Lantek Link - June 2021 by Lantek

JUNE

2021: a promising year

Solutions Systems Integration

Interview Alberto López de Biñaspre

T H E

M A G A Z I N E

F O R

S H E E T

M E TA L

E X P E R T S

2021

index FRONT COVER

SUSCRIPTIONS

Anonymus

Marketing Department marketing@lantek.com

LANTEK MARKETING TEAM Copy, editing, layout and design: Enrique Parama Diana Sánchez Patricia Ruiz de Sabando Sheila Aldariz Editor in Chief: Juan José Colás Head of Global Sales & Marketing

PUBLISHER Lantek Sheet Metal Solutions, S.L Parque Tecnológico de Álava Ferdinand Zeppelin, 2 01510 Vitoria-Gasteiz (Álava), Spain (T) +34 945771700

www.lantek.com

CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE Our thanks go to: Asier San Millán, Managing Director of Siderex, Christian Hemetsberger, CEO of EST EdelstahlSchneidtechnik, René Gruber, Managing Director of Salz IT, also Beate Kramp and Ina Biehl-v. Richthofen, communication specialists of the RFW agency in Germany. Lantek employees: Alberto López de Biñaspre, Carlos García Villate, Christoph Lenhard, Diana Sanchez, Enrique Parama, GenQi Liu, Igor Temprano, Jose Antonio Lorenzo, Juan José Colás, Jing Wu, Luis Galo Corzo, Mario Rodríguez, Patricia Ruiz de Sabando, Raúl Chopitea and Sheila Aldariz.

05editorial 2021 is promising to be a year full of great news and exciting projects

10solutions The integration of systems as a strategy for business optimization

20technologies Automated machine learning (AutoML) for Sheet Metal

26news 25 years of Lantek Germany Lantek & Trumpf partnership A hard year for sheet metal sector

40services Lantek Hint. Did you know...?

06main topic Lantek’s new 2021 version increases manufacturing capabilities

14interview Alberto López de Biñaspre CEO of Lantek

24innovation Improving our clients’ interoperability with Assembly to Nesting

32partners EST EdelstahlSchneidtechnik GmbH Salz IT

41facts International Meeting 2021 Digital Lantek begins its events calendar in Asia

index FRONT COVER

SUSCRIPTIONS

Anonymus

Marketing Department marketing@lantek.com

LANTEK MARKETING TEAM Copy, editing, layout and design: Enrique Parama Diana Sánchez Patricia Ruiz de Sabando Sheila Aldariz Editor in Chief: Juan José Colás Head of Global Sales & Marketing

PUBLISHER Lantek Sheet Metal Solutions, S.L Parque Tecnológico de Álava Ferdinand Zeppelin, 2 01510 Vitoria-Gasteiz (Álava), Spain (T) +34 945771700

www.lantek.com

05editorial 2021 is promising to be a year full of great news and exciting projects

10solutions The integration of systems as a strategy for business optimization

20technologies Automated machine learning (AutoML) for Sheet Metal

26news 25 years of Lantek Germany Lantek & Trumpf partnership A hard year for sheet metal sector

40services Lantek Hint. Did you know...?

06main topic Lantek’s new 2021 version increases manufacturing capabilities

14interview Alberto López de Biñaspre CEO of Lantek

24innovation Improving our clients’ interoperability with Assembly to Nesting

32partners EST EdelstahlSchneidtechnik GmbH Salz IT

41facts International Meeting 2021 Digital Lantek begins its events calendar in Asia

editorial 2021 is promising to be a year full of great news and exciting projects for Lantek

On top of the great results already announced for 2020, a period in which we achieved record sales and client figures, and in which we were able to continue boosting activity and productivity, we can also add the upcoming launch of the new version of our Lantek Global Release 2021 software. Version 41 brings numerous new features and updates aimed at continuing to improve our value proposition for clients. Juan José Colás Head of Global Sales & Marketing

Despite the difficulties brought about by the pandemic, which triggered strong restrictive measures that paralyzed and/or slowed down activity in the sheet metal industry, Lantek achieved a record turnover in 2020. During the year, sales reached 21.3 million euros, slightly higher than the previous year, consolidating our position in the international market. Also, we’ll soon be releasing Lantek Global Release 2021, a new version of our software, with over 50 improvements and updates in the CAD/CAM 2D and CAD/CAM 3D areas, as well as in Lantek MES for production planning and Lantek Integra for business management. Interesting improvements have also been added to Lantek Analytics. However, without a doubt, the biggest news of the year was the agreement reached in March 2021 with the manufacturer TRUMPF, a technological and market leader in sheet metal processing machine tools and in industrial lasers. Lantek’s extensive experience in the world of intelligent manufacturing software for sheet metal and fabrication reflects the common goal of improving our clients’ production processes, providing a comprehensive response to the needs of the sheet metal and metal transformation chain, including machinery from many different manufacturers. Equally, TRUMPF is taking further steps in its strategy to continue moving towards efficient and connected production, completing its range of Smart Factory solutions. For Lantek, this new stage certifies interconnectivity and independence between manufacturers, allowing us to combine our skills and develop the best industrial software in a more open and customer-oriented way. Our clients will also benefit from close collaboration and exchange in the key technologies of the future: artificial intelligence, cloud computing and data models for comprehensive process control. Welcome to the new Lantek! 5

editorial 2021 is promising to be a year full of great news and exciting projects for Lantek

main topic Like every year, Lantek continues with its commitment to offer its clients and distributors the best solutions for the Sheet Metal market, with the announcement of over 50 improvements and important new features in the new 2021 version. Lantek Expert incorporates a valuable new module that allows you to add all the metal components that make up a 3D design, whether it is an assembly or a set of parts. This way, 2D parts are gathered together to be processed in Lantek Expert with all of the advantages that this implies because, now it is compatible with a huge number of formats, meaning it can be used to import 3D files regardless of the program that was used to design them. Lantek Expert has also incorporated notable improvements in usability: a zoom function in the nesting, machining and design modules allows you to work more easily and intuitively in the design window; a drag & drop system that will enable you to import files individually or in groups in a highly intuitive and user-friendly way.

