TRUMPF Express 2/08

2/08
Sophisticated
Limex turns
woodstoves into
wheelbarrows
Voracious
Machinery by
Komptech makes
quick work of waste
Special
Power tools for
clean edges
The strategist
Koji Fujita combines freedom and control
to create a unique corporate roadmap
Imaginative
Rolf Kuhn sees
heritage sites in
barren regions
2 / 08 Contents
14
10
26
28
24
32
38
X-ray film printers by Agfa
produce images that can save
lives — left, one side of the
panel (slightly modified).
2
Express 2/08
topics
Interview
10Covering the middle ground
Harald Abraham and Andreas Schweiger
talk about their joint idea: the third firm.
Environmental TECHNOLOGY
14The hour of the Terminator
Komptech sees the future in renewable raw materials.
And, makes the best of what’s left over.
VEHICLE ENGINEERING
24Storming the heights
A century-old viaduct can no longer carry every load.
That’s why Stadler Rail builds a lightweight Glacier Express.
Ideas
26Smart shimming
title
16 Mr. Fujita’s dream
Portrait
Koji Fujita is a man with a vision. He focuses on
customer orientation and autonomy for his employees.
An elegant way to compensate for tolerances:
M-Tech brand layered shims, made by Georg Martin.
MASS PRODUCTION
28Croatian mixture
It was out of “home-town” loyalty that Josip Šelej chose Croatia.
It was out of conviction that he adopted German quality standards.
Report: FAMILY FIRMS
32Everyone pitches in
Collaboration with the little brother? Teaming up with
grandmother ? A major success factor for family companies.
ANNIVERSARY
38TRUMPF Express turns 25
1983 — 2008: A reprint of the first issue of TRUMPF Express
is an exciting journey through time.
to the point
05 Confidence in Asia
Standards
06
23
31
36
39
40
Panorama
Knowledge
One question
Characters
Credits
Closing point
Special PowerTools
Electric tools in use
From page 19
Express 2/08
3
c
on
fi d
ence
in asia
To the Point
“Business relationships
are built on the spot”
Asia will continue to offer tremendous growth potential in the coming
decades. This is applicable not only to the Chinese market — a topic on
every­one’s mind right now. It’s also true for Korea, Vietnam, India — and
for Japan, the home country of the hero of our story. Japan has a reputation
as a difficult market. Demands in terms of machine capability and quality
as well as in regard to the variety and availability of services are nowhere
as stringent as in the land of the rising sun. Moreover, Japanese customers
look for particularly close business relationships built on mutual confidence
and trust. To achieve this, TRUMPF launched its own production facility in
Japan, the first German machine tools manufacturer to do so.
This step is entirely in line with our overall strategy, a strategy that is
brought to bear particularly in Asia. This is because you will find that once
a business has reached a certain size, the required degree of trust can be
achieved only if you maintain in-country production and development
facilities. Then it is possible to assess customer needs more accurately — the
limited space available for equipment in Japan, for instance. And employees
can be highly trained, as has been done at the flat-bed laser machine assembly
facilities in Taicang in China, which opened just recently.
This strategy is by no means a matter of chance. In North America it has
already proven its efficacy. TRUMPF is the market leader there and the USA
is home to one of the company’s largest sites. Both successes are closely related to the decision in favor of regional development and production capacities.
It is quite likely that the principle of local input functions so well because we
need not make any changes in our traditional practices. The fundamental
qualities of trust and of close, long-term cooperation apply in Germany, too,
and have always enjoyed the highest priority at TRUMPF.
There are very personal reasons for our being so familiar with the special
embodiment of these principles found in the Asian region. This is because
the Trumpf, Leibinger and Kammüller families have a great affinity for the
Far East. Company founder Christian Trumpf and his wife are enthusiasts
of Japanese and Chinese art, some of which they purchased at the Asian
arts business operated by the parents of Berthold Leibinger. The collection
that arose, now comprised of about 2,000 items (including 800 unique Netsuke carvings), is a part of the Linden Museum in Stuttgart and is accessible
to the public. And the personal tie that came to be through an interest in
Asian art has apparently had an ongoing effect on the development of the
TRUMPF organization. — The passion for all things Asian has continued
unabated. Berthold Leibinger has traveled to Japan more than 80 times to
date and my wife and I spent three years of our lives there. That is why Asia
is so close to our hearts !
Mathias Kammüller, Dr. Eng.
Express 2/08
5
PANORAMA
Production, Japanese style
New production facility in Fukushima established
TRUMPF has been manufacturing on Japanese soil since April, making
it the first German machine tool maker to do so. The sales and service
organization in Yokohama, which celebrated its thirtieth anniversary last
year, is now supported by a manufacturing facility in Fukushima. This
new subsidiary, currently employing a staff of 35, develops and produces
automation and storage systems. The firm was founded with the objective
of better responding to local requirements and to show presence as a
regional participant in the Japanese market. Moreover, TRUMPF can now
respond more quickly to customer requests, can optimize employee training
and can work closely with local suppliers. The investment in the production
facility, offering 4,500 square meters of space, came to 14 million euros.
Future expansion is possible since the new TRUMPF property covers a
total of 31,000 square meters. The units made in Fukushima are destined
primarily for sale in the Japanese market, which today is one of the
five most important for TRUMPF. “Japan is a vital building block in our
growth strategy for Asia,” explains Dr. Mathias Kammüller. “Opening
this local facility is a consistent step in this long-term expansion plan.”
A blue spruce, a symbol of growth, was planted during
the opening ceremonies for the facility in Fukushima.
> Please direct your questions to: Harald Dickertmann, Phone: +81 45 931 57 10,
e-mail: harald.dickertmann@jp.trumpf.com
Quick picking
First TRUMPF storage system can be deployed individually
Flexible, easy to use and thoroughly affordable. The TRUMPF TruStore 1030 shelf system is the ideal starting point for companies
installing storage technology. It is suitable
for use with laser cutting machines with a
Tidy to a fault:
the new TruStore
1030 shelving
system
LiftMaster Store unit, which can pick and
place pallets and therefore does not require
a shelf service unit. The basic TruStore module is comprised of just fifteen parts, made
for quick assembly. Even this starter model
offers up to ten variable-height storage compartments and can be expanded as required.
Standardized top-mount modules can raise it
to as tall as 7½ meters. Adding a shelf service
unit turns one or more towers into a storage
system then classified as the TruStore 3030.
One thing is true for every TruStore application: Clearly defined interfaces and a uniform
operating concept alleviate anxieties about
adopting storage technology solutions.
>
6
Express 2/08
Please direct your questions to:
Manfred Kußmaul,
Phone: +49 (0) 7156 303 – 3 10 70,
e-mail: manfred.kussmaul@de.trumpf.com
Individualized
Self-Marketing
5,000 th TruMark 3020 built
Many manufacturers are seeking to mass-produce
items that can readily be fitted with individual
features, since more and more customers are
asking for something special and unique. The
TruMark 3020 lettering unit makes this possible,
the 5,000th of which recently left the assembly
line at Grüsch in Switzerland. The “Anniversary
Laser”, a highly flexible tool for marking and
decorating a variety of surfaces, will be serving
science in the future. At the Fraunhofer Institute
for Labor Economy and Organization, located
in Stuttgart, customers involved in scientific
projects on “individualized mass production”
can use a configurator to help design the appearance of their products. The TruMark 3020 turns
these ideas into reality and thus promotes itself.
PANORAMA
An invincible
featherweight
Fast and easy to use: the new PN 130 nibbler
This new electric powered tool cuts through steel sheet up to 1.3 millimeters thick,
even though it weighs a mere 1.4 kg. That's about 20 percent lighter than comparable
nibblers and some 30 percent less than its “big brothers” in the TRUMPF profile nibbler
series. At the same time, the compact PN 130 achieves working speeds of 3.2 meters per
minute. This can represent a major advantage, particularly for long cuts.
The new TRUMPF PN 130
nibbler is about 20 percent
lighter and just that much
faster than comparable competitive products on the market.
> Additional information: www.trumpf-powertools.com
Ready investors
Number of German
universities offering curricula
in mechanical engineering
Research and development pay off
“We have to invest in education and research if we want to move this
country forward,” admonished Jürgen Hambrecht, Chairman of the
Board of Executive Directors at BASF SE (Societas Europaea) and
vice-president of the Association of Trustors for German Science. As
is evidenced by studies conducted by that association, German businesses did indeed increase expenditures for research and development
last year by about 4.2 percent, to some 54.2 billion euros. Mechanical
engineering companies accounted for a major share here. According
to the VDMA (German Association of Mechanical and Plant Engineering Companies), this sector alone devoted eleven billion euros
to R & D. In a worldwide comparison, German machine tool and
mechanical engineering companies are at the head of the pack in
terms of the number of patent applications and patents awarded.
38,000
Patents in the fields of
machine tools and
metalworking 2007
30 %
179
R&D employees in companies
and institutions associated
with mechanical engineering
Registered
9,000
434
Granted
Germany’s share of worldwide
patent applications in the field of
mechanical engineering
Better opportunities
Photos: TRUMPF Group, BTZ des Handwerks GmbH
Continuing education for the long-term unemployed
Relearning and learning anew are the magic words that promise career advancement for
workers and economic success for companies. To ensure that both go hand in hand, the
Career Education and Technology Center, located in the town of Meppen, aligns its curricula directly with the needs of the trades. New to the program is a course on “CNC sheet
metal machining”. This four-month course is modular in its structure. It gives workers
who have been unemployed for an extended period of time additional knowledge about
the nature of materials, manufacturing processes, machining options and other subjects.
