Better together

For the companies belonging to Kuhn Industrie Holding, this represents both a challenge and an opportunity. As a result, the two company locations are increasingly pooling their expertise and growing closer together – with advantages for the customer base as well.

M. Jürgensen in Sörup is a recognized and sought-after quality supplier specializing in the product segment of high-precision cylinder liners for medium-speed large-bore engines. As positive and long-term as the outlook in this segment is due to the market development described above, it still poses major capacity challenges even for us as the market leader.

At Kuhn Special Steel, on the other hand, the situation is quite different. The ongoing downturn in mechanical engineering, metallurgy, and decanter technology has become a real test of patience for the Radevormwald site. As a company that uses the same basic manufacturing processes, it was therefore logical to consider using the existing capacities to also start producing cylinder liners in order to be able to meet demand more quickly together with M. Jürgensen.

Casting of the first cylinder liner at the Radevormwald site

A consideration became reality, and so the urgently needed production capacities in this product segment within the group of companies are now being expanded to Kuhn Special Steel. It is true that special steel casting and custom production, as practiced in Radevormwald, cannot be equated with gray cast iron and series production, as practiced in Sörup, nor can they be interchanged at will. Nevertheless, both companies share a common production base and expertise as centrifugal foundries with associated machining facilities. So Radevormwald is not starting from scratch!

However, Kuhn Edelstahl first had to make a number of process changes in order to create the capacity expansion for the production of cylinder liners. The plant inventory was recently expanded to include a casting machine from Sörup, which is designed for the production of smaller cylinder liner types and will henceforth be used for casting in Radevormwald. One of the induction melting furnaces also had to be converted for gray cast iron.

“For our group, maintaining and expanding our market share in this growing market while ensuring the highest possible delivery capacity and customer satisfaction is our top priority. This is a tremendous opportunity for both companies,” emphasizes Andre Kuhn, shareholder of Kuhn Industrie Holding. “In Sörup, we urgently need more capacity in terms of machinery and employees, while in Radevormwald, this will enable us to return to higher and sustained employment levels after months of underutilization in the foundry,” says Kuhn. Although further process adjustments and learning effects are still necessary here, in the medium term Kuhn Edelstahl will develop into more than just an “extended workbench” for M. Jürgensen.

Calvin Kuhn, co-shareholder of Kuhn Industrie Holding and managing director for operations at M. Jürgensen, also emphasizes the importance of the business expansion at the sister company in Radevormwald: “In the short term, this means that urgently needed capacity will be freed up to meet the growing demand for our products. For us as a group of companies and, even more importantly, for our customers, it also means that we can increase our security of supply and create alternatives that guarantee reliable delivery in the event of a crisis.”