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Lathes of the highest quality FAT
LATHES OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY
FAT (Fabryka Automatów Tokarskich) SA, part the of Belgian HACO Group, is a well-known Polish manufacturer of specialist, mainly numerically controlled, custom-made lathes, exported to clients around the world. It is the only company in the Group which produces lathes, manufacturing around 150 machines every year. Piotr Sadowski reports.
Quality has always been the top priority for FAT SA, which has nearly 70 years of manufacturing tradition and since its inception has produced more than 60,000 lathes. “While we cannot compete on price with Far Eastern producers, we certainly win over clients by the strength of our brand and the absolute guarantee of providing the best quality and customer service following the purchase,” explains Ireneusz Ostrowski, director of sales and marketing at the company. “We work together with clients to deliver customised medium to large size lathes, today mostly numerically controlled. For example, we recently organised a meeting with our dealers to introduce one of our latest products, the FTM 700 5-axis CNC turn-mill centre. All of our machines are manufactured according to detailed customers’ orders. Our advantage lies in non-serial production and the capability to adjust to individual needs of clients.”
Growth and investment despite the recession
Since 1998, FAT has been a member of the Belgian HACO Group, which is an important European manufacturer of sheet metal working machinery (press brakes, guillotine shears, punching machines and laser cutting machines etc). Thanks to the cooperation with HACO, FAT has developed very quickly and has focused on the production of both conventional and CNC controlled flat bed CNC lathes. The company gained new investments and increased production of lathes. New machine shop was built; production of modern teach-in lathes using state-of-theart technology were developed as well as production of fabricating machinery. FAT also started to realise special projects for individual orders. A new sales strategy through dealer network was implanted.
The economic slowdown certainly affected the operations of FAT SA: it had to undertake vital cost restructuring and shed around 100 jobs. Nevertheless, the company managed to cope with the difficulties and for the last two years it has been undergoing stabilisation and has begun hiring again. “We now employ around 220 staff. It is, however, important to note that FAT SA is focusing on manufacturing increasingly larger, more innovative and complicated lathes. Some lathes, such as those in the TUR MN series, have an impressive turning length up to 16,000mm and turning diameter up to 1550mm.
Established in 1945, FAT SA is nowadays also a very independent producer. “This has been achieved thanks to a number factors; they include the fact that we operate our own design office and manufacture over 90 per cent of the mechanical components for our machines in-house,” adds Mr Ostrowski. “Our independence means that we can create a product entirely from start to finish, according to clients’ needs, as well as guaranteeing reliability and high-quality aftersales service.” This dynamic company is also investing in its development. Recently, it purchased a gear wheel grinder and a turning milling centre. The management is also considering changing its headquarters to the outskirts of the city of Wrocław, which could happen in the next three years.
Global exports
FAT SA can be considered as one of the leading European manufacturers of conventional, servo-controlled and CNC-controlled flat and slant bed lathes. It works with clients from a wide range of industries, such as hydraulics, shipyards, repair machinery, energy, mining, oil and gas, and many more. While continuously expanding its sales on the domestic market, currently accounting for up to 20 per cent of the annual distribution, FAT SA is also a well-known global supplier of lathes. Its biggest export market is western Europe, with key countries being Germany, France, Scandinavia and Belgium, where the parent entity HACO is located, in addition to a significant number of other European markets, including Russia and Turkey.
