TRUMPF Express 3/07
Transcription
TRUMPF Express 3/07
16 Miele: Why sheet metal is vital to us 32 Report : What service has to be today 36 South Africa: Turning trash into flowers Magazine for 3/07 Sheet Metal Processing Special TruLaser The 24 hours of TRUMPF from page 19 What’s behind Mr. Heinzig’s generosity ? Sponsorships are a strategy at Heinzig Metalltechnik The battle against piracy on page 31 3 / 07 Contents 10 16 24 26 32 2 Express 3/07 23 28 Some day in the near future this keyboard case (graphically modified) made by HMT Rüffel GmbH in Halsenbach will house inspiring sounds. But in the TRUMPF Express, instead of keys, knobs, and slide controls, it holds TRUMPF customer stories. Topics CLIMATE CONTROL TECHNOLOGY 10 Success with an airy breeze Climate control was a side job, as were the bees. Today PROMONT rings up millions in sales. But Andrzej Szczurek still keeps bees. Interview 16 Qua | li | ty, noun “Ever better” is in the company logo. Miele managing director Dr. Eduard Sailer tells why the company is comfortable with that. Knowledge 23 Scratches be gone! Brushes or pads have long since fought scratches, and now, AMPCO does too. In combination, they’re unbeatable. PROCESS OPTIMIZATION 24 Putting set-up in the fast lane Everyday production operations harbor many difficulties. Thank goodness AMF always has a helpful idea in its catalog. MANUFACTURING LOGISTICS 26 Great freedom A quick look at a production building that can transform itself almost in minutes. PortrAIt 28 It’s in her blood Young, female … and an engineer. Gemma Avenell lives out passions that have never even occurred to others. Report: Service 32 “It’s a bit like a good marriage” Service is what’s needed for a long-term relationship. Experts discuss how the relationship can be sustained. TITLE 14 New paths Sponsoring to familiar goals “Who’s supposed to pay for that ?” ask the athletic clubs. “Sponsors”, say the consultants. “Why should we pay for that ?” small companies ask. “Because regional familiarity is like hard cash”, says Mario Heinzig. He devotes half his marketing budget to sponsorships. To the Point 05 Service? Service! STANDARDS 06 31 36 38 38 40 Panorama ONE QUESTION CHARACTERS STORIES IN SHEET METAL credits CLOSING POINT Special TruLaser The 24 hours of TRUMPF from page 19 Express 3/07 3 TO THE POINT “SERVICE IS A WORTHWHILE BENEFIT TO THE CUSTOMER — ONE BASED ON TRUST.” Service is a far-flung field of endeavor. There’s service that just has to be, which includes regular check-ups — such as for your automobile or a trip to the dentist. TRUMPF offers various types of service agreements to suit the machine’s use and its owner’s needs. And then there’s service to back up a new purchase. This comes into play, for example, when clients need an additional punching or bending tool to execute new orders, when they want to upgrade machinery with automation equipment, or if they need a tricky custom solution. There are also financial services. In today’s world, leasing is not only for cars. Leasing contracts can be signed for computer systems, machinery and even complete buildings. We have set up our own TRUMPF leasing company to serve customers who want to use this arrangement to preserve their own equity capital. In addition, training and consulting are also a kind of service. This involves learning about everything the machine can do, finding out what can be done with sheet metal, and achieving full mastery of the software. The new TRUMPF Services Center in Ditzingen alone offers 29 classrooms and 18 demonstration machines for use by a good 8,000 trainees every year. The training centers installed in Austria, Switzerland, the USA and many other countries illustrate the significance of this field at TRUMPF. Finally, there are some services we would rather avoid. But whenever a repair is needed, we’re delighted when the service is rendered as desired and planned. If necessary, we can send parts from our logistics center to locations all over the world, in less than an hour, even at night and on the weekend via special delivery. More than 850 service technicians around the world ensure that any impediments to your work are eliminated as quickly as possible. This has been just a very brief tour, showing you only a few rooms in a very large house. The structure that keeps it together and puts the roof on is known as TruServices — the concept under which TRUMPF consolidates its entire spectrum of services. Our TruServices employees would be glad to show you through the many other rooms in this house of service. This issue of TRUMPF Express is also devoted to service. Beginning on page 32, you will find a discussion on service and its contribution to corporate success. For me, service to the customer is the key assignment — in the interest of maximum machine availability, maximum productivity and unreserved confidence. We want to act as a contact for you, our customers, and as a sounding board for your many questions, ideas and needs. Moreover, we want to serve you with the right concepts and proposals so that, with our help, you can maximize earnings. That is the foundation upon which our house of services is built. Dr. Gerhard Rübling Managing Director Services Express 3/07 5 PANORAMA Backing up the family Panel discussion with the Federal Minister of Family Affairs At TRUMPF, CEO Nicola Leibinger-Kammüller has already instituted … How can young parents reconcile childrens’ needs and career demands? That was the question Ursula von der Leyen, German Federal Minister of Family Affairs, discussed with TRUMPF CEO Nicola Leibinger-Kammüller and two other female managers in Ditzingen, at the invitation of TRUMPF and the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany. The panelists agreed. There is still considerable room for improvement in German business. According to Minister von der Leyen, German companies have to adopt an attitude similar to the ones in Scandinavia or the USA. Families do not hinder, but instead support a career. Family-compatible personnel policies have already been implemented at TRUMPF. For instance, the company offers parents a week’s child care during the long school vacation in the summer. Employees with children two to six years of age can entrust their children — all day, if necessary — to a day care center in Ditzingen. Cooperative efforts with other facilities are in the planning stage, as is day care for infants and toddlers. “Alternating tele-commuting” — working partly in the company offices, partly at home — is another option. Depending on specific needs, flextime plans or flexible lunch hours can help parents strike a balance between career and family. … what Federal Minister of Family Affairs Ursula von der Leyen is asking companies to do. Opened on October 12: the new Services Center at the company headquarters. Laser link Jenoptic and TRUMPF found joint venture Jenoptic AG and TRUMPF pooled their resources to found the JT Optical Engine GmbH & Co. KG in June of 2007. This joint venture, headquartered in the town of Jena, develops, produces and markets optical modules for fiber-optic lasers — the so-called “optical engines”. These important components in fiber laser devices are intended to satisfy the call for such beam sources with very high beam quality and power outputs below one kilowatt. Demand in this sector is very promising but still small relative to the entire market. The two parent companies have been collaborating in the field of laser technology since 2001. They manufacture high-performance diode lasers serving primarily as pump sources in solid state lasers. > Further information: www.trumpf-laser.com 6 Express 3/07 All under a single roof New Services Center at Ditzingen On October 12 TRUMPF opened its new Services Center in Ditzingen. Now brought together under a single roof are the training and the spare parts center. In one section of the building, employees dispatch spare parts to customers — quickly and reliably, around the clock, seven days a week. The second main section in this completely revamped structure is devoted to training, where specialists will continuously inform customers and employees about TRUMPF products. New classrooms with the most modern equipment — augmented by a machinery room with 2,430 square meters of floor space and 18 demonstration machines — create the ideal conditions for successful knowledge transfer. PANORAMA Under construction since autumn of 2007: the new structure (highlighted in blue in the photo), behind the laser plant at the TRUMPF headquarters in Ditzingen. Company HQ grows and grows TRUMPF invests in the headquarters at Ditzingen TRUMPF is investing about 70 million euros in expanding its largest production site even further. Since the autumn of 2007, the Ditzingen facility has grown by about one third of its previous surface area, to some 30,000 square meters of floor space. A new office building and an application center for the laser technology business field are being erected next door to the existing laser factory. The machine tool business field is also profiting from the enlargement. As of mid-2009, its employees will benefit from a new development wing as well as a production and development building. The Ditzingen headquarters have been laid out to provide space for up to 3,000 employees after this expansion. Currently, about 2,000 people work here. With Don’t replace it, clean it up instead TSC 1 slat cleaner saves Lutz Abram Photos: KD Busch, TRUMPF Group time, effort and money “We’re taking some of the load off our workers — and saving money, too.” That’s what Lutz Abram, General Manager at PS Laser in Thedinghausen, says about the TSC 1 slat cleaner made by TRUMPF. This electric power tool quickly and easily clears slag from the slats of laser cutting machines — without physical effort and in just a half-hour’s time. PS Laser used to have to change out the slats every four to six weeks. Now they are cleaned about three times before replacement and that means significant cost savings. “The TSC 1 does its work almost in parallel to the main production times. That’s another reason why the unit paid for itself within a month after its purchase”, according to Abram. > Please direct your questions to: Werner Cloos, Phone: +49 (0) 7156 303 – 3 03 83, e-mail: [email protected] this addition, TRUMPF continues to emphasize its intention to strengthen Germany as a production site. Barkow Leibinger Architects in Berlin was entrusted with the planning and construction of the new buildings. One thousand machines Hettingen manufactures one thousandth TruPunch 5000 TRUMPF had good reason to celebrate in October. The 1000th TruPunch 5000 left the assembly line at Hettingen. In preparation for quantity production