Industry Europe – Issue 24.8 by IndustryEurope

VOLUME 24/8 – 2014 • €6

The world of European manufacturing

FIDIA – THE EXPERTS IN HIGH SPEED MILLING TECHNOLOGY KOLEKTOR ETRA INVESTS TO SERVE A WIDER MARKET MATERIALISE LEADS EUROPE IN 3D PRINTING

TECHNICAL SUPERIORITY KEEPS EUROPE’S SHIPBUILDING AFLOAT

OPINION

PETERMERCER

Not for turning The French left is bitterly hostile to the government’s attempts to change direction but how committed are ministers themselves?

very year, in late August, France’s Socialist Party meets at the charming Atlantic port of La Rochelle for what it calls the University of the Summer. How much more civilised it all sounds compared to the annual conferences of Britain’s Labour Party; comrades may abound in both organisations but the French manage to evoke images of long rational discussions in quay-side cafes after days of seminars and lectures devoted to advancing the socialist critique of capitalist economics and exposing the fallacies of ‘social liberalism’. One imagines much time is spent elevating the mundane problems of politics and economics to the heady heights of ‘Theory’, where all French intellectuals feel most at home, secure in the knowledge that hardly anyone who is not a French intellectual will have the faintest idea of what they are talking about. No doubt it’s seldom really like this. Probably there is no shortage of wrangling and back-stabbing at La Rochelle each summer but, even so, the cries of anguish that rang through the groves of academe this year were surely without precedent. ‘No socialist can swallow the events of the last week without blinking; you have to shout about it or it would give you stomach cancer,’ declared one cabinet minister in a phrase that Le Monde described as ‘a touch disillusioned’, proving that the French media can do understatement just as well as the British even if their politicians are inclined to (almost untranslatable) hyperbole. What was making the citizens ill, of course, was the previous week’s cabinet reshuffle that had seen the leftist firebrand Arnaud Montebourg replaced as economy minister by the former Rothschild investment banker Emmanuel Macron. Coming on top of the recent insistence of the new prime minister Manuel Valls that the government would seek to cut spending, lower the tax burden and encourage a more business-friendly fiscal and regulatory

environment, for many socialists this was just proof that the Hollande government was out to betray French socialism and sell out to the bankers and the business interests. Had not Hollande swept to power declaring himself to be ‘the enemy of finance’? What was he now doing appointing an investment banker to run the economy? No wonder the militants at La Rochelle were, as le Monde observed, swinging between annoyance, weariness and a state of shock. Just like real students faced with their final exams, in fact. Like president Mitterand in the 1980s, Hollande has been forced by the inescapable facts of France’s dismal economic performance to abandon his socialist prescriptions for recovery – higher taxes, especially on the rich, more spending , more regulation and less ‘austerity’ – for a more free-market agenda – cutting government spending and trying to lower the cost of actually employing people. So Mr Valls told the party faithful at La Rochelle that ‘the left must do what is needed to restore the economy’, even if that meant €40bn of tax cuts for business, €50bn in spending cuts and reforms to encourage growth and employment. No doubt aware that his recent declaration to the employers federation that he ‘loved business’ (‘J’aime l’entreprise’) had not gone down too well in his party, he was at pains to insist that he loved socialism too. But then along came Mr Macron, 36, Rothschild banker, prize-winning concert pianist, philosophy graduate and a product of the elite Ecole nationale d’administration (but then they all are, Hollande included). And he adds a liberal dose of petrol to the fire by suggesting that one way to get more productivity and growth would be to end the 35 hour working week, the regulation above all others that symbolises the Socialist party promise to protect French workers from too much work. In his speech at the end of the conference Mr Valls assured the Party that

the working week would remain sacrosanct, whatever the economy minister had said, but the left still made their way home from La Rochelle in a state of outrage.

Blairite betrayal What they fear is that Hollande is about to do a Tony Blair – throw overboard the socialist values and policies that have defined the party for generations and reposition it as a social democratic, free market, business – friendly party of the centre. One MP protested that the Mr Valls ‘wanted to break with everything that we on the French left have believed in for decades’ and the party secretary general Jean-Christophe Cambadelis said simply that ‘Social liberalism is not in our culture’. Actually it is most unlikely that Hollande will be able to do a Blair, even if he sincerely wanted to. The resistance from the left is much too strong. But even the reforms he is trying to bring in are probably too little and too late. What France needs is not so much a Blair as a Thatcher – a radical reorientation towards an entrepreneurial economy and a supply-side revolution and it needed it 40 years ago. It won’t get it because, whatever the business-friendly noises from the new government team, all of them continue to believe that it is Germany’s insistence on ‘austerity’ across Europe that is the real cause of France’s crisis, not its own failure to bring in structural reforms. Both Valls and Macron have made it clear that it is Berlin’s insistence on adherence to the budget deficit rules that is strangling growth in France. Actually no French budget has met the rules since 2008 but they still want them relaxed so that growth can resume and then reforms will follow when workers are not feeling so vulnerable. And almost every politician in France agrees with them; they disagree only on how polite they need to be to n Chancellor Merkel. Industry Europe 3

CONTENTS Editor Peter Mercer

IT Support Jack Everson

Deputy Editor Victoria Hattersley

Production Manager Kamila Kajtoch

Profile Writers Abigail Saltmarsh Felicity Landon Piotr Sadowski Emma-Jane Batey Barbara Rossi Philip Yorke Edina Sin

Administration Anna Chamberlain Amber Dawson Kayleigh Harvey Art Administration Tania Balderson Advertising Manager Andrew Briggs

Art Director Gareth Harrey

Sector Managers Matthew Howe Milada Preslova Massimo Ragazzo Helen Leisi Anthony McClintock Ben Snowing Anna Dudek Stephen Moore Martin Gisborne Victoria Pease

Art Editor Rob Czerwinski Designers Leon Esterhuizen Paul Abbott Claire Bidle Web Development Neil Robertson

Industry Europe Alkmaar House, Alkmaar Way, Norwich, Norfolk, NR6 6BF, United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)1603 414444 Fax: +44 (0)1603 779850 Email: photos@industryeurope.net adcopy@industryeurope.net Web: www.industryeurope.net

Above: Shipbuilding Industry p6

Comment 1 4

Opinion Not for turning Bill Jamieson European Commission in a fantasy world

Shipbuilding Industry 6 9 12

Europe’s shipbuilding industry competes on technical merits Still ahead on cruise ships Shipbuilding news The latest from the industry Power from the sea Alderney tidal array

News 14 16 18 19 20 21

Winning business New orders and contracts Linking up Combining strengths Moving on Relocations and expansions Industry people Appointments Technology spotlight Advances in technology Notice board New products and processes

Reports © Industry Europe 2014 No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form for any purpose, other than short sections for the purpose of review, without prior consent of the publisher. POSITIVE PUBLICATIONS

22 23

Focus on Germany Allan Hall reports from Berlin Focus on France Ian Sparks reports from Paris

Aerospace 24

Setting new standards in the air Airbus

Automotive A Square Root Company

US Industry Today, Industry Europe’s sister publication, is published in the United States of America. For further information or to subscribe contact: Sue Poeton, 100 Morris Avenue, Suite 202, Springfield, NJ 07081. Tel: +1 973 218-0310 Fax: +1 973 218-0311. Email: corporate@USIToday.com. Web site: USIToday.com

4 Industry Europe

29 34 38

Experts in assembling automotive parts GEDIA Automotive

Excellence rewarded Daimler Intelligent light systems Automotive Lighting

Building & Construction 41 44 48

Experts in construction chemicals KREISEL Success cubed Haga Metallbau Seeking new markets Siplast

VOL 24/8

Above: Mikrosan p119

Chemicals 52

Above: GEDIA Automotive p29 Below: Siplast p48

Unrivalled agrochemical expertise SKW Piesteritz

Cleaning Systems 56 60

Number one in flooring solutions HTC Group Cleaner and greener Tennant Company

Above: Standardkessel p72 Below: Fidia p92

Energy 64 68 72

Transforming power efficiency Kolektor Etra Harnessing wind power Norvento Delivering intelligent energy solutions Standardkessel

Food 78

Investing to meet rising demand Pick Szeged

Furniture 82

Exports drive growth Podgorje

Heavy Vehicles 85

New focus for engineered hose specialist James Dawson

Metals & Metalworking

Above: HTC Group p56 Below: Kolektor Etra p64

88 92 97 100 104

Pressure for perfection Avure Celebrating 40 years of high technology Fidia Continuous improvement is the key to quality castings SCM Foundries A new leader in surface solutions Oerlikon Balzers Diversity in metals Zucchetti Mario Forging

Above: Gravic Hungary p108 Below: Materialise p112

Pharmaceuticals 108 Experts in technical labels Gravic Hungary

Plastics 112 The 3D printing revolution Materialise 119 Polymer production solutions Mikrosan 122 Partner in polymer solutions Nolato Medical

Also in this issue... 126 Experts in locking systems RST Roztocze Industry Europe 5

COMMENT

BILLJAMIESON

Executive Editor of The Scotsman

European Commission in a fantasy world The latest economic forecast from Brussels sees growth where others see only stagnation.

“T

he recovery is broadening. GDP growth in the EU, which has turned positive in the second quarter of last year, is increasingly driven by domestic demand.” So begins the latest official economic assessment and forecast from Marco Buti, the European Commission Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs. In case the opening two sentences of the 165-page Winter 2014 Forecast were not sufficiently Panglossian, Mr Buti was only warming to his theme. “This year,” he continues, “domestic consumption and investment are set to expand further, reducing the dependency of the recovery on the external sector. Growth has also returned in many of the vulnerable Member States, and growth differentials across EU Member States are expected to narrow.” It is hard to conceive an appraisal of the state of the EU economy at such variance with the real world. But this is what passes for truth within the Commission headquarters in Brussels: a state of affairs beyond Orwellian. Here are the facts. The eurozone’s feeble recovery sputtered to a halt in the second quarter of this year. The continent’s economy is stagnating. There were some bright spots Spanish growth quickened from 0.4 per cent in the first three months of the year to 0.6 per cent. And both Dutch and Portuguese GDP, which had contracted in the first quarter, are now above these lows. But the euro area is being held back by poor performances in its three biggest economies. GDP fell in Germany, the biggest, and Italy, the third largest, by 0.2 per cent; France, the second largest economy, reports a GDP standstill. Investment bank Citigroup has cut its German growth forecasts once again, to 1.3 per cent for 2014 and 1.6 per cent for 2015, from 1.6 per cent and 2.0 per cent previously. “Prospects for exports and export-sensitive investment,” it notes, “have deteriorated in par6 Industry Europe

ticular. Germany is more vulnerable to external risks than other large eurozone countries.” The lacklustre recovery has barely dented unemployment across the eurozone. Now there is growing frustration over the timid response so far by the European Central Bank. ‘Berlin fiddles while Rome burns’ would be a fair description. There is clamour for more effective action – specifically measures to counter low inflation by adopting a programme of quantitative easing. Hopefully this will come by the time you read this.

The lacklustre recovery has barely dented unemployment across the eurozone. Now there is growing frustration over the timid response so far by the European Central Bank. As The Economist warned, “low inflation and negligible growth are a potentially lethal combination for countries weighed down by debt, as many are in the euro area. Moreover, the problem arises not just from high levels of public debt but also from excessive debt owed by households and firms. Even if inflation remains merely low it presents a problem for borrowers whose incomes are rising much more slowly, if at all, than they expected when they took out their loans. And if prices start generally to fall, this raises the real burden of debt.”

Pressing for flexibility So evident has the deterioration become – despite that blue-sky depiction of the European Commission – that EU leaders have agreed to hold an emergency summit on promoting growth and jobs on October 7, highlighting their concerns over the fragile economic recovery.

The statement announcing the summit baldy stated that “the recovery, particularly in the euro area, is weak, inflation exceptionally low and unemployment unacceptably high.” Italy has been pressing for greater flexibility in the application of strict EU rules on budget deficits, alongside countries such as France, arguing that an excessive focus on German-style austerity has hampered Europe’s recovery. Consumer sentiment in Italy slumped more than expected in August, the third consecutive drop, taking it back below its long-run average. Said Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, “Europe must be more than the (bond) spread, rules and economic budgets.” A separate summit for the 18 eurozone members would also be held in the autumn. Expectations of radical central bank action were also boosted by remarks by a bank board member that the ECB was ready to adjust monetary policy stance further and that it “will provide additional liquidity to banks on the condition that they increase credit directed to the real economy.” All this has gone down like a plate of cold spaghetti in Berlin. German government spokesmen were moved to deny reports that chancellor Angela Merkel had telephoned ECB governor Mario Draghi to ‘demand answers’ regarding comments he made suggesting an easier fiscal stance, including perhaps a public investment programme, to boost the euro area economy. So has the ECB changed its course on austerity? And if she didn’t ‘demand answers’, what did she demand? Berlin declined further comment. Whatever the European Commission might say, EU leaders have clearly given up on those empty Commission platitudes about “recent improvements point to a path towards gradual normalisation.”… However, it conceded, “there is still some sailing to do n before we reach harbour.” Sailing to do? That’s putting it mildly.

USA

Industry Europe 7

While Europe’s ferry and freighter shipbuilders are in intensive care, its cruise shipbuilding industry and marine equipment suppliers enjoy the virtual global domination. Alan Lam reports.

EUROPE’S SHIPBUILDING INDUSTRY COMPETES ON TECHNICAL MERITS L

ong before the recession, Europe’s 300 or so shipyards already faced stiff competition from their peers in the Far East. The recent economic downturn took a heavy toll; today there are only vestiges of the industry scattered in a handful of shipyards in Germany, Poland, Croatia and Italy. Order book total fell from its height of over 81,000,000 gross tonnes in 2007 to about 15,000,000 two years later, and it continues to fall. The financial crisis brought the German Kommanditgesellschaft finance system to its knees, which badly hurt Germany’s domestic yards that specialised in venture-built, smaller container ships. Today, most freighter ship construction activities are concentrated in South Korea, China and Japan. Shipyards in these countries have also suffered, as demand has not 8 Industry Europe

recovered to the pre-crisis level. Because of their puffier financial cushions, a few Chinese shipyards have been willing to quote ‘below the material cost’ prices in order to win contracts, to the further detriments of the already beleaguered European yards. However, it can be argued that things on the whole are not as bad as they appear to be. Like many other industries today, shipbuilding depends heavily on outsourcing and equipment suppliers. This is where Europe continues to thrive. Engine and component makers like MAN Diesel and Wärtsilä, with their cutting edge technologies, are leading players on the global freighter shipbuilding stage. Far Eastern builders continue to depend on European suppliers. Most shipyards today only build about 25 per cent of a ship; the remaining 75 per cent comes from suppliers.

Moreover, Europe also has the edge on design and management. There are teams of European experts working in shipyards all over the Far East. Hundreds of European specialists and managers, for example, are working on Samsung Shipyard’s prestigious Shell Prelude projects. The UK-based Evoqua Water Technologies is one of the European companies with a major contract for the project’s ballast water treatment. While this does not address the deteriorated situation in Europe’s freighter shipbuilding yards, the industry’s salvation may be in its cruise shipbuilding sector.

Cruise shipbuilding supremacy Europe’s four major passenger shipbuilders – Fincantieri, Meyer Werft, STX France and Meyer Turku (formerly STX Finland) – have

the lion’s share of the global cruise ship newbuilding contracts. Of 31 major vessels on order, only two are under construction outside of Europe. Unlike in the freighter sector, which is more price sensitive, cruise ship owners rigorously demand quality and innovation over costs. On the cost per gross tonne basis, Fincantieri and Meyer Werft are the most expensive builders; yet they also attract most orders, because their products are considered to be of highest quality and reliability. With the booming global cruise business, European cruise shipbuilding is in robust health. Its position is only feebly challenged by one builder outside of the continent. Besides the four European yards, only Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has current orders, from AIDA Cruises. Owing to its

lack of experience, the Japanese builder is paying a hefty price in this endeavour. The company recently announced a major cost hike and a severe delay in delivery. While Europe, on the global shipbuilding market, cannot compete on prices, it can compete on quality and innovation. As owners increasingly opt for bigger ships for the sake of the economy of scale and the builders continue to improve efficiency, the average newbuilding price per gross tonne has fallen since the previous contract cycle, making European yards more attractive.

The problem with ferries In the passenger ship sector, while Europe congratulates itself on cruise shipbuilding dominance, the despondency of the ferrybuilding segment is palpable, largely owing

to the lacklustre performance of the ferry business. Currently only a handful of units are on order. Unlike in the cruise segment, because of their relatively lower technical specifications and higher price sensitivity, Europeans yards have less dominance. A number of them have gone out of business in recent years: in August 2012, P+S Shipyards filed for bankruptcy protection, leaving two Scandlines orders unfinished. As recently as August 2014, Ferguson, the last Clyde ferry builder, went into receivership. As the ferry business continues to contract, most companies are operating on ultra thin margins: Tallink, one of the major Baltic ferry companies, has issued a profit warning for 2014; its peers, Viking Line and Finnlines, could only report ‘improved results’; Spain’s Trasmediterranea is up for sale, again; and

Industry Europe 9

France’s SNCM is on life support. The situation among Greek ferry operators is far worse. While these bigger lines are struggling or having their debts restructured, a number of smaller ones, such as Transeuropa Ferries, have gone out of business. For years, the market has been plagued by overcapacity and badly in need of consolidation. In the medium to longer term, most of Europe’s ferry shipyards will continue to suffer.

A reprieve Redemption for this segment may come in the form of the IMO environmental regulations. From 1 January 2015, the permitted level of sulphur emissions from ships sailing in large parts of northern Europe and North America, the so-called Emission Control Area (ECA), will be reduced to just 0.1 per cent. This will impact unduly on the ferry business in these regions, as ferries sail on fixed routes, unlike other types of vessels that can be deployed elsewhere. The regulation effectively means that many ageing ships will need to be fitted with sulphur emission cleansing system (scrubbers) or converted to run on gas in order to meet the stringent requirement, if the operators choose not to switch to using the much more expensive marine grade gas oil. This will create an unprecedented demand for European specialist equipment suppliers, such as Wärtsilä and Green Tech Marine, both of which enjoy unassailable market leading positions. A few major shipping lines have ordered scrubbers for their 10 Industry Europe

vessels. Among the high profile projects is the Carnival Group’s decision to have 70 of its ships fitted with this system. State and EU funding are available for conversions and environmentally friendly newbuildings. The Finnish government has pledged €4.5 million to invest in scrubbers or low emission marine gas oil fuel system. In July 2014, DFDS was awarded a €6.5 million EU grant for scrubbers. Fjord Line’s two LNG cruise ferry newbuilds are partly financed by the €124 million loan provided by the European Investment Bank.

Other opportunities Because of the new environmental concern requiring technical innovations, a new lease of life is being injected into a few European shipyards and equipment makers. Flensburger Schiffbau Gesellschaft, for example, recently won a contract to build a 181-metre LNG-powered ro-ro vessel for the Australian shipping company, SeaRoad. Wärtsilä has

been awarded a contract to be the partner in designing the environmentally friendly Gulf of Bothnia ferry. Rolls Royce and Baleària are in partnership to develop cost-effective, environmentally sound engines. The next generation of ferries is likely to be LNG powered. European engine and other marine equipment makers are at the forefront of this revolution. As IMO regulations are being progressively applied to the wider world, there will be more opportunities for them in the future shipbuilding and conversion project supply chain. While Europe’s ferry and freighter shipbuilders are in the doldrums, its cruise shipbuilding business and hi-tech marine equipment suppliers will continue to thrive for the foreseeable future. Experience and superior technical knowhow are keeping Europe one step ahead of the rest in this regard. About 10 per cent of Europe’s €30 billion turnover from shipbuilding is invested in R&D in an n effort to stay ahead of the game.

NEWS

INDUSTRYNEWS

New developments in the Shipbuilding industry

First gas-powered RoRo ferry from FSG Fincantieri to build a new

lensburger-Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) has signed a contract with the Australian shipping company SeaRoad for a 181 metres long RoRo ferry ship new building. What is special about this ship however is that it will be the first of its kind for FSG to be powered by extremely eco-friendly LNG - liquefied natural gas – rather than by diesel or heavy oil. FSG and SeaRoad have been working intensively over the past few years on this project which can now successfully move on into a new phase with the signing of this contract. For FSG managing director Peter Sierk this is very much more than just another contract. “On the one hand, our shipyard is to deliver a ship

to Australia for the first time ever. On the other hand, this new building demonstrates yet again the high-level competence of our yard and our innovative capabilities. We are very proud that SeaRoad has chosen us and that our ideas have prevailed over those of international competitors.” Visit: www.fsg-ship.de

MAN Turbochargers power world’s first ME-GI and 28/32 dual-fuel engines

he recent delivery of the world’s first dualfuel, low-speed ME-GI engine from Doosan Engine to the American National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) set a new, historical milestone in engine technology.

Rolls-Royce to design and equip stern trawler for Prestfjord Havfiske

olls-Royce has signed a £7 million contract to design and equip a stern trawler for the Norwegian fishing company Prestfjord Havfiske AS. The trawler is a Rolls-Royce NVC 370 design and will be built at Freire Shipyard

The 8L70ME-C8.2-GI main engine is aspirated by 2 x TCA66 turbochargers and will power a 3100-teu container ship ordered by TOTE, the American marine transportation company. Furthermore, the ship will receive 3 x 9L28/32DF auxiliary engines, each featuring a single TCR18 turbocharger. A second, identical vessel is currently under construction. With this set-up, TOTE has not only chosen the most environmentally friendly engine technology available but also the most flexible power solution in that both the ME-GI and 28/32DF engines can run on HFO or gas. Gas operation means a significant reduction in CO2, NOx, particulate matter and SOx emissions. TOTE’s containership is slated to be the first gas-powered containership in the world and will lead the way for additional investments in infrastructure for liquefied natural gas. Visit: www.mandieselturbo.com in Vigo, Spain. At 69 metres long, the vessel will carry out traditional fishing operations for whitefish and shrimps, and will be equipped for both bottom and pelagic trawl. It will operate mainly in Norwegian, Russian and Greenland waters. Monrad Hide, VP Sales & Contract for Fish and Special Purpose Vessels at Rolls-Royce, said: “This will be the third

ship for Princess Cruises

incantieri and Princess Cruises, the brand of US cruise group Carnival Corporation, have reached an agreement to build a new ship for the company at an all-in cost for the shipowner of approximately 600 million euros. The 143,000-ton ship, which will enter service in 2017, will carry 3560 passengers (lower berths), and feature the successful design platform introduced by sister ships ‘Royal Princess’ in 2013 and ‘Regal Princess’ which entered service this past May. Giuseppe Bono, Fincantieri chief executive officer, commented: “All the orders we win are important for our group, but some are more special than others. It’s a source of great pride to be able to immediately build another ship for a prestigious brand like Princess Cruises following the successful deliveries of two jewels like ‘Royal’ and ‘Regal’, which have already become part of maritime history.” Visit: www.fincantieri.it

Successful sea trial for Aker design icebreaking rescue vessel

his spring the icebreaking rescue vessel Baltika returned from the first sea trials. The sea trial was part of the test use of the ship, which is done to ensure the functionality of the vessel systems. Baltika is a Russian icebreaker designed by Aker Arctic Technology Inc. and built at Arctech Helsinki Shipyard in Helsinki, Finland. She is the first ship ever built with an asymmetric hull that allows her to operate not only ahead and astern, but also obliquely (sideways) with a large angle of attack. In this way, the relatively small oblique icebreaker is capable of opening a wide channel in ice for large merchant ships. Visit: www.akerarctic.fi

Rolls-Royce vessel chosen by Prestfjord Havfiske AS and we are of course very happy about this new contract and the close cooperation we have with this innovative owner. Fuel-economy, environmental considerations, comfort, performance at sea and catch quality underpin the NVC 370 vessel design.” Visit: www.rolls-royce.com Industry Europe 11

NEWS

New developments in the Shipbuilding industry

BAE Systems wins STX France launches production facilities dedicated to marine renewables contract for Royal Navy has secured the financing required to launch the 1st batch of production units due to Offshore Patrol Vessels STXenterFrance in service in 2015. Considering the company order book on its ship markets for five years ahead, and the related intense activity of its shipbuilding workshops, it has been decided to create new production facilities especially dedicated to renewables and offshore wind activities. “The investment is a decisive step to develop the company’s activity on new markets. It demonstrates STX France’s ambition to become a reference industrial player in the marine renewables industry and confidence in the long-term development of this market in Europe. Developing engineering and manufacturing activities together is one of the key factors of our success,” declared Laurent Castaing, STX France managing director. Visit: www.stxfrance.com

Two more Ulstein design PSVs for Vroon

OSCO (Guang Dong) Shipyard Co. Ltd is going to build a further two platform supply vessels of the ULSTEIN PX121 design for Vroon Offshore Services, the Netherlands. Ulstein has entered into an agreement with COSCO on delivering ship design, power & control equipment and on-site follow-up services.The first of six vessels in this series, VOS Pace, was launched on 30 June. “The PX121 design is becoming increasingly attractive to oil companies as it offers a competitive combination of fuel-efficiency and cargo capacities/deadweight,” comments Sigurd Viseth, managing director of Ulstein Design & Solutions. “This

translates to a performance level that is usually expected from larger PSVs, but at a medium-sized PSV cost – delivering excellent value-for-money for the owner and operator. We’re delighted that Vroon sees the compelling benefits of this vessel.” Visit: www.ulstein.com

AE Systems has been awarded a £348 million contract by the UK Ministry of Defence to construct three new Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) for the UK Royal Navy. The new 90-metre vessels will be built at the BAE Systems facilities in Glasgow and will provide additional capability for the Royal Navy. Based on a proven design, the ships will be used to support counterterrorism, counter-piracy and anti-smuggling operations in the waters around the UK and will protect other UK interests abroad. Mick Ord, managing director at BAE Systems Naval Ships, said: “This is a significant contract award which marks the beginning of a new and exciting chapter for the UK shipbuilding sector. We’re making major investments in our people, technology and facilities to create a world-class complex warship capability and the OPVs provide an opportunity to embed these new ways of working. This will ensure we remain competitive and are best placed to secure the Type 26 manufacturing contract, which together with the investments will sustain the long-term future of this highly skilled industry.” Visit: www.baesystems.com

DCNS completes the integration of the new optronics systems for French frigates

Babcock commences design work for Type 26 AWHS

abcock has begun work on the first phase of the contract to design and supply the Air Weapons Handling System (AWHS) for the UK’s new Type 26 Global Combat Ship (GCS) announced recently by BAE Systems. Under the full contract Babcock will design, manufacture, test and oversee the

12 Industry Europe

CNS has completed the integration of the SYMFIR multifunction infrared systems upgrading the optronics of the French Navy surveillance frigates Ventôse and Germinal based at Martinique and Nivôse and Floréal based at Réunion Island. The purpose of the programme, contracted to DCNS in 2011 by the DGA (French defence procurement agency), is to replace the NAJIR fire control systems of the 100mm main guns of

the Floréal-class frigates with SAGEM EOMS-NG optronic fire control systems. Providing self-defence capability against symmetrical or asymmetrical air and surface threats, the EOMS NG multifunction optronics system brings together surveillance, long-range panoramic infrared tracking and electro-optical fire control functions in a single equipment unit. Visit: www.dcnsgroup.com

installation of the AWHS system on the 13 ships planned in the UK Type 26 GCS programme, as well as providing long-term support functions to ensure through life system performance and availability. The AWHS will have the capability to handle and stow all air weapons safely in a flexible stowage arrangement. The system is modular with interchangeable stow-

ages between weapon types for maximum stowage density and flexibility. The AWHS includes a handling system to facilitate the positive control and transfer of munitions from their stowages to designated weapon preparation areas prior to their transfer onto aircraft or into torpedo launch systems, where fitted. Visit: www.babcockinternational.com

INDUSTRYNEWS VARD secures contract for MEYER WERFT joins CEONA AMAZON hull handed over in Gdynia Platform Supply Vessel forces with STX Finland

July last year the first steel was cut in the shipbuilding hall at CRIST Shipyard in Gdynia for a big, multi-functional, ocean-going pipe-layer for London-based shipping company CEONA. Just one month later, in August 2013, the ship’s keel was laid and on 25 April 2014 the job was finished. At a small official ceremony, CEONA Shipping Company COO Stuart Cameron activated the control lever in the CRIST building dock, opening the flood-gates and filling the dock basin. Ten hours later CEONA AMAZON was afloat for the first time. The Bugsier tug BUGSIER X took over the vessel on 30 April for the journey to Lloyd Werft in Bremerhaven which undertook the completion and outfitting of the ship prior to taking the CEONA AMAZON into operation. CEONA AMAZON’s design is based on that of a drill ship and meets all the demands of a special purpose vessel with DP2 dynamic positioning capability. She will be particularly suitable for operation in remote and challenging regions and will be able to lay flexible as well as rigid pipes and supply lines. Visit: www.crist.com.pl

T V

ARD has secured a contract for the design and construction of one Platform Supply Vessel for E.R. Offshore. The vessel is a multifunctional PSV of VARD 1 08 design with a total length of 81 metres, beam of 18 metres and a cargo deck area of 830m2. The vessel will be prepared for standby, rescue, firefighting and oil recovery operations. Delivery is scheduled from Vard Vung Tau in Vietnam in 2Q 2016. E.R. Offshore has also taken over the contract for a sister vessel from Carlotta Offshore via a novation agreement. This vessel is currently under construction at Vard Vung Tau with an expected delivery in 3Q 2015. The VARD 1-SERIES comprises a wide range of Platform Supply Vessels designed by Vard Design in Ålesund, Norway. Visit: www.vard.com

he Finnish Government and MEYER WERFT have signed a share purchase agreement with the current owner of the Turku shipyard STX Europe. With its 70% stake MEYER WERFT takes the industrial leadership of the new company. At present some 1300 employees and a specialised supplier network are involved in the construction of the cruise ship Mein Schiff 4 for the German cruise operator TUI Cruises from Hamburg. TUI Cruises has just announed the order of another two ships of this class in Turku. STX Finland is a specialist in the construction of cruise ships and is a yard that holds exceptional technological know-how. As Dr Jan Meyer, managing partner of MEYER WERFT, explained, “This acquisition will strengthen the yards in Papenburg, Turku and Rostock: By joining forces with Turku we can offer more flexibility to our customers. In addition, both shipyards respect each other for their high level of professionalism and thus can learn a lot from each other in order to improve their working processes or to join forces on research & development. Visit: www.meyerwerft.de

VSTEP delivers FMB simulator to Danaos Corporation D anaos Corporation has purchased a NAUTIS DNV Class A FMB Simulator and Instructor Station for training of its fleet members.The simulator will be delivered and installed by VSTEP at Danaos Shipping Co Ltd headquarters in Piraeus, Greece. The simulator purchased by Danaos Corporation included a NAUTIS DNV Class A FMB simulator with 240° horizontal field of view and an Instructor Station. It will be used to train navigation and maneuvering with the container vessels of the Danaos fleet. For this purpose,

Bergen Group Services awarded new service and maintenance projects

ergen Group Services AS has been awarded new maritime maintenance and service projects for a total estimated value of NOK 50–60 million over the next two years. The projects are related to both new contracts and deliveries within existing framework agreements.