Lantek’s new 2021 version increases manufacturing capabilities

In the other main modules, Lantek Expert has some significant new features. In the CAD module, it is now possible to assign routes automatically. For the nesting and machining module, there are improvements that focus on manufacturability - avoiding fastening and micro-joint technologies on certain geometries, segments and arches - allowing cuts to be reassigned in situations where they are not normally permitted due to the configuration of the part - spreading out pieces in the sheet metal to improve stability and rigidity in situations where there is spare material available which would otherwise be scrapped. All these work in conjunction with the collision control system. In addition, the cutting module allows users to destroy holes with spiral cutting for circular apertures, nest by zones or erase automatically added micro-joints. In the post-processors section, it is now possible to apply specific treatments to micro-joints during the CNC generation process. Lantek Flex3d improvements further optimize our clients’ manufacturing performance. The 2021 version incorporates 64-bit architecture producing significant improvement in results for benchmark tests with time savings of over 28% when opening nests and spectacular results when the system is performing multi part geometric operations. For time and cost calculation, Lantek Flex3d continues to improve predictive calculations. When importing CAD data, a new open profile recognition system has been incorporated that allows you to work with shapes which are open or that have gaps in them. Lantek Flex3d also includes a drag & drop system enabling the import of files individually or in groups in a very intuitive and user-friendly way. This new function even allows the import of attached files in Microsoft Outlook. Lantek’s CAD design module for profile shapes has been fully redesigned so that it is all in one module. The part editing and machining tools are now integrated into the same environment as tube part editing and nesting and job management, improving the user experience.

Carlos García, R&D Director

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Lantek’s new 2021 version increases manufacturing capabilities

Carlos García, R&D Director

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Lantek Expert has added a valuable module for importing components from 3D design, whether an assembly or a set of parts

In nesting and machining, it is now possible to manually move parts in nests to combine automatic nesting with manual corrections. You can also change the machining order so that scraps are used first. For specialist tube cutting machines that increasingly require more software features, improvements have been incorporated to make it possible to delimit the work area with highly advanced configurations specific to each machine.

The packages for production planning, Lantek MES, and business management, Lantek Integra, feature improvements in usability, to continue adapting to current software application design standards. This allows a better use of the available space on the screen, as well as improving the viewing experience and providing greater efficiency. Both packages also incorporate new types of 3D importing: STEP, IGES and SAT, increasing the existing 3D import capabilities.

The new 64-bit architecture in Lantek Flex3d achieves time savings of over 28% when opening nests

New KPIs have been added to the Manufacturing Analytics and Customer Analytics modules in Lantek Analytics complementing the existing ones, these including OTIF (On Time In Full), WIP (Work In Progress), ORR (Orders Return Ratio), MPR (Machine Pause Reasons) along with the possibility for users to generate their own KPIs using the selfservice module. Many usability, improvements have also been introduced, with a configurable panel system that includes favorites, a reminder of the last panel visited, advanced and personalized filters, precise descriptions of the KPIs and general improvements in their representation. We encourage you to try all of these new features that we are convinced will be extremely useful in your projects.

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Lantek Expert has added a valuable module for importing components from 3D design, whether an assembly or a set of parts

The new 64-bit architecture in Lantek Flex3d achieves time savings of over 28% when opening nests

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solutions The integration of systems as a strategy for business optimization Raúl Chopitea, Lantek Product Manager When a company decides to go ahead with the digitization of its processes, it tends to be aiming for greater transparency, traceability and optimization, which implies improvements in efficiency and decision-making. With an integral software solution for all processes like Lantek Integra ERP, these needs are intrinsically covered. But it is common to encounter scenarios where we have to integrate a piece of specialized software for the sheet metal or profile production process, like Lantek MES, into an existing software ecosystem, and for it all to work as if it were one. In this article, we will discuss the different key objectives that define a software system integration project.

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Selecting the most suitable technology When connecting two software systems, we can opt for different integration technologies. Traditionally, it has been very common to use files to exchange information between systems, but it is now becoming increasingly common to encounter systems capable of integrating using service APIs, which can make the level of complexity faced during the integration process somewhat higher. One challenge common to both cases is a translation of the language in which each system manages each of the entities that will be involved in communication. Next, we will try to explain how suitable each of them is, depending on the scenario: File Exchange Given how easy it is to define, generate and implement these exchanges, they are normally used in integration processes requiring a quick impact at a relatively low cost. This method is also designed for processes where the simultaneity in real time of the data exchange is not so critical, or where the batches of information to be processed between both systems are particularly large.

Defining the integration objectives It is important to define the objectives that we want to achieve when connecting two software systems, and to identify which business areas can benefit, and even be reorganized, with this process. Normally, the aim is to concentrate on the processes where having accurate, consistent data, with a certain simultaneity, is critical or those that involve excessive manual work (and are more prone to errors) if managed in a disconnected way.

route, planned dates, etc.) is transferred between both systems. This data may even be updated as production progresses, as the master system replans its requirements. This integration, inversely, will notify about parts produced (along with possible losses), raw material or machine consumption, batch numbers of material used, along with other relevant information obtained from the validations of each process.

It is also important to determine which system will act as master for each of the areas to be integrated, the frequency in communications, and the speed required for transferring this information, so that both systems can react appropriately to the peculiarities of the productive ecosystem.