of the new generation of machines in March of 2001, TRUMPF procured, especially for this purpose, equipment able to machine Werner Haug has been working at TRUMPF Hettingen extremley long components. for 25 years now. On October 26 he and his colleagues Climate-controlled rooms celebrated the 1000th TruPunch 5000. were used for assembly. Since that time, the 450 employees in Hettingen have turned out 185 TruPunch 5000 machines each year. Building a punch takes 14 days and the largest model weighs in at 15,960 kilograms. All in all, the “jubilee” TruPunch and its 999 predecessors have consumed 240,000 liters of hydraulic fluid and 150,000 meters of pneumatic hose. Not only are these high-productivity machines in great demand in Germany, they are at work in almost every corner of the world. > Please direct your questions to: Hanns Menzel, Phone: +49 (0) 7156 303 – 3 04 63, e-mail: [email protected] Express 3/07 7 PANORAMA 1,24 billion tons 47,3 Germany’s share Well equipped Set-up and positioning aid speeds up bending operations It makes bending fast and boosts productivity. The optical set-up and positioning aid made by TRUMPF is a shining example of the user-friendliness built into the TruBend Series 5000. This red LED array, integrated into the cover of the upper tool holder, shows where the bending tool has to be placed, with accuracy down to the millimeter. Thus, the user no longer needs to refer to the set-up plan, he can simply watch the illuminated aid and insert the tool for an exact match. The same is true for off-center bending. Here, too, the part being bent can easily be positioned using the illuminated display, without having to look at the controls at all. This shortens unproductive time. And not just that, since the operator’s work is less complicated, output will be boosted during production. > Please direct your questions to: Alexander Kunz, Phone: +49 (0) 7156 303 – 3 30 33, e-mail: [email protected] New phone numbers Extension numbers reorganized On November 5, 2007, new five-digit extension numbers were assigned to all the phones, fax machines and modems at the TRUMPF operations in Ditzingen and Gerlingen. To do this, extension numbers formerly with three digits are now prefixed with the digits “30”, while a “3” precedes the previous fourdigit extensions. Two examples will clarify this. The old number +49 (0) 7156 303 - 123 has now become +49 (0) 7156 303 - 30123. And 303-1234 has become 303 - 31234. The only exception is the main switchboard in Ditzingen. It continues to be +49 (0) 7156 303 - 0. In the interim TRUMPF will, of course, ensure that callers reach the desired extension even if they dial the “old” numbers. > For further information, or if you should have questions, please get in touch with your representative at TRUMPF. 8 Express 3/07 32,3 million tons Projected worldwide growth in 2007 The LED array in the set-up and positioning aid shows exactly where the bending tool is to be placed. Global crude steel production in 2006 million tons 3,4 % China’s export surplus in 2006 In pursuit of new records Steel industry growing faster than total global product The Wirtschaftsvereinigung Stahl (German Steel Business Association) is forecasting further growth in the world’s steel market. Following a record year in 2006 — world crude steel production came to 1.24 billion tons — the Association is predicting a 3.4 percent increase, to 1.29 billion tons this year. Russia, China, Brazil and India, in particular, are profiting from the business upturn, but growth is in the works in other regions, too. Crude steel production in Germany rose in 2006 by 6.3 per cent to 47.3 million tons — the highest mark since the German reunification. Over and above that, in January of 2007, the German market posted the highest monthly value — at 4.3 million tons — in over 30 years. The experts see one risk to the steel market. The distortion of the competitive situation resulting from the Chinese export surplus, which came to 32.3 million tons in 2006. Rising prices for feedstock materials represent another hazard. PANORAMA Sharp as a tack! Leuco uses TRUMPF machinery to shape sawblades Quality is a matter of primary concern at Leuco, a manufacturer of premium tools for the furniture and woodworking industries. The company puts its faith in superb precision at its French operations at Beinheim. 2-D flatbed laser machines made by TRUMPF cut blanks of up to 730 millimeters in diameter, which are then finished at the same location in the Alsace region. These disks are the blanks for circular saw blades tipped with tungsten carbide or diamond. “The laser machines’ exact cutting performance and simple operation persuaded us from the first moment forward”, explains the production manager at Leuco. “What’s more, the nearby support bases of TRUMPF in Roissy and Ditzingen and their fast and reliable technical services represent a major advantage for us.” Leuco processes about 2,200 tons of steel each year in Beinheim. In operations as diverse as sawmills, the parquet flooring industry and even plastics processing, circular saws have many uses — wherever the highest cut quality is of the essence. The blanks that Leuco cuts on TRUMPF machines may be up to 730 millimeters in diameter. > Please direct your questions to: Eric Gallou, Phone: +33 (0) 1 48 17 80 71, e-mail: [email protected] In metropolitan Seoul New company headquarters in South Korea Neighboring buildings are reflected, kaleidoscope-like, in the façade of the TruTec Building. The interior delights the eye with its almost delicate stairway design. Since June of 2007 TRUMPF Korea has occupied the TruTec Building in Seoul, in the heart of an up-and-coming business quarter — “Digital Media City”. The company uses four of the twelve floors for itself and its customers. In addition to office space, there is a demonstration and training center where machines can be displayed and their operation explained. Working with a real estate developer, TRUMPF constructed the building, rising 50 meters above grade level, with the mirrored façade designed by Barkow Leibinger Architects in Berlin. TRUMPF has been present in South Korea since 1997 and markets almost all of its product range there. Machinery made to measure Photos: Leuco, Christian Richters, TRUMPF Group TRUMPF and EHT work out custom solutions together Collective expertise: TRUMPF and EHT cessful collaboration was a wide-mouth press Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH, located in delivered to Gretsch-Unitas GmbH (G-U). Teningen, have collaborated in marketing The new product line being introduced by special-purpose machines since 2003. While this all around vendor of door and window this enables TRUMPF to offer its clientele the products called for a special solution. “With customized press brakes and guillotine shears the new press, we can punch far more premade by its cooperating partner, EHT profits cisely — and that is decisive when embossing from the worldwide TRUMPF sales and serv- our products”, explains Rolf Linse, producice network. The most recent example of suc- tion manager at G-U. “Moreover, the set- up times for our tools have been shortened dramatically.” In addition to the individual machinery solutions, the company was also sold on the reliable service provided by the supply partners — TRUMPF and EHT. > Please direct your questions to: Jörg Ellerkmann, Phone: +49 (0) 7156 303 – 3 13 21, e-mail: [email protected] Express 3/07 9 Air is the core business that junior executive Anna Szczurek-Surma wants to use to “propel” the company’s growth. The fan, by contrast, is just for office use. 10 Express 3/07 CLIMATE CONTROL TECHNOLOGY Success with an airy breeze Mushroom growers in Iran, opera lovers in Wrocław. What they have in common is a hunger for fresh air. Climate control equipment from Świebodzice in Poland delivers that in both venues. Andrzej Szczurek sits at his desk and stirs honey into his tea. “The honey comes from my own hives”, he says. Even under socialist rule, he started keeping bees as an adjunct to his work as an engineer in a state-owned heating technology enterprise. The purpose was to earn a few additional zlotys for his family. “We always held down several jobs at once. That was necessary for survival.” Then in 1988, Szczurek asked himself why he didn’t start his own company — since by that time it had become possible in Poland. Together with Leonard Plawecki, also an engineer by trade, and Edward Przydrozny, professor at the Polytechnic College in Wrocław, he gave birth to a planning office for climate control. From that moment forward they engineered new ventilation technologies — and turned them into reality with vast expertise and great attention to detail. “We were able to try out a lot of things, and by doing that, we gained deep insights into the market.” Both self-employed and on the payroll And in spite of that, all three kept their “daytime” jobs for a while. The planning office in Świebodzice, a town of 23,000 in Lower Silesia, was initially a secondary occupation. It was not until years later that they decided to devote Express 3/07 11 their undivided attention to their company — and to set up their own 13 units made by TRUMPF, supports them in their efforts. “Good maproduction facilities for climate control technology. “On April 1, 1994, chines are what ultimately earn customer confidence”, Szczurek notes, we started fabricating our designs ourselves. And for us it was certainly “because they signal our ability to produce high-quality products that no April Fool’s joke”, Szczurek laughs. “That date was a lucky talisman deliver excellence.” for us.” It all started with a punching machine dating back to 1946, on loan from the town administration. Extraction hoods and exhaust The Wrocław Opera as a customer technology were part of the product line from the very outset. “Not eve- Consequently, you will find a saying by the Greek philosopher Demrybody was building those products and because of that alone, we were osthenes prominently displayed — in Polish, English and German — in something unusual in Poland.” That was a unique selling proposition one of the manufacturing buildings: “A lot doesn’t mean well, well means that bore fruit. PWPO-T PROMONT grew quickly. “Our sales at the a lot”. Her father attached great importance to having this quotation start came to about 100,000 zlotys per year”, Andrzej Szczurek recalls, hung up where everyone could see it, explains Anna Szczurek-Surma, which corresponds to about 25,000 euros. Today the company’s sales junior executive and Andrzej’s daughter. Twenty-eight years old, with a generate about six million zlotys (approx. 