In-depth success LNS

The in-house development of the unique Camless Turning enables Weisser to substitute profile trimming of non-round profiles – completely freely programmable. This is particularly attractive to use in space-saving shaft/hub connections, linear guides, tool fitting, curved elements and more.

“We want to provide the optimum system for each production strategy,” says Mr Weisser. “We are called in when the customer realises that it is more important to look at the cost per piece, not at the secondary processing times or the axis speed. Building on our deep experience we can push until we find the best balance between speed and process stability. This is where our claim ‘designed to be faster’ originates – and by the way this is also valid for speed of innovation and adaption of new requirements.”

Customers in many sectors

The new production hall with the 35-ton machine has pushed the maximum diameter of workpieces to 600mm, and this opens markets outside of the traditionally strong segment of OEMs and the first tiers. First inroads into agricultural and mining machines and the aviation and energy sectors have been made.

All Weisser customers are well-known names, and with some there are close partnerships in the shape of Simultaneous Engineering, for example with ZF or VW.

“We are present in the automotive sector worldwide. We follow the expansion of our European customers, with export activities that offer first-class service and ensure machine availability. In South Korea, China and Russia we have direct local customers, which shows that we hold our own in foreign markets too.”

“We have a large range of competent supply partners”, says Mr Weisser. “With Sandvik and Sumitomo we were able to lower the tool costs for rotational turning significantly, which brought the international breakthrough for this technology. In CNCControls we work with Siemens as well as Bosch Rexroth, which helps with the acceleration of camless turning of up to 60g.”

Individual future strategy

“Next year we will be showing our camlessturning machine at the Metav in Düsseldorf. After that it is the Maktek in Istanbul, Metallobrobootka in Moscow and the AMB in Stuttgart – with displays that will surprise the audiences,” promises Mr Weisser. “We work hard on strengthening our autonomy, standing out from companies who are controlled by financial investors or who are tied into unwieldy groups. We pride ourselves on our flexibility as there is no pressure to grow in a certain way. Our own management style is suitable for the highest achievements, although in its individuality it cannot be simply applied elsewhere. However, mergers and acquisitions are part of the changing business landscape around us so we will see what surprises our newly completed handover to the sixth generation owners will bring in the future.” n

Hansjörg Weisser, Sales and Business Development Director

IN-DEPTH SUCCESS

LNS is a global leader in the field of underground mining, tunnelling and offshore mining operations. Philip Yorke talked to Frode Nilsen, the company’s managing director, about its increasing involvement in harbour development and deep-sea blasting operations, as well as its expanding role in South America.

LNS (Leonhard Nilsen & Sonner AS) was founded in Norway in 1961 by Malvin Nilsen and his father, Leonhard Nilsen. Since then the company has expanded to become a major global engineering group that includes 15 highly specialised companies and is managed by the third generation of the Nilsen family. The group’s head office is located in Vesteralen, Norway, and its activities span the globe from the Arctic and eastern Europe, to South America, Asia and the South Pole. The road from a modest local company to that of a leading global operator has been a long and winding one with the LNS Group today employing more than 850 people and in 2012 recording sales of more than NOK 1.7 billion.

Following consistent growth in Norway the company secured its first major contract outside its domestic market in 2004 when it won the contract for the Almannaskard tunnel in Iceland. Following this, it established LNS Chile in 2008, followed by the opening of its Hong Kong offices in 2009. Thereafter the group evolved to become a truly global engineering concern.

Today LNS offers a wide range of specialised engineering products and services that include road construction, underground mining, harbour development and deepsea blasting. In addition, the LNS Group is focused on road and tunnel construction, bulk transport and a broad range of various mining operations. The company’s many years of operations in the Antarctic has also provided it with unique expertise in the areas of polar mining and logistics operations.

Unrivalled expertise in challenging environments

LNS projects vary greatly in size and scope and many of these rely heavily on the unique experience offered by the company in overcoming both practical and logistical challenges in hazardous environments. An example of a complex and challenging project awarded to LNS is the construction of Narvik’s new ore harbour, which is an enormous project by any standards and one which provides the Swedish company LKAB with a total of twelve new underground silos in which to store large quantities of ore and pellets.

“Currently we are involved in a variety of major contracts in South America, Greenland, Iceland, Hong Kong, Antarctica and Spitsbergen. In South America we are well represented and see this market as a major driver for growth in the future. Our product portfolio is also expanding and today we are seeing strong growth in a number of new sectors. As far as tunnel projects are concerned, we are expecting more activity in the next 20 years than there has been in the last 6000 years. In fact, it is clear that with the increasing pressure on large cities and conurbations to improve public transport systems, underground solutions often provide the only way forward.

Mr Nilsen added, “We are also seeing strong demand in new market segments such as harbour development and underwater blasting, which like many other areas of our operations are extremely environmen-