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EuroBLECH 2012 Latest News, Product Novelties, Fairs and much more
SEPTEMBER 2012
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editorial
Lantek attends EuroBLECH 2012 with its strongest proposal This trade fair is established as the best platform to consolidate Lantek’s position in the German industrial sector, a market that grew by more than 40% in the first semester of the year and that is strategic for the company. Lantek will be located in stand B63 of pavilion 12, where it will showcase the technological prowess of its software solutions and the innovative capability of the corporation. The company will have an exhibit at the 22nd edition of EuroBLECH 2012, the International Technology Trade Fair for the Transformation of Sheet Metal, which will take place between October 23 and 27 in Hanover (Germany). It is considered as the most relevant event in the metal
and sheet metal industry at a worldwide level and is an essential venue for all the professionals in this sector. EuroBLECH 2012 will bring together about 1,400 exhibitors from 40 countries that will showcase a wide variety of innovative machines, materials, systems and smart tools to provide the industry with the equipment that best suits its needs and all from the sustainability point of view. In the 2010 edition over 60,000 visitors passed through the trade fair’s different pavilions. On this occasion, Lantek is making an important gamble: “not only is this venue a key venue for getting to know the new trends in the global market and taking the pulse of the sector in financial and business terms, but also because Germany as the prime European power, appears as one of the strategic markets for the company”, asserts Asier Ortiz, the Lantek Manager for EMEA. A display of this last point is the excellent progress of Lantek Germany, which has recorded a 42% increase in its turnover in the first half of 2012 and presently has more than 850 customers in the country.
The company will attend EuroBLECH represented by both its staff in Germany as well as other members of the corporation. Innovative alternatives that revolutionise the industry Lantek will attend the trade fair to showcase its software solutions for the metal industry, where it will also attend to and expand the trading and business relationships with present and potential clients, without ignoring the synergies an event of this nature leads to. Lantek, following its wide experience in highly diversified markets, it has gained an in-depth knowledge of the needs and the state of the industry, establishing very fruitful direct relationships with both its clients and with the machine-tool manufacturers. Moreover, Lantek has a consolidated R&D centre and a large worldwide sales and technical service network. With its consultancy service, its wide range of solutions and its team of professionals, Lantek is able to cater for any aspect of machine tools, in contexts of manufacturing with sheet metal, pipes and profiles providing highly competitive and innovative software solutions that are adapted to the actual needs of companies, regardless of their production mode: to order, against stock or to a project. An example of this latter case is Lantek Steelworks, a solution specifically designed to meet the needs of metal structures companies. The company will be present with a stand that doubles the surface area of its previous participation at EuroBLECH, which underscores its firm bet on this trade fair and the German market firm and it will be located at stand B63 in pavilion 12.
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solutions Lantek Solutions for specialised suppliers The key to achieving efficiency in the metal industry sector
Lantek offers a wide range of software solutions for suppliers specialised in the metal sector that meets their current and future needs. The subcontractors always work in accordance with a highly demanding planning schedule, with continuous changes, and management that must be effective so as to leave nothing to chance and to comply with the deadlines set by the client. Some of these tasks are repetitive, although may be necessary to perform them differently every day in order to arrive on time with the end customers, by tasking priorities, etc. Therefore, they need to be highly efficient in all areas of the company and have all the processes under control. A small setback, such as not being able to deliver one of a client’s orders on time, may be fatal and put a large agreement at risk or simply to become an anecdote if one has the right tools to properly manage the planning, display the possible changes and their impact on the assembly and make the
most appropriate change without altering the normal course of the operation. Lantek’s solutions are specialised in this sector which offers business advantages to this type of companies. Lantek technology improves the quality of the company’s relevant information and accessibility to it, allowing for subcontractors to make better decisions. Some of these decisions are critical for the upkeep of your business, such as improving its planning, reducing costs and risks, insert a new order into the process without altering the production run, controlling and increasing productivity, etc. Lantek offers the widest range of software adapted to the needs and peculiarities of specialised suppliers. From the receipt of the concept from the client up until its delivery and invoicing, covering all the key processes of the company.