Bergen Group Services has over the years built up an extensive capacity and expertise in ship maintenance and repair of vessels used for demanding maritime operations which requires an extra high reliability and service quality. During the last six months, the company has signed different comprehensive long-term service agreements with both the Navy and the

new container vessels were developed and added to the simulator in addition to the existing container vessels in the simulator ship library. Joost van Ree, VSTEP sales director: “We are glad that one of the largest containership owners in the world has joined the VSTEP simulator family. Our FMB simulator allows Danaos personnel to train effectively using the cutting edge of maritime simulation in line with the high performance standard the shipping company is known for. Visit: www.vstepsimulation.com

Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue. The company’s order backlog at the end of the 1st quarter of 2014 was more than NOK 150 million, which represents a threefold increase since New Year. The company expects further growth in activity in the coming years. Visit: www.bergengroup.no

Industry Europe 13

POWER FROM THE SEA The major European Tidal technology company OpenHydro, a DCNS company, and Alderney Renewable Energy (ARE) have signed a joint venture which will see the two companies combine their expertise and resources to develop a 300MW tidal array in Alderney waters. The joint venture company is called Race Tidal Ltd.

he island of Alderney is located in the Channel Islands and its territorial waters contain one of the world’s largest tidal energy resources which, once fully developed, is estimated to produce enough energy to power 1.5 million homes. Once completed, the array developed by

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OpenHydro and ARE is expected to consist of 150 turbines (2.0MW each) which will produce enough power for over 150,000 homes. Related to this, FAB Link Limited, a joint venture between ARE and Transmission Investment LLP, is developing a power interconnector between France, Alderney

and Britain. This link will enable the tidal power generated in Alderney’s waters to be exported to European markets, as well as allowing energy to be traded between France and Britain. Development of the FAB project is progressing in conjunction with French Grid operator RTE.

OpenHydro is a DCNS company specialising in the design, manufacture and installation of marine turbines generating renewable energy from tidal streams. The company’s vision is to deploy marine turbine farms under the surface of the oceans to produce energy silently, invisibly and with no impact on the environment. OpenHydro has achieved a number of industry firsts including being the first to deploy a tidal turbine at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), the first to connect to and generate electricity from tidal streams onto the UK National Grid and the first to successfully demonstrate a method of safely and economically deploying and recovering turbines directly on the seabed. The deployment and recovery method delivers a step change in the economics of tidal energy. OpenHydro has a project portfolio spanning the USA, Canada, France, Ireland, Scotland and the Channel Islands with utility partners including Emera, EDF, Bord Gáis, SnoPUD and SSE Renewables. OpenHydro has won a number of awards for its innovations in the field of renewable energy technology

Alderney Renewable Energy Alderney Renewable Energy (ARE) is the developer of tidal power resources on Alderney. In 2008, ARE secured a 65 year licence from The States of Alderney and

the Alderney Commission for Renewable Energy. The licence provides ARE with access to Alderney’s Territorial waters, an area of 48 square miles, and permits ARE to install tidal turbines and infrastructures for renewable energy systems. The resources in these waters are estimated to be in excess of 3000MW. ARE intends to be involved in project development only; once construction of the FAB link project has started, it will focus on building the equipment that will connect to FAB. ARE has a long established relationship with OpenHydro (OpenHydro holds a 31 per cent shareholding in ARE) with both companies bringing their complementary expertise to the Alderney project. OpenHydro will provide the turbines which will be manufactured in Cherbourg (France) in an industrial site which will also support future tidal energy farms off the French coast. Over the next three years, the partners will be working closely with The States of Alderney, the Alderney Commission for Renewable Energy, local communities and stakeholders to complete the required surveys and environmental impact assessments prior to making an application for full consent. The 300MW tidal array is expected to reach full scale deployment from 2020 which will coincide with the commissioning of the FAB interconnector.

Milestone for tidal power Commenting on the joint venture announcement, Thierry Kalanquin, chairman of OpenHydro and DCNS senior vice-president Energies and Marine Infrastructure, said: “We are very excited about this next phase in the development of tidal energy in Alderney waters. Our initial agreement with ARE which dates back to 2007 has been a strategic part of our site development business plan. Today’s announcement represents another key milestone as we realise our goals to deliver commercial tidal energy projects. The joint venture that we have signed with ARE will now ensure the development of a 300MW tidal array in Alderney waters.” Speaking on behalf of ARE, Nick Horler, executive chairman, said: “The economic development of Alderney’s tidal power projects will provide Europe with a new source of predictable, clean, renewable energy and improve the security of our energy supplies. The joint venture partnership that we now have in place with OpenHydro is a critical piece in the jigsaw as we move to now make significant progress towards creating one of the largest renewable energy projects n in European coastal waters.” www.openhydro.com www.are.gg Industry Europe 15

NEWS

New contracts and orders in industry

Alfa Laval wins SEK 95 million natural gas order in the US

lfa Laval has won an order to supply air cooler systems to a US export terminal for natural gas liquids. The order, booked in the Energy & Process segment, has a value of approximately SEK 95 million and delivery is scheduled for 2015. The Alfa Laval air cooler systems will be used to cool the main process streams at the export terminal where refrigerated natural gas liquids

(ethane, propane and butane) are loaded onto tanker vessels. “This large order relates to products from Niagara Blower Company, an acquisition we made last year. The order confirms our position as a strong and reliable supplier to the oil and gas industry,” says Lars Renström, president and CEO of the Alfa Laval Group. Visit: www.alfalaval.com

Balfour Beatty awarded UK ‘smart motorway’ scheme to upgrade M3

alfour Beatty, the international infrastructure group, has announced the award of a £129 million scheme to upgrade a 13.4 mile stretch of the M3 through Hampshire and Surrey to a ‘smart motorway’. The upgrade, for the UK Government’s Highways Agency, will increase capacity, reduce congestion and shorten journey times for the 120,000 motorists who pass through this part of the network every day. The M3 between Junction 2 (interchange with the M25) and Junction 4a (Fleet) will be upgraded to a four-lane motorway by converting the hard shoulder to a permanent running lane. Electronic signs, operated by a regional control

Rejlers wins a contract for continued rail expansion in Norway

ejlers Norway has signed a framework agreement to be the project support for Jernbaneverket when the InterCity railway is expanding in Norway. Several of the company’s senior rail experts will work with the planning of the new routes. The expansion of the InterCity railway is one of the largest

16 Industry Europe

centre, will be installed to manage the flow of traffic in response to driving conditions. The main construction works are due to start this autumn with completion scheduled for spring 2017. Construction activity will include installing and refurbishing gantries, new static and variable signs, concrete safety barriers, drainage and surfacing works. Balfour Beatty executive chairman Steve Marshall said: “The Highways Agency’s approach to using technology in this way reduces the costs of the road network, provides additional capacity and improves journey times.” Visit: www.balfourbeatty.com

transport investments in Norway, under the National Transport Plan 2014–2023. The routes between Oslo and Hamar and also between Tønsberg and Seut via Fredrikstad should be completed by 2024. The expansion to Lillehammer, Oslo and Halden should be completed by 2030.    The Division Rail Consult in Rejlers Norway has won the framework agreement

Hitachi Rail to equip Class 37 locomotives with ETCS

itachi Rail Europe has signed a contract with the UK’s Network Rail to install the European train control system (ETCS) on two Class 37 locomotives. The contract comes after the deployment of the Hitachi ETCS on a Class 97 locomotive, which tested interoperability with a separate supplier’s groundside system on the Cambrian Line infrastructure. Work under the contract covers the design, vehicle modification and ETCS installation, as well as the testing and commissioning of Hitachi’s ETCS for West Coast Railways. The contract is expected to be completed by August 2015. The locomotives will run on the Cambrian Line European Rail Traffic Management System in Wales. Hitachi’s ETCS is a common signalling system that will allow the train services to cross frontiers and boundaries between different countries without the need to change signalling systems or locomotives. The in-cab radio-based signalling system will also be implemented on the concurrent Intercity Express Programme Class 800/801 rolling stock for Great Western and East Coast Main Lines. Visit: www.hitachirail-eu.com regarding project support for Jernbaneverket in cooperation with Dronninga Landscape AS, CF Møller Architects AS and Tom Stillesby. Services covered by the framework agreement include railway expertise, operations and maintenance, planning, architecture, landscape architecture and process management. Visit: www.rejlers.com

WINNINGBUSINESS DEUTZ to supply engines to TYM

Altos Hornos de Mexico orders RH plant from Siemens S

forging a new alliance with the Korean tractor manufacturer Tong Yang Moolsan (TYM), DEUTZ AG has been able to secure a new partner for long-term collaboration in the agricultural machinery segment. TYM is the first tractor manufacturer in Asia to be supplied by DEUTZ. The Korean company recently took delivery of the new TCD 2.9 series engines, which have been specially developed for agricultural machinery. This cooperation will allow DEUTZ to strengthen its strategic position in Asia. TYM is based in Seoul and specialises in the production of tractors and rice transplanters. At its factory in Busan, South Korea, Tong Yang Moolsan manufactures approximately 10,000 tractors a year with a power output of between 23 bhp and 100 bhp, which are distributed primarily in Asia and North America but also in the European market. Starting in April 2014, tractors from the T604, T654 and T754 family will be fitted with the DEUTZ TCD 2.9 L4 engine, which has been specifically developed for use in agricultural machinery. One of the benefits of the water-cooled four-cylinder inline engine is its excellent cold starting ability even under extreme conditions. Visit: www.deutz.com

Mycronic receives order for an advanced mask writer

ycronic AB has received an order for an advanced mask writer for display applications. The machine is scheduled for delivery during the second half of the year 2015. “Our customer is in need of a Prexision mask writer for the manufacturing of larger photomasks. These photomasks will in turn

iemens Metals Technologies has won an order from Mexican steel producer Altos Hornos de Mexico, S.A.B. de C.V. (AHMSA) to supply a 150-ton, twin RH vacuum degassing plant with mechanical vacuum pumps for converter Steel Works # 2 in Monclova. It will be able to handle 50 charges per day, the equivalent of about two million metric tons of liquid steel per year. The new plant will allow AHMSA to produce steels with very low hydrogen content, required for applications in the oil and gas industries. The new RH plant is scheduled for commissioning in October 2015. The main functions of RH degassing plants are the removal of hydrogen, forced decarburisation and the chemical heating of the liquid steel which is processed under vacuum conditions with the injection of oxygen. For AHMSA’s twin RH plant in Monclova, in the state of Coahuila, Siemens will supply the

vessel, mechanical vacuum pumps, the structural steel work and a combined vessel ladle lifting system (CVL). This solution requires little space, enabling vessels to be lifted in places inaccessible to cranes. The scope of supply from Siemens also includes the electrical and automation equipment for the RH plant. Visit: www.siemens.com

STRABAG signs Krakow expressway construction deal

consortium comprising STRABAG Sp. z o.o. and Heilit+Woerner Sp. z o.o, two subsidiaries of Austrian listed company STRABAG SE, has signed a contract for the construction of a stretch of the planned S7 expressway in the east of Kraków, called ‘Trasa Nowohucka’, which will run between Rybitwy and Igołomska.    Under the contract, which is worth PLN 529 million (around €130 million), the consortium agreed to perform the following tasks: construction and renovation of the traffic infrastructure with a total length of 18.6km, including the 4.5km-long expressway with two carriageways consisting of three lanes each; the national road 79 with a length of 1.6km; the construction of on- and off-ramps as well as six flyovers and five bridges. Furthermore, the tram lines will be modernised.   The new section ‘Trasa Nowohucka’ will traverse two districts of Kraków – Podgórze and Nowa Huta – and will form part of the expressway that is planned to link Gdańsk in the north and RabkaZdrój in the south of Poland. In three years’ time, the new section is intended to absorb traffic from national road 79 and funnel it to the A4 motorway between Katowice and Rzeszów. Visit: www.strabag.com be used in the production of TFT-LCD flat screens,” says Magnus Råberg, Sr VP and general manager Pattern Generators at Mycronic AB. “With this order the customer gets access, during the second half of 2015, to our technology for the manufacturing of critical photomasks.” Mycronic AB is a Swedish high-tech company engaged in the development,

manufacture and marketing of production equipment to the electronics industry. The Mycronic headquarters are located in Täby, north of Stockholm and the group has subsidiaries in China, France, Germany Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, the Netherlands, United Kingdom and the United States. Visit: www.mycronic.com Industry Europe 17

NEWS

Combining strengths

Mitsubishi Electric further bolsters presence in Turkish market

itsubishi Electric Corporation has announced that its local subsidiary Mitsubishi Electric Turkey AŞ has completed the integration of its former air conditioning distributor Klima Plus, acquired earlier this year. The move will strengthen Mitsubishi Electric’s market share in the region as the business evolves to fully incorporate Klima Plus into the fold. As of June 2014, Mitsubishi Electric Turkey now comprises of two business units, the Factory Automation Systems business and the Air Conditioning business with a projected annual turnover of approximately 270 million Turkish Lira in 2015.

Masahiro Fujisawa, president, Mitsubishi Electric Turkey comments: “The completion of the Klima Plus integration is a great step forward for us, providing us with additional opportunities in the market. We have experienced strong growth over the last year and this will serve to further strengthen our position as well as affirm our commitment to the region.” Mitsubishi Electric’s existing infrastructure related businesses already available in the Turkish market such as satellites, lifts, escalators, transportation and power systems are all set to benefit. Visit: www.mitsubishielectric.com.tr

Saab completes Roche to acquire Santaris Pharma has agreed to acquire Santaris Pharma, expertise with Roche’s deep experience in disease acquisition of TKMS AB Roche a privately held biopharmaceutical company biology, chemistry, drug safety, drug formulation,

efence and security company Saab’s acquisition of the Swedish shipyard Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems AB (TKMS AB formerly Kockums) has now been completed. The acquisition strengthens Saab’s position as a comprehensive supplier of naval military systems. The company will become a business unit within Saab’s business area Security and Defence Solutions. The business unit is named Saab Kockums. Saab expects that operations will continue to be carried out primarily in Malmö, Karlskrona and Muskö. “The acquisition is in line with our strategy to expand our offering and strengthen Saab’s position in the market for naval systems. Kockums has a unique offering and a strong local presence in Sweden concerning submarines and warships. We also see good potential to expand the company’s current market position through opportunities in the export market,” says Håkan Buskhe, president and CEO of Saab. Visit: www.saabgroup.com

Molex announces completion of Flamar Cavi Elettrici acquisition

olex Incorporated, a global manufacturer of complete interconnect solutions, has announced that the previously announced acquisition of Flamar Cavi Elettrici Srl has closed. Italian-based cable manufacturer Flamar specialises in the design of custom cables for industrial

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based near Copenhagen, Denmark. Santaris Pharma has pioneered its proprietary Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA) platform that has contributed to an emerging era of RNA-targeting therapeutics. This new class of medicines has the potential to address difficult to treat diseases in a range of therapeutic areas. “Today there are many disease targets that are very challenging or even impossible to reach with small molecules or antibodies,” said John C. Reed, head of Roche Pharma Research and Early Development. “We believe the LNA platform provides the means to efficiently discover and develop an important new class of medicines that may address the significant needs of patients across multiple therapeutic areas.” “Roche and Santaris Pharma have complementary capabilities that will help us realise breakthrough medicines,” stated J. Donald deBethizy, president and CEO of Santaris Pharma. “The acquisition combines Santaris Pharma’s next-generation antisense technology and LNA

connectivity applications. Flamar will now operate as a subsidiary of Molex Incorporated. Terms were not disclosed. Italian-based Flamar Cavi Elettrici specialises in custom cables from design to finished product. Flamar high performance cables are deployed in industrial, automation, robotics, broadcast audio/video, and telecommunications applications.

delivery, and development.” Roche plans to maintain Santaris Pharma’s operations in Denmark, where the existing site will be renamed Roche Innovation Center Copenhagen. Visit: www.roche.com

Providing more than connectors, Molex delivers complete interconnect solutions for a number of markets including: data communications, telecommunications, consumer electronics, industrial, automotive, commercial vehicle, aerospace and defence, medical and lighting. Visit: www.molex.com

LINKINGUP

Trelleborg acquires coated fabrics ABB and Volvo form global partnership businesses in North America

relleborg has, through its business area Trelleborg Coated Systems, signed an agreement to acquire the assets and businesses from the US-based privately owned Uretek Archer LLC Group, comprising Uretek LLC and Archer Rubber Company LLC. Uretek and Archer develop and manufacture urethane-coated fabrics and rubber-coated fabrics respectively. Their products and solutions are used across multiple segments, such as aerospace, healthcare, outdoor recreation, government and defense. “The acquired businesses have superior technical knowledge with focused R&D and product

development, in addition to solid partnerships with customers. The acquisition complements our existing business in engineered fabrics and broadens our product range in North America,” says Dario Porta, president of the Trelleborg Coated Systems business area. The businesses have manufacturing facilities in New Haven, Connecticut and in Milford, Massachusetts, US, respectively. Total sales are mainly in North America and amounted to about SEK 480 million in 2013. The transaction is expected to be finalised in the third quarter of 2014. Visit: www.trelleborg.com

Yara to acquire majority position in Galvani, Brazil

ara International ASA has entered into an agreement to acquire a 60% stake in Galvani Indústria, Comércio e Serviços SA, for an enterprise value of USD 318 million.

Jørgen Ole Haslestad

Beijer Ref AB invests in environmentally-friendly refrigeration technology

he Swedish refrigeration group, Beijer Ref AB, is acquiring the remaining 49% of the shares in the Italian SCM Frigo Group, a leading European manufacturer of refrigeration units based on environmentally-friendly carbon dioxide technology. SCM Frigo, established

Galvani is an independent, privately held fertiliser company, controlled by Mr Rodolfo Galvani Jr., a Brazilian entrepreneur. The company is engaged in phosphate mining, Single Super Phosphate (SSP) production and distribution of fertilisers in the centre and north-east of Brazil. Galvani also owns licenses for two new greenfield phosphate mine projects in Brazil. The acquisition is in line with Yara’s strategy for growth in Latin America, seeking to develop a production footprint in Brazil to complement its established position, following the recent acquisition of the Bunge fertiliser business in Brazil.   “This acquisition represents another significant step in realising our Latin American growth strategy, furter establishing our position in Brazil as a long-term industry player, committed to developing and investing in Brazilian agribusiness,” said Jørgen Ole Haslestad, president and CEO of Yara. Visit: www.yara.com in 1979, exports around 85% of its products and has a strong market position within the rapidly expanding segment for environmentally-friendly refrigeration technology. “Beijer Ref acquired 51% of SCM Frigo in 2011 as it is one of the European companies which most successfully drives the transition to environmentally-friendly solutions within the refrigeration industry. The

Pekka Titinen

BB has announced a partnership with Volvo Buses, one of the world’s leading bus manufacturers, to co-develop and commercialise electric and hybrid buses with open standardsbased direct current (DC) fast charging systems. The cooperation creates a city-wide standardised charging system for electric and electric hybrid buses that can charge buses quickly through an automatic roof-top connection system at bus stops or through cabled charging systems overnight. This approach, based on internationally accepted standards, enables maximum re-use of existing e-mobility technologies, thereby ensuring a rapid deployment of urban e-mobility. The first joint project for Luxembourg’s public transportation system is planned for 2015. ABB and Volvo will contribute with their respective expertise in power grids and e-buses to further develop e-bus fast-charging standards, such as communications protocols for infrastructure, electrical grids and e-buses. “We are very pleased to partner with a global transportation industry leader that shares our vision of  e-mobility in line with ABB’s commitment of power and productivity for a better world,” said Pekka Tiitinen, head of ABB’s Discrete Automation and Motion division. Visit: www.abb.com company’s development has since been so positive that our group now elects to bring forward the option to acquire the remaining portion, says Per Bertland, CEO of Beijer Ref. SCM Frigo supplements Beijer Ref’s other product portfolio with standard products and custom-adapted solutions with the market’s most up-to-date environmental technology. Visit: www.beijerref.com Industry Europe 19

NEWS

MOVINGON

Relocations and expansions across Europe

DSM to invest in a new Johnson Matthey Process Technologies plant in North America invests in new South American site J R oyal DSM, the global Life Sciences and Materials Sciences company, is to invest in a new polymerisation plant in North America to manufacture Akulon® polyamide 6 polymer for film grades used in flexible food packaging and other segments. “This new plant is our first polymerisation plant for high viscosity grades in North America for Akulon polyamide 6, besides our existing infrastructure in Europe and Asia. It thus fits perfectly with our growth strategy for Materials Sciences, as it strengthens our global position in PA6 based films,” comments Roelof Westerbeek, president DSM Engineering Plastics. Visit: www.dsm.com

New Brandauer CEO targets £10m vision for presswork specialist

he new boss at one of Europe’s leading precision stampers has set out his vision to achieve £10m of sales by 2017. Rowan Crozier, CEO of UK-based Brandauer, is looking to build on a number of recent contract wins by investing in a new special products division and a concerted expert push into Germany, Scandinavia and the USA. The approach follows a spend of more than £1 million on a world-class wire EDM cell at its Birmingham factory and the installation of a state-of-the-art paperless business system that controls everything from initial enquiry, through to scheduling, workflow and tool transfers. “UK manufacturing is in demand at the moment and we’ve noticed companies are not only re-shoring work, but previously hard to enter international markets are welcoming our capabilities. There’s an increasing capacity issue in Germany for what we do, which we can solve relatively easily given the chance. We’ve also just landed two orders from Sweden and Norway and believe there is a lot more potential out there. “We already export 75% of our turnover and I can see this growing to 80%, maybe even 85% if we take advantage of opportunities in the EU.” Visit: Visit: www.brandauer.co.uk

Belden opens plant in China

elden Inc., a global leader in signal transmission solutions for mission-critical applications, has begun producing industrial connectors in China. A new plant in Suzhou, in the eastern Jiangsu Province, was officially opened on 23 June, putting the company in a strong position to capitalise on growth opportunities in key markets across the whole

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ohnson Matthey has established a site for a new catalyst plant in Brazil. As part of Johnson Matthey Process Technologies, the factory will initially manufacture catalysts for hydrogen production. The facility is expected to start operating by the end of 2014. Geoff Otterman, divisional director, comments: “For a long time we have recognised the strategic importance of Brazil and South America. This investment demonstrates our longterm commitment to manufacturing in Brazil. Beyond this, it is our intention to expand our manufacturing capability here to include products such as catalysts and adsorbents for gas to liquids and gas purification. “This investment builds on our nine existing catalyst manufacturing plants across six countries, and complements existing capacity expansions at these sites.” Visit: www.jmprotech.com/refineries

EuroChem launches phosphate ore production in Kazakhstan

uroChem, a top ten fertiliser company globally, has announced the launch of phosphate ore production at the Kok-Jon phosphate rock deposit in the Jambyl region, Kazakhstan. The EuroChem project in Kazakhstan has already produced around 20 thousand metric tonnes (KMT) of phosphate ore, which has been shipped to the adjacent storage facility. Total production is expected to amount to over 150 KMT of phosphate ore by the end of the year. The company plans to reach a steady production level of up to 650 KMT per year in 2016 following the full commissioning of the Phase I programme. EuroChem also plans to further ramp up the project to 1.5 million metric tonnes (MMT) per year as it aims to construct a fertiliser complex in the region. Visit: www.eurochem.ru

of the Asia-Pacific. Belden says it will also increase its leadership in high quality end-toend signal transmission solutions. The company is now better placed to provide its global customers with a comprehensive range of differentiated products, technology and services that provide uninterrupted high performance. Belden’s Industrial Connector Business Division already has four

production bases in Europe and America; the creation of this fifth operation is set against a background of high demand in the AsiaPacific market and the company’s strong emphasis on China in particular. Products tailored specifically for the Chinese market will be launched in the next few months. Visit: www.beldensolutions.com

NEWS

INDUSTRYPEOPLE New managing director of NSK’s European Industrial Business Unit

Leading sensors expert joins Balluff

ichael Preinerstorfer is the newly appointed managing director of NSK’s European Industrial Business Unit (EIBU). The world’s third-largest manufacturer of bearings has centralised its European activities – in the field of bearings and linear technology – for industrial applications in this Ratingen-based business unit. Dr Jürgen Ackermann, CEO of NSK Europe Ltd: “I would like to welcome Michael Preinerstorfer into his new role at NSK. As managing director of EIBU, his responsibilities will include further expanding NSK Europe’s technological leadership and increasing the company’s European footprint.”

Lotus appoints Jean-Charles Lievens for Network Development in southern Europe

otus has announced that JeanCharles Lievens has joined the Cars Commercial team to develop the Lotus network in France, Italy, Spain and Portugal. Jean-Charles brings with him 37 years of experience in the car industry and distribution having occupied senior positions at Toyota Europe and KIA Europe. Jean Marc Gales, chief executive officer of Group Lotus plc said, “We are growing our dealer network throughout Asia, North America and Europe. The appointment of Jean-Charles Lievens comes at an appropriate time. We are looking to

increase our presence in Southern Europe where there is a high demand for Lotus sports cars.”

Joost Verpoort brings his specialist sales skills to Hollanders

nother highly experienced addition has been made to the sales team at Hollanders Printing Systems with the appointment of Joost Verpoort who joins the company in a consultancy role as a complement to his other business activities in the wide-format digital print sector.

ensors specialist Balluff has welcomed a new product marketing manager to its UK-based team. Richard Neill, 45, brings 16 years of expertise in the automation sector to the 23-strong UK team at Balluff, which is located in Northwich, Cheshire. Richard, who specialises in networking sensors, RFID and identification systems, said: “I’m thrilled to have joined the team at Balluff. The company has a great ethos, being committed to giving great customer care and offering superior quality products, whilst providing an excellent working environment for employees.”

New board member for Finance at Bentley Motors

Jörg Mull, executive VP, Finance of Volkswagen Group China, is the new board member of Finance at Bentley Motors. He takes over responsibilities for Finance, IT and Business Development. “ìI am delighted that with Dr Mull we have appointed a highly respected expert in finance and controlling with many years of experience. I am convinced that Jörg Mull will play a significant role in the future successful development of Bentley,” said Wolfgang Dürheimer, chairman and CEO of Bentley Motors.

