Trusted partner for machine tools TOS VARNSDORF

TRUSTED PARTNER FOR MACHINE TOOLS

TOS VARNSDORF is a global producer of machine tools and a wide range of associated accessories. The company has its own design team to develop the machines and a strong manufacturing base to produce them. Romana Moares spoke to Jan Rýdl, the company’s managing director, about recent developments and its plans for the future.

TOS VARNSDORF offers horizontal milling and boring machines, floor type horizontal boring mills, machining centres, and special machines, as well as accessories, such as milling heads, milling attachment, facing heads, add-on tables, clamping equipment, cooling equipment and standard accessories. The company serves the power, transport, mining and machine construction sectors as well as general engineering industries. In addition to supplying the domestic market (Czech Republic), TOS Varnsdorf sells its products in Germany, Finland, Poland and the Russian Federation.

The company was founded in 1903 and is based in Varnsdorf, Czech Republic with an international network of offices. Its tradition goes back over 100 years but its modern history began in 1995 when the former state owned enterprise was privatised by means of direct sale to a group of Czech investors, led by the current managing director’s father. The company was fully transformed into a modern business, which today ranks among the major producers of machine tools worldwide. In 2004, a joint venture was established in China – TOS Kunming Machine Tool Co. – significantly boosting the company’s activities on global markets. In 2012 another joint venture, GRS Ural, was formed in Russia. In 2015, TOS achieved a total unconsolidated turnover of CZK 1.7 billion (€64 million).

Comprehensive offering

“Our company offers comprehensive technological solutions supplemented by auxiliary services for metal parts machining of over 1m3 dimensions requiring 0.01mm machining accuracy,” says the managing

director. “In other words, our offer includes medium to large horizontal machine tools and machining centres and a wide range of accessories which not only increase the universal use of our machines but, most importantly, the productivity,” he claims.

He further explains that the products may be generally divided into three groups. The first covers floor type machines for machining medium to heavy parts. Typical customers include companies from the engineering, automotive and transport sectors. The second group contains floor type machines for heavy and large parts made particularly for the shipping, power and mining sectors. The third product group covers machining centres with a high degree of machining automation and diagnostics.

“Historically, our best-seller has been, without a doubt, the WHN13CNC machine, which was introduced in 1968 and has since been delivered to almost 3000 customers. Obviously, it has been modified and upgraded many times but its original design still remains the same,” says Mr Rýdl.

For TOS VARNSDORF, comprehensive customer care includes offering a number or pre- and after sales services, such as the development of technological and machining time studies, 3D simulations, selection of the most suitable tools, fixture design, after sales support, spare part sale and many others.

Modern production base

Production is concentrated in the company’s parent site in Varnsdorf (near the German border) where all the main components – such as machine frames, special accessories and spindles – are made, using first

class technologies. The site also houses the research and development centre. “As was mentioned earlier, we have two more production plants in China and Russia making machines according to our documentation to suit the needs of those two markets. We also operate a separate foundry in the Czech Republic, located in Rumburk, covering about 50 per cent of our needs for castings used for our machines,” says the managing director. He adds that current capacity is sufficient but, if required, the company is ready to invest in its extension.

“Each year, we invest about €5 million into new technology. Recent investments have included a machining-milling centre for spindle and other rotary parts precision machining, a large portal centre and a new ion nitride furnace for component surface treatment. We also invest in the installation of machines that we make ourselves, such as the recent WRD DUO and WHtec130 machines in the heavy mechanics section,” says Mr Rýdl. He reveals that the biggest investment in 2016 will be the

purchase of a Japanese machining centre worth over €1 million to be installed in the light mechanics shop, in order to make precise parts for the bodies of milling heads and other similar parts.

Staying focused

TOS VARNSDORF’s export markets include the EU, followed by Russia, China, Canada, the United States, Brazil, Egypt and South Africa. In the past 20 years, its machines have been shipped to over 40 countries worldwide.

“As over 80 per cent of total output is exported, we have been striving to provide the best possible care to customers even in far-away markets such as North America, Asia and South Africa, just as we do in the domestic market. This task represents a considerable challenge for a company of our size, and was one of the reasons we decided, recently, to establish the joint ventures abroad to help us meet the needs of these distant markets.”

Mr Rýdl stresses that the ability to keep pace with global competitors is the driving factor behind the company’s product development. Each year, TOS VARNSDORF comes up with a major improvement of its machines’ technical parameters or completely new machine designs to reflect customers’ requirements. In 2015 the company introduced two new machines and three new types of milling heads. In 2016, a brand new machine for the WHT110 product line (horizontal boring machine and centre) and two more types of milling heads will be introduced to the market.

“Market conditions are tough and competition severe but there is no point in complaining about external conditions. We need to stay fully focused on meeting customers’ demands and finding solutions to their needs that would maximise the value added, by applying our technological solutions while maintaining the required profitability,” concludes Mr Rýdl. n