machined to Perfection ZMM Bulgaria Holding

lathe model - C10T.14

mAcHineD to perfection

Building on decades of experience, ZMM Bulgaria Holding has cemented its position as a leading machine tool manufacturers with a track record covering the globe. The company’s CEO Emilian Abadjiev spoke to Romana Moares about the business development, the latest achievements and plans for the future.

ZMM Bulgaria Holding is Bulgaria’s leading designer and manufacturer of machine tools including the whole range of conventional, variable spindle speed control, machines for the oil nd CNC lathes and accessories. It also supplies various welded parts and mechanical machining products, gears, spare parts and iron castings for metal-cutting and metal-working machines, as requested by the company’s clients.

The company was established in 2001 to consolidate, manage and promote several production centres with experience in machine production going back many decades, including ZMM Nova Zagora specialised in gear production and IHB Metal Castings, a foundry producing high quality castings from grey and nodular cast iron.

The holding also includes ZMM Sliven and Mashstroy Troyan, the lathe producers that were merged in 2009, an important milestone for the business development, creating a solid, large lathe production facility with a 6,000 square meter production area, as Mr Abadjiev explained.

“The company has gone through tremendous development in the last three years, steadily increasing production volumes,” he says. “Every year, we build around 600-700 lathes, with a record hit last year when 750 lathes were made and shipped to customers.” Wide range

ZMM Bulgaria’s comprehensive range of machine tools is divided into three main groups – the universal lathes, the CNC lathes and the oil industry lathes. The machines range in size of up to 1410mm in diameter and 10 meters in length, and are offered with an attractive price/performance ratio. The product portfolio covers a large spectrum of customer needs and requirements – from machines made for training purposes through machines used for the maintenance of different equipment and those used in heavy industry.

“The largest product group includes the universal types, which may be either completely manual or machines with variable speed, followed by the country oil lathes and the CNC machines. Current focus in on increasing the number of CNC lathes and also the number of heavy machines, i.e. over 700 mm in diameter,” Mr Abadjiev says, noting that for some time the management was contemplating to discontinue the production of the small machines but then reconsidered the decision.

“The small lathes, used mainly for training purposes, are still required in the market. So we decided to keep them in the portfolio - they may not be so lucrative as the other machines but they help bring future workers to the industry, training future operators, which is a pivotal task for the industry on a global scale.”

AmB 2018 - in Stuttgart with partner Blumenbecker

mAKTeK eurasia 2018 - in Istanbul with partner Aran makina

Getting stronger

ZMM’s machines work around the globe. The company currently exports to around 80 countries on all continents. “I am proud to stay that our strongest territory at the moment is the United States, a country of high tech and advanced development competence, which illustrates the quality of our machines very well. Second comes Russia, followed by Italy, Turkey, Germany and Poland. The company has also a strong footing in North Africa, the Middle East and of course Europe, where we have customers in every single country. In the near future we would like to improve our position in South America, and penetrate the markets of Argentina and Brazil. Asia is a weaker territory for us as a result of the proximity of China, but we do very well in India, Malaysia and several other countries.”

“It is important to note that we do not do serial production anymore. Every single machine we produce is tailor-made to individual customer’s requirements, following their exact specifications. There are no two identical machines coming from ZMM in the market. This is one of the reasons for company’s continuing success, as reflected by the increasing number of orders.”

The company regularly showcases its products at all major trade shows and will be exhibiting at EMO in Hannover in September although some decisions are yet to be made. “Our stand will demonstrate three machines, the classical universal lathe, the lathe with variable speed and a CNC machines but the decision regarding the types has not been finalised, maybe we will include one of the smaller lathes as well,” admits Mr Abadjiev.

Facing the future

ZMM produces most of the lathe components in-house but procures key, more sophisticated parts from renowned manufacturers, such as SKF, NSK and Fuchs (bearings) and a prominent Spanish company supplying the digital read-outs. “Some of the components, such as controls, are chosen upon discussions with customers, who may prefer Siemens or other reputable suppliers to suit their individual need,” the CEO explains.

Although production volumes continue to increase, the company has no plans to increase capacity as such - focus has been, and will continue to be, on technology modernisation. “One of our tasks for the future is to shorten the lead time without decreasing the number of machine made,” Mr Abadjiev points out.

He also reinforces the message that ZMM is not just a growing industrial player but a company aware of its social role. “Just recently, we donated a L580 CNC machine equipped with Siemens controls to the training facility in Sliven, a rather unique project in Bulgaria. Our experts will now be involved in educating the next generation of operators, supporting the industry. A project one can be justifiable proud of.” n

meCSPe 2018 - in Parma with partner RImeX