His initial remit is to build channel and direct relationships with companies in Scandinavia, a territory familiar to him as he already has had considerable expertise in that territory with all ink-jet technologies, including textile production. “I have worked in the wide-format digital print market as a sales consultant for many years, and have always admired

the technological expertise and production performance and quality of the textile machines from Hollanders,” states Mr Verpoort. “As a result, I’m looking forward to the challenge of helping to build the brand as the transition to printing onto textiles is increasingly a growth segment. I’m very happy to be joining the Hollanders team.” Industry Europe 21

NEWS

TECHNOLOGYSPOTLIGHT

Advances in technology across industry

Babcock Wanson boiler helps convert CONTI® POLYROPE food waste into renewable electricity replaces steel ropes in elevators V W iridor, one of the UK’s leading recycling, renewable energy and waste management companies, has installed a Babcock Wanson HEB 1050 Hot Water Boiler into its anaerobic digestion plant at Walpole near Bridgwater, Somerset. Viridor operates several Anaerobic Digestion (AD) facilities across the UK, which use renewable energy technology to capture methane expelled by digesting unwanted food within enclosed tanks. The gas is then used as a source of energy for heat and electricity, which is fed into the National Grid. To aid the production of methane, the digestors are warmed by circulat-

ing hot water around them. The new Walpole site has one boiler, a Babcock Wanson HEB 1050 Hot Water Boiler which has been used to start the initial AD process and will act as a standby. Babcock Wanson’s HEB Boiler is a forcedcirculation, fully automatic packaged unit. The reverse flame design provides optimum furnace loading and the radial firetube assembly minimises material stresses. An easily reversible front door allows simple and quick access for inspection of the combustion chamber and reversal tubes without the need to remove the burner. Visit: www.babcock-wanson.co.uk

From sail to diesel to hydrogen W

hat if, in the near future, fishing boats replaced the diesel engine by a propulsion mode reducing both their energy bills and their polluting emissions, while contributing to the improvement of their crews’ working conditions? That is the goal of FILHyPyNE, a major naval hydrogen technology project for multi-species fishery backed by the Mission Hydrogène des Pays de la Loire, in association with DCNS, the French naval defence company. The stages of the project are intended to validate the technical, economic, environmental and social performance of the hydrogen-fuel cell technology in actual professional operating conditions. In this context, DCNS has committed to the coordination of the propulsion system design studies, the production of the system and its onshore qualification. The group will subsequently be involved in the installation of the system in the fishing boat demonstrator and its qualification in harbour and sea trials. The third stage, coordinated by the fishermen themselves, will consist of a tour of France’s ports to have the demonstrator validated by its future users. The purpose of the FILHyPyNE project is to design a multipurpose 12-metre coastal fishing boat (creelfishing boat, gillnetter, etc.) propelled by a hydrogen-fuel cell system. The project brings together a cluster of participants and partners from industry, research, education, training, economics and regional development. Visit: www.dcnsgroup.com 22 Industry Europe

ith the CONTI® POLYROPE, ContiTech further develops the successful flat belt technology, which was introduced in the elevator industry in the late 1990s. Over 100 years, steel ropes were indispensable as suspension means for elevators. Around the turn of the millennium, the first alternatives came up with robust polyurethane belts, which were much lighter than steel ropes, allowing more efficient drives and easier maintenance. The CONTI® POLYROPE features 2mm thick steel ropes consisting of 49 individual strands, which are embedded in a polyurethane coating. They give the suspension means its high tensile and breaking strength. The coating is durable, resistant to hydrolysis and has very good traction properties: even at maximum load, a reliable power transmission is given. As a result, the product offers an extremely long life span. The CONTI® POLYROPE holds up to three times longer than comparable steel ropes and is 20% lighter, it also does not need to be lubricated. This helps to reduce downtime and maintenance costs. Visit: www.contitech.de

NEWS

NOTICEBOARD Independent fork system now called LogiMover

COPLATOR: New generation of drinking water aeration and degassing technology

T E

isenmann’s new creation has a name – just in time for CeMAT. From now on, the independent fork system first unveiled in September 2013 will be known as LogiMover. This driverless guided pallet conveyor is equipped with innovative controllers in its twin tines and a high-performance lithium-ion battery system. The cost-effective solution is now ready for real-world applications. LogiMover is extremely maneuverable, saves space, and can transport loads of up to a metric ton at speeds reaching one meter per second. It streamlines processes in warehouse and transport logistics and is comparatively quick and easy to commission. Many businesses have already identified concrete applications for the new system to automate their intralogistics processes. The name LogiMover expresses the key features of the driverless guided pallet conveyor. ‘Logi’ identifies it as a highly versatile intralogistics solution, while ‘Mover’ reflects its maneuverability and flexibility. The patent-pending system was developed in partnership with Stuttgart University’s Institute for Mechanical Handling and Logistics (IFT), and the prototype was unveiled in September 2013. Visit: www.eisenmann.com

he COPLATOR from German company Berkefeld is a compact and highly efficient aeration system for the oxygenation and the degassing of drinking water. It can easily be installed in existing buildings. Corrugated plates made of PET in its aeration chamber are the key components of this process. The main benefits are low energy consumption, very limited operating and maintenance costs and high treatment efficiency also for very high volumes. Most groundwater waterworks apply aeration as a step in their water treatment. The aim is to add oxygen to the water and remove unwanted volatile gases such as methane and hydrogen sulphide. The addition of oxygen and the reduction of carbon dioxide are important prerequisites for high water quality and the waterworks filters being able to treat for iron, manganese and ammonia. The Coplator is used for water-treatment – single or multi stage – not only for oxygenation but also for the elimination of carbondioxide (stripping), chlorinated hydrocarbon, methane and for the removal of odorous substances. Visit: www.berkefeld.com

First-ever Kobelco Mini equipped with iNDr is released in Europe

obelco has announced the introduction of its first ever mini-excavator equipped with the Japanese brand’s superior iNDr (integrated Noise & Dust reduction) technology. First seen on the recently introduced SR class of Kobelco construction machines, this superior method of dust filtration, combined with exceptional engine

cooling, promotes environmental wellbeing and reduces engine noise output to a new level. The expansion of the current Kobelco Construction Machinery Europe BV (KCME) range of machines is continuing at great pace with the introduction of this new and advanced 5-tonne mini- excavator. The Japanese built SK55SRX features a number of technical innovations designed to improve work efficiency and reduce operating costs. Excavator specialist, Kobelco, has equipped the SK55SRX with a new dozer blade design to minimise over-spill during levelling operations. Given that the Kobelco SK55SRX is a heavyweight performer, this extremely compact short-tail swing mini-excavator has a maximum tail overhang figure of just 190mm, making it a true multi-role unit. Visit: www.kobelco-europe.com

AMETEK Land introduces new Cyclops LTM portable non-contact thermometers

METEK Land, a leader in non-contact temperature measurement, combustion efficiency and environmental emissions monitoring, has launched the latest update to its Cyclops™ family of portable, high-precision, non-contact thermometers – the Cyclops L™. With its internal data logging capabilities, optional software and configurable route modes, the Cyclops L further establishes AMETEK Land as the industry leader in high-quality, portable, non-contact temperature measurement. Cyclops L family features the new Route Manager, which enables users to configure a path/route around a plant by identifying the

location with description, an emissivity value, a window correction factor (if applicable), and a unique identifier (a description). Route Management mode allows for complete repeatability of readings. The Cyclops L thermometer stores up to 9999 temperature measurements. All measurements can be downloaded to optional logger software for further analysis and comparison. The Land Cyclops Logger Software allows users to connect a Land Cyclops portable thermometer to a personal computer or mobile phone and to view, analyze and record live temperature readings. Visit: www.ametek.com Industry Europe 23

EURO-REPORT

FOCUS ON...

Germany Allan Hall reports from Berlin on the fear of fracking among Germany’s brewers.

is shortly before opening time at Foersters Feine Biere in Berlin and the owner is busy checking the pressure on the pumps and the temperature of the refrigerated cabinets where the liquid gold is stored. To say that Sven Foerster is a man who likes beer is a bit like saying the pope has a passing interest in theology. Sven is a qualified beer sommelier, a man devoted to the preservation, pursuit and pleasure of mankind’s favourite alcoholic brew. Consequently he, along with thousands of others, are more than a little concerned that Germany’s energy needs will collide with the acknowledged clarity and excellence of its beer, with terrible consequences for amber nectar purists. “Don’t talk to me about fracking,” he hisses among the treasure trove of boutique Bavarian, Franconian and Duesseldorf beverages he sells: he does not purvey a single industrielle beer, only handcrafted ones. “Beer is a craft that we Germans have learned well,” he told Newsweek. “But it relies on nature to provide the products – hops, barley malt, yeast and, most important of all, water. All brewers need a good, clean, constant source of water. Fracking threatens that and could become the biggest danger to our beer industry that we have ever seen. Poison the well and you poison the product. I am no Luddite: I realise a nation needs energy – brewers need energy – but our beer is part of our life, our national soul. It must not be endangered in this way.” A little over a year ago the German Brewers Federation (DBB) penned a letter to Berlin voicing the concerns of its members that fracking – the shattering of shale rock deep beneath the earth’s surface to get at an estimated over two trillion metres of natural gas trapped within the rock layers 24 Industry Europe

– would poison the brewing well because toxic chemicals are used in the process. Berlin assured the brewers that the Reinheitsgebot – the oldest consumer protection legislation in the world – was safe. Dating back to 1516, this ‘German Beer Purity Law’ dictates that beer can only be made with water, barley and hops. It is the liquid element that most concerns the brewers. The government said that fracking would be banned in areas where drinking water is obtained, but the brewers were not mollified. “The amendments provided so far by the federal government are not sufficient to ensure the necessary security for the supply of drinking water and to take account of the requirements for the purity law for beer,” said a spokesman for the brewers. They speak darkly of the ‘elimination’ of the perfect water sources that half of the country’s 1300 breweries draw from their own private wells.

Suspicion The government, seeking to reduce energy reliance on Russian gas, wants to bring in a bill to lay down the conditions under which the technology may be used in Germany. The fight, like many of Germany’s myriad beer brands, promises to be bitter. Brewers and their allies among the drinking classes are suspicious of government claims that the fracking methods deployed in Germany are safe. At the recent German Brewers Day 2014 in Berlin, more than 300 guests from the world of politics, economics and society heard speeches from DBB chiefs and their supporters. Economists on the day highlighted just what brewing means to the German economy too. Breweries employ 25,000 people and had sales of 10 billion US dollars last year, meaning in essence that anti-fracking is as much about money as it is about Birkenstock-wearing vegetarians opposing any energy technology other than solar and wind.

The government is divided. Already the greenest country in Europe, committed to the phase out of nuclear plants and one where customers in many regions can opt to buy power produced entirely from renewable energy sources, Germany seems on the precipice of a nasty little war with itself over the controversial fracking issue. Environmental ministers at both local and federal levels oppose it, energy politicians are for it. Yet the proponents of it are faced with a Herculean PR problem. It doesn’t matter how many times Exxon and other companies say the process is safe: the sceptic gene lies deep in the German DNA and it will be an uphill task to sell commercial fracking at any level, especially when the renewables industry is making great strides. Germany uses 90bn cubic metres of natural gas a year, the world’s eighth biggest consumer, but just 12 per cent of its consumption is home-produced and nearly half imported from Russia. The recent unresolved tensions with Moscow over Ukraine have served to highlight the fragility of this supply line and so, say fracking opponents, the government is keen to rack up the fracking potential, pointing out that successful extraction of the shale gas could provide for the country’s energy needs for two decades, perhaps even longer. While the government has yet to – officially – decide on a fracking policy, the brewers and their supporters are not letting up. The propaganda war is raging intensely on websites as well as in backrooms of the corridors of power. Back at Foersters Feine Biere Sven is among those up for the fight. “Lenin is later purported to have said: ‘The revolution will never happen in Germany because if the people were ordered to storm a railway station, they would all stop to buy a platform ticket first’. But push us on our beer and you will see n us at the barricades, I guarantee it.”

EURO-REPORT

FOCUS ON...

France Ian Sparks reports from Paris on two very different solutions to France’s economic crisis.

ash-strapped France could sell the Mona Lisa to help pay off its vast national debt, the nation’s media has suggested. The radical plan to put the world’s best known painting on the market could ‘make a dent’ in the country’s crippling 2,000 billion euros deficit, state-run news channel France 24 said. The Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece hanging in the Louvre Museum in Paris is seen by up to a million visitors a year. The painting is often called ‘priceless’ but was valued at 100 million dollars in 1962 for insurance purposes. But with inflation and a further surge in art prices taken into account, the 2014 value of the artwork could now be around 1.9 billion euros – or almost one per cent of national debt. The France 24 news website wrote: “Her enigmatic smile beams down on hundreds of thousands of tourists a year at the Louvre Museum in Paris. And now she could also bring a smile to France’s cashstrapped government if a sale could ease the national debt.” Paris also has another 173 museums brimming with hugely valuable works of art, and a sale of the impressionists at the Musee d’Orsay alone would raise an estimated four billion pounds, the website said. But selling off national treasures could be against the law because they they are owned by the public, it added. France 24 wrote: “Article 451-5 of the French Heritage Code law governing national treasures stipulates that ‘Collections held in museums that belong to public bodies are considered public property and cannot be otherwise. Even a change in the law would be problematic, as most of France’s cultural heritage has historically come from individual donors, who enjoy significant tax breaks in return for their generosity. They would have to be heavily compensated if their donated works were sold off.”

But Paris City Hall’s Head of Culture Bruno Julliard said he was against the controversial solution to help rescue France’s floundering economy. He said: “In theory a sale of the Mona Lisa would raise a very large sum of money. But France isn’t yet in such dire economic straits.” Heavily-indebted Portugal is doing something similar by putting its state-owned collection of Miro paintings up for sale to recuperate 35 million euros – a tiny fraction of its €200 billion national debt. Meanwhile, France has been selling off what it can within the law, including the finest wines from the Elysee presidential palace cellar, and the former International Conference Centre near the Arc de Triomphe. The latter went to Qatari and Chinese buyers who spent 380 million pounds renovating the building to be reopened as the Peninsula Paris hotel, while private wine collectors have been buying up the finest vintages from the presidential cellars.

Swerve to the right But while President Francois Hollande ponders creative ways to reverse his country’s cash crisis, he has also appointed former banker Emmanuel Macron as his new economy minister after a government shake-up that has been described as the lowest point so far in his time in office. By naming 36-year-old Macron, Hollande and Prime Minister Manuel Valls have marked a clear break with the leftwing branch of their Socialist Party and revealed their pro-business agenda which include tax-breaks for companies that hire new workers and 50 billion euros worth of spending cuts. Macron’s predecessor Arnaud Montebourg was forced out of the government after publicly attacking Hollande’s economic policy and the austerity policies of European powerhouse Germany.

Montebourg said before being sacked last month: “You have to raise your voice. Germany is trapped in an austerity policy that it imposed across Europe. Given the seriousness of the economic situation, an economy minister has a duty to offer alternative solutions.” The former minister has now retreated to pursue ‘personal projects’ but the media believe he is plotting to challenge Prime Minister Valls for the Socialist Party leadership ahead of the 2017 presidential election. Daily newspaper le Figaro wrote: “A long war between these two men has just been declared. A war that will last three years and will culminate with the presidential campaign in three years time.” Meanwhile Mr Macron not only supports Hollande’s economic strategy, but is one of its principal architects. Despite being relatively unknown to the French people, Macron is no stranger to the Elysee palace, working there from 2012 until to April this year as President Hollande’s top economic advisor, before leaving for private sector banking. Hollande has now invited him as back as probably the second most important minister in his cabinet after the prime minister, and despite Macron’s previous blunt criticism of Hollande’s earlier policies. When he found out last year that Hollande was pushing ahead with a plan to tax earnings over one million euros at 75 per cent, he was famously quoted as lamenting, “It’s like Cuba without the sunshine.” His appointment has immediately sparked alarm among left-wing sympathisers, who see the ex-banker’s appointment as the final departure of the anti-austerity platform that helped Hollande win the presidency two years ago. At the time Hollande famously declared that his only enemy as president would be the world of finance – but most experts across France are now agreed it is n his only friend. Industry Europe 25

SETTING NEW STANDARDS IN THE AIR S

ummer 2014: the world’s newest widebody airliner, the Airbus A350 XWB, grabbed headlines with a hugely successful three-week route proving world tour. A series of route-proving trials, starting in Toulouse, France, saw the new A350-900 receive an enthusiastic welcome at each of the 14 cities it visited. This technical programme allowed the aircraft to demonstrate its readiness for airline operations on a global scale. It took the flight test aircraft across the globe, flying over the North Pole and each

ocean, and stopping at 14 major international airports. It covered approximately 151,300 km in 180 flight hours, with a variety of pilots at the controls: it was operated by Airbus flight crews as well as Qatar flight crews from Doha to Perth, Moscow and Helsinki, and Airworthiness Authority pilots from the European Aviation Safety Agency also flew the aircraft on two legs. A major highlight was the trip from Johannesburg Tambo International Airport, 1,694 metres above sea level, to Sydney, demonstrat-

After finishing 2013 with record commercial results, Airbus embarked on 2014 well positioned for the future and with a number of innovation and development milestones ahead. Felicity Landon reports on this pioneer in the air transportation industry.

ing the A350 XWB’s excellent performance at high altitude airports. The flights from Johannesburg to Sydney and from Auckland to Santiago de Chile demonstrated its capability to fly ultra long-haul routes. “The aircraft has performed remarkably well, confirming the high level of maturity that it has been demonstrating all the way during our development and certification tests,” said Fernando Alonso, senior vice president flight & integration tests. “I truly believe that the aircraft is fit to enter into

service and perform to the expectations of our customers.” The A350 XWB programme represents a real milestone for Airbus: the A350 XWB has carbon fibre fuselage and wings and sets new standards in terms of operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness. With three versions from 276 to 369 seats, it achieves a 25 per cent reduction in fuel burn – and halfway through 2014, it had already won 742 orders from 38 customers all over the world.

Record performance As 2014 opened, this new aircraft was one of the highlights for the year ahead as outlined by Airbus president and CEO Fabrice Brégier. Speaking to journalists at the company’s traditional year-opening press conference, he said that Airbus’s 2013

record commercial results and industrial performance confirmed the benefits of the company’s steps to further increase agility, enhance reactivity and improve the decisionmaking process – maintaining its market leadership position for both single-aisle and widebody jetliners of 100 seats and above. Airbus is well positioned for the future, he said. Among other highlights for 2014, he mentioned the maiden flight of the A320 single-aisle family’s NEO (new engine option) version, and progress on certification for the A330’s increased takeoff weight and regional versions. In July it was confirmed that Japan’s ANA Holdings had firmed up an order for 30 A320neo aircraft, with deliveries to start in 2016. Shinichiro Ito, president and CEO of ANA, said: “These new aircraft will give us

maximum flexibility and improved fuel efficiency and will allow us to meet the growth in demand, both internationally and in our domestic Japanese market.” This deal has strengthened Airbus’s expansion in Japan, one of its main ambitions for the next decade, said Fabrice Brégier. As the ANA announcement was made, the assembly of the first A320neo had been completed, following painting of the aircraft and mounting of the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM engines. After flight tests starting in the second half of 2014, entry into service is scheduled for Q4 2015. The A320neo incorporates many innovations, including latest generation engines and large Sharklet wing-tip devices, which together deliver a 15 per cent saving in fuel consumption and a reduction of 3,600 tonnes of carbon

dioxide emissions per aircraft per year. Airbus has received more than 3,000 orders from over 50 customers for the A320neo family of aircraft since the concept was launched in 2010.

Global operations Airbus’s commitment to innovation, ‘providing comfort without compromise’, and its technological leadership continue to put the group out in front, as a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. As well as its commercial aircraft activities, the group includes the Airbus Helicopters and Airbus Defence and Space business units. Headquartered in Toulouse, Airbus also has manufacturing operations in Sainte-Nazaire and Nantes in France, Hamburg, Bremen, Stade and Buxtehude in Germany, Broughton in the UK, and Getafe, Illescas and Puerto Real in Spain. But beyond that, it also has subsidiaries in the US, China, Japan, India and the Middle East, spare parts centres in Hamburg, Frankfurt, Washington, Beijing and Singapore, training centres in Toulouse, Miami, Hamburg and Beijing, and more than 150 field service officers around the world. Airbus consistently captures about half of all commercial airliner orders. That success is also based on a state-of-the-art supply chain. In 2013, the Airbus Procurement Organization was revamped; the group’s supply chain management approach has helped ensure supplier

readiness for the ongoing aircraft production ramp-up and the development of a world-class supply chain for the future. As the group says: “Aircraft are complex products, integrating hundreds of thousands of components.” Collaborating with the entire supply chain is vital to ensuring that each aircraft delivered meets the highest applicable environmental standards. Environmental criteria are included when selecting suppliers and environmental requirements are further introduced in contractual agreements. “Airbus suppliers are therefore expected to comply with the company’s environmental policy and to provide reliable environmental data on the products delivered,” says the group. In his early 2014 statement, CEO Fabrice Brégier described the steps taken to improve efficiency and the organisational changes that had given more empowerment to local teams, especially in the plants. He promised further improvements in Airbus’s global competitiveness, efficiency and effectiveness and said the focus would also be on incremental innovation that is ‘simpler, less risky, less costly and comes faster to market’. Airbus was, he said, ‘well on track with a clear roadmap for a successful 2014’. n

EXPERTS IN ASSEMBLING

AUTOMOTIVE PARTS GEDIA Poland Assembly, a company from Nowa Sol, Poland, is a part of GEDIA Automotive Group. As the first company in the group it has focused on the assembly of parts and now highly complicated assembling for the automotive industry is its specialization.

EDIA Automotive Group is a global, privately owned company with headquarters in Attendorn, Germany. Its core operations include the development, production and distribution of body components for the global automotive industry. GEDIA has specialised in the development of body press parts and welding components for cars and trucks. The group’s annual turnover in 2013 is estimated at more than €400 million. It employs about 2,500 people worldwide. GEDIA Automotive Group includes locations in such countries as Poland, Spain, Hungary, and China. It has joint ventures in Mexico and the USA, and engineering centres in France and Sweden. In 1998 it built its first production plant in Nowa Sol, Poland, which specialized in cold and hot forming. Ten years later GEDIA opened its second production unit in Nowa Sol - GEDIA Poland Assembly (GPL2).

30 Industry Europe

GM was behind it “The construction of this plant was an important event in the life of the whole group”, says Mr. Andrzej Marcinek, the GEDIA Assembly Poland Managing Director. “First of all, it was the group’s first facility built entirely for one large project commissioned by a client (GM). It was also the facility that started a new path of the group’s development, namely the assembling of parts. “By this time GEDIA’s main business was focused on the pressing and assembling of smaller parts. The idea for creating GPL2 was to switch to more demanding projects. We managed to do this. Attracting new, more complex projects and implementing such new technologies as laser welding were other milestones in the company’s history. One of the main current trends in the automotive industry is to produce lighter

cars. Light cars use less fuel and are less polluting. To meet these needs the group has implemented such technology as hot forming. At GPL2 we have learned to laser weld light alloys such as aluminium.” The company’s main customer is General Motors Manufacturing Poland at Gliwice. GPL2 has specialized in assembling longitudinals for the Opel Astra IV which carry the whole structure of the car chassis. GPL2 is GM’s first external supplier commissioned by Opel to make this part. “We managed this very well and in recognition of our high quality we have been awarded with GM’s Supplier Quality Excellence Award and included in GM’s top 5 per cent of suppliers”, adds Mr. Marcinek. “It is our know-how and high quality that make us different from our competitors and are the reasons for the satisfaction of our customers. GEDIA Group has a wide

MAZEL M.H. Mazurkiewicz sp.j. is a specialist company that provides comprehensive services consisting in designing and executing projects in the following areas: • COMMERCIAL POWER INDUSTRY • INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION • WIRING SYSTEMS • PREFABRICATED DISTRIBUTION BOARDS biuro@mazel.pl • www.mazel.pl

Exact Systems: with partners exactly about quality Paweł Gos, president of the board at Exact Systems:

of the production process. It happens very often that the results of

Many people ask me a question, where did we get this business

our work become the first detailed analysis of defects in produc-

idea from. Well, during the investment boom in the motor industry,

tion, which, as every type of irregularity from the norm, needs to be

we identified an unfilled niche. In the car-manufacturing sector,

described and then eliminated. Secondly, the work carried out by

stopping the production line, amongst others, because of wrong

our quality controllers allows suppliers to avoid massive costs asso-

parts needed to assembly a given model of a car, equates to major

ciated with erroneously completed client orders. It is also important

costs for the production factory. In these situations companies must

that as a company specialising in quality control, we actively take

react quickly and cooperated with reliable partners in order to keep

part in the process of development of suppliers and mobilising them

the continuity of production. This is confirmed by the results of this

to improve the quality of their production. This eventually directly

year’s edition of our satisfaction and client opinion survey, which

translates into providing quality specification-compliant parts to the

show that nearly half of all companies in the motor sector out-

manufacturing line.

sources quality control. As reasons for doing this they mention cost reduction, time saving and specialism of the outsourcing company

I would also like to stress that currently Exact Systems operates

in this particular area of operations.

already on eight European markets. We have our representation offices in Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Russia, Turkey

We offer quality control support to our partners, that is, selection,

and Great Britain. At the same time we carry out talks associated

repair and sorting of parts, components and ready products, and

with subsequent investments in new markets, including in China,

the list of benefits resulting from cooperation with us extends

Brazil and the US. We can see that they are very promising markets

beyond ad-hoc activities. First of all, as an external partner we

and that the control of motor industry parts there is still an attrac-

ensure complex service associated with conscious quality control

tive and unfilled niche.

Schmittenberg Metallwerke

MAZEL M.H. Mazurkiewicz sp.j.

Schmittenberg Metallwerke in Wuppertal (Germany) and Szczecin (Poland) is a leading metal forming company in Europe with more than 80 year experience.

We have been operating in the electrical power industry since

We supply Gedia among others with a seat rail mounting, where the integrated thread neck constitutes an significant role for passengers safety. Our customers are well known car manufacturers and their suppliers. Our main competence is manufacturing of sheet metal forming parts with integrated, high strength thread neck. Our products meet all high safety and quality requirements of the world wide automotive industry and other branches.

1987. We started as an electric installation company, employing five electrical fitters. At present we provide comprehensive services connected with electric installations, industrial automation, prefabricated distribution boards and the commercial power industry, employing more than 200 workers. The experience gained through all those years has strengthened us as a team, showed us how to achieve high quality standards when rendering services and enabled us to open new markets.

Schmittenberg is a future oriented, efficient, highly specialized company in metal forming.

Thanks to our consistency and experience, in 2004 we were

Around 160 Mio parts are supplied per year from both plants to our satisfied customers.

cialists. We care about our employees and promote their devel-

The quality and environmental management is certified according ISO/TS 16949 andISO 14001. Our acting is based on sustainability with the aim of maximum customer satisfaction. It is still our target to act flexible and quick to the prompts of the market, to convince our long lasting customers daily of our efficiency, to get new customers and to grow continuous.

awarded an ISO and SCC certificate. We employ top-class speopment. For several years we have been executing the largest projects in the region, cooperating with renowned companies and institutions in Poland and abroad. We have been awarded many distinctions and awards for our achievements. And, most importantly, we have created a company based on solid pillars – comprehensiveness, competence and creativity. We can say with full conviction and responsibility, fulfilling our mission every day, that we are a partner worth cooperating with.

range of technology when it comes to forming and assembling parts. Our experts cooperate with clients from an early project stage and are able to suggest solutions. A large range of technologies allows us to choose the proper service matched exactly to our customers’ needs, the one that specifically takes their needs and preferences into account.”

“When we started our operation in 2009 we only had one customer, which was GM. In 2014 we are developing cooperation with an increasing number of partners, including Skoda, Volkswagen, BMW, GM and Audi. For the last we will manufacture parts for the upcoming Q7 model”, explains Mr. Marcinek.

Other projects

Suppliers carefully selected

The company is constantly evolving. Recently, it has signed two new contracts for the construction of body components for BMW’s new electric cars. The first one concerns the under the seat part of the floor for the BMW i3 model, and the other is for the entire rear end of the latest BMW i8, which is entirely made of aluminium. It required the introduction of laser welding, a completely new technology for the treatment of metal. Moreover, it also requires employees to wear cotton gloves in order to maintain total purity. In 2015, the company will start another, equally complex project for GM, which is manufacturing the control arms for the Opel Astra 5. It will be the first movable part produced in the history of the Group.