Further focal points are reading and programming technical drawings. The participants
can put what they’ve learned into practice at a TrumaBend C 110.
Director of training Karl-Heinz Meissner (left) explains
the TrumaBend C 110 to a participant.
> Please direct your questions to: Philipp Zwirner, Phone: +49 (0) 7156 303 – 3 03 60,
e-mail: philipp.zwirner@de.trumpf.com
Express 2/08
7
PANORAMA
The comparison
makes it clear:
Left-over
material can
be efficiently
used.
A refined combination
Deutsche Mechatronics GmbH receives Materials Efficiency Prize
Studies show that companies could save almost 100 the ERP (enterprise resource planning) system
billion euros every year by using materials more ef- makes it possible to draw together a variety of parts
ficiently. A German firm, Deutsche Mechatronics from diverse orders. A special trick for material
GmbH (DTMT), sees savings potentials of up to optimization: Parts that are regularly called for are
25 percent with the implementation of “dynamic cut from areas that previously would have become
nesting” in preparation for punching. This achieve- scrap; the parts are then stockpiled for future use.
ment was recently recognized with the “German This more than pays for itself since the DTMT —
Materials Efficiency Prize”, awarded by the Feder- a systems supplier for mechanical equipment, elecal Ministry for Economics and Technology. The tronics and software — processes up to 40 tons of
turning point was achieved by using the TRUMPF sheet metal daily for high-tech systems.
TruTops Punch programming system in conjunction with the Quickjob module, borrowed from the > Please direct your questions to:
TruTops Fab planning and control software. Link- Martin Schmid, Phone: +49 (0) 7156 303 – 3 5937,
e-mail: martin.schmid@de.trumpf.com
ing the NC programs with the demand data from
Short paths
Mobile Control boosts productivity
A remote control module shortens walking distan­ces
and enhances productivity. That’s “Mobile Control”
— the remote control concept for machines in the
TruBend Series 5000. This portable module replicates
all of the major controls on the control panel and the
power switch. The operator can, for instance, switch
the hydraulics, axis motors and tool chucking devices
on and off directly and always has all of the important
functions under control. The operating module — just
like the modules for the ACB (Automatically Controlled
Bending) angle sensors — is used at the pressure beam.
Up to four control boxes can be used simultaneously —
in conjunction with the ACB modules, as well.
Small and highly functional: the control
module for TruBend Series 5000
8
Express 2/08
> Please direct your questions to:
Alexander Kunz, Phone: +49 (0) 7156 303 – 3 30 33,
e-mail: alexander.kunz@de.trumpf.com
Ticker
– Strategic – – –
Pursuing its long-term strategy for North
America, TRUMPF opened a laser development and production facility in Farmington,
Connecticut, on April 30. The “Laser Innovation & Technology Excellence” center, with
8,000 square meters of floor space, makes
Farmington the largest foreign operating site.
– Innovative – – –
Once again in 2008 the Berthold Leibinger
Foundation is awarding the Berthold Leibinger
Innovation Prize for superior discoveries and
inventions in the field of applied laser technology. 33 applications and nominations
were received from nine countries. The prize
is to be awarded on September 15, 2008.
– Powerful – – –
More than ten megawatts, the mean output
of an atomic power plant. That’s the punch
packed by laser pulses at the TRUMPF Laser
Center in Schramberg. They are produced, in
collaboration with physicists from the University of Constance, using an ultra-short pulse
oscillator and no subsequent amplification.
– Safe – – –
The “TRUMPF Service Portal” is the first remote
maintenance concept to comply with the safety requirements of the ISO 27001 international
certifications standard. Malfunction management, software maintenance and quick troubleshooting for networked production systems are
considerably simpler and safer.
– Certified – – –
On February 27 the first TRUMPF machine
tool assembled in China — a TruLaser 3030
— passed inspection by employees from the
TRUMPF production plant in Grüsch. The
Swiss experts certified perfect performance
by their Chinese colleagues and this marked
the start of mass production in Taicang.
– Larger – – –
TRUMPF Factory II at Hettingen has grown
continuously since it opened in 1952. A new
facility for 120 employees, now being built
with an investment of 3.4 million euros, is to
be finished by the end of 2008. It will then
house the service department, apprentices’
shop and other units.
PANORAMA
Innovations galore
at Hanover
TRUMPF staging world premieres at the EuroBLECH
Will you be in Hanover in October? It would be well worth the trip since the
EuroBLECH trade fair will be taking place there for the 20th time — from October 21 to 25,
2008. TRUMPF will be using this venue, the leading international fair for the sheet metal
processing industry, as the occasion to unveil a plethora of innovations. From punching and combination processing and bending — to 2 D and 3 D laser cutting and welding,
there’s not a single field that won’t be boasting new developments or even world premieres.
This year's exhibit will concentrate on productivity and automation.
> Please direct your questions to: Anke Roser, Phone: +49 (0) 7156 303 – 3 04 28,
e-mail: anke.roser@de.trumpf.com
Frank Weigelt of
ProContur put his
faith in powder
coating from the
very outset.
Photos: Deutsche Mechatronics GmbH, TRUMPF Group, Strandperle, ProContur GmbH, Robert Bosch GmbH
Sheet metal
and powder
Coating is a “must” at ProContur
Anyone incorporating the term “custom products” in their
company slogan has to establish an extended value added
chain, according to Frank Weigelt, general manager at
ProContur. “Lightweight sheet metal and powder coatings
simply go hand in hand ”. That is why this businessman invested in a powder coating unit for his operations in the town
of Wittlich at the very outset. Today that unit is running two
shifts a day. “Our customers demand parts and assemblies
ready for immediate installation. We can supply them today
at very short delivery periods, since we eliminate transportation to and from a job shop for powder coating. Flexibility is
one very important factor for Weigelt. When processing small
lots, up to ten different colors might be used on any given day.
Before the surface is finished, three TRUMPF machines punch
and bend sheet metal at ProContur for customers in the electronics, medical technology and display equipment industries.
> Additional information at: www.procontur.de
Fireworks by TRUMPF: with innovations at the EuroBLECH
Flexibility made simple
200th workshop for sheet metal engineering
There have been about 2,000 participants, uncounted ideas and no end of sheet
metal. Ever since 1998 the TRUMPF “Sheet metal design workshop” has helped
reshape engineers’ thinking. The goal: Using this flexible material is to simplify
assemblies and optimize manufacturing processes. This was exactly what happened to a design team from the Crailsheim plant of Robert Bosch GmbH that
attended the 200th workshop. During this two-day course held in Ditzingen the
engineers worked with lecturers Jörg Heusel and Thomas Bronnhuber to devise
a solution for a drip pan. Their efforts were successful. The assembly had previously required twelve separate parts and several processing steps but, the version
developed in the workshop involved just two sheet metal parts that needed
only to be bent and welded. „We were thoroughly convinced by the
superb quality of the training“, sums up Werner Mayer, the
manager for mechanical design in Crailsheim. “It aligns
exactly with our desire to offer our employees
the best possible training.” Shop lecturer
The solution was devised in the
Thomas Bronnhuber adds: “It’s
workshop: The drip pan is now manudecisive that engineers think about
factured from two — instead of the
sheet metal at all. Then they can
previous twelve — sheet
simplify processes.” The efforts at
metal parts.
Ditzingen have found imitators.
For the past half year TRUMPF
Inc. in Farmington, Connecticut,
has also offered workshop training for customers in the USA.
>
Please direct your questions to:
Thomas Bronnhuber,
Phone: +49 (0) 7156 303 – 3 67 68,
e-mail: thomas.bronnhuber@de.trumpf.com
Express 2/08
9
“Cutting Point enhances the
value of our original companies.”
Harald Abraham
Covering the
middle ground
Non-stop lectures about business plans and business models drove them out of the grand ballroom.
Outside, along a ship’s railing, they decided to do their own thing, in their own way.
10 Express 2/08
Interview
“We were convinced of our idea and thought to
ourselves: Let’s look and see if it works!”
Photos: KD Busch
Andreas Schweiger
Mr. Abraham, Mr. Schweiger, you were
both established businessmen with thriving
companies. Why did you need a third
company ? Where did the idea come from?
Harald Abraham: The idea was born at a ship’s
rail, during a lecture organized by a savings
bank. Numerous speakers from large companies
went into enormous detail on the topic of company start-ups — with business plans, with Excel tables, PowerPoint presentations. ... At some
point we had had enough and went outside to
get some fresh air — and decided to do our own
thing. In our own way.
Had you previously though about expanding
your operations?
Abraham: Yes, both Andreas Schweiger and
I had too many orders and had to farm out
some of the work. Our two companies were
well established and we enjoyed fine reputations in terms of our core competencies. The
decision in favor of C. P. Cutting Point proved
to be the starting point for laser flatbed cutting operations.
Andreas Schweiger: Many people advised
against it. We both had functioning companies, they said, each of us had his own character and ego. But, we were completely and
firmly convinced of our idea. “Let’s see what
happens !” we told ourselves. And so we bought
a TRUMPF machine — without a shop to set it
up in, without power, without operators and
without financing. Others would first calculate and negotiate — we simply put our idea
into practice.
Abraham: But, in spite of our unconventional
approach we do, of course, have everything
under control. There’s a tremendous amount of
work behind our success, with overtime hours,
late nights and everything else involved. Such
success is possible only with great commitment and absolute support from our families.
And speaking of families:
What are your backgrounds?
Abraham: We both come from families with
a long tradition in sheet metal processing.
My family was originally in the agricultural
Express 2/08
11
Literally through thick
and thin: Even the more
demanding gauges
present no problems for
Andreas Schweiger and
Harald Abraham (photo
opposite).