1.5 million euros) per month, bachelor’s degree in business administration and the mother of a young and revenues are showing an unwavering upward trend. daughter, she has worked in the company for three years now. She The three founders have reconsidered the company’s strategy and attended the university in Wrocław and visited the USA and UK during product line again and again over the years, adjusting it to meet market her studies. That international experience is a genuine advantage, since requirements. Thus, the production of heat exchangers was launched PWPO-T PROMONT is active in many countries and supplies more several years ago. Moreover, PWPO-T PROMONT was developed to foreign buyers than customers in Poland. The clientele is situated in the become a service provider for paper companies and since that time, has UK, France, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, the Baltic countries, manufactured paper drying systems. Ecological concerns play an im- Russia and even in Iran. “We recently shipped heating equipment to portant role here as well. “Our products express our intentions to recov- Iran for use in mushroom cultivation”, Anna Szczurek-Surma explains. er heat and use it regeneratively”, explains Edward Przydrozny. That is That equipment is necessary because mushrooms need variable humida strategy with a future. High-performance machinery, now including ity and temperature to thrive. The company even includes in its line a The most important sector is climate control equipment for buildings, but the company has also built a machine that helps ripen bananas. Photos: Simon Koy Kamila Mazurczak (left photo), at work in the modern manufacturing buildings at PWPO-T PROMONT (right), makes just as significant a contribution to the company’s success as do her 129 colleagues. 12 Express 3/07 CLIMATE CONTROL TECHNOLOGY > From planning office to climate control manufacturing company Company name: PWPO-T PROMONT Spółka z o.o., Świebodzice, Lower Silesia, Poland Founded: 1988 Staff: 130 Product line: Ventilation technology, air condi- tioning systems, heating fans, heat exchangers TRUMPF machinery: Two TRUMATIC L 3050 (TruLaser 5030 classic) with TLF 5000 (TruFlow 5000), one each TRUMATIC L 3030 (TruLaser 3030) with TLF 4000 (TruFlow 4000), TLF 3800 and TLF 1800, one TRUMATIC L 4000 with TLF 3800, one TRUMATIC 2000 R, one TRUMATIC 1000 R (TruPunch 1000), one TrumaBend V 230, one TrumaBend V 170, two TrumaBend V 130, one TrumaBend V 50 Contact: It was with this venerable punching machine, dating back to 1946, that Edward Przydrozny (left) and Andrzej Szczurek (right) started manufacturing operations. www.pwpot-promont.com.pl machine that helps ripen bananas. But such unusual products account for only a small part of the product range, while climate control for building complexes is a mainstay in the line. PWPO-T PROMONT has installed climate control equipment not only in a multiplex cinema, but also at the Lower Silesian Opera House in Wrocław. From 2,000 to 12,000 square meters At some point, space became scarce in the factory buildings at Świebodzice. PWPO-T PROMONT had, in fact, continuously expanded within the company’s premises — and to do that had kept two masons on the payroll for several years. But thanks to vigorous growth, the 2,000 square meters of floor space had become inadequate by the year 2005. In January of 2006, the climate control specialists opened a new production building some distance out of town, after only a half year of construction time. The company now has more than 12,000 square meters of space available. Andrzej Szczurek reaches into a drawer and extracts photos of the individual building phases. One of them shows him with his wife on the construction site, as yet an untouched meadow. In another, daughter Anna is seen inserting the first bolt in the building’s frame. “We did most of the contract work ourselves”, he explains. In closing, he passes around snapshots of the celebration held to mark the building’s completion, to which he invited customers from France, England and Germany. “We partied until late at night, at Książ Castle, a landmark in Poland, and it’s just around the corner.” When asked whether they were proud of what the company has become in those 20 years, Edward Przydrozny and Andrzej Szczurek shake their heads modestly. “The opportunity was there, and we grasped it.” But they are indeed quite glad to be able to offer jobs to many people in a town with a high unemployment rate. And they still have plenty of plans for the future. “We are following the times, but remain true to ourselves, to our own expectations and our traditions”, says Andrzej Szczurek. At the end of the day, he’s still harvesting his own honey. > Please direct your questions to: Andrzej Janiszewski, Phone: +48 (0) 00 575 39 – 50, e-mail: [email protected] Express 3/07 13 When Iceland‘s Thorir Olafsson plays for the Nettelstedt-Lübbecke team, the fans‘ enthusiasm includes accolades for the sponsor, too. New paths to familiar goals What do handball, taekwondo and art have to do with corporate success ? Quite a bit, in the opinion of Mario Heinzig. His successes prove him right. “We have been at work here for 55 years our familiarity tremendously in the past now. And in spite of that, hardly anybody in two years. It is reflected, for instance, in the Rahden had ever heard of the Heinzig Com- number of job applications we receive. Word pany.” Mario Heinzig was astonished and has gotten around that at Heinzig you can dismayed at this when, two years ago, he took find a good job or apprenticeship position. over management of the Heinzig Metall- And particularly among our younger staff, technik GmbH, a company his grandfather identification with the company is growing. had founded. He acted accordingly, and to- That’s an invaluable effect.” To boost awareday Heinzig earmarks about half his market- ness of his company, Mario Heinzig decided ing budget for sponsorships. “That boosted to pursue two of his passions: athletics and the 14 Express 3/07 SPONSORING The sculpture crafted by Thomas Schütte was a contribution to the “sculpture projects muenster 07”. arts. Today his company supports a number of regional athletic clubs and events. Heinzig Metalltechnik GmbH sponsors both the Espelkamp-Mittwald Tennis Club and the premier-league handball team fielded by the TuS Nettelstedt-Lübbecke Sports Association. The local reference in his sponsoring activities is particularly important to Mario Heinzig. “We earn most of our money right here in the region and our employees live near Rahden. That’s why we want our money to advance the region’s interests”, is how Heinzig explained his sponsoring philosophy. Photos: Oliver Krato, Claus Langer, Andreas Lechtape A passion for sports Heinzig has a special attachment to the third sports club his company supports. In the “normal workday world” Heinz Scheidereiter operates a combination machine at Heinzig. But in his free time, he is a grand master in taekwondo and wears the eighth-degree dan. For more than 25 years now, he has done volunteer work as a trainer for young athletes in Mario Heinzig contributed this martial art and combat sport — with note2.5 tons of steel for this worthy success. In just the past two years, the purpose – and invested Rahden team has captured a number of Eurotwo weeks of work time pean and world championship titles. “When in erecting the structure. Heinz Scheidereiter asked me if I would be interested in sponsoring his club, there was no question about my answer”, Mario Heinzig recalls. The combination machine that Scheidereiter operates was used to fabricate the sheet metal pand the collection over time.” But even today needed by artist Thomas Schütte for his contri- it includes works by photographers Thomas bution to the “sculpture projects muenster 07”. Struth and Matthias Hoch, video artist Heike Not only did Heinzig Metalltechnik GmbH Baranowsky and sculptor Roman Signer. At donate the 2.5 tons of steel that went into the present, Heinzig is also planning to get the sculpture entitled “Model for a Museum”, but company involved in amassing a collection. it invested more than two weeks of labor as “In one or two years I would like to set up a well. That’s a considerable sacrifice for a com- foundation in honor of my grandparents. The pany whose order books are overflowing. foundation would manage the collection and But then again, art is another of Mario create a forum for artists here in Rahden.” Heinzig’s passions. “I have always been inter- His declared goal: the foundation is to form a ested in art. What’s more, I studied economic bridge between industry and art — in part by engineering in Berlin. And there you are awarding annual scholarships in photography virtually overwhelmed by art.” It was during to young artists. this period that Heinzig not only met many artists, but also began to assemble his own > Please direct your questions to: collection. That accumulation is still modest Wolfgang Römer, Phone: +49 (0) 7156 303 – 3 09 91, e-mail: [email protected] in scope. “I’m now 32 and I’m hoping to ex- > Involvement for the company and the region Company name: Heinzig Metalltechnik GmbH, Rahden, Germany Founded: 1952 Staff: 90 Sales: 8 million euros Product line: Engineering and fabricating assemblies made of metal and sheet metal. Jobshop manufacturing: sheet metal processing, tube processing, connector technology, chipping technologies, surface finishes. Tool and equipment construction. TRUMPF machinery: TRUMATIC 600, TruLaser 5030, TruBend 5085, TrumaBend V 1700 (TruBend 5170) Contact: www.heinzig.com Express 3/07 15 Any firm that writes “Immer besser” (Ever better) in its company logo has to know what it’s doing. 