• Integration of inventory, where the stock of raw material (sheet metal, profiles) is kept synchronized, so that it can be used and the production process can be traced, while taking into account subsequent variations.

The most common areas of integration are: • Integration of production needs, where all the information related to production orders (properties of the parts to be produced, manufacturing

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However, this mode of communication makes it more difficult to manage and resolve any events or errors that may occur, given its asynchronous nature.

Service API Suited to more advanced software environments, where each system can publish its functionality using specific service interfaces, through which they are able to establish a synchronous and real-time dialogue to exchange information and events, and subsequently react to them. Through this dialog, we can manage, for example, the gathering or ad-hoc calculation of certain data, processing requests, reattempts at previous failed communications and monitor the status of certain specific elements, etc. One great advantage of this synchronous communication is knowing, in real time, the result of the communications, and therefore being able to manage successful or erroneous situations accordingly, a determining characteristic in some scenarios. However, this complexity inevitably implies a costlier initial definition and subsequent implementation process, although this investment will be returned in terms of efficiency in the medium term. Choosing a partner with experience Lantek has always opted for an open-systems approach to interoperability, offering flexible technology in order to integrate and adapt to any scenario. To do this, we have extensive experience in the definition of architectures, and implementation, for these types of integration projects, advising our clients on the best solution for them, depending on their objectives and software ecosystem.

• Integration of quoting, where a process as specialized as the calculation of prices based on sheet metal or profile production processes is integrated with a general-purpose CRM and far removed from all this complexity.

The most common areas of integration are: • Integration of production needs, where all the information related to production orders (properties of the parts to be produced, manufacturing

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However, this mode of communication makes it more difficult to manage and resolve any events or errors that may occur, given its asynchronous nature.

interview

“This partnership is the perfect combination” Alberto López de Biñaspre, Lantek Alberto López de Biñaspre, CEO of Lantek, elaborates on the company’s partnership with TRUMPF and how the new collaborative arrangement will benefit both customers and partners.

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López de Biñaspre says, “The world of manufacturing is changing and the need for data exchange, connectivity and open standards is the foundation for industry. Proprietary, closed systems no longer meet these requirements. Now we need to take advantage of data from multiple machines and sources to make processes better and more efficient for manufacturers. At Lantek, we have been developing software for 35 years, which works with almost all machine tool manufacturers, so the concept of data exchange and connectivity is one of our core pillars. We are at the forefront of working with the new data sharing and exchange standards and are committed to helping our customers develop Smart Factories.”

interview

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We are at the forefront of working with the new data sharing and exchange standards and are committed to helping our customers develop Smart Factories

Lantek will continue to operate independently. López de Biñaspre: Most importantly, Lantek will continue to operate independently, providing the same products and services to our customers and machine manufacturers as we have always done. However, they will now also benefit from a close exchange of future key technologies such as AI, data models and holistic process control to deliver a high level of optimization for the future of sheet metal manufacturing. Can you explain the agreement? L de B: On March 18th, we announced important and exciting news for our company, our team and our customers about LANTEK entering a partnership with TRUMPF. The two technology leaders joining forces is the perfect combination of Lantek’s experience in software and TRUMPF’s expertise in sheet metal manufacturing technologies. Together we will be able to combine our competencies and develop software for the future of sheet metal production which will be even more open and customer oriented. This is a unique opportunity for Lantek. We are joining a larger company with a shared vision and a clear commitment to neutrality, independence and openness for all machine tool builders. We will be able to accelerate and expand our software development and it will also provide opportunities for Lantek’s team to grow their careers and gain new skills and experience. What has led you to accept TRUMPF’s proposal? L de B: The sheet metal market is a very dynamic and, fortunately, in a rapid phase of development. There is more and more demand from the sheet 16 interview

metal industry for digitization processes and that makes the companies in the sector seek ways to collaborate, grow together and offer a comprehensive service to customers. The proposal from TRUMPF matched two organizations with the same objectives, a shared vision for an open solution and complementary skills. The potential for rapid growth and accelerated development will ensure that together we will be able to deliver world leading digital transformation solutions for both TRUMPF and our OEM partners in an increasingly demanding, hyper-connected and global market. How do you think the acquisition will affect Lantek’s independence and how will it be perceived in the market? L de B: It is important to make absolutely clear that Lantek remains an independent company and that there will be no change to the structure of the company. Lantek will keep its current offices and workforce in the Headquarters in Vitoria, Spain, as well as in the rest of its offices worldwide, continuing the current partnerships and sales and support strategies. Moreover, Lantek will pursue its growth ambitions with even more insistence. All its staff and Lantek´s Management Board remains the same. Our continued neutral stance on machine manufacturers will confirm this position. How much is Lantek’s innovation strategy driven by its collaborative partners and machine tool partners? Will the new arrangement affect this? L de B: From our first innovations with punching to the latest developments in fiber lasers to combination machines which use more than one cutting technology on the same machine, our collaborative strategy with partners has been key. Resulting innovations come from a close working

relationship with manufacturers, incorporating and adapting Lantek’s open solutions to suit their machines. Because Lantek will continue to operate independently our commitment to these relationships is unaltered. How will Lantek be operating with its OEM partners? L de B: On a practical level, our sales, support and R&D and specific OEM development programs will continue as before and will in fact be accelerated. Individual technology development programs will continue as normal and will either be on a

one-to-one basis or as part of our overall open development program. We are also committed not only to maintain neutrality throughout the sales channel not blocking any vendor from competing on a level playing field but to strengthen it. At Lantek we have established the necessary procedures to isolate and non-disclose third-party data and technologies, and not to spread them into other workflows. Lantek will not only continue serving its agreements and contracts but, reinforce its strategy to enhance the cooperation with all our partner channels as the leading Sheet Metal Solutions Software company in the market.