“All of our suppliers are selected very carefully. We continuously assess them and together try to solve any possible problems. Most deliveries come from the companies that belong to the GEDIA Group, mainly from our neighbouring GPL1 production unit in Nowa Sol as well as from other German plants, while aluminium is purchased from as far as Ireland”, says

Mr. Marcinek. “Among our most important suppliers are MAZEL M.H. Mazurkiewicz sp.j., UTP united-turned-parts GmbH & Co. KG Metalltechnik, EXACT SYTEMS Sp. z o.o., SCHMITTENBERG GmbH & Co. KG, UTKiM K.OSTASZEWSKI and LEWA Attendorn GmbH.” “Apart from manufacturing suppliers we have a number of business partners who work with us in other areas, for example the local authorities from Nowa Sol, with whom cooperation is very successful. Also worth mentioning is the technology park which was created in Nowa Sol precisely to help businesses located in this special economic zone. We also receive a great deal of help from the Organization of Lubusz n Land Employers”, says Mr. Marcinek. www.gedia.com

We are the strong and reliable partner of the Gedia Group for turned-, milled- and cold forged parts. Please visit our website we are looking forward to future business relationships with you.

www.ostaszewski.pl

utp Metalltechnik GmbH & Co KG An der Tumpe 5 D-58791 Werdohl / Dresel T: +49 (0)2392-50229-0 F: +49 (0)2392-50229-15 E: info@utp-metalltechnik.de

EXCELLENCE REWARDED In every aspect of Daimler AG’s operations, excellence comes as standard. The company’s unrivalled design and manufacturing capabilities are complemented by the dedication of its key suppliers. The vital contribution made by Daimler’s leading suppliers has helped the company to achieve on-going record-breaking results, with more than half a million vehicles sold in the first four months of this year alone. Philip Yorke takes a closer look at Daimler’s remarkable performance and the suppliers behind the scenes who have excelled in their field.

hile other major automotive manufacturers struggle to maintain their market share, Daimler has been posting double digit growth for the last ten months with sales increasing in all regions of the world. Today the company is seeing particularly strong growth in Europe, USA and China. The global demand for its top-of-the-range ‘dream cars’ such as the latest S-63 AMG Coupe, is also seeing unprecedented growth. “We are posting double-digit percentage growth in sales for the tenth consecutive month, due in part to the great success of the new C-Class” said Ola Kallenius, Member of the Divisional Board Mercedes-Benz Cars and responsible for marketing and sales. “Our

34 Industry Europe

strong growth in April shows that we continue to be on the right course and are winning new customers for our brand worldwide”. In addition, the company’s flagship range, the S-Class, sold over 8,200 units in April this year which represents a 100 per cent increase on the same month last year. In fact, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class has been the best-selling luxury car in the world for many years. However, it is not only Daimler’s car division which is seeing strong growth. Daimler Trucks also saw its unit sales increase by 7 per cent in the first three months of this year alone, with seven new trucks being launched in the first quarter. This is guaranteed to strengthen yet further the strong position of Daimler’s truck division. Mercedes-Benz Vans were also top performers in the first three months of this year, with overall sales 16 per cent higher than they were this time last year. Sales momentum is also expected to continue with its new Citan panel van as well as the new Vito model. The Daimler Bus division also grew significantly in the first quarter of this year with an increase in sales of over 11 per cent, thus helping to endorse its leadership position for buses in the 8 tons and over sector.

Outstanding suppliers make their mark Earlier this year in Stuttgart, Germany, Daimler AG recognised its best suppliers for their individual contributions on the occasion of its annual supplier conference. As in previous years Daimler AG honoured twelve outstanding companies who all received awards in various categories. In addition, a special award

was presented for exceptional performance in the area of innovation. Some 450 guests from the supply industry attended the sixth presentation event at the Mercedes-Benz Centre in Stuttgart on February 27th 2014. Working closely with its direct suppliers, Daimler employs its unique supplier cooperation model, the ‘Daimler Supplier Network’. This is based on the core principles of performance and partnership. Daimler measures performance in terms of quality, cost, delivery reliability and innovative strength. In his opening speech, Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the board of management of Daimler AG and head of Mercedes-Benz cars, stressed the importance of the Daimler Supplier Awards. “We celebrate a winning team – the world’s best supplier network and we thank our suppliers for their loyalty and dedication” Among this year’s winners of the 2013 Daimler Supplier Awards were Isringhausen Gmbh & Co. KG, in the area of truck seats 36 Industry Europe

and international expansion activities, LTH Castings, honoured as ‘Best new supplier’ for its powertrain aluminium castings, and Durr AG, for its outstanding achievements in plant engineering and machine construction. The special award for innovation went to Continental AG for its innovative touchpad for the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class models. Prof. Dr Thomas Weber commented on this award: “The touchpad of the new C-Class is as easy to operate as a smartphone. It also allows hand-written commands to be entered in many languages and provides clear, tactile feedback - a milestone towards truly intuitive use!” A full list of winners can be found on the Daimler AG’s website: www.daimler.com

Shooting stars Taking centre stage at the New York International Auto Show this year was the latest threepointed-star dream car: the new Mercedes-

Benz S63 AMG Coupe. This luxurious sports car combines supreme power and performance with ground-breaking efficiency. AMG remains in the fast lane throughout the world in the performance car class and has exceeded last year’s sales by more than 50 per cent. Tobias Moers, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-AMG GmbH said, “The new S63 AMG Coupe is another exciting AMG dream car in the luxury segment. Now the S-Class Coupe also comes with the option of performance-orientated AMG 4Matic all-wheel drive, as we rigorously pursue our all-wheel-drive initiative. Mercedes-AMG is putting the pedal to the floor again in 2014” The new V-Class from Mercedes-Benz is also causing a stir in the growing MPV market. As the youngest and largest member of the passenger car family from Stuttgart, it sets new benchmarks in its segment with its design and host of innovations. The new V-Class combines room for up to eight peo-

ple with exceptional functionality, comfort, efficiency and safety profiles. Zetsche added, “Functionality is a must for an MPV. Comfort and style are the icing on the cake. The new V-Class combines both in a way that no other vehicle in this segment can offer”

Daimler Trucks plant celebrates its 50th anniversary Daimler’s state-of-the-art truck manufacturing plant in Tramagal, Portugal, celebrated 50 years of truck production this year. The company was originally founded as a joint venture between the family-owned Portuguese firm: Duarte Ferreira and the former French truck manufacturer Berliet. After Mitsubishi Fuso became the owners in 1980 and it subsequently became Mitsubishi Motors Portugal, it finally became part of Daimler AG in 2004. Today the Tramagal facility is incorporated into Daimler Truck’s global production network to enable the plant to meet the international quality standards for the Fuso Canter truck and to exploit the advantages of collaboration. Daimler AG’s Tramagal plant is located 150 km northeast of Lisbon and covers over 39,000 square metres. At this modern facility more than 300 employees manufacture Fuso Canter trucks for around thirty European countries. Sales of Fuso trucks in Europe last year rose to over 4,500 units. In order to prepare the plant for the future, Daimler Trucks has invested more than €27 million in its modernisation and production operations as well as in the further development of its best-selling Fuso Canter truck. Over €5.5 million of the funds allocated to the plant will be spent on the development of the new battery-electric Fuso Canter E-Cell. The Portuguese government is also supporting the development with an investment of three million euros. n

INTELLIGENT LIGHT SYSTEMS For about 25 years car manufacturers have offered, in addition to robust Halogen bulb based headlamps, alternative lighting options equipped with High Intensity Discharge lamps (HID) – called ‘Xenon’ light. For more than 10 years, electronically controlled Adaptive Frontlighting Systems (AFS) from Automotive Lighting with dynamic beam pattern variation have been improving driving safety during the night by enhancing visibility under different and difficult driving conditions. Nowadays, the new ILS-Systems are fully equipped with LED light sources.

“S

ince 2008, when Automotive Lighting started the production of the first all-LED headlamp for the Audi R8, the potential of semiconductor based light sources which offer vast terrain of styling opportunities with scalable performance and adaptable functionalities combining safety benefits with styling opportunities has grown,” said Johannes Geywitz-Senn, head of Marketing at Automotive Lighting, a division of Magneti Marelli Group. Enhanced signal and adaptive main functions have been developed and offered with the aim of increasing driving safety during day and night. Adaptive lighting functions are adjusting the low beam pattern of headlamps according to the specific driving conditions.

Customised solutions for intelligent lighting systems Automotive Lighting keeps developing lighting systems with typical brand signatures in close cooperation with carmakers all over the 38 Industry Europe

world. The carmakers offer a broad program of alternative solutions according to the needs of their customers. AFS-headlamps enhance driving safety and comfort, and provide an enormous added value. “For that reason they have become the standard in the flagship vehicles of Europe’s best carmakers and the option for nearly all car segments,” comments Ilona Rutkiewicz, responsible for Marketing Communication at Automotive Lighting. A few years ago, Volkswagen was the first carmaker that offered camera-controlled ‘Glarefree High Beam’ (GHB) as enhanced safety related technology has set a new standard within vehicle lighting technology. The UN/ECE-regulation R-123 permits lighting systems which encompasses various functions including: static bend light or cornering function, dynamic curve light, motor way light and glarefree high beam. (Pic.2) Using continuously improved elements of modular concepts, the set makers customise the desired lighting solution for each

carmaker. Automotive Lighting incorporates innovative technologies in different scenarios which are in line with the particular DNA of carmakers’ vehicle programs.

How it works All adaptive lighting functions are activated when the automatic mode is selected by the driver. The high class adaptive lighting systems use vertical and horizontal beam control. The function to which the most attention is paid is camera supported glarefree high beam. The camera located behind the windscreen monitors the traffic. Once oncoming traffic is detected, the camera sends the signals of their positions via CAN-Bus to the electronic control unit of the headlamp. Depending on the concept philosophy of the lighting system, the light distribution is controlled either electro-mechanically or electronically. During the electro-mechanical control, the integrated stepper motors are used to swivel or level the modules and to

adjust the shape of the cut-off-line. When controlling electronically, the LED light sources are dimmed or switched on and off in order to offer the best visibility to the driver and to limit glare for other drivers.

VW: the initiator of glarefree high beam The Adaptive Frontlighting Xenon System (AFX) developed for Volkswagen cars was the first example of glarefree high beam as enhanced adaptive frontlighting functions. As early as in 2010, the series production of Volkswagen models equipped them with the AFX module. The function, called ‘masked high beam’ at VW, became a wellknown term.

Swivelling projector modules – adaptive functions using mechatronics The core element of the headlamp of the Volkswagen Touran is the centrally located 70mm AFX projector module, generating all main frontlighting functions with one D3S

Xenon bulb. The module is equipped with a stepper motor operated triple-layer shutter. Continuously adapting, the shutter creates various shapes of cut-off lines. Complementary projector modules in both headlamps are swivelled and levelled by means of integrated stepper motors. Jointly, they ensure various lighting functions including glarefree high beam. The detected traffic partners are omitted and glare for other drivers is avoided.

BMW: First swivelling LED reflectors in the market As a pioneer in projector technology since 1986 and a leader in dynamically operated projectors since 2003, BMW initiated the market introduction of dynamic reflectors for adaptive frontlighting in 2013. Automotive Lighting developed these lighting innovations, alongside the first all-LED headlamp to offer dynamic curve light through horizontally rotated reflectors.

Adaptive functions using electro-mechanical actuators Basically, each headlamp of this BMW option consists of two double reflectors and incorporates such adaptive functions as glarefree high beam, dynamic curve light and static bend light. Both reflectors of one unit are divided into two parts by design elements in the form of horizontal blinds. The reflectors are vertically adjustable by means of stepper motors. Additionally, the outboard reflector is also swivelled horizontally by another stepper motor. The two reflectors in the bottom of both units jointly provide the full high beam. In the case of oncoming or proceeding traffic, the inboard high beam reflector is switched off. From this moment on, the chambers of the glarefree high beam (outer reflectors) in both headlamps of the car take over the masked high beam distribution. They swivel horizontally by means of stepper motors and, in doing so, they omit the oncoming or proceeding cars. Using vertical stepper motor, Industry Europe 39

the range of the beam pattern is lifted to a maximum without dazzling other drivers. By offering mechatronically controlled adaptive reflectors, BMW once again initiated a new innovation in automotive frontlighting technology.

Audi: Electronically controlled adaptive multi-reflector system The high-end version of the latest Audi TT (MY2015) is equipped with all-LED headlamps using a low beam projector electronic light module called an ‘e-light’, and reflectors for the adaptive light functions. The light distribution is controlled by sophisticated integrated electronics. The headlamp impresses with its linear ‘matrix’ high beam function and the progressive turn signal function.

Individually addressable LEDs in segmented reflectors The linear ‘matrix high beam’ is realized by three segmented reflectors. Two of them use one five-chip LED each which generate the glarefree high beam distribution. The third separate reflector unit, sitting inbound close to the bend light reflector, is powered by two single LEDs. One of them is responsible for the additional spot, the other for the side illumination. All LED chips can be individually activated: Once the camera detects oncoming or proceeding traffic, the information is transmitted to the electronic control unit which controls the relevant LED chips and switches them off in order to avoid dazzling other drivers. When the oncoming car 40 Industry Europe

moves closer, the first chips are modulated again. The process moves on as the other drivers pass without any risk from light glare.

Mercedes-Benz: ‘Multibeam’ double projector concept The optimum combination of advantages of the intelligent electronic control and mechatronic actuation embodies the headlamp of Mercedes-Benz CLS (C218 facelift) using two projector modules per headlamp to overlay the light distribution. Referring to driving safety and regarding technological innovation, this headlamp sets new standards. Particular attention is paid to the glarefree high beam function which Mercedes-Benz calls ‘MULTIBEAM LED’.

Milliseconds away The outboard module ‘LFX’ is the core element of this intelligent frontlighting system. It is powered by one four-chip LED array. Equipped with a stepper motor controlled three-dimensionally defined rotating shutter drum, it generates incrementally adjusted light distribution. This shutter drum is located in the middle of the module between the semiconductor light sources and the carefully shaped lens. This multi-function spot module generates the basic light distributions including flat cut-off line, country road light, motorway light and the ‘glarefree high beam’ function. Using an additional vertically adjusting stepper motor, it can allow drivers to increase speed and still use the high beam light without dazzling other drivers. The camera provides the information for maximum range enhancement.

The integrated horizontal stepper motor is generating a dynamic curve light and supports the adjustment of the beam pattern during adverse weather conditions. This LFX-module is equipped with integrated thermo-management by integrated NTC-elements, a passive heat sink and a motor-driven active ventilator. The inbound ‘PHB’ module complements the light distribution. This camera controlled module is equipped with a pattern of 24 single LEDs on a rigid board with integrated electronics. A complex, numerically calculated brush-like collimation optic captures the emitted light from the activated chips, bundles and re-orientates the light rays towards the secondary lens which generates the light beam pattern for the road. In a flash, the light distribution adapts precisely to each given traffic situation: The integrated control units calculate the light distribution 100 times per second and the 24 high performance LEDs of the ‘MULTIBEAM LED’ module generate 16 individually controlled high-beam segments. The camera located behind the windscreen detects other traffic and multi-beam segments can be switched off within 10 milliseconds if necessary. When the view ahead is clear, the full light beam is activated again.

Benefits of the glarefree high beam Carmakers do their best to combine light performance with extremely precise light distribution on the road to ensure night driving is safe experience. Automotive Lighting has developed and provides all the above-mentioned systems, including the various combinations of electronic and mechatronic control concepts. n

KREISEL Technika Budowlana (KREISEL Engineering Construction) is a leading Polish manufacturer of adhesives for ceramic tiles, plasters, gypsum, insulation systems and many other products for the construction industry. Its offer includes more than 120 products. The company’s leading products are elegant facade plasters, of which it has 13 kinds in different structures, and granulations, in more than 3500 colour variations.

EXPERTS IN CONSTRUCTION CHEMICALS K

REISEL has been operating on the Polish market since 1993. Its headquarters is in Poznan, the site of its first plant in Poland and its management and marketing centre. Today the company has six manufacturing plants: in Poznan, in Bedzin near Katowice, in Ujazd near Tomaszow Mazowiecki, in Kaliska Kujawskie near Lubien, in Rogowiec near Belchatow, and its latest production facility is located in Ostroleka. Since 2005, the company has also operated the EuroKrusz aggregates and sands mine in Nowe Miasto on the Pilica River. Four plants produce chemicals for the construction industry. The other two make gypsum products. The newest facility

was launched in 2011 in Ostroleka. It is a modern plant for gypsum production, based on material from a nearby power plant. The Ostroleka unit produces a wide range of machine-gypsum plasters. The company is the subsidiary of the German FIXIT GROUP, which is the European holding group for building materials companies such as Hasit, ROFIX, Fixit and Kreisel. The group is present in 19 countries with 62 plants and up to 12,000 employees. KREISEL in Poland is in nearly 90 per cent owned by the German company, while the remaining shares are in the hands of KREISEL’s President, Mr Szczepan Gawłowski. The company’s annual sales are estimated

as PLN 300 million. Its daily production capacity is approximately 4000 tons. KREISEL and its products have received the most important Polish economic and consumer distinctions, amongst them: Polish Promotional Emblem ‘Poland Now’ (two times), ‘the Market Leader’, the MTP BUDMA Gold Medals (six of them), ‘the Good, because it is Polish’ certificate , nine ‘BCC European Medals’, ‘Approved Partner’ and ‘Solid Company’ titles and many others.

Focus on the domestic market The company’s activities are directed primarily at the construction market in Poland, and its mission is the production of high-quality

materials for professionals from the construction industry. For this type of product, direct exports are usually unprofitable. In order to expand into other markets a company usually starts production in other countries. This is the case for the eastern markets where KREISEL has plants in Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine. Only specialized products are exported to these countries and these account for about 5–6 per cent of the company’s output. Other countries in the European Union are served by other companies belonging to the holding. The construction chemicals industry is limited by specific building standards, so the products of various companies may not show much difference from each other. The main advantage in the industry is achieved by service and logistics to the construction sites.

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Wide range of offer The company has a very wide range of products intended for the markets of tiles, gypsum, plasters, painting and construction. It offers a complete range for the construction, repair, renovation and decoration of buildings. The leading products of KREISEL are facade plasters. There are 13 kinds of different structures and granulation, in more than 3500 colour variations. Also for this market, the company has implemented Silotech, which is a silo technology – a modern and economical machine solution to handling construction projects with internal cement, lime and gypsum plasters. KREISEL is one of the few companies in the market that support this with silo machine technology. To ensure the highest-quality products, the company collaborates with research

centres and laboratories in its factories, where research on new technologies is conducted. New products are based on modern nanotechnology and can practically apply to all the company’s products. KREISEL is a company, that has achieved huge success. This is confirmed by a number of most prestigious awards and prizes. Its strong brand is evidence of its success but, according to the company, achieving such a solid market position, especially in the chemical industry, is only possible with access to excellent raw materials. Providing customers with excellent products would not be possible without close cooperation with very good contractors. KREISEL has many partners, including both large European companies and solid local companies. The list is huge, starting from the packaging

industry to providers of raw materials and shipping companies. The company’s products are conscientiously and thoroughly checked at each stage of their preparation by certified laboratories located in each plant. The quality of the company’s products is confirmed by numerous certificates. Operational efficiency and dynamics is a special feature of KREISEL traders. Based in each region

in Poland, KREISEL representatives reach wherever the company’s products are needed. What is important is that they not only sell the products, but also act as advisers and service managers for each construction project. As long as the economic crisis persists, the future plans of the company are limited to the optimisation of its structure and its production capacity to maintain its market position.

At this moment, it does not plan any new investments and is focused on strengthening its operating plants, as was recently done by completing the sand drying unit at the plant in Kaliska. New products are systematically implemented every year, depending on the expectations of the market. There are usually n about new six products annually. www.kreisel.pl

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SUCCESS CUBED Haga Metallbau is a leading European fabricator of aluminium, glass and steel for the construction industry. Philip Yorke talked to Mario Haepp, one of the company’s CEOs and technical director, about its latest projects and re-launch into the UK market.

aga was founded in 1976 by Christian Haepp and Norbert Rumpel who started to fabricate window frames in aluminium in Germany. This was at a time when the trend to move away from wooden window frames was in its infancy. They quickly captured their local market with the quality and services that they were offering and within just three years had established the company’s first custombuilt fabrication hall in Hofheim, Germany, which remains its headquarters to this day. By 1990 Haga had expanded dramatically and was now operating four state-of-the-art fabrication plants: Two of them in Bavaria and two in eastern region of Germany. In 2002 HAGA established its own primary

steel fabrication in Fuchsstadt, Bavaria. Today the company employs more than 400 people and in 2013 recorded sales of more than €50 million.

Individual, innovative solutions There are many reasons why Haga is so successful in its niche markets. The company offers individual, cost-effective solutions for projects in industrial construction, steel construction, engineering and metalworking. By placing its customers’ requirements at the top of its priority list and meeting tight deadlines, the company has earned an enviable reputation throughout Europe and in particular in Germany. Major contracts for large

construction projects have been completed in Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain and the UK in recent years and the company continues to extend its global reach. Haga’s three key areas of expertise are the manufacture of key elements in aluminium, steel and glass. In aluminium, Haga specialises in façades, curtain walls and unitised system windows, as well as in a wide range of special doors for fire and burglar resistance and for shop fronts. In steel, Haga produces roof lights, canopies and in particular structural steel, whilst in glass it manufactures photovoltaic solar reduction glass and frameless glass doors. All Haga products are made to the same exacting

standards and are given the same degree of expertise and priority whether they are for just one individual window or a major project.

Focus on the UK market Germany remains the company’s biggest European market but it has also been involved in some of the UK’s most prestigious and innovative projects in the recent past. This has led to the strategic decision to build upon its reputation in the UK and establish a sales office there in the near future. One of the recent high-profile UK projects was its involvement in the building of Birmingham’s most distinctive modern façade, that of the commercial building known as ‘The Cube’. This 23-storey city centre land-mark building was completed in 2010 at a cost of more than £100 million and was designed by Ken

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Shuttleworth, the architect renowned for his design of the ‘Gherkin’ in the city of London’s financial district. Haepp said, “The Birmingham ‘Cube’ project was a major UK contract for us where we worked in close collaboration with a German systems supplier for our extrusions. We specialise in contracts which can range up to €20 million and this one was close to €15 million, although many of our projects range between €500,000 and €5 million. Our company is also unique in that we are happy to produce individual, one-off items too such as special doors, windows and canopies. “The UK is an attractive market for us and the construction industry is now seeing signs of strong growth in the sectors in which we specialise, which includes residential, industrial and government projects such

as municipal buildings, schools and hospitals. We pride ourselves on the breadth of services we offer. These result in our clients getting better engineering standards and the most efficient installation, which can also mean the shortest installation periods. “Another unique aspect of our work is the fact that because of our diverse steel fabrication facilities and expertise, we have an interface between primary steel and glass. These two elements have very different tolerances and normally a contractor will retain two separate companies to manage each element. We are unique in that we manage both and have all the facilities under one roof. We also have our own highly qualified engineering department and installation teams which are dedicated to each individual project so that we maintain overall control of the schedule

and the quality of the work involved. Again, most of our competitors will sub-contract this work to other companies, which can be a risky business if lead times are critical. “This ‘one-stop shop’ philosophy also worked very well for us during the building of the ‘Cube’ in Birmingham and also in a major residential project ‘Milliners Wharf’ in Manchester recently. We are not tied to our European markets; in fact we are currently involved in a major project in Kuwait City. Whatever or wherever the contract might be, we attach the same level of importance to personal service, innovation and quality. Haepp added, “We are currently rationalising our manufacturing processes and investing heavily in fully automated systems. We are also streamlining our production facilities so that our individual fabrication plants will be designed to specialise in one product range only rather than have the capability to manufacture our entire range of products. Savings achieved through this rationalisation process will be passed on to our customers. We see a bright future ahead and we are already recruiting façade specialists sales staff for our new move into the UK market.”

Value added services Haga sees the UK market as playing a significant role in the company’s growth in the years to come. Furthermore, the valueadded services that are available also help to differentiate the company from its competitors. One important aspect of these services is its comprehensive maintenance contracts, which significantly extend the service life of any systems that the company installs. This in turn can provide major long-term benefits and savings for the owners of the buildings concerned. Haga also takes its environmental responsibilities seriously with all its waste materials being 100 per cent recycled and energy saving systems installed throughout its five n fabricating plants. For further information about Haga Metallbau’s innovative products and services visit: www.haga-metallbau.de Industry Europe 47

SEEKING NEW MARKETS Siplast is a leader in the development and manufacturing of advanced roofing and waterproofing systems. Industry Europe talks to marketing director Eric Zimmer to find out more about its plans for growth and focus on sustainable solutions.

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the late 1960s, Siplast Research and Development, working in conjunction with Shell Chemical of Europe, developed SBS (styrene-butadiene-styrene) modified bitumens. The company found that by properly modifying asphalt with SBS, it could produce a highly durable elastomeric blend with exceptional elongation/recovery properties over a wide range of temperatures. This technology laid the foundations for the company in its current form. Siplast is now a leader in the development and manufacture of the world’s most advanced roofing and waterproofing systems. A member of Icopal Group, one of the world’s largest commercial roofing manufacturers, the company today employs a total of 400 staff in France. Marketing Director Eric Zimmer explained that the company operates two distinct sales operations – one for the French market, and one for export. Through the latter, the company has a presence not only in Europe (in France, Italy, Spain and southern Europe),

but also in the Maghreb, Africa, the Middle East, South East Asia and Japan. In France it has its headquarters in Antony, south of Paris, and it operates two plants – in Cormenon, in the Loir-et-Cher department of central France (focused on traditional bitumen membranes); and in Loriol-sur-Drôme, in the south-east of the country (specialising in adhesive products, breathable membranes and sound-deadening solutions). “In terms of its commercial organisation,” added Eric Zimmer, “Siplast has four sales channels in France: two direct sales channels focused on roofing companies and civil works waterproofers; and two distribution sales channels dedicated to building merchants and DIY retailers (and selling under the Monarflex brand name).”

Production profile Siplast’s main products are waterproofing membranes for flat roofs; roofing underlays and shingles for pitched roofs; sound deadening systems (under concrete screed and

tiles); and building membranes (moisture and wind barriers) for wooden buildings. Applications cover both new construction projects and renovations, for both residential (collective and individual housing) and nonresidential buildings (artisan, storage and commercial buildings). Regarding waterproofing membranes, Siplast is a commercial manufacturer which offer roof system packages that combines SBS-modified bitumen or synthetic membranes associated to complementary products which bring new functions to flat roof and allow to recover a “new” surface. These packages are generally developed in association with suppliers. Amongst its key suppliers, the company has a strong relationship with Duflot, a French producer of technical non-woven materials, and expert in thermal and acoustical insulation. “We have worked closely with them to develop a product for the French and UK markets,” explained Eric Zimmer. “Therm’X is a reflective barrier

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designed to improve comfort levels in hot conditions, and to complete a classic winter insulation solution. Duflot provides us one of raw materials, we manufacture the others in our Loriol facility and in one of Icopal SBU (Sturovo) and Duflot assembles the components in its plant”

Investment in new production line The company’s business strategy is not necessarily to extend its basic product range or capabilities. “Rather, we intend to 50 Industry Europe

focus on our existing core product range, and to maintain our specialisation in these key areas, enhancing our range with accessories, for example (including edge metal, roofing fasteners and sealants designed to work with Siplast’s membranes). And while we aren’t planning any new facilities or production units, we are working to improve our production processes within our existing plants. For instance, we have installed a new production line (for polyethylene and polypropylene products) in Cormenon earlier

this year, for the production of foundation panels. Our Cormenon plant now produces 23 million square metres of membrane a year, and produces 440 different products, while our facility in Loriol produces 24 million square metres (including breathable membranes) and produces 207 products. “Our primary focus is on the renovation industry, and this has stood us in good stead in recent years, through the slowdown in the construction industry in Europe. Our turnover has held steady, and reached 166

million euros in 2013 (130 million euros in France, and 36 million in export sales). France, Italy and Spain remain our most important markets, but we also see significant opportunities in developing markets, and are already working on huge civil works and building projects with partners in Africa and the Middle East.” Looking to the future, Siplast’s aim is to develop more sustainable products. It already offers dedicated solutions for water management, depollution, green roofs, etc., and plans to develop more dedicated solutions of this type. Following Icopal’s recent buyout of a resins manufacturer (Siloflex) it is also currently working on a new liquid product. At the same time, it is working to develop new synthetic membranes within the wider Icopal group, and is continuing to develop new accessories to complete each of its existing ranges. “We intend to develop organically, to establish ourselves as a leading supplier of waterproofing solutions in bitumen, liquid and synthetic, with market-leading solutions against water (waterproofing bitumen and synthetic membranes, liquid solutions, foundation panels and so on), wind (breathable membranes for walls and roofs), and sound (sound-deadening systems for floors and walls). All of the market segments we operate in are extremely competitive, but we differentiate ourselves from our competitors by focusing on production, rather than installation. Another of our strengths is our ability to produce innovative solutions, not to mention the fact that we are such a long-established company with 50 years’ n experience in our business.” Industry Europe 51

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UNRIVALLED

AGROCHEMICAL

EXPERTISE S

KW Piesteritz has been developing its core competences and expertise for almost 100 years and today is the largest producer of ammonia and urea in Germany. The company has a diverse product portfolio which includes a wide variety of highly specialised agrochemical and industrial chemical products. The Piesteritz industrial site has been a focal point in Germany for the chemical industry since 1915, which enables SKW to draw on expertise that stems from almost 100 years of product research and development, even though it has only been in its current corporate form since 1993. Today the company is a major producer of nitrogen fertilisers for the European agricultural chemical industry and it also supplies basic chemicals such as ammonia, urea and nitric acid. SKW’s state-of-the-art production facilities enable it to continuously enhance products to meet its customers’ changing specifications. In addition, its research department is one of the largest in the world among chemical companies of a similar size. SKW has over 850 employees at its headquarters near Leipzig in

Germany with more than 70 of them dedicated to chemical research, agricultural application research and analytics.

Proven nutrition feed solutions SKW Piesteritz supports farmers by providing proven nutrition solutions for livestock, with high quality feed grade urea. The new brand name for this advanced product is Piarumin®. The practical use of Piarumin® supports protein intake for livestock due to their fore-stomach system where ruminants can build protein from both naturally occurring sources of nitrogen, as well as artificially produced non-protein nitrogen sources such as feed grade urea. This product can be combined with mixes and premixes, as well as being added to high performance feed and used in the manufacturing of cereal straw pellets. Feed grade urea along with fertilisers, is among the large range of specialised products produced at SKW, which the company develops in the interests of its customers and end users. Piarumin® is Fami-QS certified,

SKW Piesteritz is a global technology leader in the development and manufacture of agrochemicals such as nitrogen fertilisers. Philip Yorke looks at a company that continues to expand its product portfolio and increase its market share.

which is an internationally recognised standard for the feed industry that fully controls feed ingredients for ruminants. SKW products have been closely orientated to the changing requirements of both crop producers and the environment. Today traditional urea-based solid fertilisers are produced in a new form that suits recent agricultural developments where modern spreading equipment allows high performance per unit area. The new composition also helps to protect the environment because no dust is produced during the product’s handling and spreading operations.