Thanks to its own sales network, FAT SA also supplies customers across North America, as well as South America, Asia, Middle East and Africa, and Australia. “When looking for new dealers, we always ensure that our local trading partner is a company who has a thorough knowledge and insight into the local market conditions,” says Mr
HARMONY IN COOPERATION - RELIABLE SERVICE
ZAKŁAD HANDLOWO - USŁUGOWY „HASAN” | 48-300 NYSA, ul. Jeziorna 15 tel: +48 77 409 39 30 - 2 | fax: +48 77 431 05 43 | e-mail: zhu@hasan.pl | www.hasan.pl
SCHNEEBERGER GmbH
Founded in 1923 in Switzerland, Schneeberger is now one of the leading brandnames,when it comes to groundbreaking innovations in the field of linear technology. Linear bearings, profiled linear guideways, integrated measuring systems, gear racks, slides, positioning systems and mineral casting are all part of Schneeberger’s product and manufacturing range. The company serves original equipment manufacturers operating in various industries worldwide – from general machine tool industry and automation to special industries as solar and semiconductor technology to electrical engineering and medical engineering, every field is represented.
Schneeberger’s distributors and exclusive representatives can be found in all major industrial nations around the world, thereby guaranteeing the best possible proximity to customers everywhere.
See: www.schneeberger.com
ZHU “HASAN”
Electro pumps for cooling emulsions and oils in machine tools – submersible pumps, gear pumps, high pressure pumps, transfer pumps.
Lighting for machine tools - fluorescent lights, halogen lamps, LED lamps.
Exterior and interior lights - StLED street lamps, LED lighting tubes: T5, T8, T10, linear.
Optoelectronic encoders.
Sectional hoses for cooling emulsions 0-1 atm, 0-6 atm.
Limit switches - micro switches.
Sales, technical support, service.
Ostrowski. “It also must be able to guarantee excellent after-sales service.”
Local partners significantly contribute to the FAT S.A. products’ final success on the market. The company has cooperated with such big names in their fields as Schneeberger (one of the leading brand names, when it comes to groundbreaking innovations in the field of linear technology), Igus (a worldwide manufacturer and distributor of plastic plain bearings, spherical bearings, linear guides, cable carriers and continuous-flex cables), Hasan (a leading manufacturer of cooling systems of cutting tool in machine tools), Fagor Automation (a company with great experience in the development and manufacturing of products for machine automation and control) and NSK Polska. The last company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of rolling bearings, linear technology, automotive components and steering systems. It offers standard and customised products to key industrial sectors. The NSK product ranges include ball and roller bearings, bearing units, linear guides and ball screws, hub units and steering columns. NSK bearing types include deep groove, angular contact, self-aligning, thrust, cylindrical, spherical, and tapered and needle. FAT’s cooperation with NSK Polska started in 2001. Initially, this cooperation included delivery of TAC and BTR bearings to spindle lathes, which replaced the widely used angular contact ball bearings. Gradually the range of products supplied has been expanded. The NSK high quality products and advisory services as well as its technical support resulted in more than ten years of fruitful cooperation with FAT/HACO.
The company is also actively engaged in strengthening its brand awareness by regularly exhibiting at key international industry fairs. It is a well-known presence at events such as METAV in Düsseldorf, INDUSTRIE LYON, PRODEX in Basel, USINAGE EXPO NOUVEAU in Paris, TEKNISKA MASSAN in Stockholm, MACH-TOOL in Poznań, TATEF in Istanbul, VIENNA TAC, TOOLEX in Sosnowiec, IMTS in Chicago and many others.
The company is going to proudly present its latest products: TUR 4MN heavy duty 4-guideway lathe designed for highly efficient machining of long and heavy workpieces and TUR PMN a new model based on the well-established and popular TUR MN series adapted for pipe turning during Open House at FAT HACO in Wroclaw, 6–7 September 2013. The company cordially invites its current and future customers for this event.
The Open House will be followed by the EMO Fair held in Hannover, Germany, 16–21 September. The company will be present there with its new TUR PMN model.
“Marketing is an important element of developing our business as it helps to continue building and strengthening the positive and reliable image of the company,” confirms Mr Ostrowski. “With over 60,000 produced and sold worldwide, our machines have earned an excellent reputation worldwide as technologically advanced European products of the best quality and reliability. Our ultimate aim is therefore to ensure that those customers who choose our machines will keep coming back to our brand.” n