16 Express 3/07 Interview Qua | li | ty, noun Miele has been synonymous with quality for more than 100 years now. Managing Director Dr. Eduard Sailer explains why. Dr. Sailer, what exactly is quality ? You have achieved quality when customers are satisfied — because they are actually getting what they need and expect. How do you know what customers need and expect ? Seen historically, Miele set very high standards right at the beginning of its more than 100 years of corporate history. Thus, over the course of the years, the firm, to a certain degree, influenced the expectations held by customers. Naturally, we make use of the entire spectrum of modern methods — scenario techniques, market research, etc. — to discover more about current and future customer requirements and wishes. Anyone who buys a Miele appliance expects to receive a combination of certain values. Knowing what this “value bundle” is — and translating it into products and performance — that’s what quality really is. Photos: Miele & Cie. KG Which values do customers associate with Miele ? In countries where we have a long and well-established presence, these are most certainly enhanced reliability and a long service life. All our products are engineered to operate for 20 years without trouble. Once they’ve made a purchase, customers don’t want effort or annoyance. That’s what we call “peace of mind”. In new markets without this historical background, the exclusiveness or the aesthetics of our brands will be in the foreground. In this context, sheet metal plays a major role. Side or front panels made of plastic are inconceivable for us. There is no substitute for the feel of metal. Dr. Eduard Sailer, who earned his doctorate in physics, has been Managing Director at Miele & Cie. KG since 1998 remove more moisture from the laundry. Over the course of 20 years that will save a great deal of drying time and energy. A somewhat more spectacular innovation is “Allergotec”, our hygiene sensor for vacuum sweepers. During vacuuming, the debris drawn in strikes a sensor plate and creates electric charges. A chip determines — on the basis of bounce frequency and velocity — the type of particle and uses a “traffic light” display to show whether the floor is free of pollen, mite feces, mold fungi and bacteria. This is an extremely useful product for allergy sufferers or families with toddlers crawling about on the floor — and I think it’s also a good example of quality as it is understood in the Miele organization. Do your customers really expect to have all the many major and minor functions incorporated in modern household appliances ? Innovative functions are, in fact, a very central value and a driver for And this product is actually based on your customers’ wishes and needs ? quality. But let me first explain how we define innovation here at Miele . The basic idea came from a space researcher who had developed Innovations are solutions and functions that are new and useful, us- a sensor used to detect and identify cosmic dust. We picked up able and affordable. Innovations have to give customers discernable on this space technology and brought it down to earth, you might additional usability and not just be marketing glitter. These might say. It is, in fact, seldom that customers — during usability testing, be either spectacular new developments or smaller, more or less con- for instance — express concrete wishes for entirely new functions cealed items — like the counterweights we build into our washing ma- or solutions to problems. You have to look very closely, listen carechines. We are the only manufacturer in the world to use cast iron fully and analyze thoroughly to track down improvement potential instead of concrete for these weights. It’s true that nobody sees them, and latent customer wishes. That is very important for us. We want but thanks to the material’s greater density, we can counteract bigger to recognize new solution possibilities in a proactive fashion and imbalances during the spin cycle and thus use higher spin speeds to then be the first to translate them into market-ready products. → Express 3/07 17 Interview “There is no substitute for the feel of metal.” Sheet metal as a mark of quality: Side or front panels made of plastic are simply inconceivable at Miele. Let’s move from customer wishes to their implementation. How can or, for example, the electric motors in our washing machines have to the deeply rooted quality understanding at Miele be impressed on survive 10,000 hours of operation — these are things we simply don’t farm out. On the other hand, we naturally want to capitalize on the each of the more than 15,000 employees ? A standard answer today would be , “By offering employees a vision”. specialized expertise held by competent suppliers. We alone cannot In our case, we have to look at the firm’s history; this understanding be a prime mover for progress on every front. Take, for instance, laser of quality is a cultural thing that has come to be synonymous with the or adhesive technologies, both highly advanced in the automotive incompany. For us, the question is rather how to translate the abstract dustry. Here, it can be quite reasonable to develop an assembly in close phrase “Miele offers quality” into operative assignments. In the tech- cooperation with a system partner. Quite another facet of our supplier nical sector, a large number of goals have been defined in the form relationships is expressed in a truism in the industry, “If Miele buys of appropriate testing standards. Now that’s certainly no great secret, from them, then we can also buy there, sight unseen”. That isn’t enaside from the fact that we are particularly demanding when we for- tirely in our own best interest, since in this way a bit of our own quality mulate these goals. In those areas where they cannot be so readily “leaks” to the competition, which by no means narrows our lead. quantified, the employees have a clear idea of what Miele is, and what it isn’t. This is a value that is passed along from one employee to the According to your motto, you have to be “ever better” than the compenext and from generation to generation. You cannot instill this quality tition. Is this pledge sometimes also a burden ? consciousness by preaching a particular vision during any given year. No, absolutely not. This is, in just two words, the embodiment of the In my estimation, it takes ten or fifteen years. vision that Miele has actively and successfully pursued for 108 years now. We want to be better than the competition at all times and above That is a comfortable lead over your competitors. all, we want to continually improve ourselves. How do you defend it ? With innovation! We continuously fill our innovation pipeline and > Please direct your questions to: draw from a wide variety of sources when doing so. We have installed Harald Schaaf, Phone: +49 (0) 531 2 85 05 19, e-mail: [email protected] an idea management process to evaluate the many suggestions made > Quality as a success principle by our employees. It goes without saying that we have a very energetic development department, and we also take a look at the work done Company name:Miele & Cie. KG, Gütersloh, Germany by institutions and research facilities outside our own industry to deFounded: 1899 termine what technologies we might be able to employ in our own Staff: Almost 16,000 in the Miele Group products. I already mentioned the dust sensor that originated in space Sales: 2.74 billion euros (2006 / 2007 business year) research, which is a very good illustration of our approach. TRUMPF machinery: What role do suppliers play in your manufacturing and quality concept ? Our manufacturing depth is great, at more than 50 percent on average for all product groups. Core competencies such as electronics, software 18 Express 3/07 Contact: Two automated TRUMATIC 5000 R (TruPunch 5000), TLF 3801 T (Lehrte Plant), TLF 3000 (TruFlow 3000, Gütersloh Plant) www.miele.com SpecialTruLaser Photo: corbis The 24 hours of TRUMPF Greater efficiency and quicker to the finish line — TruLaser Series 5000 24 h without a pit stop The new TruLaser Series 5000 leaves the competition in the dust It runs and runs and runs. Using the approved strategy of Le Mans, the TruLaser Series 5000 would win a 24-hour race by making the fewest number of pit stops and thus shaving its running times. The modern flatbed laser cutting machine simply adapts to the differing “road conditions” — in this case, sheet metal types and gauges. Even working at night presents no problems. The single cutting head strategy, the automatic nozzle exchanger, the intelligent cutting head interface and the integrated collision protection all ensure — in combination with extensive automation — that the TruLaser Series 5000 can get along with just a single set-up cycle. It can largely do without “pit stops” during the entire sheet metal processing run, and that means extremely high productivity levels. Single cutting head strategy With the single cutting head strategy incorporated in the TruLaser Series 5000, sheet metal of any thickness can be processed with just one cutting head. The newly engineered beam guide automatically adapts to the material and adjusts the laser beam. → Automated operation, no production interruptions → No contamination of the beam guide system → Continuous processing, considerably less downtime Automation From semi-automatic loading to a fully automatic manufacturing cell with warehouse interface – the TruLaser Series 5000 can be individually equipped with all the desired automation components. → Well thought out material flow patterns → Reduced downtime → Individualized automation options 20 Express 3/ 07 Special TruLaser Automatic nozzle exchanger The automatic nozzle exchanger replaces the nozzles at the cutting head automatically, quickly and safely. This makes it possible to process a variety of parts and materials, even during unmanned shifts. → Automated system operation is supported, since manual nozzle exchanging is not required → The operator can program when worn nozzles are to be automatically replaced Intelligent cutting head interface The deflection mechanism at the intelligent cutting head interface ensures that the operator can return the cutting head exactly to its former position after a collision, with just a single motion. → Greater safety through continuous monitoring: deflection mechanism with sensor-based cutting head monitoring → In the case of minor collisions, the cutting head will move automatically to the original position → Supply tubing and cables can be ideally integrated into the interface Integrated collision protection Thanks to the integrated collision protection concept, the cutting head simply swings away in the event of a collision with the workpiece. → Reduced downtime → Cutting head interface and the machine suffer no damage → Operations can be resumed after a collision without any additional adjustment work Express 3/ 07 21 Special TruLaser The long-distance runner among Flatbed Laser Machines The TruLaser Series 5000 kicks out more pieces in less time, because it hardly ever takes a break. ten millimeters thick →Processed in 58 seconds Bracket →Stainless steel, 20 millimeters thick →Processed in 1:50 minutes Face plate →Aluminum, two millimeters thick →Processed in 28 seconds Star →Mild steel, eight millimeters thick →Processed in 1:52 minutes Carrier plate →Mild steel, 25 millimeters thick →Processed in 1:26 minutes Connector →Stainless steel, six millimeters thick →Processed in 1:04 minutes Would you like to run production with a minimum number of “pit stops”? Do you have questions about the TruLaser Series 5000? Or about the individual components? Then get in touch now! We’d be glad to be of service. You can reach