Continuous development programme SKW’s plans for future growth include a programme of continuous development that encompasses both new product development and its manufacturing facilities. The company continues to optimise its existing product lines to meet its customers’ needs and to develop products that are characterised by their environmental and economic viability. At the same time SKW is actively involved in the commercialisation of the

Schoeller-Bleckmann Nitec – SKW Piesteritz …a long and fruitful relationship Schoeller-Bleckmann Nitec (SBN), a member of the Austrian Christof Group, has been active in the fabrication of critical process equipment for ammonia and urea plants for now more than 40 years. In this period, SBN has not only acquired an unmatched level of expertise, but has also been instrumental in the development of materials and fabrication techniques for the various types of equipment geared to support all its customers in their strive for larger capacity and higher efficiency plants coupled with longer plant life time. The relationship between SBN and SKW Piesteritz is now lasting for more than 30 years. Specifying only some of the projects executed together we can name: deliveries of High Pressure Strippers, High Pressure Carbamate Condensers, High Pressure Scrubbers, Waste Heat Boilers, Internals for High Pressure Carbamate Condensers and various modifications and in-situ repairs. A milestone in the relationship between SBN and SKW was the shortening of the tube bundle for a HPCC, which had been carried out in-situ. As a result of the joint effort, the equipment then lasted for more than 10 years without any sign of deterioration. SBN’s mission is to serve all its customers throughout the world with products and services meeting the highest quality standards. We are confident to continue the fruitful relationship between SBN and SKW for the years to come.

Piesteritz site as an attractive industrial location. The company’s spacious works facility extends to more than 200 hectares, of which over 40 hectares support industrial infrastructure potential for future investment. SKW Piesteritz is the operator of the only Agro-Chemie Park in Germany and is particularly responsible for logistics and the environment. Therefore the company has become involved in the regional planning procedures for the construction of the northern bypass, where since the year 2000, the rate of incoming and outgoing traffic has grown from around 29,000 lorries to almost 44,000 and this is expected to increase by 25 per cent in the next 12 years. This new infrastructure project will optimise the logistics and just-in-time delivery of SKW’s agrochemical products.

Focus on research and development R&D plays a very important role in the company’s future development and on-going success. Currently its research department is

busy with the development of new products and the continuous process of optimisation of its existing product range. SKW’s agricultural application research centre near Leipzig plays an important role in this respect. Today comprehensive application engineering studies are being carried out on more than 3,500 test plots with the goal of developing new fertiliser specialities. The company believes that partnership with agrochemical institutions are crucial in optimising its new product development programme. To date SKW’s cooperation with four leading university institutions has made a major contribution and out of this continuous programme of investment has come ‘Piadin’, which is a new nitrogen stabiliser that has been developed for organic fertilisers such as liquid manure. It delivers very similar benefits in the field of organic fertilisers and offers three main plus points: less work, higher yields and environmentally sound fertilisation. By combining partial manure doses, the number of field

passes can be reduced and at the same time the application deadlines can be more variable which in turn saves work. Today SKW’s formula for success continues to serve it well and places it in a strong position to meet its ambitious plans for n future growth. For further details of SKW Piesteritz and its cutting-edge products visit: www.skwp.de

NUMBER ONE IN

FLOORING SOLUTIONS

The Swedish-based HTC Group is a pioneer in the development and manufacture of flooring solutions for applications such as grinding, leveling, cleaning and maintenance. Since the beginning it has led the way in this challenging field, and continues to offer new and innovative solutions to its customer throughout the world. Victoria Hattersley spoke to president and CEO Lars Landin to find out more.

he HTC Group has long led the way in the development of advanced flooring solutions. Indeed, it would not be going too far to say that HTC was the founder of this particular branch of the industry – that of advanced floor preparation, treatment and finishing technologies. As Mr Landin says, “Almost all the other producers in this market today were originally our distributors and developed their technology from ours – so we truly are a pioneer.” The origins of HTC go all the way back to 1987 when the cleaning company HTC Sweden AB was established by Håkan and Gunn 56 Industry Europe

Thysell. During their time running this company they noticed that their customers were having trouble maintaining the floors in their offices, shops and so on to an acceptable standard. They decided to work on developing methods to improve floors more efficiently. As a result, the Thysells sold their cleaning business and started a new company with the aim of renovating stone floors. During this time Håkan Thysell researched the best grinding technologies and was disappointed with the quality on offer. He began developing and producing his own machines, which were more efficient and able to achieve a

higher output. These were the foundation upon which its current product range has been built. The founding family left HTC in 2013 when it was taken over by a Danish Private equity company – Polaris.

Two core divisions HTC is divided into two main divisions: the first of these, its Hardware business, deals with its grinders, diamond tools, vacuums and so on; the second is dedicated to its Twister™ product line – a revolutionary cleaning system. The company runs two plants in Sweden, the first dedicated to

grinding production and the second to the Twister brand. In the US it runs a third plant which is also focused on Twister production. The products manufactured in the Hardware division include one of HTC’s most well-established proprietary brands: HTC Superfloor™. This floor solution – a dry method of mechanically grinding and polishing a concrete floor developed very early on by Håkan Thysell – is the one from which all subsequent solutions in this field have developed. The technique is simple: HTC’s machines and diamond tools grind and polish concrete floors to remove surface paste and expose the stronger concrete beneath. The result is stronger, shinier and more durable floors. Another system from the Hardware division, DCS Hybrid™, was developed to restore damaged or heavily worn natural stone and terrazzo floors. HTC EZwood™, meanwhile, was designed specifically for

wood grinding whilst HTC Superprep™ prepares stone and concrete floors before further treatment. “For example,” says Mr Landin, “we might work with large flooring contractors who are preparing floors for carpet replacement and need to remove substances such as glue and resins from the surface.” The latest addition to the Hardware division is the HTC Greyline™ series of machines. This encompasses four different sizes of floor grinders, two dust extractors, diamond tools and special accessories. Altogether these offer a complete solution, from floor preparation & renovation to concrete & wood grinding and surface leveling. The Greyline machines are very suitable for the rental industry. Twister™, the single product which makes up HTC’s second core division, is a revolutionary cleaning system consisting of floor pads prepared with billions of micro-

scopic diamonds which can be used on most common floor surfaces. According to Mr Landin, “This product is based on the diamond technology we use when we grind floors. This means you can use the pad in the daily floor cleaning without any chemicals, which means it’s in line with all relevant environmental regulations. This is why we have been so successful, as all our clients have to consider the environmental impact of their activities today. “The users for this product tend to be cleaning contractors for large floor spaces in areas such as retail, airports, public buildings and so on. For example, our Twister products clean all the over 1100 Tesco stores in the UK.”

The importance of innovation As mentioned above, HTC’s position as a pioneer in this sector means that the core concepts for its groundbreaking products Industry Europe 57

Subcontracting specialist. Asia sourcing. Machining. Sheet metal. Hot and cold forming. Aluminium extrusion.

Phone: +46 0371-22 68 00 Fax: +46 0371-211 05 E-mail: info@hugma.se

www.hugma.se

are inevitably borrowed by its competitors on the market. Because of this, it is vital for the company to innovate constantly in order to maintain its leading position. Resting on its laurels is simply not an option. This is a point Mr Landin is keen to emphasise: “We constantly seek to improve the technology available in this global market, not just to sell huge volumes of products. It’s about identifying our customers’ biggest challenges and finding the best solutions. We introduce several new concepts each year: for example, we have developed automatic machines which operate by remote control and in many cases can increase efficiency by up to 50 per cent. Furthermore, it should be noted that the polishing of concrete as a dry process, now widely used, was an original HTC invention. “Then we work with different add-ons. We have a mist system, for instance, to cool the diamond tools and prolong their life length. This works by cooling the diamonds down on the flooring so that the tooling system can operate for longer and cover more square metres per hour and. It goes without saying that this both cuts costs and improves efficiency.”

Other world firsts include the introduction of grinders with four heads, and ride-on floor polishing machines in sizes up to 1.5 or 2.5 metres – the largest currently available on the market. In addition to its own development activities, HTC also puts a lot of effort into external research partnerships and knowledge sharing. It works with academies and universities, carrying out research and running educational programmes for contractors and others looking to move into this industry sector.

Sales markets and growth prospects Although production is confined to Sweden and the US, HTC’s products can be found all over the world. It has distribution partners for its Hardware division in more than 65 countries in addition to its direct sales. For the Twister division, which has its own separate network, it exports to over 100 countries in total. And where does HTC expect to see growth coming from in the next few years? Mr Landin replies: “Asia is a growing market for us and over the past year in particular we have also been increasing sales in South America. The

US market will continue to be very important because the polished concrete market is so well developed there. Finally, the countries of the former Soviet Union are showing great development prospects so this is something n we will be pursuing.”

CLEANER AND GREENER Tennant Company is a world leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of solutions to help create cleaner indoor and outdoor environments. Abigail Saltmarsh reports.

ennant Company has innovation in its DNA, says Vice President and General Manager of EMEA and Global Outdoor Cleaning, Yves Derycke. With that in mind, Mr Derycke would like to see the operation ‘transformed’ – his ultimate aim is for a company that offers only chemical-free solutions and that has relationships with its customers that are second to none. “Our global vision is to be a leader and our dream is that Tennant will be transformed,” he says. “We are moving towards this with our recent innovations and our new service contracts. We want to be a company that reacts to our customers’ needs. We can have fantastic innovations but they must be what our customers want and delivered as they want them. We believe we are listening to our customers more now and that – with the right products and right service contracts – we have started the process of transformation.”

60 Industry Europe

Maintaining its position Tennant Company is a world leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of products for maintaining surfaces in industrial, commercial and outdoor environments, chemical-free and other sustainable cleaning technologies and coatings for protecting, repairing and upgrading surfaces. Its global field service network is the most extensive in the industry. In Europe, it has manufacturing operations in the Netherlands and in Scotland, in the UK; elsewhere, it produces in three facilities in the US, as well as in Brazil and China. Products are marketed under the Tennant, Nobles, Green Machines, Orbio and Alfa brands. “One of our greatest achievements of recent times, of course, has been to survive the difficult economic climate in Europe,” says Mr Derycke. “We have also,

however, launched a couple of new service contracts and are continuing to look at this area – at the moment, for example, we are launching a new service contract for our municipal customers.”

Clean technologies The company is passionate about developing innovative and sustainable solutions to help its customers address their indoor and outdoor cleaning challenges, says Mr Derycke continues. Its suite of water-based cleaning technologies is redefining the way the

world cleans and it is setting the benchmark for sustainable outdoor cleaning by creating products that help to eliminate emissions and reduce noise pollution. “One recent step forward for us has been the Orbio 5000-Sc. This has the same kind of technology as our ec-H2O but while that used a blend stream technology this uses a split stream,” he explains. Orbio Split Stream technology is available exclusively on the Orbio 5000-Sc, which uses tap water, a small amount of salt and electricity to create an effective multi-purpose

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cleaning solution that works with most existing cleaning equipment and methods. The Orbio 5000-Sc cleaning solution cleans most soils, including fats, proteins and organic oils. It aims to match or exceed the performance of most conventional cleaners so customers can replace many costly, potentially harmful chemicals from their cleaning programs with just one cleaning solution.

More productive In 2013 Tennant introduced the T12 compact scrubber rider, which had been developed following in-depth customer research. The T12 was designed to clean effectively, save money, increase safety and reduce environmental impact with optional chemicalfree ec-H2O technology. It can clean floors from edge-to-edge with optional scrubbing side-brush and offers a 28 per cent wider scrub path. The move from the 7000-100 scrubber to the T12 saw major investment at Tennant. There has also recently been a move to bring the manufacture of plastic body components in-house, resulting in a total investment of $1 million at the Netherlands Facility. 62 Industry Europe

LINAK “There are major benefits to producing these parts ourselves,” says Mr Derycke. “We can now react much faster to peaks in demand and have responsibility for quality checks.” In 2014 Tennant has launched a further nine new products already, including the T17 battery-powered rider scrubber and walk-behind battery-operated burnishers that are emission-free and deliver high performance gloss results.

Future growth As Tennant Company moves forward, the emphasis will continue to be for innovation, both in terms of product development and the way the company operates. The company will continue to look at improving its access to customers and, while municipal cleaning has taken a downturn along with the economy, expects to see growth in the area in the future. “We will also maintain our focus on service contracts and the after-market,” says Mr Derycke. “This is an important part of listening to our customers and making sure they get everything they want. If our global vision is to transform, we have to keep looking at all these areas.” n

The LINAK Group is divided into 5 divisions organized as individual business units. This ensures that customers within the various business areas will always be serviced by a team of experts with immense relevant insight and experience. LINAK is globally recognized for high quality, technically advanced, innovative solutions that reach the marketplace as cutting edge products giving both us and our customers a strategic advantage. With more than 7,000 different articles, no one else in the industry offer a wider range of actuator systems than LINAK. Our complete selection includes actuators, lifting columns, control boxes, controls and a wide range of accessories. 80% of our products are customized solutions, and we take pride in being a strong partner in the development of new applications.

Winding process on horizontal winding machine

TRANSFORMING POWER EFFICIENCY Kolektor Etra is a leading European manufacturer of high-voltage power transformers. Philip Yorke talked to Peter Novak, the company’s Executive director for Sales and Procurement about the advances made in its production capabilities and move into new markets.

1933 a company was formed in Slovenia to provide servicing for small transformers and the manufacturing of components for power distribution. The company was ”EMD” (Elektromehanične delavnice Črnuče)’ and is known today as Kolektor Etra, after KOLEKTOR GROUP purchased 75 per cent of its shares in 2010. In 2012 the company invested in an extensive purpose-built, state-of-the-art facility that is capable of manufacturing high-power transformers of 500 MVA rated power and 420Kv rated voltage to meet individual and specific customer requirements. Today Kolektor Etra 64 Industry Europe

is a modern, lean and innovative company that has facilities extending to more than 45,000m2 of which over 20,000m2 is devoted to state-of-the-art manufacturing processes. The company currently employs over 290 people and in 2013 recorded sales of more than €56 million.

Increased capacity In 2011, a major strategic investment decision was made and a new building programme was embarked upon that was designed not only to upgrade the existing facilities, but to take the company to an entirely new level. Traditionally

Etra produced transformers and components for products up to 200MVA. However, as the demand for power has increased worldwide the need for much higher rated transformers became evident. There was therefore a strategic and economical imperative to design and produce highly-efficient transformers of up to 500MVA and with rated power of up to 420kV or more. As a result of this dramatic increase in the demand for higher rated transformers, the company constructed a state-of-theart, purpose-built facility that would match the capabilities of any western European

ART 350000-420 kV, TS Stupava, SEPS, Slovakia, 2013, ready for energizing

manufacturer. The new plant includes advanced manufacturing facilities for drying and oil treatment and machinery for the cutting and stacking of core sheets. In addition new equipment was commissioned for the winding and treatment of different kinds of windings. Furthermore, ETRA’s new highvoltage laboratory for transformer testing is equipped with the most advanced and precise measuring equipment whose sensitive instruments are regularly calibrated by European authorised institutions. The company’s new facility also offers full repair and maintenance services for trans-

RT 300MVA -400 kV, TS Okroglo, ELES, Slovenia, 2013, putting on foundation

formers that are not only produced by Etra, but also by any other manufacturers. These services can be carried out either on-site or at ETRA’s own workshops. The company guarantees a fast and efficient service with professional inspection and diagnosis and within the agreed time lines.

Tailor-made innovation In today’s fast growing and demanding power distribution market, the quality of transformers is becoming even more relevant. This is in order to guarantee consumers and manufacturers an optimised, high-quality, efficient and

reliable service. Novak said, “It was imperative that we positioned ourselves to meet the increasing and changing demands of world markets. We have therefore invested heavily to increase our production capacity, as well as the efficiency of both our products and our manufacturing processes. We have to be able to produce more complex and bigger transformers in order to meet the new power market requirements. This means that we now operate the most modern transformer factory in Europe, which includes hermetically sealed clean-room facilities that meet all the current EU standards and legislation. In the Industry Europe 65

Production building in Ljubljana

Power transformer 100 MVA in testing laboratory

Peter Novak – Executive Director/Sales & Procurement

66 Industry Europe

assembly stage of production we provide a so called dry chamber, which means that our transformers are assembled in a room where we can keep the air humidity lower than 15 per cent. “Currently our biggest market is Scandinavia, which represents around 50 per cent of our overall sales. Our key customers include the big utility companies such as Vattenfall, Fortum, Hafslund, Statnett, Stat-

kraft and E.ON in Nordic countries. Other main customers are in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Switzerland. However, it is the UK, which is our fastest growing market outside Scandinavia. Today we are serving a much more diverse market since the demand has increased for renewable energy and here we produce tailor-made transformers for hydro-electric power plants and offshore and on-shore wind farms. The wind

Manufacturer of high voltage transformer casings. Guaranteed quality products built within an agreed time frame. Zrinsko-Frankopanska 23, Čakovec Tel.: +385 040/395-644 | Fax.: +385 040/395-707 Email: primabiro@ck.t-com.hr | www.primabiro.hr

Power transformer 500 MVA-415kV, TS Storfinnforsen, E.ON Elnät Sweden 2013, ready for testing in KOLEKTOR ETRA high voltage laboratory

farm market is certainly a strong growth market for us and virtually all our products are made to our customers’ own individual specifications. The biggest product segment in this market is for transformers rated between 20MVA and 100MVA.” Mr Novak added, “Unlike the giants of the power industry such as Siemens and General Electric, we are able to be very flexible and offer much shorter lead times. In fact we are able to achieve deliveries with lead times of only 3-4 months from the date of order if necessary. We are an independent company, who can cooperate as a subsupplier with engineering companies. What’s more we are in cooperation with our sister companies inside KOLEKTOR GROUP capable of handling complete turnkey projects, with everything produced and controlled in-house. “We plan to continue to grow organically and are not considering joint ventures or acquisitions at the present time. Our marketing is done mainly through our attendance at congresses and seminars, many of which we sponsor ourselves. In addition, we attend trade fairs such as the ELFAK fair in Sweden. We are also very aware of our obligations towards the environment and since 2000

have been ISO 14001 certified, which made us among the first companies in Slovenia to achieve this. Besides we believe that the best promotion for Etra is the reference list of our products that is constantly growing and shows new customers and, most important, our “old” customers that are coming back to us with new orders and thus show their satisfaction with our products and services. However, we are certainly not being complacent and our on-going programme of improvement and renewal will continue unabated, with

our emphasis on innovation and the optimisation of our transformers for the benefit of our customers and for the community as a whole”. The future for Kolektor Etra looks bright indeed, with few companies being able to match the quality of their innovative, tailormade transformers or their ability to meet n such short lead times. For further details of Kolektor ETRA’s innovative power products and services visit: www.kolektor-etra.si Industry Europe 67

HARNESSING WIND POWER Leading developer and manufacturer of new-generation wind turbines Norvento utilises its more than 30 years of experience to deliver sustainable energy solutions for a range of industrial applications. Emma-Jane Batey spoke to technical director Miguel Hoyos Irisarri to find out more.

enewable energy specialist Norvento develops and manufactures new-generation wind turbines using state-ofthe-art technology. As part of the Spanish Norvento Enerxia group of companies, which is dedicated to the promotion, construction and operation of power plants that use renewable energy sources, Norvento Energía Distribuida (nED) is primarily concerned with innovative medium-sized wind turbines. As a group, Norvento Enerxia designs, builds, owns and operates hydro, wind, biomass and solar energy installations worldwide. Owned by the Fernandez Castro family and active in the energy sector since 1981, the group comprises many highly experienced technical professionals focused on the key areas of energy, engineering and technology. Technical director for Norvento Miguel Hoyos Irisarri spoke to Industry Europe to

explain how the company has developed in recent years. He said, “We have always been a company dedicated to the development of our own renewable energy projects, also providing engineering services to our customers. Our most recent direction has been the development of new-generation wind turbines for distributed power generation and so Norvento is now also an industrial company. Our products are interesting for industrial companies as they are increasingly aware of the importance of sustainable policies.”

Fresh power As a company that operates in a sector with dramatically evolving technology and rapidly shifting market trends, Norvento proudly maintains a strategic commitment to research, technological development and innovation by allocating significant resources

to various areas of key performance. With a dynamic team at its R&D department that, since 2009, has been operating under the R&D Management System certification UNE-166.002:2006, Norvento is continually optimising its processes. Mr Hoyos continued, “We are focused on remaining true to our core principles of excellence, quality and innovation, and to continually develop a more sustainable business model. Our wind turbine nED100 has been developed by a highly skilled expert team of engineers with over 90 years of accumulated experience in the design and manufacturing of large-scale wind turbines. We have therefore applied the very same demanding standards that have made wind generation a fully mature technology.” The company is experienced in creating wind turbine installations in environmentally sensitive areas as well as built-up industrial

areas, making Norvento a solid choice for companies that need an efficient and effective power generation solution. Mr Hoyos noted that Norvento is well-suited to a range of rural and industrial applications. He said, “Our new-generation wind turbines are adaptable, with our teams on hand to ensure that each installation is perfectly in tune with the needs of the customer. The sustainable energy generation industry has really changed in recent years and now many companies that could not have previously installed a wind turbine because of noise or location have the option thanks to our innovative technical solutions. Our nED100 wind turbines are quieter than ever before and can harness energy from very low winds, making them ideal for rural, suburban and industrial applications.” The adaptability of Norvento’s nED100 wind turbines also means that they are the ideal visible marker of a company’s dedication to sustainability. Besides their beautiful industrial design, they are also the first to incorporate a number of industry-friendly

applications, making them the ideal choice for small to medium-sized businesses, including factories, farms, shopping centres and leisure resorts. These advantages include easy integration into an internal grid, low noise emission thanks to its aerodynamic design with no gear box, and a certified safety and control system which meets the industry’s strictest safety regulations for installation close to people and proven reliability. The design also has no hydraulic parts so maintenance requirements are minimised and can be completely controlled remotely; all the Norvento wind turbines installed worldwide can be controlled from its central control centre, which is manned by experts 24/7.

The green dream Sustainability is a thread that runs throughout Norvento, from its daily operations to its innovative product range. In 2012, Norvento’s generation capacity totalled 366,711MWh and avoided the emission of 220,027 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.

The company is continually working on developing new technologies, in fields like ocean and geothermal energy, or distributed energy systems, with energy engineering and renewable energy projects the driving force behind its global expansion. The future growth of Norvento will see its ambitious strategic international expansion continue. Its present activities in the USA, Brazil, Poland, Spain, Italy and the UK will be joined by a growing network of sales and service teams worldwide. Mr Hoyos concluded, “Our product range is new and exciting – and reliable for renewable energy generation. It is perfectly suited to countries where the electricity grid is not well-developed or where there are problems with the energy supply. In the next few years we will have established a sophisticated network of distributors and partners in order to reach market opportunities across the world. This is just the start for Norvento – we are totally committed to developing and providing complete renewable energy solutions for communities and industrial-sized operations.” n

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DELIVERING INTELLIGENT

ENERGY SOLUTIONS Standardkessel is a technology leader in the supply of tailor-made boiler systems and power plant construction projects. Philip Yorke reports on a company that is continuing to expand by extending its product portfolio and entering new, lucrative niche markets.

tandardkessel was founded in 1925 and began life as a standard, classic boilermaker. Early success meant that the company was soon able to offer complete turnkey systems through its growing technological development and innovative expertise. Today Standardkessel is part of the German engineering group, Standard Kessel Baumgarte, which supplies turnkey power plants and power plant components for industrial and municipal power-supply projects. In addition to being involved in projects concerning fossil-based energy, the company also provides expertise in alternative energies

such as biomass, biogenic residual materials and municipal waste or industrial residues. Besides power plant and component construction, the company also offers a wide range of services and solutions in the area of energy contracting that involves project development, financing, construction and commissioning, which are all available from a single source.

Growing product pipeline Standardkessel GmbH (SKG) has never been a company to rest on its laurels and today it is committed to developing new,

more efficient power solutions and products that are both resource-conserving and environmentally friendly. Recent significant additions to the company’s portfolio include its Fluidised Bed Combustion System (Bubbling Bed). In addition, SKG is also offering an entirely new product line: Catalytic and refrigeration equipment-based gas cleaning plants form part of SKG’s product portfolio and these provide independent solutions for VOC abatement with heat-recovery systems. What’s more, the company now offers SCR systems for a wide range of flue-gas cleaning operations.

Tradition and innovation – these are the trademarks of the BETH Filter GmbH. With headquarters in Lübeck/Germany, the company, which operates internationally, ranks among the leading providers in the area of industrial de-dusting. Founded in 1887, the BETH Filter GmbH offers all filters for all branches of industry, which sustainably reduce environmental impact. The term BETH filter is regarded as a synonym for all dust collection systems. The product line ranges from highly efficient bag filters to highly specialised electrostatic precipitators for separating tares from fuel gases. The portfolio contains processes for special flue gas cleaning with the aid of additives as well as using heat exchangers, flue gas condensers or multicyclones. In addition, BETH Filter has a wide range of accessories available, such as components for explosion protection and dust discharge devices. But also complete systems including pipelines and steel construction can be realized. Everything from one single source – from technical advice to assembly and start-up operations on the spot: the company regards itself as a full-service provider for tailor-made solutions thanks to qualified advice and planning. Please contact us for further information and worldwide references in several industries. BETH Filter GmbH Hinter den Kirschkaten 26, D-23560 Lübeck, Germany Phone: Fax: E-Mail: Web:

+49 (0) 451 530 - 7500 +49 (0) 451 530 - 7600 info@beth-filter.de www.beth-filter.de

An SKG media spokesman said, “Since the late 1990s we no longer have our own manufacturing facilities owing to market forces making this uneconomical. However, we are successfully continuing cooperation with our fabrication partner Energoinstal from Katowice, Poland, for many of our projects. The cooperation includes joint development of laser and laser-hybrid fabrication technologies for finned tubes and membrane walls, respectively. The market is also changing fast with political decisions being made regarding WTE versus landfill options and the change in subsidies for renewable energies. We are always looking for new niche markets for our products and although our company name is ‘Standardkessel’, which might give the impression that we supply standard systems, in fact we always offer tailor-made boilers or plants for our clients, as well as innovative niche-market solutions. We are constantly focused on the best solutions for our clients independent of any specific product or service.”

New innovative solutions With its fast-growing service division, SKG can now provide innovative solutions for its clients that enhance its offering of new energy-

efficient power plants. Starting with a broad spectrum of engineering works, the company offers assembly and commissioning, as well as optimisation and plant operation. SKG’s media spokesman added, “We are ready to offer a complete package of services tailored to the specific requirements of our clients. It is clearly the case that in times of a decreasing economy, our customers are more focused on maintenance of their power plants than on building

new ones. This has had a positive effect on the service side of our business. Interestingly, with the activities of our contracting division, our group is able to create its own new projects.” Today SKG’s Contracting Division offers an entire design and coordination package for any tailor-made energy production project from a single source, and this includes the possibility of the company’s participation in the provision of equity capital.

Cutting-edge biomass plant The company’s first self-developed project was initiated just over two years ago when the financial close was achieved for the construction of a cutting-edge biomass plant located on the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i in Hawaii’s north-westerly archipelago. Within a construction time of approximately two and a half years, an advanced biomass-fired power plant with the tested and proven ’pusher-type’ grate-technology

will be constructed. This plant utilises fuel from natural wood chips from local, fast growing timber resources. This high-tech plant is the first of its kind on the island and an outstanding feature of the owner/operator concept is the ‘closedloop’ model. The required fuel quantity of around 65,000 tons per year is harvested from more than 2,000 hectares of woodland that was secured for the purchase. Another milestone on the way to the plant’s completion has commenced with the on-schedule delivery of the plant’s turbine on 9 January 2014. Upon completion, which is scheduled for later this year, the new biomass power plant will feed at least 6.7 MW of electricity into the island’s public electricity grid from renewable sources. SKG’s media spokesman said, “A particular challenge of this ground-breaking project was

the outside financing, which after the financial crisis of the euro was finally achieved with the involvement of the Deutsche Bank of New York. Further projects of a comparable size are being worked on within the group and are ready to be implemented in the coming year.

From the SKG management point of view, this step is the right one in order to optimise the group’s competences and to create a business field with on-going projects that are largely independent of fluctuations relating to n the economic cycle.”

BETH Filter GmbH BETH Filter constructions are created on 3D, so that a realistic representation of the plant can already be generated during the planning phase. However, it is not only the high quality standards, but above all also the good cooperation with customers which distinguishes this traditional company – always with the aim of improving business processes to provide customers with high-quality products as overall solutions meeting all requirements of innovate de-dusting and cleaning.