We are at the forefront of working with the new data sharing and exchange standards and are committed to helping our customers develop Smart Factories

This partnership is the perfect combination of Lantek’s experience in software and TRUMPF’s expertise in sheet metal manufacturing technologies. Lantek HQ in Álava, Spain.

How will Lantek and TRUMPF work together? L de B: Both companies have similar cultures with the aim of satisfying customers, employees, and society in equal measure - live by these common values and aspire to shared objectives for excellence and open technology. TRUMPF and Lantek will operate independently with coordination through working groups to maintain that independence. Let me quote Tom Schneider, Managing Director of Machine Tool Development at TRUMPF. “Our customers’ process is our focus - with Lantek, we comprehensively cover the sheet metal process chain, even with machines from different manufacturers. In this way, we are taking another big step toward efficient and connected sheet metal production and enriching the Smart Factory solution portfolio.”

Our partnership with TRUMPF will enable it to offer our technology to its customers, helping them to work towards Industry 4.0 and a Smart Factory in an open environment. Do you think the neutral way in which Lantek operates will lead to a more open marketplace? L de B: Yes most definitely. Customers will be able to choose the most appropriate machinery for their application and business. There will be no restrictions on the cutting technology – laser, waterjet, punching, oxy-cut, plasma etc. and the make and model of machine. Additionally, our software can cover every aspect of the customer’s business so it will improve every process including managing sales, quotations, subcontracting and manufacturing – even manual and non-CNC

activities. Offering open software which improves the efficiency of the customer’s company as a whole while including the specialist technology of sheet metal manufacture is the solution that the industry wants. Delivering this is a key objective for Lantek, Trumpf and our OEMs and the partnership will accelerate its deployment significantly. How do you think the sector will evolve in the future? L de B: We are immersed in a market transformation where machine builders and software developers understand that customers are looking for global and above all open solutions. This supports Lantek’s

stance on open technology and reinforces its important position in the sector. Lantek’s current collaboration formula with partners is delivering impressive results and within our expansion plan we do not rule out the possibility of expanding the collaborative framework, with both current partners and new ones. Furthermore, the sector is in clear disruption: new technologies are arriving, which may generate great challenges. We are seeing a market consolidation of companies, while new start-ups and new players are emerging. In these times we believe that our experience and our leadership role can be a reference for the industry.

This partnership is the perfect combination of Lantek’s experience in software and TRUMPF’s expertise in sheet metal manufacturing technologies. Lantek HQ in Álava, Spain.

technologies Automated machine learning (AutoML) for Sheet Metal Luis Galo, AI Manager at Lantek

Automated Machine Learning (AutoML) has become a trending topic in the industry. This is due to the implementation of numerous algorithms by artificial intelligence (AI) academic research groups. AutoML is a tool for streamlining the development of AI solutions in the industry by providing explainable and reproducible results in an automatic and simple way.

The development of traditional Machine Learning (ML) models takes up a lot of resources and requires a great deal of knowledge and time to generate and compare dozens of models. Thanks to AutoML, the time needed to get production-ready learning models with great efficiency and ease is reduced.

algorithms’ hyperparameters, and is something which has to be done manually by data science experts. In comparison, adoption of AutoML allows for a simpler development process whereby a few lines of code can generate the necessary code to begin developing a machine learning model.

The standard process flow in data science (pipeline) consists of data pre-processing, the extraction of parameters that represent the business process to be modeled, and the optimization of the

For data science teams that work with Python, like Lantek’s, there are a large number of freely available open source libraries such as Lale by IBM, which offers a semi-automatic library that integrates

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AutoML streamlines the development of AI solutions in the industry, providing explainable and reproducible results in an automatic and simple way seamlessly with the open source pipelines of scikitlearn, auto-sklearn or others like TPOT or nni by Microsoft. You could think of AutoML as a brute force modeling concept, with specialized search algorithms to find the optimal solutions for each piece of the data science workflow. AutoML promises a future where democratized machine learning is a reality. AutoML sounds like a panacea in the application of ML that an organization could use to replace data

scientists, but in reality using it requires intelligent strategies adapted to the different processes that are carried out in the production of sheet metal parts. So, how can companies use AutoML to optimize their use of time and get value from their models sooner? The optimal workflow for including AutoML, specifically for sheet metal, requires the parallelizing of workloads on specific algorithms and shortening the time spent on heavy-usage tasks. Instead of

technologies Automated machine learning (AutoML) for Sheet Metal Luis Galo, AI Manager at Lantek

The standard process flow in data science (pipeline) consists of data pre-processing, the extraction of parameters that represent the business process to be modeled, and the optimization of the

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With AutoML, a data analyst can reprocess data, create a machine learning pipeline and produce a fully trained model

engineer and data scientist’s workloads. For the data science team, it shortens the development time, its predictive capabilities starting with a set of prototypes for learning models, simplifying automated feature engineering, and automated optimization of hyperparameters and machine learning model selection. The team of data scientists and data analysts can then evaluate hypotheses, and certify the validity of models more quickly so, although it is not completely automated it speeds up the model generation process and facilitates standardization in the development of models for sheet metal, while reducing the learning curve of the data scientist in our industry.

spending days adjusting the hyperparameters and selecting the most suitable parameters for the desired objective, a data scientist can automate this process on several models simultaneously, subsequently testing which one is the most suitable. Adapted algorithms added to AutoML with enhanced parameters for sheet metal, including scrap generation, cutting time, delivery time, cutting parameters, cutting technologies, material price and other parameters will provide specific knowledge of the sheet metal cutting technology for ML algorithms.