The Lantek Solutions technology allows the company manager to: •
Integrate all the production information
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Control the work and material flows
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Eliminate unnecessary costs that involve the duplication of efforts
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Minimise the costs of materials, energy, time, machinery and labour
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Minimise corrective tasks
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Eliminate the forgetfulness and oblivion
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Plan production and the business in general in a more efficient manner
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Manage properly and with a forecast of stock outages
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Flexible production: set priorities for tasks, sequence changes, partial invoicing and partial shipments
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Make production more profitable
For this sector, integration into the value chain of its clients is most important. The process as from the concept up until the product is invoiced is the key to achieving delivery to the client in an efficient, punctual, on-budget and cost-effective manner for the company. It is in this tough task that Lantek comes into play, helping the company’s executive control all that relating to his plant or company, making him a better business manager. Is also a key factor to have a fluid relationship with the raw materials suppliers, which allows to properly synchronize the availability of material with the needs that arise from both stock planning and that of contingencies as well as for stock outages. Through its procurement management solutions, Lantek allows you to obtain the ideal price of the required material at the right time for your production run. When obtaining an order not only depends on the accuracy of the budget calculation without the
assurance that it will be profitable, the budgeting tool becomes an essential element for any subcontractor. Lantek has tools that allow for a quick and accurate calculation of the costs related to an order, integrated within the CAD/CAM system or by taking the data from the existing calculators. The subcontractors constantly work to boost their competitiveness through the use of more productive technologies. The Lantek software solutions offer these companies information, specific design and orientation towards their environment and the resources required to minimise the delivery costs and times, while maximising the quality of the deliveries. Lantek makes available to companies in the business of manufacturing with sheet metal, pipes and profiles the ultimate tool for the better planning of all the areas of the company, preventing oversights, increasing productivity and reducing costs.
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interviews
Iñaki Badiola OEM Channel Manager at Lantek
“The differentiating value of Lantek is the wide worldwide network of branch offices” The year that is about to end as well as the role of the manufacturers in the current scenario, focus the discussion with Iñaki Badiola, the Manager of Lantek’s Machine Tools Manufacturers channel.
How long have you worked for Lantek? I joined Lantek on July 1999 and I have been the OEM Channel Manager since January 2011. In what areas or department have you worked at Lantek until you became the OEM Manager? The first seven years I worked in the Post Processors Department. The next 4 years I was the Branch Manager for the offices in Poland, Turkey and the Czech Republic in addition to managing some accounts of manufacturers. How would you describe Lantek’s present? Despite the current crisis situation that surrounds us and thanks to the company’s global expansion, Lantek is presently in a good position to face the remainder of this year and the upcoming years with optimism. Lantek is a global company, in which areas do the largest projects arise in today’s market? The biggest projects this year mainly arise in Germany, as it has experienced the highest growth in both projects as well as in the staff at our own offices. Similarly, emerging countries such as Poland and Turkey are still growing and attaining great opportunities, as in the United States. Finally, one should underscore Lantek’s offices in markets that have already been consolidated such as Korea, Spain and Italy where turnover continues to grow.
What type of manufacturers are there in Lantek? I observe 3 types of manufacturers: 1. Machines for sheet metal in 2 dimensions that operate using our Lantek Expert solution. 2. Manufacturers who have diversified their offer in the market by launching new 3D pipe cutting machines (Lantek Flex3d Tubes) and cutting machines with 5 or more axes (Lantek Flex3d 5x). 3. Manufacturers of machines aimed at the building industry that are working with the support of Lantek Flex3d. With what kind of manufacturers do the best business agreements arise? With those with whom we have a business relationship based on years as they rely on and put all their trust in Lantek. These manufacturers are the ones who most often approach us with projects from the perspective of the needs of their clients, who are the end users of our company. What do you think is the differentiating value of Lantek as compared to the rest of companies that operate in the global market? The most significant one is the wide worldwide network of branch offices. The rest of companies through distributors that hinders their providing technical and sales support to clients. At Lantek, we provide a direct and close service relationship with a great knowledge of the company. In the present scenario, what role do the manufacturers play? I see 3 main roles. The first is that they introduce Lantek by way of the sale of machinery into markets in which the company does not have as much presence as in the other countries. The second would be that they create new and medium-term clients and from Lantek we establish direct sales relationships with these clients. The last would be that they establish and maintain the relationship with the end client, as they are our interlocutors. Sum up in a single idea the main value at Lantek. The good connection with our network of branch offices that makes provide the best support to the client.
