The incredible meticulousness with
which one goes about work at fischer Edelstahlrohre Austria struck even the evaluation team
from Fraunhofer Austria. ‘There are few companies that are geared so strongly toward current research literature,’ said Daniel Palm from
Fraunhofer.
“We would like to thank all the employees for
their dedication in the last 15 years, which made
this success possible in the first place, and the
owners, who with their optimism and their trust
have been a constant role model for entrepreneurship, thanked Dr. Heinz Paar after successfully participating in the competition.
‹‹
Success: fischer Austria was able to
persuade the demanding jury.
fluid 2 | 2014 // 17
Team Talk
Team Talk
fischer Germany | fischer Austria
Records for the anniversary
fischer Germany
fischer Germany
Respect: 11th
place out of 136!
Biking for rehab clinic
At the 10th hoch³ company
race in Offenburg – 2015:
will several fischer teams
take part?
Weather gods are dragon boat racing fans
The fischer dragon boat race celebrated
its fifth anniversary on September 5, 2014.
A year of records made the event once and for
all Austria’s largest in the field of dragon boat
races. 20 competitive teams, 3 VIP boats in
the show race, and 2 competitive teams from
the campsites meant more than 500 active
paddlers, who competed in 24 competitive
races in front of 3,000 visitors. A dragon trail
for children with nostalgia carousel and pony
rides, archery and Segway for adults, as well as
an amusement park rounded out the supporting program. The highlight was again the costume competition, which is well-known as the
largest and most elaborate in Austria. An entertainment program on the enlarged stage set
the mood from early morning until midnight.
Even the weather gods cooperated on the
race day. While at the same time heavy rain
fell 300 meters away along with hail showers
in the neighboring town, there was sunshine
at the site of the event.
‹‹
fischer mountain bikers support fund-raising tour of the Alde-Gott bikers
This year the traditional fischer mountain
bike tour ran somewhat differently than
usual: 25 active fischer cyclists joined the
“From friends – to friends” tour for the
benefit of the rehab clinic Katharinenhöhe
in Schönwald in the Black Forest. There was
a total of 401 mountain bikers en route between
Sasbachwalden and Schonach on Saturday, June
28th. There was something for everyone, from the
“pain in the calves tour” of around 100 km and
2,400 meters difference in altitude to the 30 km
fund-raising tour to the 10 km connoisseur’s tour.
The event, initiated by the Alde-Gott bikers
from Sasbachwalden, brought in an impressive
donation total of 40,811.18 euros.
The money is intended to be used primarily
for renovation of the play area in the rehab clinic
for children and adolescents.
‹‹
On June 27, 2014, the 10th hoch³ company
race once again started in Offenburg. Taking
part: the fischer mixed team with Ramona
Bruder, Daniel Henning, and Christian
Schweizer­­.
In 1 hour 16 minutes and 5 seconds, the
three ran the 5.6 km three times and ended up
in 11th place among the 136 mixed teams.
Ramona Bruder on the race: “It’s a great experience and a great result! – How about having
several fischer group teams in it next year?”
‹‹
fischer group Achern
fischer Hydroforming
Stronger in Sales
Five new contact persons for
your customer requests
Reinhard Neumann,
fischer Edelstahlrohre
Contact: hoch³ team 2015
All colleagues who love to run
are invited to get in touch with
Ramona to field even more fischer
group power next year.
Everyone join in!
Ramona Bruder
Phone: +49 (0)7841-6803-829
[email protected]
fluid 2 | 2014 // 18
Degree in business administration (Univ. of
Applied Sciences) European economy
At fischer in Achern since 1 / 1/2014
Sales Director Automotive,
Authorized Representative
Matthias Feger,
fischer Edelstahlrohre
Degree in business administration
(Univ. of Applied Sciences)
At fischer sales in Achern since 10 / 1 / 2013
Manager Automotive Sales
Silvia Moser,
fischer Edelstahlrohre
Vocational training as industrial business
assistant
At fischer sales in Achern since 3 / 10 / 2014
Sales Automotive – Scheduling
Stefan Doll,
fischer Rohrtechnik
Vocational training as wholesale and
foreign trader
Since 12 / 16 / 2013 in fischer sales in Achern
Sales Automotive – Scheduling
Noëla Guillamet,
fischer Hydroforming
Graduate engineer in chemistry
Fluent in her native languages French,
German, and English; Spanish in training
Since 10 / 2013 in fischer sales in Menden
Sales fischer Hydroforming
fluid 2 | 2014 // 19
fischer Germany
Hans Fischer celebrates
his seventieth birthday
Many thanks for the splendid
celebration – and again belatedly,
all the best, Hans Fischer!
All sorts of appreciation and best wishes
for the visionary founder
Humane, cordial, and familial – on June 6, 2014, employees, friends, and relatives
celebrated the 70 th birthday of Hans Fischer privately in Seebach.
‹‹
Stay informed under:
www.fischer-group.com