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Pick Szeged Zrt. is the largest Hungarian exporter of processed meat products. The PICK brand is the only Hungarian food brand that has acquired significant recognition and a strong position in foreign markets. In order to sustain growth the company is now preparing to carry out a major investment; a brand new slaughterhouse unit is planned to be built in Mohács. Edina Beale investigates.

INVESTING TO MEET

RISING DEMAND 78 Industry Europe

stablished over 145 years ago, Pick Szeged Zrt. today is the leading Hungarian meat processing plant. Headquartered in Szeged, in the south of Hungary, Pick currently operates production plants in four locations throughout the country. The company carries out all meat and salami processing in Szeged, whilst in Baja, ham and paté products are produced, the plant in Alsómocsolád produces dry sausages. The factory in Pécs is responsible for slaughtering and boningThe company currently employs in excess of 2800 people and in 2013 turnover was 65.3 billion HUF. Export sales play an important part of the turnover; 21.1 billion HUF was achieved from exports in 2013.

Adjusting to market needs While the company flagship product is the world-famous PICK wintersalami, which has been unchanged since the beginning of the company, the business is very aware of consumer demand and changing tastes. In 2010 the company re-established the Herz brand, which is very popular in Hungary..

The revamped brand has also been of great value for introducing new ham products that are more in tune with current culinary trends., while still produces the ever-popular traditionally cured, premium quality Classic Téliszalámi (Winter Salami) made to Ármin Herz’s 126 year old original recipe. The salami is made with selected ingredients, unique herbs and the traditional beechwood smoking process. Value for money is becoming more and more important to all food producers and Pick is aware that it needs to compete at all levels. Providing good quality food at affordable prices is the job of the FAMÍLIA brand. This brand was launched to provide quality products at lower prices for consumers on a budget.

Major Investment Programme New product ranges, increased capacity and expanding sales and markets require long term strategic planning and investment. Pick has continually worked to improve efficiency, quality and hygiene standards. It has introduced an integrated control system, which

has assisted in providing greatly improved food safety and product quality across the company. In the Alsómocsolád and Baja plants ‘High Care’ areas have been created which meet the highest hygiene requirements. Pick are currently working with their partners on two major investments, which will significantly increase the company’s ability to meet the growing demand for their products. The first project is the establishment of a new slaughterhouse in Mohács in Southern Hungary. This is a major undertaking for the company; the facility will have the ability to butcher 1 million pigs per shift and, initially, will employ 400 new staff. The state of the art operation will meet the highest food safety and hygiene requirements whilst providing the opportunity to greatly increase production of the finest quality products. At the present time preparations are well advanced and all the relevant permits and permissions are being sought whilst the most suitable equipment is being identified and sourced. The building plans are being prepared to ensure best use of the avail-

Salinen Austria AG One of the most basic products that significantly determines the flavour of products is cooking salt. The main aspect when choosing salt is the product’s cleanliness and quality relevancy. For more than 20 years the Salinen group has been providing the cooking salt as a base material to create the product’s peculiar flavours.

able space. The plant should come into full operation in 2016. The second project is a production plant, which will be based at Szeged. This is a slightly longer-term project and is intended to ensure that Pick is able to maintain and increase its market position by having the capacity to meet increasing demand. The production plant is intended to have the most modern and efficient food processing technologies. Once again quality is a major factor and the plant will be built to the highest standards for food safety and hygiene requirements. This project is due for completion in 2018.

Strong position Pick has managed to retain its position as the market leading Hungarian producer, however, due to the recession the company has seen a change in local requirements. The local demand for high quality and higher priced products has fallen on the domestic

market over recent years. Despite the local trend Pick has been successful in promoting its products in the export market with its products being widely available in nearly 30 countries, on the shelves of 200 different retail chains. The company aims to revive the flagging Hungarian market whilst increasing its export activities. It is seeking to reinforce its brands to ensure that they remain the consumer’s first choice in all segments. According to one of the major leading market research companies the PICK brand is one of the strongest Hungarian brands. Pick Szeged Zrt. is very proud of the fact that the company is the only food producing company in Hungary with two Hungaricum products. Despite the recent economic problems that have affected businesses and consumers alike, Pick is optimistic for the future. As part of the Bonafarm Group it has the advantage of a complete ‘land to table’ supply chain. An effective marketing strategy and

commitment to investment and customer satisfaction are key components in ensuring that the company is in an excellent position n to meet the challenges that lay ahead.

EXPORTS DRIVE GROWTH The combination of high technology, flexibility of the production process and years of experience has enabled Slovenian company Podgorje to come up with perfect solutions in manufacturing interior designs for recreational vehicles, boats, mobile homes and other special furniture. Mr Marijan Kostanjšek, director of the company, talked to Vanja Švačko about the company’s achievements and future growth strategy.

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its 60 year history Podgorje has grown from a small company in the Slovenian city of Šentjernej into a modern and competitive European business dealing with development, production and marketing of high-quality built-in furniture for caravans, motor homes and boats and other special furniture. It currently has around €20 million annual turnover. The company is situated on a 30.000m2 site, a third of which is covered facilities. Around 300 employees and 40 CNC machines carry out the production of furniture for Slovenian business partners, whose products are mostly sold in Europe and some specific and very demanding parts of furniture for export.

Mr Kostanjšek explained, “Our buyers are demanding the best quality furniture, light in weight, with a lot of complicated details. The high-tech equipment enables us to process wood in different ways – from boards and plywood to surface treatment, lacquered solid parts, kitchen tops, tables, doors and curved products etc. We have developed a good system with our subcontractors who are specialists for some operations on our furniture and we have ourselves 30 per cent of free capacity on most of our production lines.” Podgorje enjoys long-term collaboration with renowned suppliers, one of them being the specialised producer and distributor of edge bandings Blažič robni trakovi from Slovenia.

Environmentally appropriate

Investing in advantages

The geographical position of Slovenia and natural resources the company is surrounded with are also very rewarding for the business. Materials used in furniture production originate from FSC certified forests.

Apart from upgrading the equipment and improving the working conditions, educating employees and updating them with recent developments in the industry is one of the important parts of Podgorje’s investing

strategy. Every year the company invests €2 million in those segments (CNC machines, new information technologies, ecology, FSC certificate, humidity and temperature control in production and storage facilities, development of new products and materials etc.). Even higher investment is planned for robotics and automation of production in the near future. As a result of careful investments and dedication to improvement on all levels, the company’s sales are marked by regular increments, which make Podgorje a financially stable company. “The majority of sales are done through business partners Adria Mobil, Carthago, Niesmann Bischoff, Kabe Cabby and other partners on the main European markets such as France, Italy, Germany, Scandinavia, Great Britain and Spain. Our furniture

is also installed in boats such as the Green line of Seaway Yachts which are sold all over the world,” said Mr Kostanjšek. “To develop a long term relationship with our business partners, we have to support them with design, innovations and development of new products and construction solutions.” To follow all this changes we have developed a sophisticated system to deal with that. In addition, Podgorje is delivering its products to customers by using just-in-time system, packed according to their requirements.

An effective growth planning With its innovative and stylish furniture, Podgorje is a well-known manufacturer on 29 markets all over the world. Recently new marketing options have been opened

for special furniture for universities, libraries, museums and churches. This specially designed and high quality chairs and benches, made from famous Slavonian oak are produced for a well known design company in London. Although the main market for Podgorje at the moment is Slovenia, it is not large enough for the planned growth. Therefore the company is working out the strategy to raise its exports while keeping domestic sales stable. ”Geographical expansion is a major aspect of our growth strategy. Principal markets we aim to target in the future are Germany, Great Britain, Scandinavia, France and even Australia,” stated Mr Kostanjšek. ”The recreational vehicle and boat industry has great potential. At the moment sales are stable and a lot of customers are looking

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for new solutions. This is our opportunity to grow and to get new business partners.” Apart from the market expansion within and beyond European borders, the five

year strategic plan includes steady organic growth. The company intends to grow every year from five to ten per cent and that will be supported by continuous investments in the manufacturing process and in employees. The company will also increase its use of natural or recycled materials and implementation of the most advanced designers’ ideas in its furniture lines. ”The company’s current development and its five year strategic plan look very promising and give me confidence that all the people involved in the company - our employees, business partners and owners - will enjoy a successful future,” concluded n Mr Kostanjšek. Visit: www. podgorje.si

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NEW FOCUS FOR

ENGINEERED HOSE SPECIALIST

UK-based James Dawson is a leading producer of reinforced silicone and organic rubber based industrial hoses, primarily for heavy vehicles such as buses, trucks and construction machines. Established well over a century ago, it is now embarking on a new strategy to enhance its R&D capabilities and achieve recognition as a total engineered solutions provider. Victoria Hattersley spoke to managing director Paul Edwards to find out more about these new developments.

ames Dawson is known to customers throughout the world as a high quality supplier of advanced specialist hoses from either reinforced polymers or organic rubber polymers. The company’s roots reach all the way back to 1896 when it was known as ‘James Dawson & Son’ and specialised in leather drive belts for industrial applications. In fact, its Lincoln headquarters have remained on the same site from the very beginning. In 1978 the company was acquired by the UK-based Fenner Group and in the years since has evolved to become a global supplier with representatives in Europe, Asia and the US. Its customers include global giant such as Caterpillar, JCB and Cummins. In addition to its two production sites in the UK it has a warehouse in the US, to which nearly half of the goods manufactured in the UK are delivered. “In fact, exports account for the majority of our sales today,” says Mr Edwards. “Only about 20 per cent of our business overall is in the UK.”

Expansion in Asia One of the company’s biggest growth markets is Asia. For over seven years James Dawson has had a production base in Shanghai, China and its business here is expanding steadily. As many of the company’s major clients already had a presence here, it was recognised that this represented a considerable opportunity. As Mr Edwards says: “It means our clients are able to continue with their existing suppliers and maintain the same level of quality they offer throughout the world – all without the supply chain issues associated with importing goods. It wasn’t the case that we simply wanted to manufacture cheaply.” James Dawson originally transferred some workers from the UK to its Shanghai plant, but today the entire workforce is made up of Chinese nationals. Furthermore, in January this year it appointed the first Chinese general manager of its Shanghai operations, Pan Feng.

Mr Edwards explains the importance of this step: “We thought it was time to have a Chinese national run the plant. Pan is someone who has strong experience working with large Western multinationals, so he is able to bridge the gap for us. After all, there are major cultural differences between the West and Asia when it comes to doing business. It is hoped that this appointment will aid our growth in China: for one thing, the local companies we don’t yet work with will be more comfortable doing business with a fellow countryman. In fact, we apply this thinking across all our operations.”

Core products James Dawson’s core products are silicone and organic rubber based hoses for heavy vehicles such as buses, trucks, diesel engines and construction machinery. Silicone offers a number of benefits compared to conventional hose materials in areas such as reliability and durability for radiator, heater

and other coolant handling applications. The products offered include technically advanced convoluted hoses with stainless steel rings to absorb the relative movement between engine and intercooler. Specially developed convolutes minimise resistance to flexing and loads transferred to connection spigots. The company has its own in-house testing facilities to carry out load movement trials, accelerated dynamic testing to approve functional integrity, and so on. For high-pressure applications, James Dawson’s cuffless clamping system can provide an effective seal to existing metalwork – at the same time allowing the full hose length to absorb any offset or movement. It has also developed a special fluorocarbon based compound to cope with gas components at temperatures of up to 275° C, helping to enable the reduction of exhaust outputs. In the area of organic rubber hoses, the company can offer a range of different options, including one-piece hoses, legged hoses, large bore hoses and hoses with inserts. Finally, its range of ductings constructed from recyclable thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) offers high standards of flex-

ibility and durability with resistance to ozone, weathering and engine compartment oil splashing, to name just a few of its benefits. “All our products are bespoke,” adds Mr Edwards. “At our company there is no such thing as standard lines. Instead, we collaborate with customers as early as we can in the engine design to make the products they need to fit their machines.”

New focus on development The above point leads us on to an important shift of focus currently taking place at the company. Up until recently, the collaboration between James Dawson and its clients would work as follows: the client would send a drawing of their design to the company. Its material scientists would then choose the right material for the application, and its technical specialists would look at ways to create the product using existing processes. But this is changing. Mr Edwards explains: “Moving forward we would like to be working with our customers from the very start of the product development stage. We will be focused on product optimisation to get just the right balance between quality and price. It’s a strategy of increased

customer integration and more focused innovation. So much so that rather than our current tagline of ‘James Dawson – Global Hose Specialists’, in the future it will be ‘James Dawson – Engineered Hose Solutions’. To this end, the company has been focusing investments on R&D and creating unique solutions. This year it purchased a new lab mixer in order to explore the capabilities of advanced compounds with a view to bringing ground-breaking new products to the market. September 2014 will see the appointment of a new Head of Innovation & Technology to lead James Dawson’s new R&D team. The basis of the new strategy will be formed of three interlinked concepts, according to Mr Edwards. “The first of these will be customer integration. This means working with customers very closely at an early stage so we can produce fit-for-purpose, optimised products.” The second concept revolves around ‘focused innovation’: developing new materials or working on ways to solve the problems customers experience with exisitng products. “For example, a customer recently came to us wanting to use a silicone hose in applications at up to 550° C. We thought

that was a step too far, but it got us thinking about how we could develop an existing product to make it withstand greater heat. “The result is that we are now developing a hose that can withstand temperatures in excess of 300° C (the previous upper limit being 275° C). This will enable customers to run their engines hotter – and with emissions legislation getting tougher, running the engine hotter means you can burn off more toxic emissions so they run much cleaner. We are also looking at how clients can use more lightweight metals, such as titanium, within their engine designs. This product is currently in the testing phase and we are already seeing some initial interest from customers.” The third major arm of the new strategy is focused on operational excellence on a global level. This, as Mr Edwards explains, will mean an increased emphasis on an ‘optimal global footprint’.

strategy of customer integration is so important to differentiate us,” says Mr Edwards. “If we can become a partner as well as a supplier it means we can work with clients on creating top quality products that are fitted specifically to our existing processes. This makes it more cost effective for them overall because we don’t have to adapt their own designs to fit our technology.” Finally, James Dawson may also consider looking into other applications for its products at some time in the future. “All we do at the moment is linked to diesel engine applications so we may one day look to branch out into aerospace or oil & gas, to

name just two examples. However, this is not something we will be working on in the immediate future because we feel it’s better to focus our energies on the possibilities for our existing markets. If we were to see a downturn in these sectors – always a possibility – then we could look at this more carefully. It’s always important to have options like this in the pipeline.” But at the moment it seems there is plenty of scope for James Dawson to reach the next stage in its evolution as an engineered solutions provider for its current markets. We will watch with interest to see how this develops over the next year. n

Meeting future challenges For James Dawson, this drive to achieve excellence on a global level is a way of meeting one of the biggest challenges for any company in this sector: increasing competition from highquality Asian producers. “This is why our new

Valmiera Glass is an international manufacturer of glass yarns and woven fabrics for a wide variety of applications from automotive and thermal insulation to coated products and composite materials. We are a fully accredited Aerospace supplier, and wish continued success to James Dawson and its associated companies.

Valmiera Glass UK Ltd +44 (0)1935 813 722 www.valmiera-glass.com www.atex-membranes.com

Ever since it found a way to turn carbon into synthetic diamonds 60 years ago, Avure has been using high pressure technology to produce innovative and costeffective solutions for metal processing and forming. Peter Mercer reports.

PRESSURE FOR PERFECTION

or nearly six decades engineers and scientists at Avure Technologies have led the world in the design and construction of high pressure processing systems to meet the needs of many industries. The company’s isostatic processing equipment has opened up a whole new world of possibilities in metallurgy and ceramics and its Flexform sheet metal forming systems have enabled customers to create complex shapes while saving up to 90 per cent in tooling costs as well as significant savings in man hours thanks to a reduction in the need for grinding / manual correction. Its high pressure technology has also been extended to the pasteurisation of food products such as seafood, vegetables and beverages. Avure’s history goes back to the mid-1950s when the Swedish electrical power company ASEA began to commercialise isostatic pres-

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sure technology. In fact, ASEA was one of hte first companies in the world to create systems to produce synthetic industrial diamonds, employing pressures of nearly 1 million psi. In the 1960s it introduced isostatic presses and Flexform sheet metal forming presses to the industrial market and these were further developed when ASEA became part of Sweden’s ABB. In 1999 the high pressure business unit of ABB was acquired by Flow International of the USA who subsequently took forward the expansion of its high pressure technology into the food preservation market under the Avure brand. In 2009 Avure Technologies was sold to the privately-owned US company Milestone Partners. Then, in 2013, the company was divided into two stand-alone divisions – Avure Food, headquartered in Middleton, Ohio, and Avure Industry, headquartered in Vasteras, Sweden, where 90 per cent of current indus-

trial production and assembly takes place. Avure Industry also has a facility in Columbus, Ohio, which takes care of projects in the North and South America regions and customer serivce for North and South America. Today Avure Industry is focused on two high pressure technologies – isostatic presses for advanced material densification and Flexform presses for sheet metal forming.

QUINTUS “After it had successfully developed systems that could withstand the huge pressures required to transform carbon into industrial diamonds, ASEA realised that the same technology could be used to compress other metallic or ceramic powders. The problem, however, was how to ensure the safety and reliability of containment systems with pressures of 1 million psi that would be in regular

industrial use,” explains Avure Industry Sales and Business development Director Mats Sjostedt. “The solution was the development in the early 1960s of the QUINTUS wirewound pressure vessel, which is still considered to be the safest and most reliable pressure containment system ever designed.” QUINTUS wire-wound vessels combine unmatched strength with a light, compact structure. Unlike conventional forged steel mono-block vessels they are pre-stressed and wound completely with high tensile cold-rolled spring steel ribbon. Pre-stressing causes the forged steel vessel wall to remain in residual compression even when subjected to maximum loads and the wire winding is not only much stronger than forged steel but more layers of wire can always be added to increase the strength. QUINTUS wire-wound vessels are typically half the weight of conventional presses and will leak before they break, so avoiding the catastrophic failures that can occur with mono-block vessels and the frequent and expensive inspection procedures that are required to prevent such failures. They also have a working life that is typically twenty times that of conventional designs.

Material densification Avure’s Hot Isostatic Pressing systems (HIP) use compressed high pressure gas to produce parts that have excellent isotropic material properties and show the highest possible density of all available compaction methods. HIP Castings presses are widely used to completely remove internal porosity in castings. The HIP-ing of casted parts results in parts with a better fatigue and strength and provides more uniform properties in various metals such as aluminium, titanium, nickel-based super alloys and stainless steel. Hip’s unique ability to densify castings

is crucial to the production of components such as turbine blades, joint implants and engine parts. The removal of potential initiators of failure, such as shrinkage defects, pores and voids, significantly improves the strength and durability of cast components. The use of HIP also widens the range of titanium alloy compositions possible for castings in comparison with wrought systems. Significant cost savings can also be achieved with investment casting and HIP in comparison to machining parts from solid. “Avure’s material densification systems are widely used for refining castings in the aerospace, automotive, bio-medical, energy and consumer electronics industries,” says Mats Sjostedt. “In essence you put a cast part into a hot isostatic press and all the cracks and other defects just disappear, resulting in parts with highly accurate tolerances and very long lifetimes. A critical advantage of HIP is that parts for aircraft or automobiles, for example, no longer have to be over-designed to ensure their strength, which means they can weigh less and cost less. Reducing weight is essential in new-generation, fuel-efficient airplanes and with an estimated 35,000 new airplanes required by 2035 and 137,000 engines the potential demand for Avure’s HIP casting systems in immense. “In the automotive industry too the drive towards reducing the weight of cars and trucks means increasing use of aluminium parts. But aluminium is a low viscosity metal and it is easy to get cracks in castings. With HIP, defect-free aluminium castings can be guaranteed for critical applications such as engine blocks and costs reduced thanks to much lower scrap rates. And in the energy industry the expansion of deep-sea oilfields and the likely demand for up to 500 new nuclear reactors over the next 20 years will

also drive the increase in demand for our HIP systems.” Avure’s HIP technology is also widely used in powder metallurgy. The hot isostatic pressing of encapsulated powder metals produces net or near net shape parts with special particle properties. HIP treated PM parts are isotropic and deliver significant savings in materials and lead times compared to wrought components. HIP also enhances the versatility and design flexibility inherent in powder metallurgy by allowing, for example, freedom in chemical composition, particle size, distribution, form and even permitting graded structures. HIP PM parts are increasingly used in the oil and gas producing industries for valves, pumps and drilling components, where they reduce the need for costly frequent inspections, and as components for solar panels, electrodes for steel production and, of course, in the aerospace industry. The technology is also critical to the fast-growing 3D Printing industry, where parts such as hip implants need to be structurally perfect.

Flexform Avure’s solutions for metal forming are centred on its Flexform fluid cell forming system. Introduced by ASEA in the 1960s, Flexform employs a soft rubber diaphragm filled with highly pressurised fluid to press flat metal blanks uniformly into and around a lower tool half, which can be a punch or die. It is a highly versatile solution for manufacturing highly defined prototype components, particularly in industries where speed and lower costs are crucial in reducing time-to-market and staying globally competitive. Flexform is also ideal for low volume parts production. Today Avure is the leading fluid cell press supplier to the aerospace industry, with Industry Europe 89

more than 100 Flexform systems in operation at the plants of major aircraft manufacturers such as Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Cessna, Embraer, Alenia, BAE Systems, EADS and Mitsubishi. The aerospace industry began using fluid cell pressing more than 50 years ago as a replacement for the rubber pad forming technique that had been in use as an economical method of forming sheet metal parts since the advent of metal aircraft (multi-piece metal tooling was too expensive for the small volume of aircraft parts). The advantages offered by Flexforming include better part definition and more complex shapes thanks to the higher forming pressure, deeper and more intricate shapes, better productivity and larger parts. At high pressure, parts can also be formed to their final shape in one forming operation, eliminating the need for downstream manual corrections. Testimony to these advantages is offered by J.J Rousse, of the French aerospace company Daher-Socata: “For many parts, hand correction of incompletely-formed shapes has been completely eliminated. Even very large parts can now be formed to tolerance in a single pressing. We have documented cost savings of 25 to 42 per cent on sampled parts thanks to fewer required cycles and reduced manual rework”. 90 Industry Europe

“Ninety per cent of our sheet metal forming equipment business is concerned with the production of structural aluminium parts for the aerospace industry,” explains Mats Sjostedt. “There can be as many as 7000 different such parts in each aircraft and our Flexform systems are ideal for their costeffective low volume (2000 to 3000 units per year) production.” The latest orders for Avure’s fluid cell presses include a hydroform deep-draw press for Kale Pratt & Whitney, the joint venture between Pratt & Whitney of the USA and Kale Holding of Turkey. The press will enable the Turkish facility to produce high quality sheet metal engine components with great accuracy, repeatability and lower costs. A new Avure high pressure fluid cell press has also just been installed at the Ohio plant of Jones Metal Products Co; it will provide JMP with economical parts-forming solutions to customers in industries such as aerospace, defence, medical, rail, lighting and power generation where there is zero margin for error. Avure offers application support in the form of training courses and tool design consultancy services in order to help its customers get the best result from the Flexform process. This also helps them to understand where they can make improvements in their

businesses, focusing on the complete process from determination of materials blank to the final pressed part.

Auto applications Flexform is also widely used in the automotive industry for fast, low-cost prototyping, validating tools and parts and saving time in new model development. And although auto-making, unlike aerospace, typically involves very high volumes, there are parts of the industry where Flexform is the preferred method for parts production too. These include limited edition cars, buses, trucks and farm and construction equipment. Formed automotive components include bumpers, doors, bonnets, roof and floor panels, pillars and support beams. In fact in the auto industry, Flexform is considered to be economically viable for parts with production volumes up to several thousand parts per year, Avure has supplied Flexform solutions for decades to major auto OEMs such as Ford, Daimler-Benz, Volvo, BMW, GAZ and Saab.

Total service Over nearly six decades Avure engineers have installed high pressure systems for customers worldwide, with many of these presses

Forgiatura Mamé and Forge Monchieri have pursed the winning decision of renouncing the individualism of their entities in favour of one single strength founding M&M Forgings, the strategic Alliance born to represent the global center of excellence in the forging industry. It is an extraordinary and ambitious business project conceived as an integrated high technical capacity industrial project, with the aim to create a wider operating future. Thanks to the experience and professionalism gained by Forgiatura Mamé and Forge Monchieri in over a century of business, the competitive advantages of M&M Forgings are: • On stop shop • Forgings from 1 to 120 tons • Heat treatments • Fast Track and contracts • International presence • Cladding

being in service for more than 40 years and with some exceeding one million cycles under high pressure. To keep all these units in peak operating condition, the company employs a full-time team to provide global technical support. These experts can identify and correct any abnormalities in the pressure system that might compromise safety or operating efficiency and ensure that customers’ systems keep working like new. “Our service offer begins from the moment a unit is ordered,” says Mats Sjostedt. “We understand that each customer has a need to produce a specific part and so we don’t just sell them a machine but use our wealth of experience and knowledge to help them find the optimum solution; we then follow through with expert installation, machine set-up and continuous staff training as well as our equipment, services (including spare parts, service engineers, inspections and trouble shooting) and application support. This is then backed up by preventative maintenance, high quality service, efficient parts inventory and continual system improvement. “Global leaders are defined by their track record and in the demanding business of ultra-high pressure systems, Avure’s record n is second to none.”

Thanks to more than 10 years of experience and to the excellent partnership built during these years with Avure, Forgiatura Mamé has supplied forgings in fully machined conditions for food presses, isotactic presses and sheet metal forming presses, has guaranteed a constant supply chain of products such as jokes, cylinders, columns, lower and upper closures and has become a very key supplier for Avure. For further details, visit our NEW websites at: www.mm-forgings.com www.monchieri.it www.forgiaturamame.it

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This year Fidia is celebrating 40 years of high technology in mechanics, having started its business in 1974. Barbara Rossi speaks to Rudy Piliego and Enrico Tamburini - respectively Communication & Area Manager for the High Speed Milling division and Software Marketing Manager - about the interesting developments that have taken place since their last conversation with Industry Europe and current strategies for the future.

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF HIGH TECHNOLOGY F

idia’s operations are organised in different business units, namely High Speed Milling (HSM Division) and Numerical Control (CNC Division). As well as producing high speed milling machines, the HSM division (which generates about 70 per cent of Fidia’s turnover) also manufactures proprietary 5-axes and 3+2 axes milling heads, which as well as being incorporated in the machines are also distributed independently, for instance for revamping purposes. The CNC Division produces the electronic and the real-time software aboard the Fidia’ Numerical Controls, as well as accessories and digital drives. One of the main Fidia distinguishing features, truly the basis of its value added products, is the vertical integration of its offer, as customers can be supplied with complete systems, from the mechanic to the electronic up to the software aboard the Fidia’s HSM machines. This allows the company to be the sole supplier for the whole system, offering customers the advantage of having a counterpart which takes sole responsibility for all the crucial components of the machine. All the components are designed, developed and manufactured in the company’s own plants. The whole production process takes place in Italy (Turin and Forlì) while abroad there is

a network of foreign branches and service centres in order to be close to clients, providing them with assistance and services. Mr Piliego explains, “Our high level of vertical integration is recognised as a real asset by our clients: SME as well as major companies appreciate the benefit of a high-end machine serviced in a more efficient manner than competitors adopting market hardware. It also allows us to participate in and win numerous bids at the international level. We serve many large clients world-wide (90 per cent of Fidia’s products are exported in more than 40 Countries) in the automotive and aerospace sectors, our two main outlet markets, which have become even more important for us in the last decade. We are extremely successful in our bidding and our vertical integration plays a key role in this. Our value added offer is already highly appreciated by the Chinese market as well as in the consolidated Western market, from USA to Europe. The fact that we are currently involved in two aerospace sector bids at the national level (both for Alenia Aermacchi) is further proof of this. Furthermore, this happens even if (or maybe I should say because) we supply proprietary numerical control systems, which may run against the trend with an innovative and more efficient, custom-tailored technology.”

As well as supplying complete packages, the company is also able to offer individual products or components. One of these is the registered ViMill® software, as Mr Tamburini explains, “We are in the process of patenting (currently we have reached the internationalisation phase). The product is also registered in all the countries where we operate, including Europe, North America, Brazil, China, Japan, Turkey, the Russian Federation and India. ViMill® can be offered as a stand-alone product, especially for use in a CAM environment”.