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innovation
Raúl Alvarado Software Development Engineer
“Quantum ones and zeros: the teleport of Star Trek” As the true brain of the computer, the main function of the microprocessor is perform calculations and do them as fast as possible. For decades the increase in power of computers has been based on increasing the number of “neurons” on the microprocessor. Thus the concentration of transistors (neurons) grew as the space they took up shrank. This progression is coming its natural limit, as the properties of silicon make it increasingly difficult to build components that are smaller than the previous ones.
A recent experiment verified in Spain has confirmed the positive trend of research in this field. An international team, with the participation of specialised centres of IQC (The University of Waterloo, Canada) and IQOQI (The University of Vienna, Austria), established a new distance record in quantum teleporting in free space. The scientists managed to instantly transmit the state of a photon –an elementary component particle of light– 143 kms, the distance that separates the islands of La Palma and Tenerife.
In the short and the medium term the main alternative to the miniaturization is parallel computing, i.e. getting more computing power by making several independent processors work together at the same time. However, there are problems that require such a high degree of computing effort that these are presently considered unattainable even by applying parallel computing techniques. In the future we will overcome these problems by using a new generation of unimaginably powerful machines, which follow the path that Planck and Einstein laid out over a century ago. We are referring to quantum computers.
Quantum teleporting is an essential prerequisite not only for quantum computers but also for quantum communications.
Traditional computers use transistors to contain the binary information unit (bit). A single bit can represent two logical states: A 1 or a 0. On the other hand quantum computers use the qubit (quantum bit), which adds to the previous states an indeterminate state that is both 0 and 1. This duality allows for the processing and the storing of information to be extraordinarily efficient.
Quantum communications networks ensure absolute security, a key factor that is driving the investment in resources for its development. The chosen distance for the experiment is not casual; it is approximately that which would separate a quantum communications station on the ground from a satellite in orbit. There is still a long way to go to make quantum computers become a reality. That Mr Spock was able to teleport himself from the bridge of the Enterprise to a planet alien is still science fiction today. Without a doubt, a long time before this can occur we will enjoy software that will facilitate our lives by means of quantum computing. For example, some years ago Google offered us a small step forward with a super fast quantum algorithm for the recognition and organising of images.
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news Lantek surpasses the figure of 12,000 customers Lantek, has consolidated its position in this segment by surpassing the milestone of 12,000 customers for its solutions around the world. The development of Lantek in the different countries where it is present has significantly increased during the first half of 2012. During this period it has achieved 800 new customers and its track record in countries such as Spain, Italy, China, Korea or the United States is significant. The emblematic figure of the 12,000th customer corresponds to the contract signed with German company LAMATOR GmbH. Founded in 1906 and with headquarters in Torgau (Germany) it manufactures agricultural machinery and cutting tools. It has recently implemented the CAD/CAM sheet metal cutting and punching solutions for machine tools, Lantek Expert; and Lantek Integra, for optimising the management processes. As a gesture of recognition, Lantek organised an event in Torgau where Klaus Bauer, Managing Director of Lantek Germany, took the opportunity to present an award to LAMATOR GmbH. The award was collected by Patricia Weber, Commercial Director of Lamator. “We are very satisfied with this progress. The fact that we have managed to surpass the barrier of 12,000 customers in such a specific market as metal transformation has meant a great effort by us and by our network of partners, particularly during this last period in which the economic crisis has considerably affected decision-making and business activityâ€?, said Alberto MartĂnez, Managing Director of Lantek. This figure confirms the good moment this company is going through, registering continuous and firm growth during recent years. Thus, during the first half of this year, Lantek has incorporated to its portfolio of customers over 800 new users.
This figure confirms the good moment this company is going through, registering continuous and firm growth during recent years. Thus, during the first half of this year, Lantek has incorporated to its portfolio of customers over 800 new users. Another important trend is the strategy of technological alliances in the field of innovation that Lantek has been encouraging for years and which has been strengthened thanks to its international presence. With this progress Lantek also ratifies the progression of growth of its business volume, which in 2011 increased by 14%, as well as its consolidation in countries where it has recently reinforced its presence by opening new branches such as the one in Wuhan (China).