the expert, Dominic Schuster, by phone at +49 (0) 7156 3 03 - 3 58 98 or by e-mail at [email protected] 22 Express 3/ 07 Photos: TRUMPF Group Toothed drive →Stainless steel, Knowledge Scratches be gone! Unsightly scratches on high-gloss sheet metal? That’s a thing of the past now — thanks to AMPCO. Scratches are more than annoying in sheet metal processing, but they can be avoided. “Whether self-adhesive pads, brush tables and matrices, or spacer rings with brush inserts — each option has its own application”, explains Markus Hees, head of the forming tools department at TRUMPF in Gerlingen. The brush tables, for example, prevent marks on the underside of the sheet metal often found when balls are used on tables instead of brushes. They also reduce the noise generated when the sheet metal is moved on the machine. Pads keep microscopic burrs from leaving traces, while brush inserts create a natural damper. The ideal solution is to combine options — matched to customer requirements. “And when scrap retainer matrices are used, stray material cannot damage the surface”, Hees continues. The use of the bronze-like AMPCO alloy is particularly innovative and efficient. Where forming dies incorporate raised ejectors — for cups, rim holes or countersinking or where intermediate rings are employed, AMPCO designs are highly effective in reducing scratches. “That’s one of the main reasons why AMPCO is so very popular at the TRUMPF showroom in Ditzingen.” This high-gloss beauty by Alessi is highly allergic to scratches. Starting right now, AMPCO spacer rings made by TRUMPF will help prevent scratching during punching operations. Photo: Alessi Spa A metal as a “lubricant” AMPCO is a relatively soft alloy made from copper, aluminum and tin. Chemically, it is assigned to the family of aluminum and bronze alloys. Its malleability and its quasi-lubricating properties help avoid scratches on the underside of sheet metal, made by the ejector. Particularly in intermediate rings, the AMPCO version achieves excellent results in regards to freedom from scratching. Copper and tin — doesn’t that sound a bit like a throwback to the Bronze Age? “No, it’s more reminiscent of the Colossus of Rhodes”, Hees laughs. Because that wonder of the ancient world was made of copper. “But quite seriously, the chemical properties of copper and tin, known colloquially as bronze, make them ideal partners for the creation of alloys such as AMPCO.” > Please direct your questions to : Markus Hees, Phone: +49 (0) 7156 303 – 3 72 80, e-mail: [email protected] Express 3/07 23 Putting set-up in the fast lane Clamping, bolting, closing — whenever it’s a matter of positioning materials or workpieces, that’s where AMF offers the appropriate aides. The fascination of the laser Bubbling over with ideas: Machine operator Sven Maier Since Volker Göbel and his engineering manager Rainer Zimmermann were fascinated by the laser as a cutting tool from the very outset, they have sought out and opened additional market niches for this tech- Maier couldn’t accept the fact that almost half of all small, laser-cut nology. Working in cooperation with the TTec company, they offer components with micro-joints wound up on the floor when they were precisely fitting clamping and set-up systems for laser welding opera- broken out. He got the upper hand on this problem with a simple trick. tions, either with or without a robot. “We first made our sales advisors Funnel-shaped side walls on the break-out carriage pilot the cut parts and engineers familiar with laser welding through training sessions”, into the metal receivers located underneath. This was a good idea that Rainer Zimmermann explains, “and then we consistently put into other laser users could benefit from, too. For a modest licensing fee, practice what we learned”. Together with experts from TRUMPF, the AMF will make available engineering drawings and manufacturing initial ideas were evaluated and then prepared for market using the data on a CD-ROM (see the information box for the Internet address). company’s own expertise. The result is a clamping and set-up system Volker Göbel, “Anyone who cuts using micro-joints can hardly do so for laser welding that perfectly combines the advantages of T-shaped without the break-out carriage”. groove profiles with the advantages found in systems with an array of Clean and tidy mounting holes. Internally, too, AMF is always on the lookout for optimization pos- And Maier was no less clever when he, together with his colleague Horst sibilities. Employee Sven Maier, who is not related to the owners, is par- Mathias, improved the function of the scrap drawers on his TRUMATIC ticularly inventive. Long set-up periods and unnecessary downtimes L 2530 Plus (TruLaser 2525). To eliminate the need for anyone having are a disgrace to him. The industrial and technical mechanic came up to tediously extract the waste from below the pallet changer, Maier with two bright ideas; one of them being the break-out carriage. Sven constructed a special-design drawer and coupled it with the lift equip24 Express 3/07 Photos: Conny Tüch From D6 to D10 and from H3 to H5. That sounds something like a series of chess moves but, in reality, it’s an instruction for positioning within a coordinate matrix. With its positioning system for laser marking units, the Andreas Maier Schloss- und Werkzeugfabrik (AMF — Lock and Tool Factory) in Fellbach slashes set-up times. “To name one example, when used with a lettering machine from the TruMark series, our solution pays for itself within just a few months”, notes AMF General Manager Volker Göbel. The engineering design for this new positioning system is as simple as could be. A stainless steel positioning plate with an array of holes at 25 x 25 millimeters centers runs on two guide rails. Thus, the operator can withdraw the positioning plate to populate it, referring to the parts list to find the exact positioning data for the workpiece within the coordinate matrix — and can then get started right away. With positioning and repetition accuracy of 0.1 millimeters, it is the proven solution for short production runs and repeat orders. AMF can deliver the appropriate accessories — such as support blocks or contour templates — with the unit on request. The company’s operations are entirely customer-oriented and they can even make up individual support forms made of plastic for complex workpiece geometries. PROCESS OPTIMIZATION 1 Optimized slag drawer 2 Part separation at the break-out carriage 3 Clamping system for laser welding 4 Positioning system in laser marking unit Encourages an inventive spirit: AMF General Manager Volker Göbel 1 2 3 ment. When the support stage is raised, the drawer rises automatically. A gentle kick will start the slag sliding. Maier, according to General Manager Volker Göbel, is typical of the inventive genius at AMF. “We convince our clients through custom developments — fabricated with the appropriate quality. Our customers also appreciate our service guarantee.” That guarantee has been valid, all across Europe, for a long time now. For years the AMF catalogs, containing more than 5,000 products, have been published in 16 languages, allowing every user to profit from fast set-up and minimal downtime. The first question at AMF is always, “What exactly are they making there?” The second, “Why don’t we build something that … ?” 4 > Please direct your questions to: Eberhard Wahl, Phone: +49 (0) 7156 303 – 3 60 88, e-mail: [email protected] > Clamping with a service guarantee Company name: AMF Andreas Maier GmbH & Co. KG, Fellbach, Germany Founded: 1890 Staff: 230 Sales: 30 Mio. Euro TRUMPF machinery: Well-trained employees make full use of machinery potentials, engineering manager Rainer Zimmermann TRUMATIC L 2530 Plus (TruLaser 2525), Vectormark VMc 1 and VMc 5 laser marking workstations, TSC1 slat cleaner Contact: www.amf.de Webshop: Engineering CD-ROM: “Break-out carriage” in the AMF online shop at www.amf.de/Ausbrechwagen Express 3/07 25 Manufacturing LOGISTICS 1 2 5 Great freedom During his apprenticeship, Josef Böhmer encountered something that fascinated him: continuous-flow production. It was from his father that he learned a skill he considers priceless — a traditional trade. His new production building lets him combine the two. Building 4 at Böhmer Systemtechnik GmbH in Langenenslingen, with its 2,000 square meters of production floor space, is the most recent addition to the facility. The self-supporting steel frame structure was completed in 2006. As was true for the previous construction project to expand job-shop operations, the firm once again directed most of the work itself. This time, however, there was one very central requirement: unrestricted flexibility. Consequently, this modern hall is subdivided only by an imaginary grid. The support pillars ( 1 ), set five meters apart, also serve as all-purpose utility supply points. Each pillar is fitted with a power point, universal gas outlet, and compressed air port. “That”, reports proprietor Josef Böhmer with apparent pride, “is the only constant in the entire hall”. Everything else moves on wheels or castors, either as a cart with carrying capacity of up to 600 kilograms, as a mobile workbench or as a traveling protective curtain ( 2 ) for welding 26 Express 3/07 stations. Even the heavy assembly platforms ( 3 ) can easily be moved on a system of rails ( 4 ) set flush and level in the floor. That opens up the space required to manufacture, in a single piece, parts ( 5 ) of up to 30 meters in length, weighing up to 10 tons. company’s founder — still fit as a fiddle at 80 years old — and on hand daily in the company, is still a much-sought-after advisor. “As a trained construction fitter and master craftsman, my father is the guardian of the tradition of the trade at Böhmer, and it is this connection that accounts for a good share of Sufficient space for prototypes our success”, summarizes young Böhmer, now Particularly when dealing with large struc- 41, who took over of operations in 1998. tures for the crane industry and in prototype One legacy of the trade heritage is the cenconstruction, this flexibility represents a price- tral concept of responsibility. This means on less advantage. “Admittedly, continuous-flow one hand that lean processes are not to be production, which has been introduced as the equated with job elimination, but rather with SYNCHRO concept at all the TRUMPF plants company growth. On the other hand, this also around the world, was the model behind the means assuming responsibility constructively idea of flexible manufacturing”, acknowledges when dealing with the customer. “We are in a Josef Böhmer, who completed his apprentice- position to serve our customers in steel, metal, ship as an industrial fitter at the TRUMPF mechanical and system engineering from the hand-sketched drawing of an idea through facility in Hettingen. Now a graduate welding engineer, he was to the finished component. And we can do also the person who introduced industrial that at optimized manufacturing costs.” It’s thinking into the company. His father, the no accident that prototypes are often the first 1 3 4 Building 4 at Böhmer Systemtechnik on September 5, 2007. It might look entirely different on any given day. The only constant is the grid of utility connections and rails for the assembly platforms. 