Added value through automation
The demands placed on industrial manufacturing are constantly increasing. Customers expect the highest quality, reliable delivery times, and competitive prices – all amid increasingly volatile market conditions. In our foundry and machining operations, we are therefore focusing specifically on automation to better meet our customers’ expectations. Continue reading
Today, a key benefit of automation lies not in streamlining the workforce, but rather in the intelligent utilization of existing resources. This is because automation can take over repetitive, manual, potentially hazardous, or low-value-added tasks, thereby relieving our employees of these repetitive and monotonous duties.
A good example of the automation of such simple handling tasks is the loading of workpieces into our machining equipment. For instance, at our Radevormwald facility, several machines used to machine small to medium-sized valve seat rings have already been equipped with robot-assisted loading systems that automatically load and unload the workpieces into and out of the machine.
A comparable process, only on a much larger scale, is the automated loading of cylinder liners onto lathes at our Sörup facility. Here, entire cylinder liners are placed onto the corresponding machines by robots. Given the weight of the workpieces – which can easily exceed several hundred kilograms – this presents a significant technical challenge while providing substantial relief for our employees.
By automating these tasks, they can focus on more demanding tasks – particularly bottleneck processes that require a high degree of precision and experience. For Kuhn Edelstahl’s customers, such as M. Jürgensen’s, this means more available capacity for demanding and critical process steps. This not only boosts efficiency but also improves responsiveness to short-notice requests.
At the same time, automation ensures significantly higher process stability. Standardized, automated processes reduce fluctuations and guarantee consistently high execution quality. As a result, we are increasingly relying on (partially) automated processes in our foundries, for example in the preparation and cleaning of casting molds.
For our customers, this pays off in the form of reproducible results, lower scrap rates, and overall greater delivery reliability. Whether in machining with consistent processing parameters or in the foundry during sensitive process steps – precision becomes predictable.
The key point here is that we view automation as a targeted enhancement of our manufacturing processes. It frees up resources, allowing our employees to apply their experience and expertise where they can deliver the greatest value to our customers. In addition, we improve process stability and product quality for the benefit of our customers while maintaining a high degree of flexibility in our manufacturing operations.