“We wanted to
expand our
capacities by
offering machining
for medium sheet
metal gauges.”
equipment sector. We were the local smiths were operating exclusively in the agricultural
and had set up the shop around 1870. Andreas’ machinery sector. I brought in stainless steel
father also has a metalworking plant. So we both processing. After a few years I started thinking
have an inborn passion for this material.
about how I could further develop my operaSchweiger: I didn’t go into my father’s business, tions and decided in favor of water jet technolhowever, but set up my own firm with a new ogy, thus making it possible to machine thicker
concept. It all goes back to a group I used to sheet metal. I was also encouraged by the great
play cards with. At some point a certain Thomas concentration of laser facilities around us, like
Sattler joined us: an impressive guy who would the one Andreas runs. I hoped for synergies
even roll out in the middle of the night to ad- with other companies because water jet cutting
just a machine, even though he was just an em- is a niche product. We’ve known each other since
ployee, not a co-owner. What’s more, he had then, that was 1996.
lots of good ideas about CNC machining. I en- Schweiger: Harald regularly welded parts for our
couraged him to get his master craftsman’s cer- company and that proved to be the cornerstone
tificate and said I would ask my father about a for a friendship. At some point he suggested that
piece of property. And so we launched our own I buy a laser machine — up to then I had focused
company in 1994 with a TRUMATIC 200 and a completely on punching. I took the leap and orTrumaBend V 50. A year later, in spite of many dered a TRUMATIC 600 L combined laser cutting
doubting Thomases, we took the risk of invest- and punching machine. At that time we realized
ing in CNC and laser technology.
that there was a lot more development potential
in the partnership between our two companies.
While Mr. Schweiger specializes in lightweight
And so, we established C. P. Cutting Point two
sheet metal, your firm has a different focus,
years ago to process medium-gauge sheet metal.
Mr. Abraham. What does your company concentrate on? And how did you come together?
You are both still young, in your late 30s and
Abraham: When I joined my uncle’s company early 40s. Didn’t the risk of starting up another
after finishing my studies 18 years ago, we company cause you some sleepless nights?
12 Express 2/08
Abraham: We viewed it as an opportunity. We
could also have left everything the way it was.
But, we’re entrepreneurs and want to set things
in motion.
Schweiger: The risk was limited anyway. We’re
solid business people, not goofballs. We believe
in ourselves and have good common sense. We
don’t hesitate, don’t succumb to outside influences — and very simply don’t put much faith
in the current poor economic forecasts.
C. P. has grown continuously since its founding and you constantly invest in new machines.
What does that mean for you?
Abraham: Nothing at all as far as our regular
workday. Kurt Rohrmann manages the operations side at C. P. while the two of us and
Thomas Sattler are simply advisors in the background and share responsibility for strategic
decisions. In any case C. P. boosts the value of
our old companies since we can offer our customers the complete range of machining services from a single coalition of companies. What’s
more, we have acquired new clients and, with
them, new opportunities as well. In February,
for example, I landed a welding order, placed
by a major Cutting Point client, that will let me
Interview
“The decision to
found C. P. signaled
our entry into
flat-bed laser cutting.”
employ four people on a permanent and fulltime basis. In this case we are welding blanks
together that are cut at C. P. This makes for a
steady work flow and I also earn a little bit on
the business.
What are you hoping to achieve with C. P. in
the future?
Schweiger: (laughs) A house in Spain.
Abraham: We want to further expand the product range, possibly produce more sophisticated
parts. We want to establish a distinctive image
among our customers and not be interchangeable with other firms. Simply having four laser
machines is not the decisive factor today. We
want to move toward production of complete
assemblies and strengthen our position among
the clientele. And we’ll stay dynamic and keep
on developing new ideas all the time, of course.
> Please direct your questions to:
Jürgen Henkel, Phone: +49 (0) 911 96 98 042,
e-mail: juergen.henkel@de.trumpf.com
A job shop for processing special sheet metal gauges
Who:
Harald Abraham Metallbau GmbH, Wendelstein, Germany. The company’s
roots go back to 1870, 35 employees, 9 apprentices. www.wasserstrahl24.de
A. Schweiger GmbH & Co. KG, Schwabach, Germany. Established in 1994,
30 employees. www.schweiger-online.de
C. P. Cutting Point, Wendelstein, Germany. Established in 2006, 13 employees,
4.5 million euros in sales. www.cutting-point.de
What: Job shops for processing sheet metal thicknesses between 0.5 and
180 millimeters, for as few as a single piece.
How:
TRUMATIC 200, TRUMATIC 600 L, TRUMATIC 6000 L (TruMatic 6000), 2 x
TruBend 5050, TruBend 5085 (A. Schweiger GmbH & Co.), TRUMATIC L 3040 with
TLF 4000 (TruLaser 3530 with TruFlow 4000), TruLaser 5030 with 5 kW,
TRUMATIC 6000 L (TruMatic 6000), TruBend 5050, TruBend 5085 (C. P. Cutting Point)
Express 2/08
13
The Topturn X perfectly mixes
compost which promotes
decay. From coarse chopping
to fine chips — the Terminator
shreds all kinds of plant
waste. The star-type sieve
Easystar precisely separates
the material by size.
14 Express 2/08
ENVIRONMENTal TECHNOLOGY
Chief Process Officer Thomas Pusch:
“We’re certainly more than a little
bit green.” The Terminator makes
a contribution here. Its cutting unit,
running at 30 r.p.m., chops waste.
The hour of the terminator
When legislators invent “bio-waste” and collection systems, then they have to do something
with what’s collected. That’s why two Austrian businessmen see new opportunities in new laws.
A new law in Austria, regulating waste handling, got things going at the
beginning of the 1990s. From then on cities were required to collect and
process organic waste. This issue was the subject of intense and heated
debate along the length and breadth of the country. One of the problems was finding the right machines for efficient and profitable decomposition of organic waste. In 1992 there was hardly anything available on
the market. Two engineers from the Austrian state of Styria, who had
established an agricultural engineering business a few years prior, took
advantage of the opportunity that presented itself. With limited funds
but a wealth of good ideas, Josef Heissenberger and Rudolf Pretzler developed a “compost turning machine”, the Topturn 3000. The first professional, industrial-scale product for composting became the market
leader in Europe within a short time — and was a rousing success not
only in economic and ecological terms, but also from an aesthetic point
of view. In 1992 the compost turning machine was awarded the Austrian
national design prize.
Progress didn’t stop with composting. Ecology-oriented legislation
opened up numerous markets and fields of business. The so-called
green recycling dot (“Der grüne Punkt”) conquered all of Europe.
Waste separation and recycling required new technologies. Once again
Heissenberger and Pretzler stimulated the market with their innovations.
“The company grew rapidly,” explains Thomas Pusch, Chief Process Officer
at the Komptech GmbH.
Photos: Komptech GmbH, Clemens Höfler
Renewable resources for the future
New products were put on the market. From the cyclone sifter Hurrikan,
to the post-shredder Rasor or the Terminator, a slow-running single-shaft
shredder for all types of waste: Komptech machines do not bear these
destructive names for nothing.
Today Josef Heissenberger and Rudolf Pretzler’s company has 480 employees worldwide. Once a week Thomas Pusch travels about 130 kilometers to the Slovenian city of Ljutomer, the largest Komptech Group
operating site. There, 150 employees produce components for final machine assembly, which is still performed in Austria. A TRUMPF laser
cutting machine and a TRUMPF press brake are in operation there. “The
Ljutomer location offers perfect conditions for ongoing growth.” Thomas
Pusch points to the open fields bordering the company premises. “There
is more than enough land here to build new facilities.” Furthermore, he
emphasizes, it is easier to get good skilled workers in Ljutomer than in
Frohnleiten. “And we need them to implement our high standards.”
Economic interest and ecological consciousness go hand in hand at
Komptech. “Everything we do protects the environment and stimulates
the economy.” The use of renewable raw materials as a source of energy
is becoming increasingly popular. The focus here is primarily on wood
in its various forms — from woody biomass to scrap wood. Komptech’s
product range now includes the Crambo Forest, a special machine for
processing residual timber. The biomass fuel is processed in the forest,
conveyed directly to a container or stored temporarily at a suitable place,
and then transported to the nearest heating plant. Biomass as an energy
supplier has a future — it is CO₂-neutral and makes heating more environment-friendly. “We do, indeed, have a green approach,” jokes Pusch.
“After all, a green leaf is our company logo.”
> Please direct your questions to:
Alfred Hutterer, Phone: +43 (0) 7221 603 –110,
e-mail: alfred.hutterer@at.trumpf.com
Outstanding recycling from Austria
Who:
Komptech GmbH, Frohnleiten, Austria.
Dates back to the year 1987, 480 employees worldwide.
www.komptech.com
What: Environmental technology for mechanical and biological
preparation of municipal and commercial waste and
conditioning technology for woody biomass
How:
TRUMATIC L 3030 (TruLaser 3030), TruBend 5130
Express 2/08
15
Portrait
Mr. Fujita’s dream
The Japanese company, Fujita Works, demonstrates that a supplier of fine alloy metals
can grow its way out of a recession — if it has a clear vision.
The firm remains true to its slogan: “There is no road without a dream.”
We’re visiting the Kyushu region in southern Japan. Japan’s
metal industry has taken up residence here, in the midst of
lush, rugged nature and volcanoes, some of which are still
active. And this is also the site of the new corporate headquarters for Fujita Works, opened at the end of 2007. The
company mainly produces components for manufacturing
semiconductor products and functional elements. The range
of parts varies from thin-gauge sheet metal components, only
about a millimeter thick, to electrolytic cells measuring several cubic meters, used in the chemicals industry.
