transportation

A challenge with a T&I expert

Interview with Dr.-Ing. Eberhard Schoppe, Managing Director of Heckert GmbH, Chemnitz, Germany (member of the Swiss Starrag Group) This interview was conducted by Nikolaus Fecht, technical journalist from Gelsenkirchen

Customer requirement: A flexible all-round machine Customers in the machine tool industry want flexible, all-round machines that produce complex parts in a single setup at the lowest possible level of energy consumption – and that will form part of the factory of the future: Dr.-Ing. Eberhard Schoppe, Managing Director of Heckert GmbH based in Chemnitz, Germany, explains what effect this trend is having on the “Transportation & Industrial Components” (T&I) operational business unit that he manages.

Dr. Eberhard Schoppe (born 1955) has been responsible for the Transportation & Industrial Components business unit since 1 January 2015. With the Heckert and WMW brands, the business unit carries out machining work for Heavy Duty Vehicles & Engines, On-Road Vehicles and Industrial Components market segments. Schoppe was previously responsible for the former business unit 2 in Chemnitz from 2004. In this business unit, he was a member of the management board from 1999 as Head of Technology and Production and previously worked in production planning and foreign sales from 1994. Before that, he worked for another international machine tool manufacturer as technical manager. Dr. Eberhard Schoppe holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the Chemnitz University of Technology, Germany

Dr. Schoppe, what are the characteristics of typical customers in the “Transportation & Industrial Components” business unit and what do they manufacture?

Dr. Schoppe: ”Transportation” covers every application area of components whose end products travel on and off road, as well as on rails and on water. The typical workpieces include engines and gearbox components for the private and commercial vehicle industry. Meanwhile, “Industrial Components” includes cubic components and assemblies for complex technical products. The reference parts include gearbox housings for wind turbines, compressor housings, housing parts for machine tools or textile machines and housings for precision engineering. The variety of parts for the various end users is virtually limitless.
 

Which member companies of the Starrag Group operate in this business unit? What are the strengths of each company?

Dr. Schoppe: The T&I business unit includes the Heckert factory in Chemnitz and the Starrag plant in Bangalore, India, which provides complete services for applications in the respective market segments. We not only supply the machines, but also offer comprehensive technological solutions, from developing customer-specific production technology to planning individual production stages. The focus is on the integration of system components. These include workpiece storage and handling, washers, measuring stations, assembly technology, tool selection and provision of equipment. Heckert offers a comprehensive product range, from small machines with a pallet size of 400 mm × 400 mm to large machining centres with pallet dimensions of 2,500 mm. This makes it a premium supplier with an increasing number of complete turnkey solutions, all from a single source. Its focus is on productivity and long-term accuracy with maximum precision. In addition to 4-axis machining, the demand for complete machining with a 5-axis machine design is increasing. Starrag India primarily focuses its product range on the Indian market in the relevant area of application. Productivity is also paramount here, but this is combined with a strong price orientation.
 

What similarities and differences are there between the transport industry and manufacturers of industrial components?

Dr. Schoppe: Our focus is on machining cubic workpieces. The actual usage case of “Transport” or “Industrial Components” is not one of the crucial distinguishing criteria. In both cases, the aim is to achieve the lowest manufacturing costs, as well as maximum reliability and precision. Any differences between applications in Transport and Industrial Components can be found in the nature of series production. The quantities produced in Transport are generally much higher. This sector is also showing an increasing demand for automation solutions, peripheral equipment, measurement technology and assembly facilities. Requirements are also growing because of the turnkey business. 

What is with situation like in Industrial Components?

Dr. Schoppe: This generally involves smaller quantities per customer workpiece, which means there is a demand for machines with custom designs. We meet these requirements with our modular HEC machine series, which can be expanded with customer-specific solutions. By contrast, the IWK series from Starrag India is characterised by strict standardisation and is, above all, suitable for the typical reference parts in this sector. These are 4-axis machines that are designed for the requirements of the Indian market and represent, to a large extent, a completely new development. 

