Manufacturing Technology for Emerging Markets

"The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that the world economy will grow by 3.5% this year, with the impetus coming less from Europe and more from dynamic, newly industrialized countries," said an EMAG spokesperson. "One example is the automotive industry. According to the association for the German automotive industry (VDA), China's share of the market in passenger cars increased by 59% and that of Brazil by 18% during the first few months of 2013. The same market is also growing in India and Russia. For a long time, new production facilities have been planned and are under construction, providing great opportunities for the machine tool industry - as the example of EMAG proves. Specialists are developing turnkey manufacturing systems that are tailor-made to suit specific market conditions, with the new production facilities in particular gaining substantially from this increased market activity.

"Whether in the automotive or energy supply industry, the development of industrial key sectors within the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China) has a direct influence on the machine tool industry, as it is this branch that, in the end, must supply most of the necessary manufacturing solutions. There are numerous indicators for this fact. For instance, according to Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI), the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad will, over the next three years, see an investment of 3 billion Euro in six assembly facilities and fifteen sub-supply companies for the national automotive industry, with more international sub-suppliers also establishing outlets in the market. Similar activities are reported from Brazil. According to Anfavea, the country's automobile association, approximately 22 billion USD are to be invested in production between now and 2015. In India, economic growth is generally attracting 'an abundance of investment projects in the country's infrastructure, as well as in new industrial complexes,' according to GTAI."

EMAG specialists see themselves as "partners in solutions" for the metalworking industry. "As it happens, we do not just deliver a machine tool," said Dieter Kollmar, Managing Director of EMAG Holding GmbH. "We deliver closely pinpointed manufacturing solutions that are, in every respect, tailor-made to customer requirements. This applies, of course, to typical factors such as batch sizes, component variants or, more generally, the flexibility of the processes applied. At the same time, we determine locally the technologies, automation equipment, interfaces and control systems required."

According to EMAG, this approach provides advantages where, for example, an existing production line is extended or where a greenfield manufacturing facility must be created in a new market place. EMAG manufacturing systems are always from a single source. Even complex processes with peripheral machines and equipment are presented as turnkey projects by EMAG, thus reducing the efforts of local production planners.

VL 2 and VT 2-4

The VL 2 is a pick-up turning machine with which the EMAG engineers are fulfilling a combination of two requests: high output rates on the smallest possible footprint. "This is a truly all-important aspect," said Kollmar. "Although the floor space requirement for this vertical turning machine is just about 5 square meters, it is a machine of substantial capability, including a fully comprehensive automation concept with conveyor belt, workpiece storage and pick-up spindle. In combination with vertical turning, this results in very fast machining processes. In other words, short loading travel guarantees the lowest possible component cost. Compared to horizontal turning machines, productivity rates increase quite noticeably. And maintaining the VL 2 is simple. All service units are freely and quickly accessible. The user can set up the machine in one step - important when productivity levels enter the equation. Operators without prior experience, working at a new and unfamiliar location, will be able to quickly familiarize themselves with the machine. All in all, this is an optimal solution for those who want to extend production with as little investment as possible."

A similar approach was taken with the VT 2-4 Vertical Turning Machine, which the EMAG specialists created as a fast manufacturing system for shaft production. "Even demanding machining processes can be realized on it," said a company spokesperson. "When machining shafts up to 400 mm length and 63 mm diameter, component costs reduce considerably due to short chip-to-chip times. Workpiece grippers transport the workpieces into the machine and remove them again once they have been machined. Depending on the workpiece, the changeover can be accomplished in just six seconds. And the actual turning process is fast. Four-axis machining allows the component to be machined from two sides simultaneously. Vertical alignment of the workpieces provides consistent process integrity, as the unrestricted chip flow prevents the formation of clusters in the machining area."

"We are convinced that these EMAG solutions are optimally designed to cover not only the specific requirements of an emerging market, but also those of Europe and the USA," said Kollmar. "Everything is greatly simplified, starting with production planning, as there is no need for separate workpiece and finished component storage, with the added advantage of a reduced floor space requirement. At the same time, the EMAG Group engineers act as central project developers, having access to machines with optimal interfaces. This guarantees a fast run-in and makes the machines maintenance-friendly. When it is a question of arriving quickly at a wholly integrated, highly effective manufacturing solution, this approach must - from our point of view - be the first choice."

For more information contact:

Peter Loetzner

EMAG LLC

38800 Grand River Avenue

Farmington Hills, MI 48335

248-477-7440

info@usa.emag.com

www.emag.com

Hall 17-Stand C33