Anyone who is familiar with the rather plain production
facilities in Japan notices as soon as he enters the company
grounds at Fujita Works that things are different here. A tour
of the plant confirms this impression: tunnels connect office
buildings to the factories and the machines produce under
optimal and constant atmospheric conditions.
The impressive features are the result of a well-developed
strategy. Consistent customer orientation and personal
responsibility on the part of the employees are a key concern
of company owner Koji Fujita: “We have created structures
in which a thorough quality inspection takes place at every
process step — from receipt of the order to shipment of the
product. This way, we fully correspond with our customers’
16 Express 2/08
expertise and more than meet their needs.” There is, for
instance, a department that focuses specifically on analyzing customer requirements, optimizing part geometries
and production steps and consistently reducing costs. “Consequently we are able not only to support our customers as a
simple supplier, but also to advise them and make a contribution to optimal supply chain management through creativity — something quite unique in our industry,” explains Koji
Fujita. “In the future we will expand manufacturing depth
and become even more valuable as a supplier.”
Transparency as a business philosophy
Another integral element of the corporate culture is the
visual organizational structure. It defines all responsibilities,
makes the customer the focus of all activities and describes
the mission statement as well as the internal interfaces and
processes. This ensures precise procedures — from plant layout to coordination with the customer as well as production
planning and scheduling — all the way to cutting, forming
and finishing. “All of our production employees inspect and
evaluate each individual workpiece before passing it on to
the next production step. This rule not only fosters responsible and quality-conscious thinking on the part of each
A man with a vision: Koji Fujita on the
roof of his company, Fujita Works
Express 2/08
17
Portrait
Left: A lively exchange of
ideas is, in Koji Fujita’s
opinion, an important
component in the
company culture.
Right: Plant Manager
Akira Fujii also sees
employees' own sense
of responsibility as a
guarantee for success.
Nine basic rules apply at Fujita Works.
Customer satisfaction is always in the limelight.
> Please direct your questions to:
Andreas Krause, Phone: +81 (0) 45 93 1 – 57 10,
e-mail: andreas.krause@jp.trumpf.com
18 Express 2/08
The “Gemba” principle needs
employees ready to make decisions
At Fujita Works the corporate strategy is expressed
in nine cornerstones. The focus here is on customer
priority, teamwork and the ability of the employees
to solve problems on their own. Nature served as
the model for illustrating this principle. Analogous to the volcanoes in Kagoshima Bay, an
upside-down pyramid was chosen as the corporate logo. “In contrast to the customary
top-down approaches of other companies, our structure fosters decisions at the site of the
value added — it’s the Japanese ‘gemba’ principle,” explains Plant Manager Akira Fujii. The
company executives offer their staff assistance while corporate management supports the
executives. The management level forms the base of the inverted pyramid, the employees
the middle, and the customers are at its apex.
Standards supplier for the semiconductor industry
Who:
Fujita Works Limited, Kyushu, Japan. Established in 1945, 110 employees,
1.62 billion JPY (the equivalent of 10 million euros) in sales. www.fujitaworks.com
What: Production of components and machine parts. Fujita Works’ clientele includes the
largest Japanese manufacturers in the semiconductor industry, which demand
extremely high quality standards. In addition to numerous other awards, Fujita Works
received the “Good Company Award” in January 2008, which is given to the six best
production companies in Japan every year.
How:
TruMatic 6000, TRUMATIC 600 L, TRUMATIC L 3050 (TruLaser 5030 classic),
TruLaser 4030
Photos: Jun-Ichiro Takahashi
individual along with a feel for detecting defects, it
also promotes quality assurance and accelerates final
acceptance,” explains Plant Manager Akira Fujii.
For Fujita Works this philosophy of gearing all
processes to the customer is one of the key pillars
of the strategic corporate alignment.
Koji Fujita can be proud of his company’s success.
When he took over his father’s metalworking shop
during the recession in 1991, the factory had a mere
seven employees. There was a shortage of production equipment and hardly any orders because of
the economic situation. The company succeeded
in growing out of the recession by virtue of young
and highly motivated employees and the technological advantage of punching over forming. This
is what the company slogan refers to: “There is no
road without a dream.” Today 110 employees earn
their livelihood here. There was not a single delivery delay in the last five years — even at around
100,000 parts a month.
Nevertheless, in response to the question of
where Fujita Works currently sees itself on the
long-term roadmap, Koji Fujita answers modestly:
“We’re still getting off the ground.”
Special
PowerTools
→
Can you spot
the difference ?
Anyone who learns about
the principle behind the cutting tool
won’t want to be without it again.
PowerTools
Deburrers in the
TKA series and the TKF
series of bevellers made by
TRUMPF are industrial-quality
tools for sheet metal processing.
TKAs create cleanly bevelled or visibly
deburred edges while TKFs form bright
metallic edges for K, V, X or Y seams. All of the
units used for bevelling (including those powered
with rechargeable batteries or compressed air) can be found
at www.trumpf-powertools.com along with an extensive range of
accessories, including workstations for machining small components.
20 Express 2/08
S pecial
TRUMPF makes
the difference
Photos: Benno B. A. Stadler, TRUMPF Group
Perfect visible and welded edges with the bevellers
It was exactly at 6:15 p.m. on May 17, 1963, that
Berthold Leibinger submitted his application for a “bevelling tool for metal edges” to the Swiss Intellectual Property Office. That is the documented birth date for the cutting
tool principle that is used to this very day in TRUMPF bevellers. These tools, with a cutting edge on both ends and
designed for repeated sharpening, are used for example, in
the metalworking trades and in system, pipe and container
construction, where they deliver uniform, oxide-free edges
for welding seams.
These tools, powered by electricity or with compressed air,
are manufactured at TRUMPF Grüsch AG in Switzerland’s
Graubünden canton. Annual production is a good 25,000
tools — from nibblers, power fasteners and seam lockers to
these bevellers. For TRUMPF this is a field with a long tradition behind it. It was in 1934 that the first motor-driven,
portable shears revolutionized sheet metal processing. 25
years later the first hand-held nibbler caused a commotion
in the industry.
Today metalworking would be almost inconceivable without TRUMPF power tools and their large-scale counterparts,
the stationary machines. Let’s take bevelling as an example.
The people in the field cannot agree whether you can work
twice or five times as fast when using bevellers instead of a
standard angle grinder. But it’s clear that the tools are more
productive and always operate without generating dust or
hazardous sparks. This is also true for TRUMPF deburrers,
which can also be used to prepare edges for welding. Moreover, they are ideal for removing burrs from sheet steel, nonferrous metals and plastic. And, whenever it’s important to
take the hazard out of sharp edges and corners — when preparing for painting, for example, the deburrer really shines.
And all without sparks, of course.
Recently this has also been possible without a power cord,
using rechargeable lithium-ion batteries instead. This is practical particularly at construction sites, but in manufacturing
facilities, too, since there’s no limit to the operating radius.
Whereas nickel-cadmium batteries were used in the past,
TRUMPF is now the first manufacturer of power tools for
sheet metal processing to employ lithium-ion technology.
There’s a good reason for this. In a direct comparison, the
life cycle for the new batteries is twice as long.
Express 2/08
21
S pecial PowerTools
Rothermel tank service
Sonja Rothermel calls the
TRUMPF N 700-2 nibbler her
favorite tool. Ever since this
energetic businesswoman
struck out on her own in 2001,
she and her team have devoted
their time and energy to erecting, cleaning and dismantling
oil tanks. The nibbler is always
the first choice whenever old
tanks have to be cut apart.
That’s because it chews its
way through mild steel up to seven millimeters thick, without creating
sparks. Sonja Rothermel notes: “When we used angle grinders to cut
up tanks there was always the danger of oil-soaked shavings being
ignited.” That threat has been permanently eliminated.
> Additional information: sonja.rothermel@web.de
Otto Holler Guard rails are
made of hot dipped galvanized
sheet metal profiles and will even
keep trucks weighing tons on
their own side of the motorway.
Specialty companies like Otto
Holler Construction Contractors
of Bruchsal replace demolished
guard rails as quickly as possible
after an accident in order to restore
complete safety. Efficient cutting
and joining technologies are a must
here. For over a year now, Steffen
Holler has used TRUMPF N 500 nibblers and they boost the productivity of
his repair crews considerably. Holler also stresses: “The great fountains of
sparks generated by the angle grinders we used to use tended to distract
motorists — and that meant an increased risk of subsequent accidents.
Working with nibblers is far more convenient — and safer, too.”
> Additional information: holler.wohnbau@t-online.de
Reports from the field
Recognizing advantages
Krähe + Wöhr It was at the
construction site for the regional
newspaper “Voice of Heilbronn”
that the sheet metal specialists from
Krähe + Wöhr worked with TRUMPF
profile nibblers for four months.
Foreman Thomas Krimmer and his
team cut hundreds of meters of
metal — more than 95 percent with
nibblers. Trapezoidal and corrugated
metal cladding made of steel or
aluminum were cut to length.
Openings and notches were cut
away. To Krimmer’s way of thinking, there simply isn’t any alternative:
“Rust problems are unavoidable whenever you use an angle grinder. The
uncontrolled plume of incandescent chips damages the surface of the sheet
metal cladding and that leads to corrosion in a short period of time.”
C & M Stahl-Service Hamm
Whether it’s a matter of heavyduty railway carriage construction
or classic mechanical engineering
— most companies expect their
suppliers to deliver more than just
bright metal. C & M Stahl-Service
GmbH, for instance, delivers
modular sheet metal components
for wind turbines — cut to size
and with edges prepared for
welding. A market survey made
it clear to general manager
Christian Hoppe: “The beveller
made by TRUMPF provides far and away the best ratio of price to
performance. It is about twice as fast as an angle grinder and is far
superior to a grinding unit in regards to handling.”