3 step towards many years of customer loyalty. Böhmer adds , “Our prototypes are ready for a pilot production run”. Photos: KD Busch Sheet metal up to 25 millimeters What distinguishes Böhmer Systemtechnik in this context is their dual competence in steel and sheet metal. The result is a diversified manufacturing range — from cutting to shape and size, subsequent processing with press brakes, assembly, final mechanical and machining work and the application of surface coatings. Here, laser cutting is also established in processing heavy-gauge sheet metal. Böhmer, “Sheets 15 to 25 millimeters thick are more the rule than the exception. That is why we are among those TRUMPF customers who anticipate — on pins and needles, so to speak — every kilowatt of additional laser output.” Assembly is impacted by a variety of welding techniques, and certified welders can select the most appropriate process, depending on the design requirements and the material’s thickness and quality. “We can even weld high-strength steels with a yield strength of 960 N/mm², and we do it with certified safety.” The reason why laser welding has not yet made its debut in the company is found in the mix of materials and thicknesses. It is a given that automation components will soon be arriving, to make warehousing more efficient. Josef Böhmer, “Each expansion step is the precursor to the next one, and that is why we will have to expand the warehouse upwards and implement automation to retain our flexibility.” > Please direct your questions to: Bernd Zürn, Phone: +49 (0) 7156 303 – 3 08 31, e-mail: [email protected] > Flexible building for heavyweights Company name:Böhmer Systemtechnik GmbH, Langenenslingen, Germany Founded: 1949 Staff: 80 employees, including 12 apprentices Product line: Laser-cut blanks and bent components, assemblies and systemized solutions, steel engineering components and welded structures with manufacturer qualification Class E as per DIN 18800-7, DIN 15018, DIN 4132 and DIN 4133, quality management system as per DIN EN ISO 9001 and DIN EN ISO 3834-2 TRUMPF machinery: Contact: One TRUMATIC L 4030 (TruLaser 3040) with 4 kW of laser output power, in the 4000 x 2000 mm max-format, one TRUMATIC L3050 (TruLaser 5030 classic) with 5 kW of laser output power, in the 3000 x 1500 mm large format, one TruLaser 5040 with TruFlow 6000 and single cutting head strategy, one TrumaBend V 320 and one TrumaBend V 85 S as well as ToPs 100 (TruTops Laser) and ToPs 600 (TruTops Bend) programming systems www.boehmer-systemtechnik.de Express 3/07 27 Gemma Avenell learned her vocation in her parents’ shop – from the ground up – and bought herself a Porsche Cayman instead of moving out of the family home. 28 Express 3/07 Portrait It’s in her blood Buying a Porsche instead of moving into her own apartment — and getting a plasma cutting machine for her birthday: Gemma Avenell has everything she’s ever dreamed about. ing and profiling machine. Last year bending chine operators to take her place, including her was added to her growing list of accomplish- younger brother Paul Avenell junior — ‘Pookie’ ments as a result of the company’s purchase — on the press brake. She is currently focused of a TRUMPF press brake. Although working on design and production control, but still in the family business earned Gemma Avenell loves working on the shop floor whenever she pocket money during her student years, it gets the chance. CAD is an important ability wasn’t a foregone conclusion that she would for Avenell Engineering as many customers follow in her father’s footsteps career-wise. Her now call upon Gemma Avenell’s expertise in mother, the company’s financial controller, designing the required part. “I didn’t take to Lorraine Avenell, had her sights set on her using computers at school but in the producTaught from the ground up daughter entering the legal profession. Until tion environment it just clicked,” she adds. “I Whilst Gemma Avenell was fortunate enough the completion of her GCSEs, that was Gemma can operate all the machines. I know their cato secure a job in her father’s established busi- Avenell’s goal too. pability inside out and that really helps on the When she had to make a decision on her design side.” ness that’s where the family favours ended. When she joined Avenell Engineering 7 years future however, Gemma Avenell couldn’t ago, MD Paul Avenell was determined that ignore how happy she had been in the pro- Making her mark in a man’s world his daughter should learn the business from duction environment. “Deep down inside, I This proven combination of skills has helped the ground up, not just step into management. knew I wanted to work in engineering,” she Gemma Avenell overcome the credibility gap He wanted her to learn everything about de- explained. “I felt very comfortable with the of being a young woman in a male dominated signing and producing sheet metal parts and work, but I wasn’t sure if dad wanted me to industry. “Dad has always encouraged me to structures and to put that knowledge into join the company.” fight my own battles. Of course I get the ocpractice. A heart to heart discussion resulted in Paul casional comment, but it’s not a problem. I That policy has certainly paid dividends. Avenell welcoming his daughter into the fam- love my job, it may not be glamorous, but it’s Gemma Avenell knows her stuff and she has ily firm and buying her a plasma cutting ma- certainly fulfilling.” Sadly, Gemma Avenell now taken over production control on the chine! Not the most traditional of gifts, but it only knows one other woman who is set to strength of her skill and capability, not because was a smart move on his part. Neither Gemma pursue a career in engineering, in fact this she is the boss’s daughter. She is an experienced Avenell nor Avenell Engineering has looked 16-year old recently completed her internship programmer and operator of a plasma cutting back since. Two more machines and three at Avenell Engineering. “Charlotte’s father is machine and a TRUMATIC 2000 R punch- CAD systems later, she has now trained ma- a plumber, so she has first hand experience Talking with Gemma Avenell is like a breath of fresh air. Unlike many of her generation, her passion for engineering is palpable. At the tender age of 22 years, she is the production manager of a growing and ambitious subcontract fabrication company in Buckinghamshire. With her enthusiasm behind the venture, it is easy to see why plans for expansion are currently being hatched. Express 3/07 29 Portrait Samples from the Avenell product range. Keeping everything in the family – Leon, Paul, Lorraine, Paul Jr. and Gemma Avenell together with the family dogs, Alfie and Charlie. Expansion? No doubt about it! But one step at a time. of a skilled trade so like me, it was parental to huge prefabricated structures for super- subject of evening discussions as the entire influence, rather than the education system stores. The addition of high-tech bending has Avenell family still lives together. Gemma that guided her,” she continues. “Most of my been particularly significant as it is has taken Avenell was thinking of moving out earlier friends have chosen a typically female career. Avenell Engineering into new markets. It has this year, but this came to an abrupt halt when I think it‘s a shame they would never ever have just won a substantial order for security doors she spotted a Porsche! “So Mom and Dad are considered engineering. They don’t know what on the strength of this new acquisition. stuck with me for quite a while!” she smiles. they’re missing!” The scope of the company is huge and it is “Dad has always been keen on cars and so has Gemma Avenell’s interest in engineering is already looking to the next stage of develop- my Grandad, come to think of it. In so many clearly in her blood. She is the fourth gener- ment. “I really want to see us grow,” she con- ways, I’m a chip off the old block” ation of Avenells to choose this as a career. tinues. “Dad says slow down, but I know our Paul Avenell worked for his father’s business, capability. We have a great team with great > Please direct your questions to: the original Avenell Engineering. Based in skills so we can turn our hands to almost any David Foulks, Phone: +44 (0) 1582 72 53 35, e-mail: [email protected] Oxford, it served the automotive industry and quality fabrication.” These plans are often the was finally sold in 1997. Avenell Engineering was founded in 1987, the Long Crendon site near Aylesbury was established 16 years ago. Currently the company employs nine in one unit — including Gemma Avenell’s two broth> Womanpower in the family firm ers Leon and ‘Pookie’ Avenell — and four in the second unit. A Porsche instead of an apartment As we walk around both production facilities Gemma Avenell’s eyes positively sparkle with enthusiasm as she explains the work in progress and the quality of the finished product. These range widely from in-house designed brackets used in the building industry 30 Express 3/07 Company name: Avenell Engineering Limited, Long Crendon, Buckinghamshire, UK Founded: 1987 Staff: 14 Product line: From small components to large assembly elements TRUMPF machinery: TRUMATIC 2000 R, TruBend 3120 Contact: [email protected] One QUESTION What’s the best defense against counterfeiting, Mr. Busse? “Public awareness is the most effective protection.” Photos: Aktion Plagiarius e.V. Admittedly, there’s no 100 percent safeguard. The options available to prevent and combat plagiarism and product piracy are nonetheless many and varied. Essential, however, is that companies deal with product and brand piracy assertively and act accordingly. And that is often what’s missing, particularly among enterprises of modest size. It is often due to a shortage of time or simple unawareness of the situation. The topic has become ever more relevant and complex in the wake of globalization and technical progress. Every company has to become as active as it can. I heartily recommend the following course of action for anyone in any creative field. The most important factor