Keeping an open house The company held an open house event at one of its Forlì sites in mid-May, where it showcased some of its main products to its customers. The “stars” presented at the recent open house event were three models of 5 axes high speed fully operative Gantry machines: GTF3212/LC-6000, GTF3214/QA-4200 and GTF3514/MA-2200. The first of these three belongs to the L series and features a large size welded steel gantry structure meant for light materials applications as composite, full size car design models in resin, or aluminium precise-and-large aerostructures or car masters. It is equipped with a HSK63A - 56 Nm spindle, reaching a 24,000 rpm speed and 35kW. The second model, belonging

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to the Q series, has a structure based upon epoxy concrete columns and is suitable for applications in automotive moulds & dies, as well as aeronautical structural components. Its HSK63A 88 Nm spindle can reach the same speed of its previous counterpart while developing 55kW power. The model belonging to the M series serves the same types

of application as the Q series model also offering a 15.000 rpm, HSK100A spindle. GTFM differs in that it has a self-supporting cast-iron structure which saves the cost of the traditional foundation usually required by machines offering similar cutting capacity. One of FIDIA’s products shown at the open-house event, in the accessory range,

was HMS, a head/table measuring and calibration device system. This is an accessory solely available for Fidia numerical control systems, of which the company is particularly proud. “The fact that a company of medium size such as ours - with a turnover of €45m and 350 employees at global levelis able to compete with much larger players highlights our quality and commitment to R&D and original high technology solutions” Mr Piliego and Mr Tamburini adds. With regard to software, the open house showcased the previously mentioned ViMill®anti-collision 3D simulator, the first on-board machine virtual look-ahead software on the market, capable of supporting the machine tool operator in preventing and avoiding collisions. ViMill® forecasts any possible 3- and 5-axes movement, automatic and manual, stopping the machine when such movement implies a collision between movable parts, tool and the workpiece. Just as for the HMS, also this unique ViMill® SW (patent pending) is exclusively available from FIDIA. All the machines were equipped by the V5 –Look-ahead, which provides new algorithms for tool path control with 3 and 5 interpolated axes, including optimisation of the dynamic behaviour of the machine.

www.bonanomi.it Our company has been producing, machining and selling precision and control products for 60 years, contributing to the birth of the Italian metal and mechanical allied industries. Today the business has established itself by working alongside the most important Italian machine tool manufacturers providing accessories for clamping systems while at the same time providing support to manufacturers of measuring machines. As well as selling these products, the company also carries out machining work for customers and creates special ad hoc parts in every shape, size and material for special usages where structural calculations and sizing are necessary. It is therefore leading the company towards new challenges and new markets, using the know-how and experience gained over the years in building and designing in the precision mechanics field.

Gariglio Meccanica has been operating for over 50 years in the precision mechanics sector. The company is able to supply immediate and customised solutions in many industrial sectors, manufacturing complete systems and special machines, as well as carrying out small and medium series processing of any type of high precision mechanical components. Tel.: +39.011.966.46.49 - +39.011.966.46.09 Fax: +39.011.978.53.29

E-mail: info@garigliomeccanica.com Web: www.garigliomeccanica.com

Via Jucker, 28 - 20025 Legnano (MI) - Italy T: +39 0331 466660 • F: +39 0331 465408 • E: gbonanomisnc@bonanomi.it

Talking about R&D, Mr Tamburini says “R&D is a defining feature of Fidia, conducted in a constant and continuous manner on a daily basis. It is targeted to product and process innovation. As leader or partner Fidia has participated in fifteen projects co-financed by the European commission, as part of its 7th research framework programme (for the period 2006-2013). Thanks to this involvement the Fidia R&D activities have been carried out on a continuous basis and the Fidia name has become renowned in cutting-edge technological contexts at the European level.” Fidia has been listed since 2001 (currently on the London Stock Exchange). Recently there has been the appointment of the board for the 2014-2016 period, which sees Mr Giuseppe Morfino as CEO and MD, Carlos Maidagan as deputy CEO and the return of Mr Francesco Profumo, who had left the board in recent years due to his appointment as University and Research Minister in the Monti-led government.

In terms of group net revenue generated by the different sectors, 2013 has seen an increase of the percentage produced by aerospace, thus reducing the differential with its automotive counterpart: 40 per cent for aerospace and 49 per cent for automotive. The percentage generated by other sectors has further decreased, confirming a trend towards the core sectors. Geographically while the Chinese market is holding up very well, 2013 brought an increase of revenue generated in Europe (the European percentage has increased to 39 per cent from the 31 per cent of the previous year). Mr Piliego comments, “We are managing to benefit from growth in Europe and the West. In fact, after a crisis period, making investments in production machinery is vital.” “The aerospace industry certainly offers us scope for growth, because global demand in this sector is on the increase both in Asia and in the West, particularly with reference to the civil sector. By now, we are established and renowned suppliers at a global

level. We intend to develop internationally, following the development of the aerospace business at the global level. Looking at the data for the first 2014 quarter I can say that, the automotive sector is also picking up and that this is working in our favour. Unlike in previous years, customers show a trend towards investing in machinery and choosing Fidia as a supplier. Obviously in terms of the European automotive sector, the German market plays a very important role, but even the national, and more specifically Piedmontbased automotive sector, has shown signs of vitality, showing a counter-trend in comparison to the last ten years. Customers look to us as they need technology and innovation for their products and processes. Talking about suppliers, Mr Piliego and Mr Tamburini stressed their short-supply chain and the fact that for their products, which are all made-in-Italy, they use local suppliers of international standing, apart from for certain high-technology components sourced from n German companies.

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

IS THE KEY TO QUALITY CASTINGS Part of the SCM Group, SCM Foundries produces grey and nodular iron castings for a range of applications and industry segments. Sales Director Atomo Maffei talked to Barbara Rossi about the company and its increasing trend towards producing ever more complex and sophisticated products.

EKW GmbH was established in 1903 and set up its Italian branch, EKW Italiana, in 1967 with the aim of consolidating and increasing the presence of its products (refractory materials) in Italy. The company, which today has changed its name to EKW Italia, is not just a distributor, but also plays an active role in coating design, assembling, sintering and delivery of ‘turn-key’ systems, thanks to a technical and commercial team available 24/7 and flanked by skilled assembling staff using own equipment. The admin staff is available to fulfil customers’ bureaucratic and commercial needs. Moreover, by availing itself of skilled foundry technicians, the company is able to support its clients with the best technical application solutions concerning castings feeding systems. EKW Italia S.r.l. Via del Lavoro, 21, 20863 Concorezzo (MB) Tel: +39 (0)39628031 Fax: +39 (0)396280322 E-mail: info@ekw.it

imini-based SCM Foundries belongs to the SCM Group, whose origins go back to 1932, when Nicola Gemmani and Lanfranco Aureli set up a factory specialising in the production of agricultural machines and a foundry for iron castings. A major change of direction took place in 1952, when woodworking machine manufacturing commenced. Based on a design by newly qualified engineer Giuseppe Gemmani, the first cast iron combined multi-purpose woodworking machine was produced: L'invincibile B4. It was the first in a considerable series of innovations, which together with a strong propensity towards exports and the development of an impressive world-wide distribution network, in just a few years made the company an international leader. Today the group is a leader in wood-

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working machines and systems catering for both industrial clients and traditional joineries. Originally SCM Foundries specialised in the production of woodworking machinery components, mainly serving the other companies of the group. Its activity evolved during the years and today 90 per cent of its turnover derives from products for external customers, to whom it mainly supplies rough components, as well as being able to provide finished products when this is demanded. While the design and specifications are supplied by customers, SCM offers a co-engineering service, advising clients on the best way to fulfil their product needs, thus optimising the production process, quality and value for money. Mr Maffei explained, “Our offer includes a wide range of grey and nodular iron cast-

ings, from those featuring high mechanical resistance to their more ductile counterparts performing well at low temperatures, which are increasingly demanded by some sectors such as the rail and wind power industries.” The company has two production sites, at Rimini (also the location of its headquarters) and at nearby Villa Verucchio. The Rimini site has two green sand moulding plants equipped with a hot blast cupola oven and an electric holding furnace. This site specialises in castings with weights ranging from 1kg to 500 kg, produced in medium series. Situated 15 km away, the Villa Verucchio plant is dedicated to manual moulding with resin bonded sand and can avail itself of two methane rotary furnaces. Its specialism is castings with weights between 200kg and 4,000kg, produced in small to

medium series. “Our annual production capacity is 35,000 tonnes, but one of our future aims is that of widening the range that we offer to our customers, so as to include castings of larger dimensions, up to a weight of 10,000 kg. We are planning to do this because our clients are moving towards larger components, for instance with regard to compressors.” “We invest regularly to modernise and improve our existing plants to optimise the process and service on offer. For instance, recently in Rimini, there has been the revamping of the 12 tons/h cupola oven and one of the two automatic moulding systems, whilst in the summer of 2014 we are going to replace the electric holding furnace. Furthermore, we are currently considering some important innovations for the strengthening of the melting department to increase the flexibility of our offer. Our Villa Verucchio facilities have undergone a phase of great change, starting with a true revolution in the melting department, thanks to the replacement of the cold blast cupola oven with two 20 tonnes oxy-fuel rotary furnaces. Moreover, we have been able to increase the maximum weight that can be processed, thanks to the addition of a new remote manipulator and a new sandblasting system for castings of up to 4 tonnes. Significant investments have also been made in the core department in terms of a new no bake core production systems. In the near future we plan to widen our moulding department, including no bake processing for the production of castings of up to 10 tonnes. Last, but

not least, we have continuous investments targeted at increasing environmental friendliness and health and safety at work, obviously matters of priority for our company.”

Expanding customer base The company’s foundries serve hundreds of clients operating in various sectors of the mechanics industry. The castings manufactured by SCM Foundries are mainly employed for applications such as gear motors, robots, large compressors, pumps, tractors and rail sector products. Other segments served, among many, are urban lighting, industrial handling and woodworking machinery. Geographically, 90 per cent of turnover derives from the domestic market, with the remainder mainly being generated in Europe (for instance in Germany, France, Switzerland, Romania, Croatia and Slovakia). On one occasion SCM Foundries also supplied components for high-speed trains in China. Although most of the company’s direct clients are based in Italy, after being processed and assembled by customers, SCM components are exported all over the world. “Our future strategy is going to be oriented towards increasing foreign-based direct clients, with a particular focus on Europe, and Germany, in particular. We plan to grow organically, strengthening our existing facilities, widening our range of casting in terms of weight and continuously improving our service. Fundamental factors necessary for our future development are an increase

in flexibility and ever more complex and sophisticated products at a technological level. We are also developing castings for niche sectors, which require value-added products and might offer interesting business opportunities. A higher level of technological sophistication is a must in order to be able to successfully face competition. Another must for success is diversification, which we have been undertaking for a number of years and which has protected us from downturns in some market segments.” SCM Foundries holds a number of certifications, including UNI EN ISO 9001:2008, UNI EN ISO 14001:2004 Lloyd’s Register, Germanischer Lloyd and AIA (Environment Integration Authorisation). In 2013 the company established its research centre for the casting industry (CRIF) which works with SCM Foundries and is dedicated to research, testing and trials of new materials and products and, in general, all matters relating to cast iron castings. “In terms of R&D we are currently engaged in three new projects for energy efficiency, environmental sustainability and foundry automation.” Mr Maffei concludes, “We have excellent relationships with our clients. I would like to mention some of them, for instance Rossi, Bonfiglioli and Dinamic Oil for gear units, Same Deutz Fahr, Argo Tractors and CNH for agricultural vehicles, Siad for large compressors, Comau for robotics, Parker Hannifin for hydraulic motors, and Alstom, G.E. Tranportation and CMS for the rail sector.” n Industry Europe 99

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A NEW LEADER IN

SURFACE SOLUTIONS

Oerlikon Balzers is the leading global provider of thin-film coatings to improve the performance and longevity of precision components and tools. This year the group embarked upon a process of transformation with the acquisition of Sulzer Metco, in order to create a global technology leader in surface solutions.

he company, which is a segment of the Switzerland-based Oerlikon Group, is a leading global supplier of PVD coatings and other surface technologies for precision components as well as metalworking and plastics processing tools. Oerlikon’s announcement in January 2014 of its acquisition of Sulzer Metco is an exciting step forward for the company. The combination of Metco with Oerlikon’s existing coating segment has created a world technology leader in Surface Solutions. It has a unique global footprint with more than 100 coating centres worldwide. Following a process of restructuring and portfolio shaping, this important step is the first major transaction to expand Oerlikon’s business inorganically. Oerlikon Balzers CEO Dr Hans Brändle said of the acquisition: “The combination of Balzers and Metco under one umbrella is a perfect fit of technologies, business models, R&D activities and market access for the benefit of our customers.” In the area of surface treatment, Oerlikon’s new PRIMEFORM solution is a plasma supported treatment system through which a diffusion layer with a surface hardness gradient is produced. With this treatment, the wear and corrosion protective properties of the base material are improved.

An expanding footprint in coatings When it comes to coatings, its other main business area, Oerlikon develops and manufactures solutions that significantly improve the performance and longevity of precision

components and tools. Marketed under the Balinit® brand name, these coating are extremely thin and exceptionally hard. They significantly reduce friction and wear. The company also develops processes, manufactures and sells systems and production facilities, and offers contract coating services through a dynamically growing network. Under the technology brand ePD™, it develops integrated services and solutions for the metallization of plastic parts with chrome effects. “We have over 90 coating centres in 33 countries across Europe, the Americas and Asia – and this footprint is constantly expanding. The year 2012 saw expansion in Malaysia, India and China and our plan now is to continue expansion in new countries in South East Asia and eastern Europe, as well as expanding capacity and strengthening our footprint in places such as Turkey and the US.” As part of its ongoing strategy to extend its coatings footprint, in April this year Oerlikon expanded its coatings facilities still further with the opening of a second coating centre in Austria. This will allow the company to meet the growing demand in Europe for innovative coating solutions for tools. The new centre is based in Ohlsdorf, a town in Upper Austria located between Salzburg and Linz. It specialises in coating solutions for shaft tools and indexable inserts.

Key applications The company’s solutions are used in a broad range of applications in the automotive and machine industry, in food and pack-

aging, medical technology and increasingly in aerospace. Leading tool manufacturers and automobile manufacturers count among Oerlikon Balzers’ customers. It has over 20,000 customers around the world and processes more than 200 million precision tools and components every year, ranging from items as small as watch pins up to dies for entire car bodies. The largest area of application for physical vapour deposition (PVD) hard material coatings is precision tools for metal cutting (drills and cutters), forming tools, plastics processing and metal die casting as well as low friction coatings for automotive applications. A relatively new but rapidly growing area of focus is the coating of precision components in order to reduce friction and improve durability. Other industries in which PVD hard material coatings are used include general machinery industries, the aircraft industry, motor racing and the medical and hygiene technology industry. PVD coatings are also being increasingly used in the luxury goods industry (watches, cell phones) – for aesthetics and practicality.

New technologies One major area of focus at the moment for Oerlikon Balzers is the industrialisation of S3p™ and ePD™ technologies. Both were launched in 2011 and are now set to propel the company into further growth. S3p™ - also referred to as ‘scalable pulsed power plasma’ enables extremely Industry Europe 101

smooth yet dense and hard coatings to be manufactured reliably and efficiently for the first time. The application potential for this technology is wide-ranging in a large number of fields. “Dense, hard and highly adhesive coatings, with a controlled microstructure, are extremely important for the coating of tools in order to increase productivity. For many years physical vapour deposition (PVD) – using arc evaporation technology – has proven able to deliver these properties and for a decade researchers tried to combine this technology with the sputtering process to achieve extremely smooth surfaces,” says a company spokesperson. “Oerlikon Balzers has managed to overcome all of the limitations of the previous

approaches and expanded the parameter range in several dimensions independently of one another. The technology is protected by multiple patent applications and is now ready for production.”

Greener options Following a pilot in Germany, the first ePD™ (embedded PVD for Design Parts) technology centre in the world was opened at the Suzhou location, China. In contrast to traditional procedures, the low-emissions, eco-friendly ePD™ technology for the metallisation ofplastic parts does not use any environmentally damaging materials, such as chromium VI. ePD™ offers innovative functional features, such as radar-transparent metallisation for distance sensor systems, lightweight construction and a greater variety of design possibilities. Since January 2014, Oerlikon Balzers has been offering its wear-protection solutions for large forming tools in China and Japan.

The Pulsed-Plasma Diffusion (PPD) process developed by Balzers is an efficient and clean replacement for the hard chrome plating typically used in the automotive industry. The tools for skin parts only require a single treatment which uses no harmful chemicals. This technology therefore makes a significant contribution to promoting environmentally friendly production processes for the global automotive industry.

Onwards and upwards In the future, the company expects to see organic growth across all the industries in which it is involved but the medical and aerospace industries are likely to be particularly interesting. For example, its centre of competence in France is focused on aerospace applications. As the company grows, it will also continue to pursue its strategy of following its customers and the developing markets. n

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Plant of ZMF Forging Ideas

DIVERSITY IN METALS Zucchetti Mario Forging, today better known as ZMF, is an Italian company specialising in forging non-ferrous, multi-alloy metals. Sales and marketing manager Andrea Seroldi talks to Barbara Rossi about the company’s production facilities, its diversification process and future growth prospects.

Andrea Seroldi, sales and marketing manager of ZMF Forging Ideas

MF started its business in 1975 as a company specialising in hot brass forging. It is part of Zucchetti Holding, which has three companies all based in northern Italy. In 1996 the company obtained the UNI EN ISO 9001 certification and in 2001 it introduced aluminium processing alongside its traditional brass forging activity. This was further developed in 2006 when an innovative finite elements simulation system was introduced, allowing the company to evolve from hot forging for taps and fittings to specialising in forging non-ferrous, multi-alloy metals, with a number of value-added services. The company, which is the second largest in the Zucchetti holding group, operates from a single 25,000m2 covered plant in Antegnate, 50km from Milan. Today, as well as brass and aluminium, its range of alloys includes copper, bronze (including nibral) and titanium. “As well as offering traditional brass and other alloys, we have low-lead and lead-free alloys. We have a lot of experience with these metals both in terms of

forging and machining. There is increased demand for these types of materials, owing to legislation prescribing their use for drinking water pipes,” Mr Seroldi explains.

Recent development Over the past few years, the historic Zucchetti Mario company has not only renewed its corporate image – changing its brand and name to ‘ZMF forging ideas’ – but also equipped itself with advanced machines and presses which are able to combine boring with technology-based forging. ZMF can therefore offer highly complex products in collaboration with the finite element simulation system (FEM); these include hubs forged in aluminium, multi-way valves for special applications, and even bodies for solenoid valves up to 3” (about 20kg). Several years ago, the company purchased the FO 10000S, a 1000-ton hollow punching press which is equipped with a forging tool to bore medium and large sized pieces up to a maximum weight of 20kg of brass components, and round billets with

a diameter ranging from 40 to 140mm. For normal-sized parts, with a weight of around 3–4kg, a remarkable production rate can be achieved. Thanks to this purchase, ZMF is able to manufacture products of greater weight and complexity, significantly expanding its already rich offer whilst at the same time achieving a high level of efficiency and competitive prices. The FO-10000S not only performs well in terms of efficiency and accuracy, but also allows users to operate in a healthy environment. The fact that it is secure, fully monitored and has a relatively low noise level means that it provides the best possible working conditions. The loading of parts is carried out automatically, using a special 4-axis arm, which allows the operator to put the pieces in any desired position. In addition, in terms of loading there is the option of carrying out L-forms and similar bending up to a diameter of 50mm. Given the considerable size of the press, which can produce heavy pieces even in flexible batches, a semi-automatic system of

New Press FO 10000S, a 1000-ton

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Metallurgica San Marco has being working as well as customising brass for three generations. Today the company is one of the leading producers of extruded and drawn brass at a European level. Since 1968 Metallurgica San Marco has been producing brass semi-finished products, in complex copper-zinc alloys and copperzinc-lead alloys, both standard range rectangular, square bars, hexagonal and round rods, and extruded and drawn profiles for the personalized solutions. The company exports in more than 30 countries in Europe, North and South America, Middle and Far East. At Metallurgica San Marco you will find the most common sizes of extruded and drawn products in a variety of standard alloys for machining and forging applications. Besides our standard alloys CW614N and CW617N, we can provide rods in dezincification-resistant alloys, as well as low-lead and leadfree alloys. Such alloys retain the excellent workability properties of standard brass, guaranteeing at the same time hygienic drinking water applications as well as the compliance to the newly introduced legislations for potable water. Numerous sizes of standard rods are available from stock, allowing customers to place orders on a short-term planning. Customer centrality, product quality and high service have been our main priorities for a long time. We continuously renew our equipment and production processes and promote the activity of material recycling, in order to reduce the environmental impact of our activity. We offer advice to all of our clients on the feasibility, alloy, measures, processing and application of the semi-finished products. We carefully listen to each one of them to identify and develop new solutions and solve their specific needs. We can respond to the new demands of the market thanks to our versatility and ductility and to the commitment of our staff to providing high-quality products and excellent customer services. Keeping an eye on quality Metallurgica San Marco has a management system for its product and service quality which is ISO TS16949, for the automotive sector. The company also holds a OHSAS 18001:2007 certification for health & safety at work. For further information and enquiries: Metallurgica San Marco S.p.A. Via Statale 11, 132/134 25010 Ponte San Marco - Brescia – Italia Tel: +39.030.963174 Fax: +39.030.9969973 E-mail: marketing@metallurgicasanmarco.it Web: www.metallurgicasanmarco.it

THE ITALIAN BRASS PARTNER

Metallurgica San Marco Metallurgica San Marco has a wide range of extruded and drawn brass products, round rods, hexagonal and square rods, flat bars, as well as shapes and profiles. We manufacture round rods for hot stamping from diameter 10mm up to 150mm, round rods for free cutting and machining from diameter 6mm up to 80mm, hexagonal bar from 8mm to 70mm, square bar from 8mm to 80mm, flat bar from a minimum thickness of 2mm up to a maximum width of 150mm. For further information about our products or for inquiries: marketing@metallurgicasanmarco.it Forging department of ZMF Forging Ideas

quick mould change (and then item change) has been devised. The plant is also equipped with a belt oven which can heat billets with diameters up to 150mm and lengths up to 350mm, and is also suitable for aluminium heating. An oven belt, made of special steel mesh for high temperatures, was chosen because it gives the option of using different shaped pieces, such as billets, discs, squares and preformed parts. In this way, very heavy pieces (from 23 to 25kg) can be automatically placed on the belt. The new press, made specifically for ZMF by Aida, is therefore able to produce several pieces with a wide range of weights in almost automatic mode, offering operator safety and the guarantee of maintaining a high standard of production. This 9-metre high press weighs 60 tons and, although it employs hollow technology typical of brass, can also forge other non ferrous alloys and metals such as aluminium, bronze, copper alloys and nibral. This allows ZMF to serve value added markets.

Diversification, innovation and flexibility ZMF, which holds the UNI EN ISO 9001 certification, carries out its R&D internally and designs its products in collaboration with its clients. “Our strength is that we begin with a customer’s idea and produce a semi-finished product ready to be assembled, taking care of forging, mechanical processing and surface treatment. Today we are able to manage a series of surface treatments for aesthetic effect or protective purposes. Some of these, namely sandblasting for brass, steel and stainless steel, are carried out in-house. The rest – including nickel plating, chrome plating, tin plating, anodising and PVD – are outsourced to skilled and reliable external suppliers.” The company has expanded its activities in recent years, so that nowadays its serves a range of industries, including valves and fittings, marine equipment, automotive, electrical components, plant and machinery and taps. Currently 55 per cent of its turnover is derived from products for the heating, plumbing and sanitary fittings industry, while

the remaining 45 per cent is divided among the other sectors. In terms of metals, 65 per cent of its turnover is generated from brass, 25 per cent from aluminium and 10 per cent from other non-ferrous metals and alloys. 65 per cent of production is for Europe, in particular Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Spain and Scandinavia. Other markets offering good growth prospects include the US and Canada. Future growth is expected to focus on both geographical market development and specific product development, in order to further establish the company at a global level. “We have realised that market globalisation and product diversification go hand in hand and are therefore key to our future development and success. In the near future we are going to start manufacturing products for the accessories, sports equipment and aerospace sectors. We do not want to identify with a particular type of product: in fact, because of the wide range of sectors we serve, we are really six or more companies in one.” n

Aluminium hubs

F.E.M. (Finite Element Method) simulation

Brass and aluminium winch components

EXPERTS IN TECHNICAL LABELS Ten years ago the French label specialist Gravic set up an operation in Hungary to serve the region’s growing markets. Today Gravic Hungary is a major supplier to the automotive industry and is active in export markets across the world. Peter Mercer reports.

ravic Hungary was established in 2004 in Debrecen, a university city in the east of the country. For its parent company, Gravic Europe, which was headquartered in Mouans Sartoux in the south of France, the new location offered the strategic advantages of being in the heart of Central Europe, 30km from Romania, 100 km from Slovakia and 110 km from Ukraine. This was particularly important for Gravic at that time because a large part of its business was the production of technical labels for mobile phones (for SIM cards, batteries etc) and other products of the consumer electronics industry. Much of the production of these devices was moving to Central Europe – Nokia, for example, had a large plant in 108 Industry Europe

Hungary – and there were clear advantages in establishing production close to the company’s major customers. “In those early years, we were supplying labels not only for mobile phones (including Nokia and Blackberry products) but also to electronic component manufacturers such as Flextronics and it was expected that more and more of this business would move to neighbouring countries such as Romania and Ukraine so Hungary was an ideal growth opportunity for Gravic,” explains Vincent Zink, Managing Director of Gravic Hungary, “However, it was not long before the consumer electronics market became even more competitive, with a lot of production moving to

China and other parts of Asia, and the remaining business became less profitable and less stable – contracts were commonly for three months only. “Consequently we took the decision to develop longer-term supply partnerships with the automotive industry – both OEMS and component suppliers – in Hungary and in neighbouring Germany. Germany is obviously the most important auto producing country in Europe and there have been many major investments by German auto makers in Hungary too – the huge Audi plant at Gyor is the most well-known of these. This business is much more stable for us – contracts are typically for at least four years – and today

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around 17 per cent of the business of Gravic Hungary is with the auto industry. We supply it with products such as identification labels for components, protective films and electronic interface materials.”

Label technology Gravic itself began operations in 1967 in Antibes, on the Cote d’Azur, making printed circuits and metal plates. It moved to its current French headquarters at Mouans Sartoux in 1981, by which time it was specialising in technical labels and front panels (printed display and control panels for electronic and household appliances). In 1986 the company established Gravic Roll, which specialised in the fabrication of technical labels in rolls for use in large-scale production. This operation was merged with Gravic itself in 2008 and the whole company became Gravic Europe.

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In 1999 a subsidiary production operation, Tunitec Labels, was established in Tunisia, followed five years later by Gravic Hungary. The core of Gravic’s business remains the fabrication of blank and pre-printed labels on all kinds of substrates, adhesive or non-adhesive. These can be produced in large, medium or small scale volumes and in units, in rolls, in sheets, in folded sheets or in just about any specified format. The company also produces a wide range of other products such as front panels, 3D badges, information plates, protective films and insulators. As well as serving the automotive industry, it also supplies products for computers, household electronic appliances, medical devices, aerospace components and even cosmetic packaging. In serving suppliers to the auto industry, Gravic is involved in three core activities industrial marking by silk screening, fitting

together multi-layer components and cutting technical pieces to shape. These skills are used to produce printed labels, dashboard panels, backlight filters, meter components, foam gaskets and cut-to-size technical pieces. “Essentially we buy substrates from suppliers such as Avery Dennison, print on them and cut them to size,” says Vincent Zink. “For car dashboards, for example, we silk screen print on materials such as polycarbonate or transparent polyester and then supply the product cut to the customer’s exact specifications. We also now supply thermal interface films that help to diffuse the heat that is generated by the high power LED lights that are common on cars today. “In fact we have a huge product range. Every week at Gravic Hungary we are involved in an average of 20 new projects and we typically deal with around 700 different part

numbers each month for customers in the household appliance, medical, transport and medical appliance industries as well as in the auto industry. All three Gravic plants supply the same kind of products for different geographical markets. However Gravic Hungary actually deals with most of the group’s overseas customers because our sales and service people here speak English and most of those at Mouans Sartoux do not.”

Fast responses Last year Gravic Hungary moved into a new 1,800 m2 plant at Debrecen (two and a half times the size of its original facility) and it is planning a further major investment of more

than €1m in new machines and new technology at the end of this year. Mr Zink reports that current growth is running at some 20 per cent year on year; sales to Hungarian customers currently account for 40 per cent of turnover while 60 per cent is in export business not only to neighbouring countries such as Germany, Slovakia, Poland, Italy and Austria but all over the world, from Mexico to Singapore. “We are quite a small team here in Hungary and some of our competitors are huge, with thousands of people, but we believe we are much more flexible and responsive than they can ever be,” he says. “It’s not unusual, for example, to have a customer who has taken a product right through to the production stage

and then finds the label has been overlooked. We can work quickly to put that right. We have a lot of specialised experience in our team and our staff turnover is very low so we can offer expert advice in choosing the appropriate material and so on. “We are very optimistic about the future. The auto markets in Central and Eastern Europe are continuing to grow and we are investing substantially to meet this growth. Currently 17 per cent of our output is for the auto market and we would like to take that to 30 per cent. It is a very competitive market but we have the strengths to succeed and to continue to be valued, long-term partners with n our automotive customers.”