> Additional information: info@kraehe-woehr.de
> Additional information: info@cum-stahl.de
22 Express 2/08
KNOWLEDGE
U
ltimately, hundredths of a second are decisive. If it is possible to
save just one hundredth at the right place, then this can reduce
the overall processing time per piece remarkably. That adds up during
a long production run. That was the idea behind the FlyLine cutting
path optimization concept. While cutting head motion was the prime
concern here TRUMPF engineers found that much-sought-after hundredth at a different point when developing FastLine: at the transition
from the penetration of the material to the actual cutting phase. The
process had previously run through the following stages: penetration
— adjustment — cutting. Or in “slow motion”: The cutting head travels
to the penetration position, the nozzle begins blowing in a transverse
direction, the laser generates full power and the beam penetrates the
material. The control software determines that the beam has penetrated the material. It terminates the penetration phase, re-regulates
the gas pressure, adjusts the focus position and then starts cutting.
Cutting prestissimo!
The idea behind “FastLine” is as simple as could be: Getting to work more quickly.
That can save up to half of the overall processing time.
Illustration: Gernot Walter
Just one example. With FastLine, plates 345 millimeters
wide, made of stainless steel 2 millimeters thick, can be
processed in half the time.
FastLine optimizes this sequence. The function achieves a seamless
transition between the penetration and cutting processes and reduces
processing time considerably. In other words: The laser gets to the
main job quicker. Translated into figures this means: The conventional
process takes about 1.4 seconds to cut a 10 x 10 millimeter square from
2 millimeter thick stainless steel. With FastLine the machine needs
not quite 0.8 seconds to do the same work. The amount of time saved
here is 0.6 seconds or 47 percent of the previous total. The gain in
productivity ultimately achieved due to the head-start at the beginning of the process will depend on the relationship of the number of
penetrations to the cut lengths needed for the workpiece. On average,
productivity will be boosted by about 20 percent but, depending on
the nature of the workpiece, it can even reach 100 percent.
To achieve such gains, FastLine invests a few milliseconds more
time at the beginning of the process. The laser starts penetration at
somewhat lower output and increases power during the penetration
phase until it reaches the required cutting power. This way FastLine
can pre-adjust all of the other parameters and retain them, unchanged,
at the transition to the cutting phase. Ramping up power creates
another useful advantage, almost in passing. Because the laser isn’t
producing at full power at initial penetration, less material is ejected.
That boosts the quality of the parts in spite of the higher speed.
> FastLine is one of several new functions built into the new TruLaser 5030.
Together they represent a 25 percent increase in productivity when compared
with the TruLaser 5030 classic.
> Please direct your questions to: Tobias Reuther,
Phone: +49 (0) 7156 303 – 3 66 58, e-mail: tobias.reuther@de.trumpf.com
Express 2/08
23
Vehicle Engineering
The train cannot weigh
more than a total of
135 tons, the maximum
this century-old viaduct
can bear.
Storming the heights
Rolling stock by Stadler Rail is a world traveler. Whether in Austin, Texas, in Nyugati pu Budapest
or with the Glacier Express in Zermatt: Stadler comes and goes at stations all around the globe.
The town of Bussnang in the Swiss canton of
Thurgau is home to a company with more employees than the town’s population. Some 2,200
people work for Stadler Rail, a company specializing in rolling stock and serving customers all
around the world. Its headquarters — the Stadler
Bussnang AG with its 1,100 employees — remains
in the picturesque Swiss village that is so rightfully
proud of its fantastic ratio of 1.6 jobs per resident.
The town has expressed its gratitude to its prime
employer by adding a suffix to the town’s name:
“Bussnang — The town with the train”.
24 Express 2/08
The Stadler Rail Group with its six manufacturing
sites — Bussnang, Altenrhein, Winterthur, Berlin,
Siedlce (Poland) and Budapest — is active above
all in the market segments made up of regional
and inter-urban trains, light rail and street cars.
What’s more, the company intends to hold its premier position in the world’s cog railway market.
Peter Spuhler, CEO at the holding company, explains how. “In contrast to the major companies,
we do not follow a platform-based strategy. Rather, with modular concepts, we offer rail operators
customized solutions, tailored to their needs.”
Alpine panoramas
That also convinced the operators of Switzerland’s Glacier Express, which refers to itself
as “the world’s slowest express train”. It links
St. Moritz with Zermatt — via Chur, Disentis,
Andermatt, Brig and Visp. This narrow-gauge
train takes a good 7½ hours for the 291 kilometer route. 291 bridges, 91 tunnels and the
Oberalp Pass at an altitude of 2,033 meters make
its course a true adventure. There are postcard
views at virtually every curve — particularly for
passengers in the panorama car. During the
Three letters stand for a tidy seam
Photos: Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn
Structures incorporating elaborate but, solid welds are
indispensable for the quality of Stadler’s rolling stock. The basis
here is a clean surface at the welding edge, one free of any oxides.
Until just a few years ago this was achieved with electric planing
machines. But construction manager Bernhard Eisenegger was not
particularly happy with that solution. As a result of the toughness
of aluminum, these tools were forever becoming clogged and in
need of cleaning. When searching for alternatives some three years
ago he discovered the TKA series of hand-held electric deburrers
made by TRUMPF. The advantages of these power tools quickly
convinced him and his associates. Eisenegger notes: “The TKAs can
be used to machine a wide variety of contours. Even the smallest
inside radii pose no problems. Burrs can readily be removed and the
bevels have a clean visible edge. What’s more, the TKAs are easy
to use — even in overhead work such as when milling down both
sides of the edges, 20 meters long, on the car roofs!”
most recent upgrade, in 2006, these cars were
supplied by the Stadler works in Altenrhein.
Now the cooperating, privately owned railroads — the Rhätische Railway and the Matterhorn-Gotthard Railway — are working to boost
attractiveness once more. To further secure
the position of the Glacier Express as a premium-segment product, the operators are banking on additional panorama cars and service
carriages — built by Stadler. Beginning in the
summer of 2009 four trains with identical features will traverse routes between St. Moritz
and Zermatt or Davos and Zermatt. Those two
railways are investing a total of about 20 million Swiss francs in new rolling stock. The most
outstanding features include a pneumatic suspension system for an improved ride, audio
entertainment through headphones at the individual seats, and windows reaching right into
the curve of the roof. The cars are also fully air
conditioned. All this was realized in using lightweight construction principles. This was made
necessary because historical structures such as
the viaduct, 65 meters high and built in the year
1901, set limits on load. The train, comprising
six cars, without the locomotive, may not weigh
more than 135 tons. Easy-to-service designs that to the Capital Metro rail company for use in
can be achieved in lightweight engineering are regional transit. Stadler Rail CEO Peter Spuhler
among the distinguishing features of the Stadler is quite satisfied: “We’re proud that our trains
line. They are in demand by customers because are now in service in Texas. This is our second
they contribute to keeping operating and main- export order to the United States.”
tenance costs low. The company has specialized in rail technology ever since its founding
in 1942 and has amassed vast expertise in this
> Please direct your questions to:
and many other fields, as well. That makes it
Werner Cloos, Phone: +49 (0) 7156 303 – 3 03 83,
possible for engineers to respond to individual
e-mail: werner.cloos@de.trumpf.com
requirements. These carriage builders also enjoy
another advantage: even today everything from
Rolling stock for every route
truck and bogie engineering to final assembly
of the cars is all under one roof.
Who:
On the rails around the world
The list of references for Stadler Rail reads something like a who’s who in the world of rail transport. That includes the German Railways, the
Swiss National Railways and operators in the
USA, Greece, Hungary, Italy and Algeria. The
company’s designs and concepts have found
favor around the world. For example, the first
diesel-powered articulated cars have been operating since the end of 2007 in Austin, the capital
of Texas. Stadler has delivered a total of six trains
Stadler Rail Group, headquarters
in Bussnang, Switzerland. About
2,200 employees, sales approx. 750
million euros. www.stadlerrail.com
What: Regional and inter-urban trains,
trams, cog railways, diesel-electric
locomotives
How:
TKA 300 and TKA 500 deburrers,
Test operations for the new TKA
300-Li with rechargeable batteries
(see “Special” on pages 19 to 22)
Express 2/08
25
Christoph Martin
has no problem with
component tolerances:
Shims are his solution.
Smart shimming
Need to eliminate play? Now you can peel that shim down to size.
26 Express 2/08
Ideas
U
nfortunately it doesn’t exist — a design made up of components without any tolerances at all. You can either
accept this with a shrug or develop a nifty product that at
least makes it easier to work within industrial realities. This
is the idea: if a shim is too thick, you simply peel off a thin
layer so the rest fits exactly in the desired area. Searching
for a scrap of sheet metal just the right thickness ? That’s a
thing of the past.
Georg Martin GmbH, located in the German state of
Hesse, has now perfected this idea. Day-to-day work in entire
business sectors is barely conceivable today without the laminated sheet metal produced for use as intermediate shims or
spacers in Dietzenbach, near Frankfurt. No matter whether
it’s Airbus, Liebherr, Rolls-Royce, TRUMPF or Voith — they
all rely on the M-Tech brand when it comes to compensating
for tolerances. “The term ‘M-Tech’ even appears on the parts
lists in component drawings, where otherwise only numbers and material specifications are found,” says Christoph
Martin, head of Marketing and Technical Sales. His father,
Herbert, is the company’s general manager.