in protecting intellectual property is registering for legal protection of industrial property rights — and doing so in all the (sales) markets of importance to the company, regardless of whether it is a trademark or design registration or a patent to protect a technical invention. Only in this way will the originator have grounds for taking legal action against imitators, ultimately bringing them to justice. Registered industrial property rights are also the prerequisite for cooperation with the customs authorities. Customs, operating on behalf of the company, can confiscate contraband arriving at the border from other countries and forward the goods to the legitimate manufacturer for further disposition (for use as evidence in litigation or for destruction). The customs authorities do excellent work in this regard. Constant observation of the market is also indispensable. This includes both a tour of the booths on the first day of a trade fair and scrutinizing websites and Internet platforms. Close contacts with dealers, suppliers and customers can also be helpful. These are often the people who draw a manufacturer’s attention to pirated products. Using security technologies (holograms, barcodes, color codes, RFID etc.) attached to the product can, for example, be used to defend against unfounded product liability suits. One thing absolutely essential here is to raise public consciousness and particularly consumer awareness in regard to the hazards and damages that can result from plagiarism and counterfeiting. Simple greed and the lack of quality control can often turn a supposed bargain into an item that’s not only “hot” but a fire hazard, as well. The Museum Plagiarius in Solingen has more than 250 product pairs on display, from a wide variety of industries, putting the original and the copy in direct juxtaposition. The extent of the problem and the audacity of the product pirates are made clear with these examples drawn from realworld practice. Professor Rido Busse is the Chairman of the Executive Board of Aktion Plagiarius e.V. and the initiator of the Plagiarius Negative Prize. For almost 30 years this campaign has fought against the theft of ideas. Each year it awards prizes to product forgers. More information can be found at www.plagiarius.com. There you will also find photos of the prizewinners from the past few years. 31 “It’s a bit like a good marriage” Service is synonymous with technical service. Isn’t it? Or maybe not? Or maybe it’s something more? And what do customers actually expect? A customer talked with two suppliers and a professor of marketing. The Express editorial staff took notes. 32 Express 3/07 report: Service The panel: Reinhold Groß, Director Services at TRUMPF, Frieder Staier, Technical Manager at the Autz & Herrmann company, Michael Keilbach, Sales Manager Services at TRUMPF, Professor Ralf Schellhase, Ph.D., who holds a professorship in marketing at the University of Darmstadt, Adrian Stalder, General Manager at Schleifring Service AG. More and more companies are offering addi- training and financing - in the pre-sale, sale tional services associated with machinery – not and after-sale phases. only repairs or spare parts deliveries. Is this reWhat does that mean for a company in everyally necessary? Frieder Staier : Sure it is! We, as customers, expect day practice? to have access to services that go far beyond Adrian Stalder: We have to get away from retechnical service — and in fact, we are demand- active service and move more to proactive, ing them. Only if clients are satisfied and feel preventive services. At Schleifring, we have properly treated in every respect can you be undertaken a thorough analysis of our comconfident that the services being rendered are pany and ultimately spun off our service acgood from the customers’ viewpoint. tivities completely. We established our own Professor Dr. Ralf Schellhase : When those of us subsidiary devoted primarily to services. in the sciences talk about services, we mean Reinhold Groß : We did not go quite that far “every activity or performance, essentially im- with TRUMPF TruServices, but did nonethematerial in nature, that is offered to another less pool our services in a single division. The person”. Services are thus more comprehen- goal at TRUMPF TruServices is to develop sive, more than just maintaining and repair- long-term partnerships with customers who, ing machines. Service includes consulting, thanks to reliable machines, are both satisfied and successful. Hopefully, they will come back to us when it’s time to buy the next machine. In addition, we hope to provide them with supplementary expertise offering them added value and, consequently, advantages in competitive situations. Entirely gratuitously and free of any selfinterest? Groß : Of course we do have our own ulterior motives, but the focus is on a fair arrangement in which both parties learn from each other and profit from that knowledge. The fact that we cannot offer valuable services gratis is, I think, clear to everybody. Staier : As a customer I don’t expect that at all. We have close and ongoing contacts to the people at TRUMPF. That is one kind of good Express 3/07 33 report: Service ”The personal touch is a very decisive factor in services marketing. It’s the people, the process and the physical environment that count.“ Professor Dr. Ralf Schellhase The editors of TRUMPF Express in discussion with the service experts. in this respect because they put their focus on the products and are less skilled in the fundamentals of services marketing. But it is the manufacturers’ responsibility to take the initiative there. What about new customers? Do they take Michael Keilbach : Yes, there’s no doubt about into account service capabilities when that. At TRUMPF, too, telling customers making their buying decision? about our services is still in its infancy. Often Keilbach : Not generally, but they are starting our customers have no idea that we tailor our to do so. They are generally interested in the services range individually for each customer — technical solution the machine offers, but ever matched precisely to specific needs in each more often they do ask about services, want to case — and that our personal support naturally see the spare parts warehouse and our training does not end when the sale is closed. center. We have realized that our customers Schellhase : Personal contact is a very decisive want to buy safety, security and reassurance factor in services marketing. The four “P”s in as “included accessories”, so to speak. marketing — price, product, place and pro- Stalder: Service might not be the soloist, playing motion — are joined in services marketing by a leading role in a purchase decision; it’s more three additional “P”s : people, processes and like an instrument in the background. All the physical environment — the place or setting in musicians have to work together smoothly to which the services are rendered. The “people” achieve a harmonious performance. Service factor is certainly the most important. Many might not be the decisive reason for “attending companies still have some catching up to do a concert” but it makes a major contribution 34 Express 3/07 to the overall impression. And at TRUMPF it’s something like an orchestra. TRUMPF is a very good brand that cannot afford any errors. Not in its technology, not in its service. Staier : For my own part, service already plays a crucial role in the decision-making process. Whenever I make a purchase, I examine not only the product, but the follow-up support as well — sort of like in a good marriage. For me, service is synonymous with the predictable availability of our machines. Why do so many companies treat service like a stepchild? Stalder : Because service became an autonomous function in companies in the 1970s and 1980s. Moreover, it differs strongly from many other areas in the company and adheres to its own processes and sequences, and often these first have to be developed. Service has to be very customer-oriented and able to respond quickly. The employees have to be quick as a Photos: KD Busch service for me – just like fast deliveries of spares, reliable pre-sale information, competent assistance during installation and expert support after the sale. I want to have those services exactly when and where I need them. I expect that as a customer — but I’m also prepared to pay for it. Schellhase : That demonstrates your ability to appreciate services in material terms, too. That is often not the case. In a variety of studies we have determined that German mechanical engineering companies are actually quite well positioned in regard to services. Often, however, the clientele is not aware of the range of services available or is unwilling to pay for services. This is also due to the fact that companies do not properly communicate their services or the cost picture. “As a customer I expect service — but I’m also prepared to pay for it.” Frieder Staier fox when need be, and wrap up a job within a ditional services to survive in the market. In cannot afford to have any “service dead spots” matter of hours. The situation is worlds apart sheet metal processing this can be done only on the map, but have to offer the same standwhen delivering a new machine, for instance. through enhancing productivity or building ard, everywhere, at the same time. The work is in entirely different time dimen- in expertise, and this is where the machinery manufacturers come into play. We have Will or should companies tackle services? sions — namely in weeks and months. Groß: That is absolutely inconceivable for spare even had customers who, thanks to our ap- What will customers want in the future ? parts deliveries! The rule at TRUMPF is that plications support services, were able to get an Schellhase : The product developers will become problem-solvers to an ever greater extent. Prodall orders received by 5: 30 p.m. have to be dis- order back from the Far East. ucts and services form a unit and in ten years patched on the same day. And that happens the customer will no longer purchase a prodeven if the logistics manager himself has to That might be true for Germany and Europe, but can you offer the same level of service to uct, but rather a solution to a problem. Services pack and label cartons. will have to become a core competence. And I customers in Nigeria or Israel? Groß : If a Nigerian sheet metal company de- see that the manufacturers at this table, at least, It’s clear that companies have to be quick in cides to purchase our world-class technology, are well on the way to achieving that goal. regards to things like spare parts deliveries, then we naturally have to be sure that