The transport sector is characterised by new drive concepts (with electric drives a focus area) and by the trend towards lightweight construction using new materials and composite materials. What effect are these trends having on the machine tools produced by your business unit?

Dr. Schoppe: In terms of customer workpieces, there is a clear trend towards component integration. Manufacturers used to combine individual components to form a single assembly. Nowadays, series components in Transport are becoming considerably more complex. Our response to this trend is the 5-axis design of the HEC series, which enables five sides of a workpiece to be machined in a single setup. In addition, there is the U5 version of the HEC series with a fifth axis in the spindle head area, as well as an X5 version with a swivel table on the workpiece side. The additional integration of turning functions ultimately converts a typical Heckert drilling and milling machine tool into a complete machining centre. The lower number of clamping positions significantly reduces manufacturing costs and increases workpiece accuracy with no additional alignment required. I should also mention that the Starrag Group has extensive technology offers in the Transport and Industrial Components sectors. That means this market segment includes complete rotational machining of components, such as machining wheels for use on railways, in addition to machining cubic parts.

“In 2020, we will be the preferred partner for customers in our market segments and application groups“

Industry 4.0 is a hot topic in all sectors. Is your business unit also affected by the fourth industrial revolution?

Dr. Schoppe: Industry 4.0 is a really hot topic. I see it less as an industrial revolution, and more as a rapid evolution involving a dynamic process of innovation. Hardware and software are being developed at a rapid pace of innovation, and the integrated intelligence of our machining centres and associated production systems is increasing at this rate too. Designing the interfaces is a significant challenge: Above all, there must be effective communication between machining and handling units – not just within them. It is also important to integrate production planning and control systems. Networking the entire production system therefore requires a comprehensive approach that is currently very difficult to achieve because of the variety of systems. The ongoing trend towards increasingly comprehensive specifications on the customer side is having an unfavourable effect. More complex production systems and the multitude of possible solutions make a rapid and, above all, cost-effective implementation of Industry 4.0. difficult. It will be a long time before the relevant standards have been developed – but this must happen because of the cost pressure.


What is the state of standardisation within your business unit?

Dr. Schoppe: There is talk that Heckert, Scharmann and Starrag want to introduce a modular kit for large machining centres in the near future. That is true. We have a whole host of different variants, such as for spindle and milling heads, which play to their strengths in the various market segments. By introducing a standardised modular kit, we want to offer a range of combination options. Many of our assemblies – such as beds and columns – are similar, so it makes sense to achieve modularity by aligning them. There are adaptive systems in development like our tower magazine, which is used as an additional component at both Starrag and Scharmann. Our modular kit goes one step further by standardising similar assemblies. However, there will also be a particular gradation within this modularity. So there will not be a standard bed – instead, there will be a whole host of bed variants within the modular kit. However, the identity of our different brands will be maintained because the objective is not to create standard machines as that would entail compromises. Machines will continue to be tailored to the respective market segment and we will be able to use a defined kit in an approach that favours variety. In fact, I believe there will be even greater variety because we are opening up new possibilities.


In your customer magazine, there is talk of breaking new ground in the production of machines?

Dr. Schoppe: We have analysed our production process from multiple perspectives. A clear definition of the process steps within our production chain was made on the basis of “bottom up” shop fl oor management. The introduction of the 5S method represented a further step towards production excellence. In addition, we will implement “lean management” criteria in each process step – particularly in the assembly process – so that we can achieve our goals of optimizing productivity and efficiency. We will then be looking at “production excellence”. This will always be done in the context of customer requirements and comparisons with our competitors.


Let’s take a look into the future. What will be the state of your business unit in five years’ time?

Dr. Schoppe: In 2020, we will be the preferred partner for customers in our market segments and application groups. We will offer individual machines and system that are configured precisely so that the customer can achieve its objectives in terms of profitability, safety and growth.

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