When son Christoph talks about the products made by the
family enterprise, it all sounds very technical: “Our standard
sheets measure between 0.5 and 3.2 millimeters in thickness.
Each individual layer is 50 or 75 micrometers thick.” The 3.2
millimeter version, for example, consists of up to 64 laminated metal foils. Customers can choose from five materials:
aluminum, wrought aluminum alloy, brass, low-alloy steel
and stainless steel. The client can select the geometry at will
since Georg Martin GmbH produces according to drawings
and punches or laser-cuts the contours using a TRUMATIC
2000 ROTATION punching machine or a TruMatic 6000
punching and laser cutting machine.
At the end of the 1950s the company acquired a license
for a laminating process in the USA and has further developed it in a fully automated production process. “The key
is to work with the suppliers of the rolled product so as to
develop the right feedstock foils, since not all foils are suitable
for bonding,” says Martin. The chemical pre-treatment of the
high-precision foils in the rolling mill may cause undesired
bubbles to form on the surface during lamination.
Photos: KD Busch
The “tear-sheet calendar” for technicians
The company in Dietzenbach cuts the metal foils into sheets
measuring 600 by 1200 millimeters before heat-laminating them in stacks. “The adhesive layer is so thin that no
residues remain when a layer of metal foil is peeled off later,”
explains Martin. Although the adhesive layers in the finished
product are only a few micrometers thick, the individual layers are bonded so tightly to each other that the 0.2 percent
compression limit for the laminated sheet differs by only
20 percent from a solid, hard-rolled product. This has been
confirmed in tests conducted by the State Materials Testing
Institute in Darmstadt.
Georg Martin GmbH produces not only laminated shim
stock under its M-Tech brand but, it also makes individual
high-precision shims and edge bonded shims. Service technicians make use of these “tear-off calendars” in maintenance, for example, enabling them to quickly compensate
for component tolerances. Over 80 percent of the M-Tech
business involves customer-specific solutions, while products such as ball bearing shim rings and sheet metal cut to
size for industrial needs account for the rest.
The family enterprise makes more than half of its sales
with M-Tech. “In Germany, as a manufacturer of peel-off
M-Tech laminated shims and special solutions, we have no
competitors in this niche,” states Martin. Company figures
show that exports make up around 30 percent of production,
but Martin — who holds degrees in both business administration and engineering — estimates that three-quarters of
the M-Tech shims are ultimately used abroad, “since German companies export the majority of their machines and
equipment.” For the company in Dietzenbach this means
big business with small tolerances.
> Please direct your questions to:
Tobias Osterhold, Phone: +49 (0) 7156 303 – 3 33 72,
e-mail: tobias.osterhold@de.trumpf.com
The layers of metal foil, just micrometers thick, can be removed
without leaving any residues.
Shims for tolerance compensation
Who:
Georg Martin GmbH, Dietzenbach, Germany.
Established in 1945, approx. 100 employees, sales of
11 million euros, of that approx. 6 million euros from
layered shims. www.georg-martin.de
What: Laminated metal shims, primarily for customers in the
printing press and custom engineering sectors as well
as the aerospace industry.
How:
TruMatic 6000, TRUMATIC 2000 ROTATION
Express 2/08
27
MASS PRODUCTION
Croatian mixture
War waged in Croatia in 1993. Everything was in short supply. Founding a company
at that time required luck, machinery, 300 employees and ... a hotel.
Mass production at German quality standards —
that was Josip Šelej’s vision when he established
his company in the 1980s. Today Limex is not
only Europe’s largest manufacturer of concrete
mixers, but also boasts one of the most modern
production plants in Croatia.
Why does an entrepreneur with visions go
back to a socialist country that is anything but
entrepreneur-friendly ? In Josip Šelej’s case it
was an idea — and a great attachment to his
home. He had lived and worked in Germany
for eight years before returning to Croatia at the
beginning of the 1980s. His simple plan came to
be here: what he had in mind was to combine
low-cost mass production, which is possible
in Croatia thanks to low labor costs, with high
German quality standards. Ronald Grüll, head
of Finance and Accounting at Limex: “By European standards, wage levels in Croatia are still
very low. And industrial power costs only a
seventh of the price in Germany.”
The idea was simple — but Yugoslavia’s brand
of socialism stopped the entrepreneur for the
time being. According to laws at that time, Josip
28 Express 2/08
After a month and a half of supreme effort the
goal was accomplished — and work then had
to be found for the new machines and employees. Martinović recalls: “There was material left
over from stove production.” The scrap pieces
were 350 millimeters in diameter — and that was
enough for rims for wheelbarrow tires. Typical
of Josip Šelej’s approach, as Ronald Grüll relates:
“He’s a visionary. He’s constantly thinking about
what other products could be manufactured on
Stoves in vast quantities
his machines or how to make production even
The real breakthrough came about thanks to more efficient.” In addition to the rims, his coma special order, as Zlatko Martinović, who pany also produces the required tubular frames.
joined the company as production manager Limex has been making complete wheelbarrows
at that time, recalls: “The International Red since 1994. Today around 3,500 wheelbarrows
Cross was looking for a company capable of roll off the production line every day, making
producing 41,000 stoves within 45 days.” Šelej the Croatian company the second largest mantackled the challenge. He bought the neces- ufacturer in Europe.
sary machines, hired 300 workers within an
extremely short time, and in this way succeed- Two lines — 40 pipe profiles
ed in manufacturing more than 1,000 stoves In 1997 Limex built a new plant in the village
a day. The new workers were recruited from of Donji Miholjac, near Josip Šelej’s hometown.
all over Croatia — and were housed in a hotel Equipped with welding robots, a CNC bendthat Šelej had built.
ing machine and powder coating capabilities,
production in the 5,000 m² building can stand
up to any comparison with a German plant.
“The new facility offered us the opportunity
to manufacture additional products,” explains
Martinović. Concrete mixers seemed to be a
sensible addition to the wheelbarrows, so
production started up in 2000. Just as
with the wheelbarrows, the combination of high quality and inexpensive
mass production paid off — output is now around 800 units a
day, and rising. There is hardly
Loyalty to the home
a
home and garden center in
country pays off.
Germany
that does not stock
Today Limex employs
wheelbarrows
or concrete mixa staff of more than
ers made by Limex. →
750 in Croatia.
Šelej was not allowed to employ more than five
workers. Nevertheless, he started producing
gutters in 1982. When Yugoslavia fell apart in
the 1990s, Šelej had an opportunity to take over
an old factory with 60 employees. This meant
he could finally put his original idea into practice. The first products were enameled flue pipes.
Even back then, one million units a year were
produced in Josip Šelej’s factory.
Photos: Claus Langer
According to Limex financial
expert Ronald Grüll it’s the
numbers that count. Considering the concrete mixers alone,
the company manufactures
about 800 per day.
Express 2/08
29
MASS PRODUCTION
To cover its own needs
for tubing, Josip Šelej
set up a highly modern
tubing works in 2004.
The “leftovers” turned out to be a goldmine.
Scrap laid the foundation for today’s broad product range.
Accordingly, consumption of tubing for the wheelbarrow
and mixer frames has risen enormously. So enormously, in
fact, that Josip Šelej set up his own tube and pipe plant in
the neighboring town of Slatina in 2004. Today, Limex can
manufacture 40 different tube profiles, including stovepipes,
on two production lines. It seems appropriate that Limex has
returned to its origins and today is once again manufacturing stoves. To do this, Šelej built an additional factory solely
to produce woodstoves and stovepipes. Ronald Grüll says:
“This market is extremely sensitive to fashions. We constantly
have to work on the design and bring out new models.” This
was only possible with flexible production. So, when equipping this plant, Limex included five welding robots.
Along with these units, the new building also houses a
TRUMATIC L 3030 (TruLaser 3030), a TruPunch 3000 and
a modular, multi-axis machining system, i.e. the Lasercell
1005, for flexible laser material processing in 3-D — the only
such unit employed in Croatia at the moment. It enables a
genuine innovation in the production of stovepipes: Limex
makes the 90-degree bend needed to connect the stove to
the chimney in the pipes themselves instead of welding three
sections together as before. The openings for pipe cleaning
are then cut in the outer radius with the Lasercell, work
that would otherwise not be possible. “That’s typical for us”,
Roland Grüll smiles.
> Please direct your questions to:
Joerg Schmauder, Phone: +49 (0) 7156 303 – 3 12 28,
e-mail: joerg.schmauder@de.trumpf.com
30 Express 2/08
Mass production at western European standards
Who:
Limex d.o.o., Donji Miholjac, Croatia. Established in 1982, approx.
750 employees, 36.5 million euros in sales in 2006. www.limex.hr
What: Production of wheelbarrows for construction and gardening,
concrete mixers and sawhorses. In addition, handcarts and ironing
boards. Other products include woodstoves and stovepipes.
How:
TRUMATIC L 3030 (TruLaser 3030), TruPunch 3000,
TRUMPF Lasercell 1005
Croatia
Around 4.4 million people live on 56,538
square meters in the Republic of Croatia.
The economy of the small country is currently
undergoing great change. This is predominantly due to increased investments resulting from
Croatia’s EU accession efforts. In the last eight years
gross domestic product (GDP) has grown continuously
and a surge of 4.7 percent is forecast for 2008. Because the
country is located at the intersection of two pan-European traffic corridors, i.e. from Turkey to Europe as well as from the Adriatic to
the Ukraine and the Baltic region, it has good prospects of becoming a major
center for warehousing and shipping services. This segment now accounts for
around nine percent of GDP while industry has a 20.5 percent share. Croatia’s
most important trading partner is Italy, followed closely by Germany. Croatia
has been an official candidate for accession to the EU since 2004 and accession
negotiations could be concluded by the end of 2009.