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A data analyst without experience in the sector can then use the adapted AutoML tool to train a predictive model themselves. With AutoML, a data analyst can reprocess data, create a machine learning pipeline, and produce a fully trained model that can be used to validate their own hypotheses. All the knowledge required about sheet metal cutting would be in the algorithms adapted by Lantek. Lantek’s AutoML provides a baseline for developing new models. However, the capabilities of today’s AutoML automate only a small part of the ML

With AutoML, a data analyst can reprocess data, create a machine learning pipeline and produce a fully trained model

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innovation Improving our clients’ interoperability with Assembly to Nesting Mario Rodríguez, Product Manager at Lantek

Modern industrial design is supported by many different 3D CAD software suites. These platforms allow the user to design everything from small parts to large structures made up of thousands of components (pieces of folded sheet metal, tubes, generic components, etc.) Each of these programs has its own characteristics, functionalities, and especially, its own file format for storing parts/assemblies. In the sheet metal manufacturing market, it’s common for companies to use just one 3D CAD program for designing their own products and exchanging designs with their collaborating companies. This limits their interoperability as they frequently have to use neutral intermediate formats

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such as STEP, IGES or SAT to transfer files which is ultimately inefficient and not always possible. The number of 3D design platforms has increased in recent years, with the emergence of new competitors in the 3D CAD market, making the range of programs used by our clients to make their designs increasingly varied. When our clients receive a 3D model, the different tasks to be carried include: 1) an exploded view of all design components 2) the unfolding of sheet metal parts and conversion into 2D format 3) identification of the other elements (tubes, profiles and other components)

If the client does not have a 3D CAD tool compatible with the 3D design system used to create the model, the user needs to convert it into a neutral format compatible with their 3D CAD software, which again is not always possible. For folded parts, the user also has to take account of the tooling which will be used to fold them once the 2D piece has been cut. The tooling used will have an effect on the flat blank size and hence the shape of the part in its flat state. Lantek’s A2N (Assembly To Nesting) is the 3D geometry importer for assemblies and single pieces that Lantek provides for its users. It is compatible with the vast majority of 3D CAD formats on the market and allows all the steps above to be carried out automatically, without manually needing to resort to neutral file formats. The software also makes it possible to preview parts which are to be unfolded and choose the tooling. This ensures that the geometry to be cut in Lantek Expert is exactly what is required and that the finished part matches the one designed in 3D.

innovation Improving our clients’ interoperability with Assembly to Nesting Mario Rodríguez, Product Manager at Lantek

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Lantek is the driver of Industry 4.0 in sheet metal production

Lantek Germany celebrates 25 years

Lenhard studied mechanical engineering, speaks Spanish and was given the task of opening up the German market for Lantek. In doing so, he relied on machine manufacturers as OEM partners: He established the Lantek brand in Germany, Austria and Switzerland via their systems equipped with Lantek CAD/CAM software. The German office, which today has 15 employees, supports approximately 900 customers; ranging from contract manufacturers to internationally operating groups, and is ranked third in Lantek’s global rankings. If possible, there will be an anniversary celebration in the summer!

In June 1996, Lantek opened its office in Germany, making it the second outside Spain, after the subsidiary in France. Lantek saw great potential in German market for sheet metal processing. This is confirmed by the developments over the last 25 years.

Looking back: Software applications in industry and everyday life were still in a fledgling state when the Lantek office opened in Darmstadt in 1996. With Windows 95, the first graphical user interface for PCs had barely been available for a year. Eleven years later the first smartphone was launched on the market. Four years after that, the German government coined the term “Industry 4.0” at the 2011 Hannover Trade Fair. Today, it is a global byword for networking machines and processes with the support of information and communications technology. An idea that Lantek had already been pursuing for 25 years. “Industry 4.0 suits us down to the ground,” says Christoph Lenhard, Lantek’s first employee in Germany and

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head of the German office. “Lantek is the driver of Industry 4.0 in sheet metal production.” Christoph Lenhard is the face of Lantek in Germany. Hardly anyone in the German-speaking world knows as much about software for sheet metal processing as he does. Remembering Darmstadt office’s early days: “At that time, CNCs began to be programmed on the PC rather than on the machine.” One of the first customers was Messer Cutting Systems in Groß-Umstadt, close to Darmstadt. “They were looking for Windowsbased, screen-based software for their jet-guided cutting machines - and Lantek was among the first who could do it. Even today, their machines are running our software.”

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Lantek is the driver of Industry 4.0 in sheet metal production

Lantek Germany celebrates 25 years

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Lantek remains independent “We look forward to collaborating closely with TRUMPF,” says Alberto López de Biñaspre, CEO of Lantek. “Lantek has been a leader in sheet metal processing software for 35 years, thanks to its ability to bring the best manufacturing solutions to all cutting equipment. This will continue to be our goal by ensuring networking between machine tool manufacturers. Our customers benefit from closely sharing in key future technologies, artificial intelligence, data models and holistic process

control. This will allow us to grow our expertise and develop software for the future of sheet metal production in an even more open and customeroriented way.” Lantek will continue to operate under its previous name and act independently. The high-tech company TRUMPF is the technology and market leader in machine tools for flexible sheet metal processing and industrial lasers. The company is driving forward the digital networking of the manufacturing industry through consulting and software solutions platforms.

Alberto López de Biñaspre, CEO of Lantek

Lantek and TRUMPF are now partners THE HIGH-TECH COMPANY IS NOW TAKING A FURTHER STEP TOWARDS PROCESS OPTIMIZATION AND NETWORKING FOR THE FUTURE OF SHEET METAL PRODUCTION

TRUMPF has approximately 14,300 employees worldwide and achieved a turnover of 3.5 billion euros in 2019/2020. With more than 70 subsidiaries, the group is represented in almost all European countries, in North and South America, and in Asia. There are production sites in Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Austria and Switzerland, in Poland, the Czech Republic, the USA, Mexico, China and Japan.