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THE 3D PRINTING REVOLUTION As a leading player in the area of 3D printing, Belgium-based company Materialise is equipped with worldclass design, manufacturing, prototyping, consultancy and manufacturing capabilities. Victoria Hattersley talks to Bart Van der Schueren, vice-president of Industrial Production, to find out more about the company’s activities and the future possibilities for this growing market sector.

or more than 24 years Materialise has been active in 3D printing, or additive manufacturing to give it its other widely used name. It has the largest capacity for additive manufacturing in Europe as well as a global reputation as a provider of innovative software solutions. Today its state-of-the-art modeling software and manufacturing capabilities are applicable to a wide range of markets and industries, from automotive and machining to aerospace, biomedical and consumer goods. Additive manufacturing is the process of making a three-dimensional object from a digital model. One of its many benefits is the speed of development it offers: without the need for moulds or dies, parts and prototypes can be created on-demand. This also means lower costs and the freedom to modify a design quickly and easily. From a sustainability perspective, this technology will allow for the creation of

lighter components. As an added advantage for end users in sectors such as machining, this will also speed up the manufacturing process. Finally, as it is a relatively affordable technology it is hoped that it will be brought to wider use outside the sphere of manufacturing in offices, classrooms and homes in the coming years. Mr Van der Schueren explains how the sector has evolved – and how Materialise has remained at the forefront of development: “One of the most important changes in 3D printing in recent years is that we have moved from simply prototyping to actually manufacturing and using the products. “Our company had anticipated this change as far back as the 1990s but the technology has taken a long time to really enter the mainstream. It is really only in the past three years that industry has seriously recognised this technology for the purposes

of manufacturing. Now customers can come to us with an idea for a product that could be made using 3D manufacturing, and we can work with them to make it a reality.” But Materialise has long been aware of the possibilities for 3D manufacturing. As far back as 2003 it established its MGX brand, initially to produce high-end lampshades. This has now expanded into other kinds of furniture including jewellery, stools and even haberdashery.

Production base With manufacturing now playing such a key role in the world of 3D printing, Materialise has been active in establishing a strong production base of its own. Therefore, in addition to its design and prototyping software it now also has four production locations in total. The largest is at its headquarters in Belgium, another is in the US, one is in the

MachinePark@Materialise

First 3D Printed Race Car - by - Formula GroupT 2012 Areion Car

Czech Republic, where it has been present since 2004, and one in Poland. “We already produce a large number of end-use goods at our facilities. We run over 100 professional standard 3D printers. In fact, in Belgium alone more than 50 per cent of our output consists of end-use goods.” In recent years Materialise has observed that there is a trend towards manufacturing moving from the Far East to eastern Europe. Therefore, to boost its eastern Europe presence even further, in February this year (2014) it acquired a Polish company, e-Prototypy, a leading provider of rapid prototypes and 3D printing. “We believe in the potential of eastern Europe so it makes sense for us to establish a strong base here to anticipate this production shift. Because a production shift also means that product development will shift.”

Technological capabilities Another key strategic reason behind this recent acquisition is Materialise’s conviction that product development needs to happen as close to manufacturing as possible. When asked why this is so important, Mr Van der Schueren explains: “For one thing, prototyping has to be fit for purpose. But the second point is that it has to be fit for production itself.

Flexible Material - TPU 92A-1 - squeezing

And if the actual manufacturing is carried out far away from where product development takes place it becomes difficult to develop a product that can actually be produced in a cost effective way. With our 3D Printing we are ideally placed to produce the prototypes that are required in the product development. Materialise works mainly with plastic when it comes to manufacturing, although for biomedical applications such as hip implants it can also work with metals. The technologies it uses fall broadly into three main categories: powder based manufacturing (including laser sintering); resin based; and FDM (fused deposition modeling), which works by laying down material in layers.

Complete software solutions Whilst it would be hard to list every one of Materialise’s many solutions here in great depth, it is safe to say that it is able to offer a product to help its clients every step of the way through the rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing processes. For design, for example, its 3-matic solution offers modification, simplification, 3D texturing, remeshing, forward engineering and much more. When it comes to manufacturing there is the abovementioned MGX brand as well as i.materialise,

both of which are well established on the market and offer cutting-edge possibilities for turning customers’ ideas into a reality. For prototyping, Materialise’s range of Magics software solutions allow users to import data and prepare platforms, whilst its revolutionary Streamics product provides them with a user-friendly server based system to centralise their customer project data and facilitate full traceability of the additive manufacturing process. Furthermore, Mr Van der Schueren explains that software development is likely to become an increasing focus for the company in the years to come: “More and more production companies are likely to have 3D printing machines in their own production environments. This means they will need complementary software to help run them in the same way they needed it to control their CNC, injection moulding capabilities and so on. Over the past few years, we have been developing our Streamics software to run as a control system alongside production. This will help with traceability, liability checks and so on.”

Growth in biomedicals Of particular note has been Materialise’s work in the biomedical sector, for which

For more than 12 years, LSS GmbH has operated as an independent, pan-European Support and Service Provider in the field of Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and Stereolitography (SLA). Beside of our service activities LSS delivers state of the art upgrades and customized solutions, distributes SLS & SLA materials and provides application support. Our success is based on a highly motivated and flexible acting service team combined with solid technical experience in rapid prototyping and manufacturing equipment with focus on systems from DTM / 3D Systems Inc. and EOS GmbH*. Product/Service Summary: LSS GmbH supports their customers in the following areas of Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and Stereolithography (SLA): • Field Services , standard and customized packages • System upgrades and customized solutions • Distribution of SLS and SLA materials • Sales of revised and upgraded systems *DTM / 3D Systems Inc. and EOS GmbH are registered trademarks.

Laser Sinter Service GmbH Gottlieb-Daimler-Strasse 12, D-59439 Holzwickede, Germany Phone: +49 2301 91323-0 • Mail: office@lss-europe.com www.lss-europe.com

DSM Becoming a publically traded company is no small feat — and neither are the great strides in innovation that are made by Materialise. Their dedication to making the world better and healthier through Additive Manufacturing is truly inspirational. DSM’s Somos® materials are honored to work with such an amazing company in developing breakthrough materials for Additive Manufacturing. The new applications that have opened up thanks to this technology have been able to do everything from saving lives to creating works of art. DSM believes that 3D printing is a major change agent for the world creating brighter lives for people today and generations to come. Somos® Materials is dedicated to customer growth in the ever-changing world of 3D Printing and promotes this growth through continuous material and application development, encouraging industry collaboration and maximizing customer asset value by providing continuous information and support. To learn more, visit us at: www.dsm.com/somos

it has been developing software for the automatic design of personalised hearing aid shells as far back as 2001. In fact, Mr Van der Schueren points out that by 2008 almost all custom hearing aids are now 3D printed. There are many examples of Materialise’s pioneering work in the biomedical field. One recent high-profile case was that of a 15 year-old Swedish girl facing a lifetime in a wheelchair owing to a congenital disease

Nikon Metrology handheld 3D Scanner additive manufactured series of housings

that had left her with a severely deformed left hip joint. In 2012 the case was brought to the company’s Mobilife medical products division. A custom implant was designed to reconstruct the joint, and almost immediately after surgery she was pain-free. Today she is able to walk without crutches. Mr Van der Schueren tells us: “What we are doing is creating scaffold structures between the bone and the titanium implant.

The bone has a natural affinity with titanium so it will grow surprisingly rapidly once the implant is in place.” And in fact, the company is taking this kind of implant technology one step further: “One of the things that maybe hasn’t been ideal with existing implants in the market is that they are too strong, if anything. A consequence of this is that the implant doesn’t load the bone anymore which doesn’t encourage new growth.

Tulip.MGX by Peter Jansen - Table Lamp with Textures Designed using Materialise software

Nikon Metrology handheld 3D Scanner additive manufactured series of housings Porous Titanium Skull Implant - OBL Paris

This means the bone is just resorbing or not growing anymore. We design our implants in such a way that some of the load is transferred to the bone structure and enables it to grow. Using 3D printing techniques we can develop and create complex shapes for each individual implant.”

Future prospects and challenges When it comes to other key industry sectors, Materialise has also been seeing very strong growth in aerospace and machine building. In the aerospace industry in particular, the potential for creating more customised, lightweight parts makes additive manufacturing very attractive. He acknowledges that despite the many benefits we are already seeing, there are still plenty of challenges for the industry to face. The first of these, he says, is making the

Mammoth machine park @ Materialise capable of building large parts in one piece

technology more accessible when it comes to the kinds of materials that can be used and so on. When it comes to manufacturing, he tells us that the major focus for development will be on improving machine performance. In order for this technology to be used more widely it is essential that professional 3D printers produce goods which are repeatable and predictable when it comes to quality. “Not only this, but the speed of the machines will need to increase as they are still relatively slow compared to other forms of manufacturing.” To illustrate this last point, he gives the example of making an extremely common plastic component – the back of a mobile phone. “Today, if you use injection moulding then it will take a few seconds to make. If it’s 3D printed it will take about 5–10 minutes

so we need to find a way to speed things up in the coming years. With rapid prototyping you can develop and create a product in a matter of days, but when it comes to rolling out to manufacturing there is still a gap between the two that needs to be closed.” Indeed, Mr Van der Schueren doesn’t believe that the growth of additive manufacturing technology should necessarily be focused on replacing conventional manufacturing techniques. He acknowledges that these may always be more suited for mass production, and certainly for the next 20 or 30 years. Rather, it’s a case of 3D finding its own specific niche in the market for specialised products in smaller runs. And this is where we have really seen it come into its own over the past three years. It will be fascinating to see what the next few years hold n for this dynamically developing sector.

Mikrosan Makine ve Kalıp Sanayi A.Ş. is a Turkish manufacturer of machines for the production of polymer-based products. Vanja Švačko discussed the company’s operations in Turkey and beyond with Mr Rauf Rustamov, a Commercial Director of Mikrosan Company.

POLYMER PRODUCTION SOLUTIONS S

ince its establishment in 1978 Mikrosan Makine has been acting as a solution partner to companies within the plastics industry. In the beginning it was plastic processing machinery that the company started with and today it has a much diversified product range as a result of comprehensive market analyses. Mikrosan’s portfolio is generally divided into three main categories of products: pipe extrusion, profile extrusion and granule extrusion, with major revenue coming from the first two production lines. Each line is part of a highly professional engineering project and manufactured using the most advanced technolo-

gies as well as high quality materials with CE and ISO 9001 Quality Certificates approvals. The company started production of parallel twin screw extruders in order to increase the capacity of pipe and profile production lines. A special design of a long screw and barrel that complies with European standards was a combined effort of Mikrosan’s engineering team and consultancy from the most reputable European institutes in the field. Today the company boasts superior door and window profile lines that stand up to the best on the international market. “The type of products that we are engaged in is the main focus of our business and that will remain so. We will continue to diversify our portfolio within that focus,” explained Mr Rustamov. “Our production covers a variety of profiles, from very simple ones to extremely complicated door extrusions. Being the company with high quality production explains why we are known as ‘Volkswagen of the market’. One of the advantages we take pride is our flexibility. By customizing our machinery according to clients’ demands and their production models we are able to offer sustain-

able and intelligent support, which addresses the cost-effectiveness of their production in the best manner.”

Mature investment phase For Mikrosan the influence of technology has been an important growth driver. The company has a strong R&D department that monitors the newest scientific and technological developments, which explains why a significant share of investment is in the field of research. These investments have enabled the company to start exporting to Europe, Asia and Africa. Mr Rustamov added, “One of our recent large investments was the new factory that gave us total of 50.000 m2 closed area along with the other three factories, where the whole production from simple metal frames up to the complicated lines takes place. Control over the entire manufacturing process is the advantage that helps us to increase our customer base. Thanks to investments in new equipment, we are manufacturers of some of the most accurate screws and barrels in the world.” In order to maintain its competitive advantages, Mikrosan pays strong attention to the

high quality of production and collaboration on all levels. Some of the largest suppliers the company has worked with for many years are German steel supplier SCHMOLZ + BICKENBACH, ADB, from which Mikrosan buys mainly motors and electronic parts for machinery, BNR, as well as the Italian company Gefran. The company has also developed longterm partnerships and a network of representatives all over the world. It does not do contract manufacturing, but represents its own trade marks. Russia, France, Germany, Scandinavia, North America, India and Iran are just some of the regions where Mikrosan maintains a strong dealership structure.

Growing through innovation As a company dealing with the production of machines for polymer-based products, Mikrosan has a huge addressable market, in which it is trying to introduce Turkish machinery. According to Mr Rustamov, targeting new overseas markets is a key strategy which is successfully achieved by the constant introduction of new diversified products and solutions.

“Mikrosan Makine exports to 54 countries. Expansion to new geographical regions is one of our ongoing missions. Currently we are developing in South America, Mexico and Honduras. These are the countries we are just getting insight into, hoping to develop markets there,” stated Mr Rustamov. Mr Rustamov explained, “If to describe our growth from 2005 to 2008/09, we made the great leap forward due to the crisis in Europe that brought us new market opportunities. This period was marked with considerable success for our company. “Every stage of our growth is determined by a series of preparations to respond to new market demands. From 2009 to 2013 we were on a steady growth path. Now we are ready for the next leap forward – with innovative machinery in our equipment range we hope to get more opportunities in Europe as well as in China. In addition to that, having an innovative and highly skilled team with newly established projects we can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that our business n has entered a new promising stage.” Visit: www.mikrosanmak.com

PARTNER IN POLYMER SOLUTIONS F

or some fifty years Nolato Medical has been creating, designing and producing innovative polymer-based medical products and packaging solutions that give people a better life. Its long experience in advanced medical technology operations has also given the company a firm foundation of cuttingedge expertise and quality awareness which is invaluable to its global customers.. Work-

ing in partnership with Nolato brings direct, measurable advantages to its customers, with development support, component and system production within most polymer technologies and materials, as well as post-processing, decoration, assembly and packaging. Recent examples of the products that Nolato medical has developed and produced include diabetes care prod-

Nolato Medical is a Swedish hi-tech developer and manufacturer of polymer products for market-leading medical technology and pharmaceutical companies.

ucts, asthma treatment devices, external catheters and complete operative sets for blood salvage and transfusion, as well as made-to-measure packaging solutions and latex-free anaesthesia breathing bags. In addition, Nolato Medical’s pharmaceutical packaging division develops and manufactures speciality packaging from polymer materials in the form of its own products

as well as specially designed packaging for individual pharmaceutical and dietary supplement companies. Production involves the use of advanced injection moulding and injection blow-moulding equipment in the company’s specially adapted manufacturing facilities, all of which comply with the stringent European safety and quality standards. Nolato Medical operates three production sites in Sweden and also has facilities in Hungary, Romania, the UK, China and the USA. Nolato Medical is part of the Nolato Group which is a global, high-tech developer and manufacturer of polymer components and products systems for the pharmaceutical, tel-

ecoms and industrial products sectors. Nolato was founded in Sweden in 1938 as Nordiska Latexfabrieken i Torekov AB with the trademark ‘Nolato’, which has since 1982 been the company’s trading name. Today Nolato is a global Group with its head office based in Torekov and with production facilities in Sweden, China, Hungary, the US and India. The company also has sales offices in France, Norway, Germany, Taiwan and the Czech Republic.

Customer specific solutions When producing new products for medical technology and pharmaceuticals customers, Nolato Medical works closely with its custom-

ers right from the development phase. ensure that we achieve the right quality. It offers a wellestablished project structure and clear project management, with staff who have extensive experience of working within a customer’s network and delivering results. For Nolato, the cornerstones of the development phase include prototypes, tool simulation, assembly design, risk analyses, research planning and process validation. The company’s technological resources provide support for the early stages of development. Nolato Medical also specialises in efficient high-volume production of products for medical technology and pharmaceuticals custom-

Industry Europe 123

RAFO AB We have been a Nolato supplier of Arburg machines since the 70’s. Freeformer is a new product from Arburg/RAFO AB. Our unique freeformer produces fully functional plastic parts using the new additive manufacturing technique – ARBURG Plastic Freeforming (AKF) – from 3D CAD files, from standard granulates and without a mould. It therefore offers boundless freedom for the efficient production of individual parts and small-volume batches. From additive manufacturing to injection moulding Thanks to the expansion of the product portfolio to include the freeformer, ARBURG is now the only manufacturer to cover the entire spectrum from additive manufacturing to injection moulding – from one-off parts to mass produced items.

ers. Since the company works exclusively with medical technology and pharmaceuticals customers, it has a real understanding of the unique requirements and circumstances which this type of production entails. It can offer various types of hygiene room and clean room, and the entire process is custom-designed, with production being carried out in the most suitable location in terms of technology, logistics and operational phase. Delegating wherever possible and using dedicated teams for customers’ production provide a fast flow of information. The close links between the development process and the production phase ensure excellent conditions for efficient production which is profitable for all those involved. “We work in close partnership together with our clients to deliver new technologies and systems and therefore are able to provide optimal solutions,” said Nolato Medical President Christer Wahlquist. “We do all the development and manufacturing in-house, which means that we can be not only innovative, but can guarantee consistent quality in all that we accomplish. “We plan to continue to grow both organically and through acquisition. In 2012 we acquired a leading UK company: Cope Allman Jaycare, which specialises in pharmaceutical packaging and has sales of more

than SEK270 million. This acquisition gave us a local presence in the UK, which is an important part of the global pharmaceutical industry and in addition, opened the door to a large number of leading international pharmaceutical companies”

Expanding global reach Nolato Medical continues to invest in its manufacturing capabilities worldwide and is constantly looking for new plant and production sites that are located close to its growing portfolio of international clients. In Hungary for example, the plant has been extended to meet the growing demand for medical devices; this followed a major investment in Romania which is designed to support its customers with products in that region. In 2013 Nolato Medical expanded its Chinese production facility with an additional 2,200 square metres, of which around 800 square metres was clean room of the highest standard in accordance with ISO 146441:1999, class 8. “China is the fastest growing market for pharmaceuticals and medical devices, which means that more and more of our customers are discussing expanded production in China for the Asian market,” said Christer Wahlquist at the time. “The expansion, which will accommodate around 30 injection moulding

machines, is being made to allow us to stay one step ahead of our customers and secure resources for future growth in China. “Our philosophy is to be a close, longterm and reliable partner who can offer our customers global development and production facilities. The new facility will satisfy even the most demanding requirements of our customers.” Nolato Medical has been active in China since 2008. Overall, Nolato Medical today has around 25,000 square metres of clean room capacity in a range of classes at nine facilities in Asia, Europe and North America.

Swedish heritage “What sets us apart from our competitors is our Swedish heritage – of developing ingenious solutions based on quality and attention to industrial design detail, as well as a commitment to deliver when we say we will” said Crister Wahlquist. “We create true partnerships through honesty and a straightforward dialogue with our customers. By keeping our customers informed of the progress throughout the development and production process, they can plan capacities and sales efforts accordingly. This has now led us to increase our

efforts in customer development projects to meet requests to provide simple solutions to n some complex projects”.

EXPERTS IN LOCKING SYSTEMS RST Roztocze, a company from Tomaszow Lubelski in Poland, is the biggest manufacturer of industrial locking systems in Poland and one of the leading producers of its kind in Europe. Its products are used in the power industry, telecommunications, air conditioning, ventilation, and in the automotive industry.

126 Industry Europe

ST Roztocze is a leading member of the business group owned by Mr. Roman Rak. The group also consists of WSK Tomaszow Lubelski, a company, which is well recognized as an experienced manufacturer of components for the aerospace industry, and ZWG Lubaczow - the fancy metal goods producer. Mr. Rak is the sole owner of RST Roztocze and WSK Tomaszow Lubelski, whereas he is a major shareholder in ZWG Lubaczow. The whole group employs more than 600 people. The group’s history goes back as far as 1991. “The early 1990s were difficult times for Polish industry. The political and economy transformation was going on and stateowned companies fell one after the other. So, I decided that the best I could do in this situation was to establish my own business. I started production in a small garage, with a second-hand lathe and milling machines; however, the company soon developed beyond my imagination”, recalls Mr. Rak. “Poland’s accession to the European Union in 2004 was a turning point for RST Roztocze. Finally, we had a chance to see up close how the European economy is organized; we obtained access to modern technology and know-how, we could participate in the EU’s trade. Five years ago I purchased WSK Tomaszow Lubelski,

company I had known personally very well from the past, since I was employed there as an engineer in the 1980s. Finally, I became a shareholder of ZWG Lubaczow, which is a company with great traditions in galvanizing.” One of the factors behind RST Roztocze’s continued success has been its long-term partnerships with suppliers such as Alinox, Aliplast, Dematec and Frech Polska. Maintaining relationships with reliable suppliers allows it to translate this same high level of service to its customers.

Jewel in the crown RST Roztocze focuses on the production of locks, hinges, clamps, locking systems and accessories for electrical switchgear equipment. It specializes in such technological processes as: ZAMAK die-casting on hot chamber machines, plastic materials processing and machine cutting on high technology CNC machines, laser cutting, press brakes, welding and powder painting. “We have hit the market niche with these products. We are Poland’s only company of this kind. Our product range is very wide and includes about 5 000 items - from simple to very complex locks, for example electronic locks. I dare to say we are among the world leaders of the industry”, says Mr. Rak.

The company’s machine park includes 100 CNC machines of the latest technology. Moreover, it has a tooling department with a technical office, which creates moulds for die-casting, plastic materials, tools for metal pressing etc. Strong R&D team with many engineers and tool dept. is a big advantage, because we can design and produce tools internally and then we can manufacture our products starting from an idea to final item. Direct exports make up 25-30 per cent of the company’s total sales and its products are sold to more than 30 countries in Europe. When indirect export is added it adds up to 90 per cent. Between 2003 and 2014 the company’s production and sales grew 10 times, while the number of employees increased from 70 people to 350 and the average wage tripled. Growth in 2013 is estimated as +15 per cent. In the first quarter of 2014 it amounted to +25 per cent. RST Roztocze clients are about 1 300 companies including such names as General Electric, Bombardier, PESA Bydgoszcz Holding SA. (a Polish company, which deals with rail rolling stock construction), Solaris Bus & Coach (a Polish company which is a major European producer of buses and low-floor trams) and Grupa Apa-

Industry Europe 127

RI ROUS MATE

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ST AIN

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MINIUM

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www.alinox.pl

WE OFFER: • CUTTING THE MATERIAL TO THE CORRECT SIZE • LAMINATING THE MATERIAL • DELIVERIES WITHIN 24 HOURS

FRECH Polska Sp. z o.o. is proud to offer you a unique and complete product range. We offer the comprehensive solutions Machine + Peripherals + Form + Equipment = proven, effective, powerful, highly efficient production solutions. FRECH Polska Sp. z o.o. ul. PowstańcÓw Śl. 9 PL-46320 Praszka

Phone: +48 34 3 66 97 41 Fax: +48 34 3 66 95 41 E-mail: bernard@frechpolska.com

ALINOX SP. Z O.O. HEADQUARTERS: ul. Białobrzeska 47, 41-409 Mysłowice, Poland Tel: +48 327 658 112 Fax: +48 327 658 123

The LUBLIN branch, ul. Do Dysa 5, 20-149 Lublin, Poland Tel: +48 81 744 95 86 Fax: +48 81 527 13 33

E-mail: info@alinox.pl

Alinox Alinox is a company that belongs to the Scope Metals Group. As an international distributor, it supplies the market with materials made of aluminum, stainless steel, plastics, copper, bronze, brass, lead and titanium. All alloys are available in both commercial and air industry or army quality. The company also supplies the market with complete fire protection systems, which include sprinklers, valves, pipes, elbows and more. Concerned about the quality of its services and materials Alinox has implemented the ISO9001: 2011 and the AS 9120 systems, and received a concession of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration for the production and sale of products for military and police use. Thanks to its flexible purchase system and the use of specialized equipment, Alinox is able to respond to the customer’s individual needs. It offers a range of additional services, such as cutting material to the given length and delivers materials in custom sizes by Polish, European and Russian standards. A wide generic and quantitative range of materials ensures the Alinox customers to implement large projects. RST Roztocze, which is one of such clients, has cooperated with Alinox from 2008. During this time Alinox has become the RST Roztocze main supplier of such materials as acid resistant steel and aluminum.

www.dematec.pl

tor (which focuses its activity in two segments of the electromechanical industry: metering and switchgears).

Aviation business WSK Tomaszow Lubelski was founded in 1969 as an integral part of WSK-Swidnik, the well-known producer of helicopters and motorcycles. In 1992 the company was transformed into “WSK-Tomaszów Lubelski” Ltd. and since then it has operated as an independent company. Mr. Rak became its sole owner in 2009. Now the company is an approved and certified manufacturer of precise and complex components mainly for the aerospace and aviation industry, with a range more than 4500 parts. WSK TL also manufactures products for the machine, food and automotive industries. It uses modern CNC machines, tools and technologies and offers

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a wide range of accurate standardized technological equipment. “Highly qualified personnel with extensive experience and a continually upgraded technology park (CNC machines) make us a valuable supplier for many well-known worldwide companies in the country and abroad. We cooperate with such companies as: PZL-ŚWIDNIK S.A. – part of AgustaWestland / Finmeccanica Company (leading producer of helicopters and components for such aerospace companies as: AGUSTA WESTLAND, CESSNA, BELL, AIRBUS, GKN, EUROCOPTER/Airbus Group), WSKRZESZÓW S.A. – part of UTC corporation – Pratt & Whitney (manufacturer of aircraft engines and transmissions), PZL MIELEC – part of Sikorsky / UTC corporation (aircraft and helicopters manufacturer), EADS PZL WARSZAWA OKĘCIE – part of Airbus Group (aircraft manufacturer) etc. Direct export is

about 25 per cent of the company’s total sales, but if the indirect foreign sales (via other companies operating in Poland) are taken into consideration the exports’ share grows to 95 per cent”, says Mr. Rak.

Expert on metal goods ZWG Lubaczow, the third part of Mr. Rak’s group, is a company focused on the production of various fancy metal goods. It makes metal zippers with different chain widths, fittings, wire products (frames, D-rings, hooks for hangers), metal buttons, and minor zinc elements pressure-cast. The company provides such services as protective and decorative galvanic coating (nickel, copper, zinc and oxidative in a wide range of colours for steel and brass. It also offers tool services and high pressure casting on its machines. n www.roztocze-rst.com.pl

ADVERTISERSINDEX

3D Squared

117

A ABB AB 66 Alinox Sp. z o.o. 128 Aliplast Sp. z o.o. 129 Aritex Cading SA 26 Automotive Lighting 35, 37

B Beth Filter GmbH BVR Srl

5 27 117 66

Dematec Polska Sp. z o.o. 128 Dr Mennicken GmbH & Co. KG 121 DSM Functional Materials Inc. 116 Duflot 51 DV3 Printers 116

98 67 31

F 128

Laser Sinter Service GmbH Lewa Attendorn GmbH Linak Actuators Systems BV

114 31 63

M Mazel M.H. Mazurkiewicz sp.j. 31 Messko GmbH 66 Metal Dekor d.o.o. 67 Metallurgica San Marco 106 Mitol 84 M&M Forgings Srl 91

NBB Controls + Components GmbH Newport Spectra-Physics GmbH

58 115

O Ostaszewski

PEI Srl Pérez Torres Plansee Composite Materials GmbH Plast Service Pack Premier Diamond Corporation NV Prima Biro d.o.o.

95 70 102 43 58 67

95 95

70 58

Sabic Snij-Unie Salinen Budapest Schmittenberg-Pol Sp. z o.o. Schneeberger AG

H Hanning & Kahl Hugma AB

Rafo 124 Raps GmbH 80

G Gariglio Meccanica Srl G.Bonanomi snc

FRECH Polska Sp. z o.o.

EKW Italia Elektromotoren & Geraetebau Barleben GmbH Exact Systems Sp. z o.o.

ICT Internationale Container Transport GmbH IMA Tecno Srl

Schoeller-Bleckmann 54 Schüco 47 Südpack Hungary Kft 80

T Tecnomesa S.A.S. Tradex 2002 Kft

94 80

U UTP United-Turned-Parts GmbH & Co. KG 33

74 84

C CAAC Pioneer Logistics Carlisle Interconnect Technologies Collibri Transport Services Components

111 80 31 94

V Valmiera Glass UK Ltd Vanbreda Ausloos

87 114

Z ZMDI 5

Industry Europe – Issue 24.8

Articles inside

Experts in locking systems RST Roztocze

Partner in polymer solutions Nolato Medical

Polymer production solutions Mikrosan

The 3D printing revolution Materialise

A new leader in surface solutions Oerlikon Balzers

Diversity in metals Zucchetti Mario Forging

Experts in technical labels Gravic Hungary

Continuous improvement is the key to quality castings SCM Foundries

Celebrating 40 years of high technology Fidia

Pressure for perfection Avure

New focus for engineered hose specialist

Exports drive growth Podgorje

Harnessing wind power Norvento

Investing to meet rising demand Pick Szeged

Delivering intelligent energy solutions Standardkessel

Cleaner and greener Tennant Company

Transforming power efficiency Kolektor Etra

Number one in flooring solutions HTC Group

Seeking new markets Siplast

Unrivalled agrochemical expertise SKW Piesteritz

Success cubed Haga Metallbau

Intelligent light systems Automotive Lighting

Experts in construction chemicals KREISEL

Experts in assembling automotive parts

Excellence rewarded Daimler

Focus on Germany Allan Hall reports from Berlin

Technology spotlight Advances in technology

Power from the sea Alderney tidal array

Linking up Combining strengths

Moving on Relocations and expansions

Industry people Appointments

Winning business New orders and contracts

Notice board New products and processes

Europe’s shipbuilding industry competes