Source: German Office for Foreign Trade, www.bfai.de
One Question
Why does perseverance pay off,
Professor Koenigs-Philipp?
Photo: Simon Koy
“Perseverance isn’t the same as idleness but
implies the untiring pursuit of certain goals.”
Archeology deals primarily with a human society’s physical arti­
facts, with the objects discovered. The more you can get those
artifacts to talk, the more questions you can ask them. Among
the essentials here is cording the findings with the doggedness
and precision of a criminologist. In that way questions that might
crop up later can be answered, even if the artifact has been lost or
has decomposed. If the object comes from a dig, then all of the
contexts have to be documented in just the same way — by way
of securing evidence.
An example might serve to illustrate these protracted procedures. Beginning in the 19th century, many teams have worked at
the Temple of Zeus at Olympia and all of them have documented
artifacts and findings with immense perseverance — and without
computers! Consequently, the rich store of material is accessible
in written form right down to the present day.
Even during the first digs one discovered isolated figures, quite
large, cut out of bronze sheet metal and only 0.4 to 0.5 millimeters
thick — the silhouette plates. They were, of course, documented
exactly even though at first they didn’t yield any significant insights. Only after further findings was a group of special artifacts
recognizable, and now it was necessary to inquire into their provenance. This type of plate not only decorated wooden objects, serving as symbols on warriors’ wooden shields, for instance. Given
their sheer size, they must have also graced the walls of buildings
— temples, treasuries, halls. The conclusion is that buildings were
not only painted in attractive colors. Some also owed their exquisite appearance to bronze sheet that glittered like gold at the time.
Bronze plates like this, some of which were artistic masterpieces,
were present throughout Greece in the 7th and 6th centuries B.C.
Perhaps as a matter of chance, most have been found at Olympia
to date, sent there as devotional gifts.
Similar to a physician, the archaeologist makes his diagnosis only
after taking a careful “history” and after every conceivable question has been answered. The results, that naturally have to be reexamined again and again, are of service to other research within a
network of additional questions and counter-questions. One’s own
perseverance and that of one’s colleagues, joined with experience,
careful methods and constant and imaginative curiosity not only
about the objects but, about the people whose story is told, are all
prerequisites for historical research, too.
Prof. Dr. Hanna Koenigs-Philipp, born in 1938, studied classical archaeology and philology and qualified as a university lecturer at Frankfurt am Main. She has been associated
with the Egyptian Museum in Berlin and took part in the excavations at Olympia.
Among the focal points of her current research efforts are antique silhouette plates.
Express 2/08
31
Everyone pitches in
Whether it be a large or small family — or a “yours, mine and ours” clan — German family businesses
are just as varied in terms of size, type and orientation as private households today.
32 Express 2/08
REPORT: FAMILY FIRMS
Everybody pulls
together: Family firms
are a major economic
factor in Germany.
ell structured, innovative and forward-looking — this is how many
German family enterprises present themselves nowadays. Even though
rather quiet and modest in most cases, they form a major pillar of the economy. Their sales come to 1.9 trillion euros and thus account for 41.5 percent
of total company turnover in Germany, according to a study by the Family
Firms Foundation.
Very frequently family enterprises make for stable employment over the
long term, offer their employees a motivating working environment, and are
convincing on the basis of their flexibility and their proximity to customers.
This strengthens Germany as a business location. Family-run enterprises
can stand up to any comparison with companies listed in the DAX index of
German blue chip companies. The 500 largest family-owned businesses in
Germany in fact report higher growth rates in terms of both employment
and sales. A common formula for this appears to be the high degree of loyalty to the company and to the people working there. Apart from that, the
success factors are hard to generalize since the family enterprise concept
varies according to the families and their traditions.
Three successful companies — the Wuppermann Group, Quadrus GmbH
and Heinrich Ziegler GmbH — stand for the diversity of German family
enterprises as far as size and organizational form are concerned. In spite of
many differences, one feature is common to all of them: they are committed
to the future of their employees and products in both heart and mind — as
well as with their entrepreneurial skill and capital.
Corporate responsibility based on tradition
Heinrich Theodor Wuppermann laid the foundation for the corporate group
which today is managed by the Wuppermann AG, a company whose stock
is held entirely by family members. The farmer sold his land in Uckermark,
northeast of Berlin, in 1872, moved far west to Düsseldorf, acquired a drop
forge there and finally a rolling mill and forge in Leverkusen.
Responding to the steel crisis in the 1970s, the Wuppermann Group was
thoroughly restructured. The Theodor Wuppermann GmbH was sold to
Krupp and the other corporate activities were combined under the administration of a new holding company. In Austria and the Netherlands joint
ventures were set up with voestalpine Stahl GmbH and Corus Staal B.V.
At the same time the group launched activities in the sheet metal processing sector. Since this segment is developing vigorously, plans call for integrating additional sheet metal processors into the Wuppermann Group.
Wuppermann AG, the holding company, has been managing the corporate group since 2000, including the Steel Flat Rolled Products Division,
Technical Products Division and the Service and Consulting Division. →
Express 2/08
33
Among German
companies, family-owned
enterprises account for
∕10
1
nearly
Who:
Quadrus Metalltechnik GmbH, Schmidgaden.
Established in 1998, 110 employees. www.quadrus.de
In 2005, compared
to the sales of all German
companies, the 500 largest
family firms made up
95 %
of all employees with full
social insurance coverage in
Germany work for the top
500 family enterprises
around
11 %
What: Service provider and supplier of CNC laser cutting, CNC punching
and nibbling, CNC metal forming technology, welding technology
The Family Partner Day, held in addition to the annual shareholders’ get the best out of them,” states Gerd Edgar Wuppermann, chairman of
meeting, is among the efforts undertaken to guarantee a close bond to the Group’s Management Board. “We demonstrate presence among our
the company on the part of the family’s 70 stakeholders. Here they receive employees because we want to stay on eye level with them.”
comprehensive information on current corporate activities. To implement
family values — such as partnership, appreciation and mutual respect — A family enterprise with a plan for change
in the company as well, these values were firmly established in a mission Ten years ago the Prüfling and Gsödl brothers combined their expertise
statement. The employees experience these values as a feeling of belong- to form Quadrus GmbH in the Bavarian town of Schmidgaden, not far
ing to one big family, through sustainability in terms of corporate man- from the Czech border. The first objective was for the young company’s
agement and in the form of secure long-term jobs. “You can easily buy earnings to secure the livelihood of all four families involved. Thanks to
good machines — the important thing is that we have the people who can constant quality — beginning with the consulting phase and continuing
“Strife is the greatest destroyer of value.”
What is important in cooperation among
family members?
Successful cooperation requires three things from
everyone concerned: competence, integrity and
loyalty.
What are the difficulties involved ?
As a rule, it is a lack of information that leads to
distrust and disputes. And disputes are known to be
the greatest destroyer of value for family enterprises.
In what way can family enterprises
prevent conflicts at an early stage ?
34 Express 2/08
To avoid conflicts, constant contact and talks
within the family are indispensable. This way any
points at issue are identified early and then
quickly eliminated.
When compared with other firms, do
conflicts tend to arise more frequently
due to the closeness, both personal
and professional, involved?
That may be, but it’s by no means unavoidable.
There are a myriad examples of superb interaction
among numerous family members. A pre-requisite
is always that precise rules be established.
In 2002 Professor Brun-Hagen Hennerkes founded
the Family Firms Foundation. He is one of the
leading experts on this type of company.
REPORT: FAMILY FIRMS
Who:
Wuppermann AG, Leverkusen.
Established in 1872, over 700 employees. www.wuppermann.com
Photos: Strandperle, KD Busch, Claus Langer, Stiftung Familienunternehmen
What: Galvanizing steel strip, pipes: perforated, bent, cut, welded to
make components, sheet metal blanks and components
through job planning, scheduling, and all the way to delivery — this supplier to the automotive industry as well as to construction and agricultural equipment manufacturers has succeeded in growing at a swift pace.
At its fifth anniversary the company already had 27 employees and, after an additional 70 percent boost in growth last year, the four brothers
now employ 110 workers.
Quadrus is a successful example of a modern (family) enterprise
because the strengths of traditional family businesses are consciously
utilized. “The close-knit feeling of family is important to us — we want
everyone to feel at home here,” explains Werner Prüfling. “By virtue of
our form of corporate management, the short decision-making lines and
respectful treatment of one another, everyone’s motivation is very high
and we can ensure the highest quality.” Everybody in the company is on
a first-name basis with each other, unnecessary formalities are dispensed
with. The company’s success shows that this approach works. “Our staff
likes working here and even the customers come of their own accord.
We have no field sales staff,” assures Prüfling.
In spite of the family constellation and orientation, it has already
been decided that only the present generation will be involved in
running the company. Qualified and competent staff members are to
take over management of the enterprise after the current general managers step down.
Four generations of innovation
Four generations in different functions are jointly responsible for the
fate of the company established by Heinrich Ziegler 75 years ago and
which still bears his name. His wife, Else Ziegler, along with their children, Annelise Weber and Kurt Ziegler, hold the shares in the limited
liability company while grandson Klaus Weber is the general manager and
Who:
Heinrich Ziegler GmbH — technical systems, Baiersdorf.
Established in 1933, 20 employees. www.heinrich-ziegler-gmbh.de
What: Precision parts and complete customer-specific solutions as a
systems supplier
great-grandsons Manuel and Sebastian Weber work in the firm’s technical
and commercial departments. Based on his grandfather’s entrepreneurial
approach, Klaus Weber pursues a strategy of prudent and marketoriented management without chasing after market fashions. Investments
are made only if they hold no risk for the company.