Tom Schneider, Managing Director of Machine Tool Development for TRUMPF

In March, the German company TRUMPF and Lantek announced their strategic partnership. TRUMPF, one of the world’s leading companies for machine tools, lasers and electronics for industrial applications and has a requirement for sheet metal processing software that runs independently of the machine manufacturer. An integration into the TRUMPF brand is not planned. “TRUMPF is opening up to customers’ production ecosystems,” says Tom Schneider, TRUMPF’s Managing Director of Machine Tool Development, about the new partnership. “Our customers’ process is our focus; with Lantek, we comprehensively

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map the sheet metal process chain, even with machines from different manufacturers. This way, we’re taking another big step towards efficient and networked sheet metal production and enhancing the Smart Factory solution portfolio.”

Alberto López de Biñaspre, CEO of Lantek

Lantek and TRUMPF are now partners THE HIGH-TECH COMPANY IS NOW TAKING A FURTHER STEP TOWARDS PROCESS OPTIMIZATION AND NETWORKING FOR THE FUTURE OF SHEET METAL PRODUCTION

Tom Schneider, Managing Director of Machine Tool Development for TRUMPF

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China’s growth plans in the construction and industrial sectors make it the world’s biggest buyer

After a difficult year, the outlook for the steel sector is still complicated Asier San Millán, Managing Director for Siderex

2020 was quite a turbulent year. The main factors needed for steel production and its ecosystem were not entirely favorable.

The steel sector is facing new challenges. Added to the traditional challenges of energy costs, commercial disputes between the United States and China, unethical commercial practices and, the existing overcapacities in the world, these uncertainties have been made worse by the current pandemic. Our lives, and subsequently our daily activity, have been turned upside down by the arrival of Covid-19. Not only has it restricted mobility, but it has also paralyzed a large part of activity, disrupting

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companies’ production, the deliveries of orders and organizations’ investment plans. Demand was affected in 2020. As a supplier industry, our main client sectors, such as construction, naval, industrial machinery or automotive, failed to perform as we expected. Especially the automotive sector, which accounts for 19% of steel consumption. Looking at the figures for world liquid steel production in 2020, once again, it exceeded the threshold of 1,800 M. Ton., specifically 1,864 M.

Ton. Despite having produced 0.9% less than last year, China took the lead once again with 56% of world production. The Asian giant has experienced exponential growth, going from 222 M. Tons in 2003 to 804 M. Tons in 2015 and to 1,053 M. Tons in 2020. While increasing its production, it continues to attract higher volumes of steel imports from third countries to satisfy the national demand. China’s growth plans, specifically in the construction and industrial sectors, make it the world’s biggest buyer. This has caused a global shortage and, therefore, a rise in raw material prices, making China an increasingly important driving force in raw material prices. Added to this, the pandemic has limited demand in most markets due to lockdown measures, leading to the highest price levels in recent years. Iron ore has increased by almost 25%, ferrous scrap has reached its highest levels in recent times while other the raw materials are behaving the same way. This upward momentum, the biggest in the last 10 years, will probably continue during the first half of 2021, affecting delivery times that are already extending into the third quarter.

China’s growth plans in the construction and industrial sectors make it the world’s biggest buyer

After a difficult year, the outlook for the steel sector is still complicated Asier San Millán, Managing Director for Siderex

2020 was quite a turbulent year. The main factors needed for steel production and its ecosystem were not entirely favorable.

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partners Cross-border sheet metal processing EST EDELSTAHL-SCHNEIDTECHNIK ORGANIZES THE WORK AND COOPERATION OF ITS SITES IN THREE COUNTRIES WITH A CUSTOMIZED SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE French customers of EST Edelstahl-Schneidtechnik GmbH order their sheet metal blanks from the French EST office near Lyon. They get the parts, including the invoice, from the German branch in Hattingen. And the necessary drawings are prepared in the Austrian office in Vöcklabruck. This cross-border work in the multinational company EST is made possible by a Lantek software system.

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Christian Hemetsberger, Managing Director of EST Edelstahl-Schneidtechnik grins. “Yes, sometimes customers are indeed a bit irritated when they talk to Austria, for example, even though they placed their order in Germany. But that quickly dies down when they realize that, thanks to our special system, everything runs smoothly and on schedule.” This “special system” is the result of many years of cooperation between the company and Lantek. It began a good ten years ago: At that time EST was founded as “Inox Austria”. “We started from scratch,” says Hemetsberger, reflecting on the past. The Inox founders were not novices, but rather brought experience from their previous employers. And they had clear ideas about how they wanted to build their business, and how not to. Excel files or even handwritten dockets were not part of the process. Advantages of efficiency and speed “From the outset, we set up our processes digitally and worked with Lantek to achieve it,” Hemetsberger relates. His colleague at the time, Rene Gruber, was already familiar with Lantek’s software from his training days and has since worked closely with Christoph Lenhard, head of Lantek’s German office. He values the “efficiency and speed” of working digitally with Lantek software. Together, they built and continued to expand EST’s custom software solution with CAD/CAM systems to automate the CNC programming of sheet metal cutting machines, as well as MES and ERP products for manufacturing administration and operations management. “We worked together to figure out how to best use the system for the company and master it perfectly,” he says of the collaboration. “With other ERP systems, the bigger they get, the slower they get. That’s not the case with Lantek, because there are many options for readjustment.”

