Advancing the technology of machine tools

DANOBATGROUP is a leading Spanish manufacturer of specialist precision machine tools. The company’s main focus is to introduce innovative solutions to help its clients remain ahead of their competitors on the global market.

Last December the sheet metal division of Spain’s DANOBATGROUP celebrated its 50th anniversary. The business began in 1962 in the town of Elgoibar, in the Basque country of northern Spain, but it was not until some six years later that the division began to produce machine tools for sheet metal processing. Today, the division’s machines include technologically advanced machines such as electric punching machines, sheet metal flexible lines, automatic panel benders and fibre laser cutting machines. The sheet metal division exports its products to worldwide markets under the DANOBAT brand.

DANOBAT itself was founded in 1954 as a supplier of specialist precision machine tools. The DANOBATGROUP was established in 1980 in order to manage the company’s growing product portfolio and the Group later became a member of MONDRAGON Corporation, a company among the top 10 Spanish industrial corporations. The DANOBATGROUP also includes the operations of the SORALUCE company, a specialist manufacturer of hightechnology CNC metalworking machine tools, located in the nearby town of Bergara.

Today, the DANOBATGROUP’s machine tools cover a wide range of manufacturing

technologies, from milling, grinding, turning, drilling, cutting, punching and bending to specialised equipment for the railway industry. Its machines are widely used in the aerospace, automotive, capital goods and oil and gas industries and are playing a key role in the manufacturing of components for wind turbines.

Continuous growth

In 1986, DANOBATGROUP opened IDEKO, its technological research and development centre, which specialises in developing new technology relating to machine tools. By 1992 the company had established sales and service offices in Germany, France, China, USA, Brazil and Japan. Several significant acquisitions followed, including the purchase of the German market leader Overbeck and the long-established British engineering company Newall.

In 2004, DANOBATGROUP created a new production facility called Goimek, dedicated to the machining of high precision components. The expansion continued, and in 2005 DANORAIL was established to supply equipment for railway maintenance. This was followed three years later by the opening of a new plant for the construction of equipment for railway rolling stock parts production, into which €12 million was invested.

In 2008, together with a well-known casting company as a partner, a company called Lakber was established. Lakber’s objective is to provide solutions to the wind turbine component OEMs. wind turbine component production is carried out on Soraluce milling machines. In just a few months, LAKBER became a worldwide reference in both mass production and prototype machining of sophisticated wind turbine parts.

In 2010 DANOBATGROUP started the construction of a production factory in Pune, India, which became fully operative in 2011. It also opened new facilities in China. A strong team ethos

Today, DANOBATGROUP is the market leader in Spain, and is aiming to establish solid international leadership around the world. The majority of its business is conducted on a global level, with the core export markets being Germany, Italy, China and Russia.

Although DANOBATGROUP is a global player, it bases its success on the commitment and active involvement of its employees. In fact, every one of its employees is a shareholder in the company, which is the strongest incentive to contribute to its growth and success.

Sales director, Óscar Urdangarin, explained “The human capital is the essential axis of our company, and we are committed to offering competitive and profitable solutions to all our customers worldwide. We apply our expertise and technology to promote our customers and to provide them with added value and the necessary competitive edge to advance on the global market. We continuously develop our products and refine our solutions, which can be solutions for a certain piece our customer requires or ‘turnkey’ solutions for a fundamental element of the production process. This is what sets us apart from other companies.”

He continued: “Another key feature that sets us apart is that we are a one-stop shop. Our customers do not have to deal with different suppliers and therefore different technologies, different qualities and techniques of after-sales, different know-how, different business attitudes and even a different language. We provide integral solutions that cover all technical and aftersales needs in one contract. This approach has already proved successful in Germany, Italy, Russia and China.”

Innovation

The main vehicle to implement this goal is the technological research and development centre, IDEKO. It works on specialist innovations and the creation of state-of-the-art

machine tool products to supply the group with groundbreaking technological solutions. Within the centre there are more than 120 researchers, including 27 PhDs, working on product engineering, mechanical engineering and control engineering.

Óscar Urdangarin added: “Every research project has a specific objective; it is applied and practical research that responds to the day-to-day situation of our customers. It may look at the geometry, vibrations or the exposure to extreme temperatures.”

Innovation is a key value for DANOBATGROUP. Óscar Urdangarin explained: “We look at innovation in terms of four aspects: product innovation, or in other words, the application of new technologies for the production of solutions and machines to achieve the highest possible competitiveness for our clients; innovation on the market; innovation in the supply chain and also innovation in the organisation, as we are prepared to take on new challenges, countries, industries and technologies.”

DANOBATGROUP also works on fundamental ground-breaking innovations, which require high-volume investment. Óscar Urdangarin explained: “We have now completed a solution for the manufacture of equipment for the automated production of composites made of fibre. The fibre products are used for applications such as the construction of boats, which used to be carried out manually by craftsmen. However, they are also applied in the railway, aeronautical and energy sectors. Now we have been able to implement technological solutions that automate the production process. This new structure may revolutionise fibre processing and may even come to replace metal in certain applications.”

New products

“Another example of technological innovation is the development of products and technologies for the machining of large components. This is a growing trend that has brought changes not only in our product range but also in the production model, which has had to implement new manufacturing facilities for large machines (investment in new pavilions and logistics).”

DANOBATGROUP has strengthened its product portfolio and diversified its offer with the creation of a new generation of large machines including, for the first time, DANOBAT vertical lathes and grinders and a new family of SORALUCE milling machines. These allow large equipment solutions to meet the demand by customers in the wind energy sector and for those who need equipment capable of turning and grinding pieces of up to 5 metres in diameter and milling components up to 6 metres vertical.

“This new generation of machines has been well received in the European market,” says Mr Urdangarin. “In fact, we have already closed several contracts for the supply of DANOBAT vertical lathes to German and Italian companies. Also, we have won several contracts to supply the new DANOBAT vertical grinding and the new SORALUCE millers, introducing the highest degree of automation to provide higher working speed and precision.”

International expansion

At the end of 2008 DANOBATGROUP was awarded the contract – the largest ever order in the Spanish machine tool industry’s history – to renew the Russian railway system.

The contract included the delivery of two turnkey automated production lines, one to handle blocks for manufacturing complete train axles – up to 50,000 units a year – and a second line to produce bogies and railway carriage supports.

DANOBATGROUP’s global expansion continues with the installation in February 2013 of its first laser cutting machine in India, in a subcontracting company near Mumbai. This will soon be followed by a second laser machine in Bangalore. With these installations, the DANOBATGROUP is continuing to consolidate its brand in the strategically important market of India. n

We specialise in manufacturing prototypes made out of wood, polystyrene, aluminium, resin, etc.

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