Heinrich Ziegler GmbH supplies housings and structures geared to
specific requirements and developed with the customer’s participation
right until it is ready for production. The company manufactures readyfor-assembly units that are certified in accordance with ISO 9001.
Even though, as Klaus Weber reports, cost pressures are mounting
constantly due to increasing globalization, he clearly advocates Germany
as a business location. “We do not produce abroad as simple a matter
of principle. Even more than that: we have consciously decided in favor
of Germany and the Nürnberg region because we want our corporate
activities to be carried out and unfold their impact here.”
The 20 members of the Ziegler staff appreciate
their varied interdisciplinary duties and,
in particular, the harmonious atmos­
phere in the company. “We are more
or less one big family and deal with
each other in a very communi­cative
manner,” says Klaus Weber. At the
same time he emphasizes that not
only the qualified staff and the seven
members of the family active in
the company contribute to its suc­
cess; all the other family members
also support the enterprise with
assistance and advice.
Express 2/08
35
CHARACTERS: PEOPLE AND SHEET METAL
“It would be a pity if the culture tucked away in the
Lausitz region were not preserved for posterity.”
36 Express 2/08
Recasting industry
Prof. Dr. Rolf Kuhn can create landscapes. Right now
Photos: Bernd Liebl
he is actively promoting the Lausitz industrial heritage.
A landscape covered with bizarre craters, aban- visit the site each year. There are organized
doned machinery, deserted industrial facilities. events and on weekends the conveyor bridge
The lignite mining fields in the Lausitz region regularly becomes a light and sound installation.
were once the energy center for East Germany. This is hands-on industrial history.
The casual observer sees an apocalyptic scenario
of blighted nature, a picture of despair. Rolf Dress rehearsal at the Bauhaus
Kuhn, however, sees this as a professional Rolf Kuhn draws strength for his commitment in
challenge: “I have never encountered such vast Lausitz from his experience. Prior to the Internadimensions for landscape revival. As a planner tional Building Exposition, he was director at the
and architect, you first see the potential a rav- Bauhaus in Dessau from 1987 to 1998 and was involved with industrial culture there. One project
ished landscape holds.”
As a leading thinker in his field and general was Golpa-Nord in the Gräfenhainichen region.
manager of the International Building Exposi- The end of lignite mining left behind five opention (IBA) “FürstPücklerLand”, Rolf Kuhn now cast excavators and a lifeless countryside. For Rolf
has the opportunity to put his visions into prac- Kuhn this represented an opportunity to redesign
tice. His team started the transformation of the the area. “We were dealing with a coal pit back
mining region in 2000. Since then, new land- then and considered what to do with the excavascapes have been shaped in 25 projects, tour- tors no longer used — and that is how ‘Ferropolis’
ist attractions have been created and this has came into being.” Ferropolis, the city of iron, is
brought hope and a sense of future to the region. now both an event venue and an open-air museThe heart of this, Europe’s largest earthmoving um. Rolf Kuhn sums up: “I don’t know whether I
site, is the 14,000 hectare Lausitz lake district, could have cognitively mastered the dimensions
formed by flooding the lignite mining pits. It is in Lausitz if I hadn’t had this preliminary stage —
expected to be ready for full use in 2015.
as I might call it today — at the Bauhaus.”
Today Rolf Kuhn gladly puts his experimenRecumbent Eiffel Tower rescued
tal daring into practice for the InternationRegions like this fascinate Rolf Kuhn: “Industrial al Building Exposition, even though his ideas
landscapes came into being for human benefit don’t always encounter immediate approval. The
and to support livelihoods. Thus they are always success of the individual projects has changed
a part of our cultural heritage. They testify to doubters’ minds. And many former miners are
great engineering spirit.” If, as was the case in now involved, too. “That’s what pleases me the
Lausitz in the 1990s, mining and industrial uti- most — that they once again have a sense of
lization come to an end, then the landscape for- pride in this world of yester­year and
feits its character. “It would be a pity if the culture enjoy showing it off — as part
innate to this landscape were not preserved for of their own history,
posterity,” says Kuhn. His work therefore, aims their careers, their
to preserve industrial monuments for new uses. home region.”
He has already accomplished this, in collaboration with local authorities, at the F 60 demRolf Kuhn provided
onstration mine. The F60 overburden conveyor
the impetus for the
bridge at Lichterfeld near Finsterwalde was once
IBA: The Lausitz
the world’s largest mobile technical facility. The
lakes district proj“recumbent Eiffel Tower in Lausitz”, as the behe- ect forms the core
moth is endearingly called, is 502 meters long
for the building
and 80 meters high. More than 70,000 people
exposition.
Tell us,
Professor Kuhn …
… what do you see as your greatest
strength? And your greatest weakness?
Patience keeps me composed. My greatest
weakness is not to master sufficiently the
many technical things associated with
everyday living.
… how would you characterize
yourself in a few words?
As someone who can be animated by
a project or idea and who is ready to
reorganize many things in life in the pursuit
of that idea. And someone who is willing
to take the risks required.
… where do you draw your
energy from?
That might be from my origins: a tiny village
where I had to work on the farm even as a
child. That taught me the perseverance to
do something that seemed to have no end.
And I need a certain degree of harmony
and mutual respect in my family and in my
workday world, as well.
… what would you take with you on
the proverbial desert island?
My wife and children, of course, but also a
blank sketchbook in which I could write
down and draw my fantasies for the future.
… what dream would you like to make
come true in your lifetime?
I would like to found a company to
continue the work of the IBA. I would
hope that the IBA not only leaves 25 —
hopefully successful — projects in the
Lausitz, but also that these follow-on
institutions promote creativity, foresight
and development dynamics in the region
over the long term.
Express 2/08
37
“Dialogue with the clientele” has been the assignment at TRUMPF
Express for a quarter of a century now. This mission was originally
stated by Berthold Leibinger in the editorial for the first edition,
which appeared in June of 1983. Twenty-five years ago, publishing
a journal for customers was by no means commonplace and that
was why the inventors of the TRUMPF Express were by no means
sure how the idea would be received. The idea grew out of many
conversations with customers; it was discovered that they were
interested in having more information about TRUMPF than
might be the case in sporadic personal talks, as Berthold Leibinger
reported in that first editorial. Establishing a continuous flow of
information was from that time forward the objective and purpose
for TRUMPF Express. The discussion subjects became clear right
away: the broad spectrum of sheet metal processing and the wide
range of uses for TRUMPF machinery, depicted using technical
information and practical examples of customer applications. The
newspaper has, over the course of time, grown to the size of a
magazine. The number of pages has increased. The photos and
headlines are now in color and people have moved into the
1983
38 Express 2/08
1988
foreground. That’s quite a logical development because, just as its
technology, TRUMPF wants its customer magazines (Express now
has several “siblings” for other business fields) to be innovative as
well. They are supposed to put the customers up to new ideas —
worldwide. TRUMPF Express has always been international in its
outlook. Even the first issue appeared in three languages (see the
reproduction to the right). In 1984 a Japanese version was added.
Today, in addition to the German edition and an international
version in English, there are separate editions for the US and UK
markets. The first TRUMPF Express recently appeared in Italian on
the occasion of the “Lamiera” trade fair. And all of this is just the
beginning — because 25 years of age is hardly any age at all.
TRUMPF Express turns 25
2000
2005
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
1994
1993
1992
1991
1990
1989
1988
1987
1986
1985
1984
1983
Credits
TRUMPF Express 2/08
Magazine for sheet metal processing
Published by
TRUMPF Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH + Co. KG
Johann-Maus-Straße 2,
71254 Ditzingen, Germany
www.trumpf.com
Responsible for content
Mathias Kammüller, Dr. Eng.
Editor-in-chief
Anke Roser, +49 (0) 7156 303 – 3 04 28
anke.roser@de.trumpf.com
Edited by
pr+co. gmbh, Stuttgart, Germany
Norbert Hiller
Julie Steinen
Layout and production
pr+co. gmbh, Stuttgart, Germany
Gernot Walter
Markus Weißenhorn
Martin Reinhardt
Reproduction
Reprotechnik Herzog GmbH, Stuttgart,
Germany
Printed by
frechdruck GmbH, Stuttgart, Germany
Contributors
Julia Bechtler
Silke Köhler
Andreas Krause
Dr. Christine Kühn
Nadine Leimbrink
Olaf Meier
Martin Reinhardt
Julie Steinen
Monika Unkelbach
Michael Vogel
Translation
Stewart Lindemann, Wuppertal, Germany
Photography
KD Busch
Clemens Höfler
Simon Koy
Claus Langer
Bernd Liebl
Udo Loster
Benno B. A. Stadler
Jun-Ichiro Takahashi
Illustrations
Gernot Walter
Express 2/08
39
Photo: Strandperle
Kids at the wheel
It’s the only toy to be found in Duden, Germany’s standard
dictionary, and it is comprised of 326 individual parts: the
Kettcar. KETTLER , a brand famous for its recreational
products, launched production of this pedal car in 1960.
Boys and girls around the planet use it to explore their
worlds. With its two TRUMPF laser pipe cutting machines
the company ensures its success in global markets and can
manufacture new and alternate versions, with maximum
flexibility, even in small lots. Laser cutting helps satisfy
demands for quality and short delivery times. KETTLER
uses six TRUMPF machines to make 28 different pipe and
sheet metal items for this pedal car. The Kettcar production process involves, from beginning to end, a total of
106 distinct operations. www.kettler-rohrwerk.de