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Through company acquisitions in Germany, the company expanded over the years and, with it, the software architecture which, with its modular structure, can be tailored to each company’s individual needs. For example, the new EST sites were temporarily connected to the Lantek system using interfaces, and the company maintained three different servers and three different databases. For a long time now, all EST sites have been working together with a comprehensive solution consisting of 110 Lantek software modules for all production and business processes - from quotation and purchasing, through work preparation and production, to billing and store management. Everything runs on a central computer The central server is, so to speak, the head or, better said, the company’s brain. The computers in all country offices in Germany, Austria and France are connected to the central computer as clients. “Thanks to a complete VDI solution developed by

Rene Gruber, all data only has to be entered once at all sites and it is then available in the system anywhere and at any time,” says Hemetsberger. “We also save a lot of time on training, because our employees in production planning and sales only have to learn one software program to be able to control all machines or create quotes for all technologies.” The two German offices (Hattingen and Bremen) as well as the Austrian office calculate all quotes with the help of real-time data from production and stock management, and are stored on the central server. “For us, no two jobs are ever the same. 99 percent of orders are individual parts that are never repeated,” explains Hemetsberger. “Accordingly, digitized quoting is a great labor-saver. It’s quick and easy and yields a realistic price because of access to real data.” If the quote becomes an order, it’s fed into a large pool from which the work preparation department generates the cutting jobs for the machines in Hattingen. Regardless Christian Hemetsberger, Managing Director of EST Edelstahl-Schneidtechnik.

The architecture with 110 Lantek software modules accompanies all production and business processes at EST. of whether it’s a phone bracket for a company in Austria, or a component for the offshore plant of an international oil company - in terms of materials, it pulls together the parts from all current orders that are to be cut from the same material with the same thickness, for optimized nesting and as little residual sheet metal as possible. A total of around 6,000 metal sheets of 20 different materials with thicknesses from 1 to 150 millimeters are ready in the store in Hattingen. They are all registered and retrievable in the store management system. In the adjacent production area, the system controls ten machines featuring three technologies (plasma, waterjet and laser) from five different manufacturers. If parts are to be plasma cut, the system orients itself to the completion date, selects one of the five systems from three different manufacturers for processing and develops CNC programming for it. If waterjet

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is the preferred technology, a CNC file can be used to control any of the four systems - regardless of which one is currently available. The IT expert Rene Gruber did indeed leave the company in 2018 to set up his own business. With his company Salz IT, however, he has been a Lantek premium partner in Austria since 2019 and his VDI solution is now available to all Lantek customers. “We’re delighted to have a partner like Rene Gruber, who knows our program inside out as well as the everyday life of our users,” says his contact in the German office, Christoph Lenhard. Gruber advises and supports Lantek‘s Austrian customers in close consultation with him - and EST as well. Its boss Christian Hemetsberger welcomes the development: “In Rene Gruber, we have a contact at Lantek who speaks our language. He knows what we need and understands our problems and concerns.”

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partners “We do everything digital” THE NEWLY FOUNDED COMPANY SALZ IT IS ONE OF LANTEK’S PREMIUM PARTNERS IN AUSTRIA AND CONSIDERS THAT THERE IS “ENORMOUS CATCH-UP POTENTIAL.” Rene Gruber is the ideal man for Lantek in Austria: The 27-year-old entrepreneur has been familiar with our software since the early days of his career. He has represented Lantek in Austria since becoming self-employed and starting his own company, Salz IT, in the spring of 2019. Salz IT is now one of 17 Lantek Premium Partners that complement the 20 Lantek sites worldwide in 14 countries to form a dense network of consulting, service and support. An interview with Rene Gruber, about whom Christoph Lenhard, head of Lantek’s office in Germany, says: “He knows our program inside out, has excellent machine and technology skills, can develop tailor-made customer solutions for our software modules, and much more.”

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In your company name, you have mixed Salz and IT. How does that fit together? Rene Gruber (riéndose): “Salz” comes from the Salzkammergut region in the Austrian state of Upper Austria, my home. My company is based there, in the town of Ohlsdorf located between Linz and Salzburg. And what does IT stand for? Gruber: We do everything digital: From setting up PCs and telephone systems to installing servers, setting up networks and linking sites. How do you see the Lantek collaboration developing? Gruber: We’re Lantek’s premium partner in Austria. That means, like any subsidiary, we offer the entire Lantek program. Everything runs through us, with support from Germany and Spain: We contact customers, determine and discuss their needs, prepare a quote, and then take care of everything from installation and staff training right through to support. That’s why we buy products from Lantek. Due to the fact that we are familiar with Lantek’s software, and also have programming expertise, we also do a lot of programming for Lantek Germany. How do you know the Lantek portfolio so well? Gruber: I’ve been working with Lantek software since my initial training. And I have also known Christoph Lenhard, the head of the German office, since then. For a long time, I worked in a stainless steel blanks company’s international sales department, and I also managed Lantek’s software. Over the years I’ve increasingly specialized in EDP/IT/software.

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Then when the predecessor of today’s EST Edelstahl-Schneidtechnik GmbH was founded in Vöcklabruck here in Austria, I was part of it. Over the years, with Lantek’s support, we built and expanded the customized software suite based on the VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) principle, which EST now uses to handle all cross-border business and production processes for its sites in Germany, Austria and France. What does your customer base look like? Gruber: We primarily focus on sheet metal businesses. However, our customers also come from other industries, such as tile or stone masonry companies that use water jet technology for cutting. Our customers’ state of digitization is quite mixed: From networked companies like EST, which has digitized all processes and also integrates its sites across Europe, to a small workshop with lowcost machines that only uses the Lantek Expert die-cutting module. We provide everyone with the exact solution to meet their requirements and digital maturity. We also accompany them on their personal digitization journey with solutions that suit them. You’ve been a premium partner of Lantek for more than a year. How has your business developed? Gruber: Austria was previously managed from Germany by Christoph Lenhard, with whom we continue to have a close working relationship. However, it is now becoming clear that customers appreciate having a local contact who speaks their language. For example, existing Lantek customers have entered into maintenance contracts with us that they did not have previously.

