Gehring R&D center in Livonia
The Gehring L.P. Conference Team
Roger Cope, President of Gehring L.P., addresses the guests.
Dr. Stephen Ihmels of Siemens in discussion with conference guests.
The speakers (l-r): Dr. Stephen Ihmels, Siemens; Dr. Wolfram Lohse, Gehring Technologies GmbH; Marcell Wardin, Gehring Technlogies GmbH; Roger Cope, President Gehring L.P.; Dr. Peter Ernst, Oerlikon Metco AG; Michael Schaefer, Director R&D, Gehring Livonia; Michael Langley, Gehring L.P.; Frank Hummel, Gehring L.P.; and Frank A. Robinson, Jr., Quaker. Not in image is Dr. Christian Weichern, Nano Focus Inc.
Gehring recently held its 2017 Honing Conference and Workshops event at the Inn of St. John's in Plymouth, MI. The conference and workshops brought together experts from the global industry to discuss and propose solutions to advanced manufacturing challenges in surface finish technology applications. A total of 80 attendees, most from the automotive primes and Tier One suppliers, were treated to two days of learning, networking and fun.
President of Gehring in the USA, Roger Cope, gave the opening remarks to kick off the event. He noted this was the 91-year anniversary of Gehring in Germany and that the company has had a manufacturing footprint in the USA for 41 years. An R&D facility in Livonia, MI, was established several years ago to meet the demand for specialized honing process development, consulting and the rapid rise in demand for Gehring contract and prototype honing services. He further mentioned that Gehring has diversified its market focus in the last several years to include the defense sector and, in that arena, Livonia serves as an ITAR-compliant facility. "The `One Gehring' theme codifies the global focus of the company, as it seeks to serve a global customer base," Cope said.
Dr. Wolfram Lohse, CTO of the Gehring Group, then took the floor and observed, "Part of our new business mission and focus globally is our desire to enhance customer and industry knowledge through the Gehring Academy for honing education, training, consulting and support in helping manufacturers implement and use our advanced honing technologies to their advantage, specifically to meet impending CAFE emissions regulations. We seek a partnership focus with key clients while retaining the highest level of integrity in handling confidential projects." He discussed the drive to sustainability - another Gehring focus for the future. Partnerships with other key market specialists at this event, such as Oerlikon Metco AG, Nanofocus and Siemens, have been developed to produce a comprehensive resource for the market, with multiple sources of expertise relevant to surface finish technology.
Cope concluded his remarks by noting that Gehring is now a one-stop shop for all elements of the honing process - machines, tools, gauging, automation, rework, abrasives, R&D - with global support for global production platforms.
Gehring's Director of R&D, Michael Schaefer, commented, "Gehring was honored to host this first unique conference, dedicated to advanced honing and surface finish technology, in the U.S. and to provide a high level technical and networking platform for professionals in this field with the leading manufacturers in the automotive and other industry sectors."
During the conference, industry experts conducted the following presentations and workshops:
- Gehring L.P. and Gehring Technologies GmbH, Michael Schaefer and Dr. Wolfram Lohse, "Advanced Honing Technologies Presentations"
- Oerlikon Metco AG, Wohlen, Dr. Peter Ernst, "Surface Enhancement with Thermal Spray Coatings"
- NanoFocus, Dr. Christian M. Wichern, "3-D Surface Measurement of Cylinder Bore and Liners - Advantages and Challenges"
- Quaker Chemical, Frank A. Robinson Jr., "Chemistry and Functions of Honing and Coolant Applications"
- Gehring Technologies GmbH, Marcell Wardin, "Form Honing Cylinder Bores - from Development to Mass Production"
- Gehring Technologies GmbH, Dr. Wolfram Lohse, "Digital Solutions at Gehring"
- Siemens Digital Factory, Dr. Stephan Ihmels, "Mindsphere Application in Large Scale Automotive Production Scenarios."
Eighty process and manufacturing engineering personnel responsible for surface finishing in automotive, hydraulics, aerospace and defense part applications, including plant managers, production managers and R&D specialists attended this Gehring conference.
The technical program was supplemented by networking events such as the pre-conference Infinity chartered dinner cruise with entertainment on the Detroit River and post conference golf.
For more information contact:
Gehring L.P.
24800 Drake Road
Farmington Hills, MI 48335
248-427-3901 / 888-923-9760
info@gehringlp.com
www.gehringlp.com