Ready-made flexibility

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industrial

Ready-made flexibility

Grünhainichen is a tranquil municipality in Germany’s Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge) region and one of the centres of Erzgebirge wood art. Throughout the world, Grünhainichen is associated with Wendt & Kühn, a company famous for its traditional wood carving, especially its unmistakable hand-painted angel figures. But there is another double name that the people of Grünhainichen are proud to have been associated with for decades: Bäringhaus & Hunger!

The Hunger family was already an exceptional phenomenon in the times of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). In contrast to everyone else in this mountain village, Reiner Hunger did not work in a paper mill or wooden toy factory; he worked in a metalconstruction company that provided maintenance and general overhauls of conventional milling machines. It was obvious that he remained true to metal working, even after 1990. He was encouraged to set up a company by a man named Gerd Bäringhaus. He came from Hagen in West Germany and had been a good friend of the family for many years. They had kept in close contact despite the Cold War. In 1991, directly after the reunification of Germany, Hunger was intending to seek his fortune in the heating industry. Bäringhaus, who was already the owner of a tool-making company, convinced him that it would be better for them to create a metal working company together from the ground up.

Starting out with wheel spacers

“The beginning of contract production was exciting and extremely unusual. The first order we received was from the tuning parts supplier D&W, who asked us whether we could produce wheel spacers for a wide variety of vehicles,” recalls Matthias Hunger (50). The son of the company founder is now managing the family business with his younger brother Sebastian (42). Wheel spacers were actually the start of a long journey. The Saxony-based company delivered the pre-finished spacers as a complete package–packed and pre-assembled and thus ready for distribution to D&W.

“But it was a purely seasonal business, which did not put us at full capacity,” recalls Matthias. “Typical hobby mechanics tinker around with their cars in the winter, and then drive them for show in the summer once they’re freshly tuned. So we found ourselves standing around over the summer with CNC machines that we could not use.”

Matthias Hunger (Managing Director Bäringhaus & Hunger GmbH) and Sebastian Höbler (Regional Sales ManagerTransportation and Industrial)

“Machines that enable the required quantities to be produced in the smallest possible space without compromise and in a process-secure manner.” Sebastian Hunger

Machine utilisation on a knife-edge

After just a few weeks as a contract manufacturer, it became clear that seasonal purchasing behaviour by the customer and the desire for greater machine utilisation would be the driving elements of the family business. It was a conviction that has proved to be even more valid today than ever before. At the end of 1991, the company had just 3 employees working in just a few square metres of a rented workshop in a paper mill, developing new methods for efficiency from one day to the next. 30 years later, the company now has 120 employees and over 5,000 square metres of production space. “We have used up all our area capacity. Every patch of land between the road and the river that we could build on, we did,” explains Matthias Hunger, when asked about further expansion. His brother Sebastian adds: “We are constantly living on a knife-edge.

On the one hand, our machines are at full capacity, sometimes due to orders that ensure utilisation for years. However, we still have to be proactive in responding to inquiries and ensuring that we remain flexible.”

It’s a situation that many contract manufacturers may be aware of. But B&H is not complaining – instead, it is focused on finding solutions. “Despite the proximity to the Heckert plant in Chemnitz, we switched to Starrag with our machining centres only a few years ago. The new compact machines give us precisely what we need.” Sebastian Hunger explains what that is: “Machines that enable the required quantities to be produced in the smallest possible space without compromise and in a process-secure manner. In addition to flexibility in the field of application, area productivity is the key to our success.”

Sebastian Höbler (Regional Sales Manager Transportation and Industrial), Sebastian Hunger (Managing Director Bäringhaus & Hunger GmbH)

“At Starrag, I get everything from a single source and we can be sure that it will be ready in time and that everything will work perfectly in the end.” Matthias Hunger

Great value for money

Alongside the Heckert HEC 400D the company acquired in 2014, Bäringhaus & Hunger have integrated five new Heckert H50 machines into their production facilities in the past five years. It’s not only the small footprint that they appreciate. As a contract manufacturer, it is highly advisable to put your contract-specific expertise into the clamping device and buy it together with the technology from the machine manufacturer. At least, that’s how the Hunger brothers work: “We configure a ready-made machine and allow the technology, the clamping device and the existence of the CPK to be incorporated into the project. At Starrag, I get everything from a single source and we can be sure that it will be ready in time and that everything will work perfectly in the end,” explains Matthias Hunger. Sebastian adds: “It is important to us that we get up and running with a standard machine. This gives us greater planning reliability because we can quickly expand, replace or switch to another workpiece at any time. With these conditions, we get great value for money from Starrag!”

Looking to tomorrow

Sebastian Hunger confirms that there is also a worrying shortage of skilled workers in the Erzgebirge region. “We are increasingly having problems finding young people who have commitment and ambition. The ideas that school leavers start their careers with today are completely different to what they were 15 years ago. But the few that we have been able to acquire for training or as young technician are really eager to work on our new Heckert H50. They find it easy to operate the clear HMI in conjunction with the large touchscreen and avoid the complex and usually cumbersome input on the older machines.”

Sebastian and Matthias Hunger (Managing Directors Bäringhaus & Hunger GmbH)

“With these conditions, we get great value for money from Starrag!”

With these conditions, the contract manufacturer has only taken a small step towards automation. Even if this has to be carefully considered due to the changing spectrum of parts, B&H is certain that the degree of automation will have to be gradually increased. In this regard, Matthias Hunger looks resolutely to the future: “We are already automating the turning processes and will soon begin to do the same for our milling machinery. With process times growing ever shorter and the already mentioned lack of personnel, it will otherwise be increasingly difficult to reliably utilise the machines.”

Optimism as standard

Ultimately, it’s certain that flexibility via reliable standard machines is the recipe for success at Bäringhaus & Hunger. Moreover, the impressively positive attitude with which the brothers run their company really helps. Sebastian Hunger sums it up as follows: “We are confident about the future. No matter whether we’re confronted by the COVID crisis or electromobility–which is often depicted as a threat in our trade–we remain calm! So far, every cancelled order has caused us to reconsider and eventually make room for two new orders. That was our father’s motto, and we trust in it now and will continue to do so into the future.”