service but why do they exert such great effort for is available locally. We have more than 850 services that customers don’t explicitly ask service technicians on call around the world. for? Keilbach : One reason is certainly interna- Stalder : Yes, that’s the difference between tional competition. With its low prices, Asia product marketing and services marketing . definitely presents a challenge to the clients of Products can be shipped, but services have to > Please direct your questions to: TRUMPF in central and western Europe. They be rendered on the site, wherever that might Reinhold Groß, Phone: +49 (0) 7156 303 – 3 02 70, e-mail: [email protected] can’t match the prices and have to offer ad- be. Companies like TRUMPF or Schleifring Express 3/07 35 CHARACTERS: PEOPLE AND SHEET METAL “God showed me how to find flowers in trash — and he taught me my trade” 36 Express 3/07 The man with the scissorhands Sonwabo Nongawuza had a dream. He saw flowers growing in a waste dump, and since then, he has cut blossoms out of old beverage cans. Tell us, Mr. Nongawuza … … what do you see as your greatest strength. And your greatest weakness? My energy! I have a great deal of strength and enjoy my work day in and day out, but I have to learn to concentrate because my weakness is that I quickly become impatient if I feel as though I’ve been disturbed. … how would you characterize yourself in a few words? Photos: Hans-Christoph Neumann The last stop on the township tour is at a rough fence painted red and white. A group of tourists is just replacing another. The number of people arriving in any bus is not large, but there are several buses each day. As a rule, the groups are from six to ten people and more could not squeeze into the 14 square meters of Sonwabo Nongawuza’s shop, the place where his unique sheet metal flowers are created. The tourists have arrived at the outermost edge of Khayelitsha, which translates to “Our New Home”. The largest township on the outskirts of Cape Town offers a million residents more shelter than any real residential quality. day his visitors are witnesses to the precision, manual dexterity and almost unbelievable speed at which he turns cast-off beverage tins into colorful works of art. Education for the children In the meantime, most of the tourists who visit Cape Town are from Germany and Sonwabo’s German vocabulary grows daily, from “Dose” for tin can, “Guten Tag” when he greets visitors, and naturally the German equivalents for the flowers — margarita, rose, Flowers from refuse lily and sunflower. The floral “We came to Kayelitsha in 1990 because, at adornments for the garden, this 33, I was already too old to work in the gold time in thin sheet metal, are standmines”, recalls Sonwabo, who originally hails ing in one corner of his shop. Some are from Mpumalanga (until 2002 the Eastern painted, some are left as they are, since the Transvaal) in northern South Africa. His fa- blue and red tin of a successful energy drink ther had given him the English name “Golden”. manufacturer require no further finishing. “I didn’t have any proper work here, only “At the beginning, it was very difficult and I odd jobs that really provided no real satis- had to experiment a lot until I learned how faction. But then I had a dream: a dream of I could give my flowers the correct shape. At flowers that grow out of trash.” And there’s that time I traveled 35 kilometers every evencertainly enough of that lying about, among ing to Cape Town to sell my flowers on the all the shacks in Kayelitsha. “I went out, but I street. Then the township tours started bringcouldn’t find any flowers, just dirt and trash. ing more and more visitors to my doorstep — But the same dream came to me, again and and that’s something I’m very happy about.” again until I noticed the different colors in Sonwabo is also happy that his wife Pumla the beverage cans — and I saw in them the works as an educator for infants at a school in the flowers I had seen in my dreams. God had township and that his five children can attend given me that and he also showed me my school. “I cannot count on government help. In trade.” Looking at Sonwabo’s hands wouldn’t the meantime, I sell my flowers to visitors to raise doubts. Within just two or three minutes, my workshop and to some shops in town. It is a using shears and tongs, he fashions a bright joy for me to know that they are making people red blossom — that sparkling red of an Ameri- happy far away, in homes in Europe, and that can soft drink known around the world. Every they are a reminder of a trip to South Africa.” I seek harmony and love my family. Moreover, I enjoy talking with all the people who come to visit me. I also need the positive influence of my community. … where do you draw your energy from? From God and from attending church on Sundays. There I sing for hours on end and that gives me strength for the entire week. During the week I draw my energy from meeting people from all around the world. … what would you take with you on the proverbial desert island? This is a question that simply doesn’t exist in our culture. I’ve never heard it before. But in any case I would take along my entire family and my tools. But when I think about it, without any tin cans, I wouldn’t have anything to do. … what dream would you like to make come true in your lifetime ? I would love to have a wonderful home in Mpumalanga, the town where I was born. I’d like to be buried there, too. But there’s more than enough time for that! 37 credits TRUMPF Express 3/07 Magazine for Sheet Metal Processing Medieval “bling-bling” Published by TRUMPF Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH + Co. KG Johann-Maus-Straße 2, 71254 Ditzingen, Germany www.trumpf.com Oddly enough, German has countless idioms originating with Responsible for content sheet metal — some not very flattering for this useful material. Mathias Kammüller, Dr.-Eng. To foreign ears, the German word for sheet metal — “Blech” — will most certainly sound grating. Proper pronunciation is a challenge, too. The first three letters are easy enough but the “ch” is a problem. The best way to practice making that sound is to first run up four flights of stairs. The “ch” then comes quite naturally as a breathy, aspirated sound — though still hardly melodious. Having overcome that hurdle, we might look at all the things the word is used to describe — everything from brass musical instruments to simple scrap to luxury cars. When we think about “sounding brass”, then perhaps we’ve found the reason why someone talking unsullied nonsense is said — in German — to be “speaking in brazen tones”. Where did the word originate? Scholars tell us it descended from the Old High German word “bleh”, meaning “glossy”, “shiny” or “dazzling”. Might that have been the medieval equivalent of today’s “bling-bling” among hip-hoppers? Anke Roser, +49(0) 7156 303 - 3 04 28 [email protected] Editor-in-chief 38 Express 3/07 Helmut Ortner Edited by pr+co. gmbh, Stuttgart, Germany Norbert Hiller Nadine Leimbrink Layout and production pr+co. gmbh, Stuttgart, Germany Gernot Walter Markus Weißenhorn Jessika Drenger Martin Reinhardt Reproduction Reprotechnik Herzog GmbH, Stuttgart, Germany Printed by frechdruck GmbH, Stuttgart, Germany Contributors Julia Bechtler Lydia Bentsche Professor Rido Busse Trudi Cullum Karin Herczog Silke Köhler Nadine Leimbrink Olaf Meier Hans-Christoph Neumann Martin Reinhardt Stefan Schanz Translation Stewart Lindemann, Wuppertal, Germany Photography r KD Busch Simon Koy Claus Langer John Larkin Udo Loster Miele & Cie. KG Hans-Christoph Neumann Conny Tüch rnot Walte Sheet metal played a dual role in the earlier soup kitchens the church set up for the poor. Soup would be served, from a sheet metal pot, in return for a sheet metal token issued by charitable organizations. Consulting Illustrations Gernot Walter : Ge Illustration Given the word’s bright beginnings, however, its reputation has clearly dimmed over the centuries. Music that’s a bit grating might be called “brassy”. On the Autobahns in Germany we are confronted with “an avalanche of sheet metal”. Settling a tax bill, a traffic ticket or the like has come to be known as “laying down sheet metal” and the historical background is fairly easy to see. When coins were first used as legal tender there were no minting machines to work the brass or other metal. Metal smiths had to use tiny shears to tediously cut coins from a sheet of silver or other metal. And so people came to say that they were spending “sheet metal” to pay those bills. The English counterpart, though harking back to a much earlier age, might have been “to shell out”. Fortunately, and thanks to modern technology, sheet metal can today be turned into a variety of products and thus into hard cash. Both the industrial world and our everyday lives would be inconceivable without sheet metal. And that’s why we would suggest inventing new idioms to reflect the true and noble character of this fine material. For instance, “All that glitters is not sheet metal.” We’d like to hear our banker say, “Your credit is as good as sheet metal.” As odd as this might sound to our ears, sheet metal is in fact far more important to everyday lives than the muchcoveted silver and gold. Illustration: Gernot Walter 7 SHEET METAL: A REMARKABLE STORY 4HE)NSTITUTIONOF-ECHANICAL%NGINEERS ISAGLOBALENGINEERINGINSTITUTIONWITH AWORLDWIDEMEMBERSHIPOFOVER ENGINEERSPROVIDINGAHOMEFORALLTHOSE INVOLVEDINMECHANICALENGINEERING 4HEROLEOFTHE)NSTITUTIONISTOEDUCATETRAINANDPROFESSIONALLY DEVELOPMECHANICALENGINEERSWHILEINCREASINGPUBLICAWARENESS OFTHEBENElTSOFENGINEERING-EMBERSWORKINRESEARCHDESIGN DEVELOPMENTMANUFACTURINGINSTALLATIONCONTRACTINGCONSULTING ANDTEACHINGINSECTORSASDIVERSEASAUTOMOTIVEAEROSPACE MEDICINERAILWAYANDTHEPOWERINDUSTRIES &ORMOREINFORMATIONVISITWWWIMECHEORG «ÀÛ}ÊÌ iÊÜÀ`ÊÌ ÀÕ} Êi}iiÀ} Photos: L.& C. Stendal GmbH, getty images Distinguished pleasures What happens when steel tubing leaves the Westphalian town faces are a simple matter of of Bad Oeynhausen? Ultimately it winds up in living rooms, course. Lingemann pays close kitchens and baths. Or airports and bars. The L. Lingemann attention when drilling round holes in round tubes Stahlgroßhandel GmbH sells nine million meters of rectan- or bending rectangular tubing to exact radii. The TRUMPF gular and round tubing for furniture use each year. It works TruLaser Tube 5000 helps meet exacting standards. Only material made of pickled, hot-rolled strip — or cold-rolled what looks good and is good invites the beholder to indulge steel when components are to be chrome plated. Perfect sur- in distinguished pleasures. www.lingemann-stahl.de
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