And, with the Covid-19 pandemic, we’ve seen an additional huge surge in demand as companies have moved many of their activities to home working. This is where our VDI environment comes into its own. It makes working from home possible and is tailored to CAD users’ needs. The customer simply logs in via any internet-enabled device ( PC, laptop, tablet or cell phone) and then works on the server we host. The customer doesn’t have to worry about anything; no server hardware or hard drive, no backups or software updates. Due to the enormous demand from many industries, ranging from paper mills to the aircraft sector, we have built a new data center that enables us to provide customers with computing services for which they would have otherwise had to spend at least a high six-figure sum to implement in their own companies. Their monthly fees with us costs only a fraction of that, and we also guarantee their data security with backups at several sites. Does this mean that your customers are bound to Lantek’s complete software package? Gruber: No, they can also use their existing ERP systems. We will then provide the link to the Lantek modules they want to use, as well as apps for the Lantek applications. What other advantages do you consider your product range has for the Austrian sheet metal processing market?

computers, servers and a telephone system, set up networks and then implement Lantek’s software solution to fit the needs of the specific company. But please don’t misunderstand me: We don’t interfere with companies’ IT. However, if asked, we can offer solutions that then precisely meet the requirements of the Lantek software. Many companies are happy to go this route with us and take everything from a single source because they want to play it safe. How do you rate the Austrian sheet metal processing market in terms of its level and potential for digitization? Where is it heading and at what speed? Gruber: Austria has enormous catch-up potential in terms of digitization. However, the market is currently on the move because the Austrian government is providing incentives to invest in EDP and software by offering a wide range of subsidies. Digitization in Austria will progress rapidly in the next few years - especially in the very many sheet metal processing companies here. That’s where I still see great market potential for Salz IT and Lantek. We just need to find the right personnel. Due to the rapid increase in demand, we could currently hire three additional employees, EDP experts or mechatronics engineers.

Rene Gruber, founder of Salz IT

Gruber: A major advantage is that we also know our way around hardware. We can offer our customers the complete program and, if they wish, install

About Salz IT Founded in 2019 by Rene Gruber, Salz IT provides IT, EDP and network solutions for companies in all industries. Salz IT is Lantek’s premium partner for Austria - mainly for companies in the sheet metal processing industry, but also for all companies that cut or punch materials in any way. It offers the entire Lantek portfolio of products and services, from initial consultation to installation, training and support.

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Rene Gruber, founder of Salz IT

Gruber: A major advantage is that we also know our way around hardware. We can offer our customers the complete program and, if they wish, install

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LANTEK Hint

Lantek International Meeting 2021 Digital The International Meeting 2021 Digital for Lantek was held on the 29th and 30th April. Everything was done remotely this time, with employees, distributors and guest partners taking part in the sessions to find out, first-hand, the results and an assessment of 2020, as well as the strategy and business objectives for the current year. “We made it through a really complex year, but we were able to adapt, respond and cushion it. Activity didn’t stop and productivity increased. We are starting this new year prepared and with confidence. Our teams are ready to face the challenge, to continue to grow and implement the solutions that the industry needs”, highlights Alberto López de Biñaspre, Lantek CEO.

Did you know that you can generate CNC programs for different machines at the same time? When nesting and machining in Lantek Expert we generally program for one specific machine. If certain requirements are met in terms of the machines’ physical characteristics and the way they are programmed with Lantek, the software can be configured to generate the CNC programs for several different machines at the same time. This way, without needing to know which machine will actually be used to perform the machining task beforehand, we are creating the unique CNC code to suit several machines at once. It’s a simple way to balance the workload of the different machines in your workshop without having to reprocess all of the CNC code we’ve already done at the last minute.

HINTS If you want to discover more hints, send us an email to: marketing@lantek.com

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LANTEK Hint

HINTS If you want to discover more hints, send us an email to: marketing@lantek.com

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Events

Calendar

Events LANTEK Lantek begins its events calendar in Asia Lantek begins its events calendar in Asia, where it left off in 2020. The first date was SIMM 2021 in late March, a fair in Shenzhen, south-east China. Despite the pandemic, the fair’s results have been consistently on the rise. Almost 50% more visitors came to the fair than in the previous edition, and the number of exhibiting companies doubled.

CIIF 2021 14 – 18/09 SHANGHAI (CHINA )

Industrie Lyon 2021 06 – 09/09 LYON (FRANCE )

Blechexpo 2021 26 – 29/10 STUTTGART (GERMANY)

MetalMadrid 2021 17 – 18/11 MADRID (SPAIN )

FABTECH 2021 13 – 16/09 CHICAGO (US )

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Events

Calendar

CIIF 2021 14 – 18/09 SHANGHAI (CHINA )

Industrie Lyon 2021 06 – 09/09 LYON (FRANCE )

Blechexpo 2021 26 – 29/10 STUTTGART (GERMANY)

MetalMadrid 2021 17 – 18/11 MADRID (SPAIN )

FABTECH 2021 13 – 16/09 CHICAGO (US )

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A REAL DIGITAL FACTORY THE FUTURE, TODAY

Quoting & Invoicing

Nesting & Machining

99% real cost accuracy.

+1,400 cutting machines managed.

Scheduling & Programming

Controlling & Analyzing

Paperless. Easy. Efficient.

Analyze to know. Know to optimize.

35 years leading the digital transformation for sheet metal manufacturers www.lantek.com

info@lantek.com