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Leading in power hydraulics Hydrotor
LEADING IN POWER HYDRAULICS
Created in 1945 as the National Tractor and Agricultural Machinery Company, and following a number of production-focus changes over the decades, Hydrotor S.A. is today one of Poland’s leading manufacturers of power hydraulics appliances. The Hydrotor Group employs over 760 people, while Hydrotor S.A. has 340 staff. Piotr Sadowski writes for ‘Industry Europe’.
Hydrotor’s core area of manufacturing lies in constructions based on innovative technological and engineering solutions; the product range includes high pressure pumps, gear pumps, control valves, selector valves, hydraulic aggregates and cylinders, power sources and flow meters. “We also produce parts for machinery and appliances,” says Marcin Andrearczyk, representing Hydrotor S.A. “In order to fully meet the demands of the market we are currently working on modernising our machine park and plan to expand the scope of production to include new types of gear pumps, valve blocks and valves, as selector systems. In mid-2012 we started the operation of a new large element processing unit as well as a low noise level pumps project.”
Hydrotor’s offer also includes the renovation of elements of power hydraulics – pumps, actuators, selectors and other elements of hydraulics, something that the company has been carrying out since its beginnings nearly 70 years ago. Over the decades it has established its own, unique methods of renovating hydraulics elements. “We offer one-year guarantees on our renovated elements, which should be a strong confirmation that they are highly reliable,” confirms Mr Andrearczyk. “In recent years we have also gained a lot of experiences with orders for repairs coming from foreign manufacturers.” Large-scale investments
As Mr Andrearczyk points out, the continuous expansion of manufacturing capabilities is what the market and the clients expect of Hydrotor. Every year, the company plans new investments in its machine park. “In 2012 we completed and launched our biggest ever investment – the Centre for Precise Processing of Large Elements – worth over PLN 28 million,” says Mr Andrearczyk. “The Centre was a result of R&D activities carried out together with the Technological and Environmental University in Bydgoszcz as part of activities 1.4–4.1 of the Operating Programme ‘Innovative Economy’. The result of this work is the Centre which enables us to carry out the most complex and precise processing of large-size elements at the highest levels of quality and capability. Owing to their size and weight, these elements would be impossible to process without the operations of the highly innovative and modern Centre, which employs the latest technologies which, in turn, guarantee long-life elements, easier assembly as well as new methods for repairing and regenerating parts.”
The machine park where high-precision processing takes place is equipped with two MIKROMAT 20V portal centres, where manufacturing processes take place in an air-conditioned production hall at a temperature of 19.8°C, with variations being no bigger than 0.48°C/2 hours. The company is able to process elements (up to sizes of 5000mm/2500mm/1850mm and maximum weight of 15 tonnes) to the precision of several micrometres. “We regularly process elements of machinery from such well-known producers as Kovosvit MAS – one of the largest manufacturers of CNC processing appliances in Europe, and SW–Schwäbische Werkezegumaschinen GmbH, a major producer of CNC processing machines for the automotive industry, but we also focus on processing elements used in industrial sectors such as aircraft, wind energy and other areas where the highest precision is required,” summarises Mr Andrearczyk.
Excellent technological equipment
In addition to the Centre, Hydrotor also operates the largest CMM Zeiss MMZG machine in Poland for measuring processed elements, as well as for carrying out external measurement services. The MMZG 30/60/20 machine, manufactured by Carl Zeis consortium, enables measurements to be carried out in the range of X-3000mm, Y-6000mm, Z-2000mm, at the highest precision. The Maximum Permissible Error for Length Measurement is 3.5+L/400μm. In order to increase the possibility of measuring large elements, the machine has been mounted on 700mmhigh pillars, thus increasing the clearance over the portal to 3200mm.
“By using the Zeiss VAST active scanning head it is possible to conduct measurements using terminals made from carbon fibre with a length of up to 1200mm,” explains Mr Andrearczyk. “A customer who uses our measurement services obtains a 3D measurement protocol and can be assured of the highest quality of service, completed by qualified specialists. Our measurements often allow you to avoid unnecessary costs associated with the returns of products and eliminate errors at the production stage.”
In fact the entire large element processing service at Hydrotor is very innovative, as the technologies used are unique and offered by very few companies. Owing to the difficulty associated with ensuring the required processing accuracy, the need to guarantee appropriate temperature conditions in the production process is of vital importance. The degree of spread of similar technologies in precision processing across the world does not exceed 5 per cent – making Hydrotor a truly impressive and unique market player.
Strong business relationships
The client base of Hydrotor includes manufacturers of agricultural machinery and appliances, as well as enterprises in electro-machinery, construction, mining and many other areas where wide-ranging mobile hydraulics are used. “We work with well-known clients such as Idex Corporation, Parker Hannifin, Bosch Rexroth and CLAAS Industrietechnik,” says Mr Andrearczyk. “A significant part of our production
WORLD OF STEEL WITHIN YOUR REACH
The Benteler Distribution Poland limited liability company, which has been present on the Polish market since 1994, is a leading supplier of steel products.
The company is part of the German Benteler Trading group, which total annual sales is estimated as 600,000 tons of steel. The group employs more than 1,500 employees in 29 countries.
To meet the needs of customers and to confront the competition, Benteler Distribution Poland continually conducts wide-ranging policy of diversifying both suppliers and assortment range. It also offers a wide range of services as well as full service.
reaches trading and spare parts businesses. It is important to understand that elements of power hydraulics are those that undergo the greatest wear and tear in machinery and appliances, therefore spare parts are an important area in the market for hydraulics.”
Hydrotor also cooperates with a wide range of suppliers, including suppliers of tools, who often support the company with the most optimal tool and technological solutions. This cooperation is based on partnership relationships with suppliers such as foundries, manufacturers of aluminium profiles and suppliers of steel. Such cooperation is a very important factor in the effective operation of a modern enterprise, such as Hydrotor. “Approximately 40 per cent of all our products are sold abroad, mainly to EU countries, as well as the US, former USSR countries and the Middle East,” explains the company’s representative. “Export markets are very important for us, particularly the German market; however we cannot forget about the importance of Poland, where we have been operating for nearly 70 years. The products of the entire Hydrotor Group go to over 20 different countries and overall export surpasses 50 per cent. We are currently undertaking an order for valves and pumps for clients from Egypt and Saudi Arabia. We are also engaged in intensive marketing activities in the Russian and Middle Eastern markets.”
Outlook on future growth
Hydrotor S.A. will continue to grow organically, as well as through mergers and acquisitions such as WPH Wrocław, WIZAMOR and ZEHS Lubań. In acquisitions, the company looks to further expand the Group in terms of the core business, hydraulics.
“We want to achieve synergy through joint sales and purchasing policy, as well as optimal use of resources of each and every business unit within Group,” concludes Mr Andrearczyk. “Cooperation between the companies in the Group is very important, as it translates into the highest product quality and reduced costs of manufacturing. Over the years we have created a strong Group that brings together power hydraulics producers that complement one another. Future acquisitions are possible under appropriate circumstances but the main driver in future expansion will come from organic growth.” n