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case studies Schindler continues its rise with Lantek The Lantek laser cutting module allows for Schindler to comply with its quality commitment and improve its production, obtaining the utmost performance from the different machines it has been implemented on and adapting perfectly to these. The company, with a worldwide staff of more than 44,300 employees and a net profit of 506 million euros), operates in all five continents and has been present in Spain for more than five decades with a decentralised organisation made up of 4 Operations Management Teams, 20 branches and more than a hundred agencies and customer care points. In Spain Schindler has installed many lifts and escalators on which a TOTAL of more than 3,000 people work. The size of the corporation and its commitment towards always having strategic tools and technologies to increase the excellence and the quality of its processes, led Schindler to start a project for renewing and unifying the laser cutting solutions in its machines, including brands such as Trumpf, Salvagnini and Bystronic. At the same time, it sought to reduce the complexity of its processes and optimise the machinery in order to gain more flexibility when sharing the workload among its cutting machines and thus be able to solve problems with some tail end processes such as the cutting of skeletons and scrap. “Having such a variety of important machinery requires us to have an advanced and innovative software infrastructure that allows us to squeeze the utmost performance out of the machines and that is capable of optimising the processes”, says Jesús Lazaro, IT Manager at the Saragossa plant. “Some machines, above all those that we had for metal sheet cutting, were equipped with rigid software, and in some cases obsolete software, which made it difficult to start them up and limited their versatility”.
After analysing what the market had to offer, Schindler found that Lantek’s proposal was the solution to its needs. Thus, it opted to implement Lantek Expert Cut, a CAD/CAM system specially designed to automate the programming of machines for cutting sheet metal using lasers that combines the machine technology with the customer’s programming and management needs perfectly. The installation was quick and simple, thanks to the high level of knowledge demonstrated throughout the process of analysing the needs and the practical proposal for implementation, thus responding to Schindler’s commitment to satisfying its customers’ needs and complying with the principle of always getting things right first time. In this sense, the solution implemented has given Schindler an innovative, dynamic and fully flexible system that is easy to use and very intuitive, as the user only has to follow the steps that the software indicates. Another of the benefits provided by Lantek’s software is that it integrates all the functions into a single program, allowing from designing a part, to importing it, performing the nesting, rapidly generating the cutting and the CNC. On the other hand, they have also achieved a significant saving in programming time, which has allowed for improving their overall productivity level. “Lantek has shown that its applications can run on any machine, a very important aspect that gives us greater freedom in managing machines without the need to be subject to the option offered by the machine manufacturer by default” states Mr. Lázaro.
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services Training Courses • CUTTING
18-19 october 2012 - Miñano (Álava) 24-25 january 2013 - Miñano (Álava)
• PUNCHING
Book your course at:
marketing@ lanteksms.com
27-28 september 2012 - Miñano (Álava) 29-30 november 2012 - Miñano (Álava) 21-22 february 2013 - Miñano (Álava)
Maintenance Contracts • • • • • •
Discounts in training. Preferential telephone (Hot-line) Annual software update. Direct updating of the Service Packs, throughout the year. Discounts in the event that any of our technicians has to travel to the customer’s company. Private access to the Customer Portal where you can learn about: • Knowledge Base: An extensive database that includes answers to the most frequent questions asked by our users. • The latest updates. • Access to the technical documentation of the software. • Access to consultations and incidences.
Trick of the month Did you know that you can find out if you are up to date with the latest improvements of the Lantek Manager product if you click on the icon that is in the upper left-hand corner? If you are not, you can download the latest Service Packs from Lantek’s website:
www.lanteksms.com
- Lantek Manager
CLICK ON THE CHECKBOX
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exhibitions • Every year, Lantek is committed to being present at the sector’s most important fairs, both at a national and international level. • Request your invitation by scanning the QR code.
EUROBLECH 2012 HANNOVER- Germany
FABTECH 2012 LAS VEGAS (NEVADA)- USA
23 - 27 OCTOBER
12 - 14 NOVEMBER
Next Tradeshows EXPOWELDING 2012
EUROBLECH 2012
FABTECH 2012
16 - 18 OCTOBER
23 - 27 OCTOBER
12 - 14 NOVEMBER
SOSNOWIEC (POLAND)
HANNOVER - GERMANY
LAS VEGAS (NEVADA)- USA
STAND 65
HALL 12, STAND B63
BOOTH C4940
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