EXPRESS-2-07(WEB)

23 An Inside Look at the Changing Mexican Market 29 Manufacturing a Life Between Vines and Sheet Metal 33 Inheriting a Successful Business and Sense of Adventure

Express Magazine for

Sheet Metal Processing in North America

Volume 2, 2007

Customer Services More Brains: A look inside TRUMPF’s training department See page 19

Cool Waters Fabrication technology takes a California manufacturer and its water displays to new heights.

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CONTENTS 06

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40 A graphically modified guide rail bracket, laser cut out of 1 / 4 –inch steel, holds this issue’s table of contents.

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TOPICS

CUSTOMER FOCUS

15 Born from Steel Daniel Bravo has steel in his blood. But when you come from a region – and family – with a long history in the steel business, you have to find your own specialty.

INTERVIEW

23 Beyond Tequila, Sombreros and Sunny Beaches As cross-border commerce is rapidly increasing, it is time to forget outdated stereotypes. TRUMPF Mexico General Manager Claudio Schutz shares his insights on the Mexican market.

LASER CUTTING

26 86 Years Old and Still Growing A nationwide, full-service metals center, O’Neal Steel is expanding into advanced custom processing services to add value and drive growth.

ENTREPRENEURS

29 A Life Between Vines and Sheet Metal Carlo Gai, president of GAI spa, prefers to hire people who share his passion for good wine. Together they create machinery that bottles the finest of wine, safely and securely.

FEATURE

10 Cool Waters When you cannot find the part you need, do you modify your creation or learn to make your own part? Interactive water feature design company, WET Design, decided to do their own custom fabrication.

TO THE POINT 05 Innovation and Globalization A balance for long-term success.

FABRICATING

33 Like Father Like Son A Canadian master machine builder with a dream of his own fabrication shop passes down a successful business, adventuresome spirit, and love of flying to his son.

DISCUSSION

37 “Good Work is Also a Result of Good Architecture” Architects Regine Leibinger and Frank Barkow on communication, conflicts and cactuses in the workplace.

STANDARDS 06 19 25 38 40

PANORAMA CUSTOMER SERVICES PUNCHING TECHNOLOGY CREDITS PERSONALITIES Express Vol.2/07

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GLOBALIZATION

INNOVATION

SUCCESS

TO THE POINT

Innovation and Globalization: A Balance for Long-Term Success Rolf Biekert, President and CEO

Today’s manufacturing companies are facing strong international competition. In response to this rapidly changing business environment, we have seen two major trends emerge as strategies to stay competitive: globalization and innovation.

Globalization – spreading out to different markets and territories – is a trend with diverse faces. As part of what they refer to as globalization, some companies take advantage of cheaper labor production facilities in the Far East to manufacture products for our domestically developed requirements. For these companies, globalization does not require a longterm strategy and often results in simple, low-end and easy-to-transfer manufacturing jobs. For others, globalization is a much deeper and strategic decision. These companies go further and try to develop new foreign markets by establishing local knowledge, R&D and production.

As part of efforts to reduce costs and globalize operations, many companies are taking a closer look at innovation and its connection to manufacturing. The term innovation may refer to either radical or incremental changes to products, processes and even services to resolve a problem. Some companies have separated R&D and its resulting innovations from the manufacturing process. While these companies have outsourced production to foreign countries, they have tried to keep the innovation process in-house.

Others do not believe that innovation should be far apart from manufacturing. Companies like TRUMPF believe that co-located

R&D and manufacturing results in a shorter feedback loop, which allows local markets to better drive their requirements, guarantee their implementation, and therefore ensure future product success. Closely linked innovation and manufacturing can result in higher performance, better quality and improved efficiency. Since innovation benefits from manufacturing knowledge as a key enabler for improvements, it cannot be isolated.

We believe that in developing a successful long-term strategy, both globalization and innovation must be carefully considered and balanced.

Neither globalization nor innovation alone will be enough to compete globally or locally.

As a part of a worldwide growth plan, TRUMPF’s North American subsidiary began two major expansion projects last year. A new building in Connecticut, will increase local capacity in both the R&D and manufacturing of lasers and broaden our understanding of laser technology and applications. Also, a new location in Monterrey, Mexico gives us the opportunity to develop the Mexican market from the inside through local sales, service, operations and training and spread out the manufacturing of components for our North American produced machines. Both projects are consistent with the company strategy regarding globalization and innovation. For TRUMPF, the purposeful connection of R&D and manufacturing balanced with a global transfer of knowledge to local markets has proven to be a successful strategy.

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PANORAMA

Building a Commitment TRUMPF opens a new facility in Monterrey, Mexico

> Additional information: TRUMPF Mexico, (52) 81 8131 2100 E-mail: info@mx.trumpf.com

Monterrey, Mexico is known for its industrial heritage, economic viability, reliable and well-trained workforce, and its dedication to education and advanced learning. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that it is also the location of the new TRUMPF operations in Mexico. The 64,000 sq. foot sales, service, demonstration and production facility exemplifies the company philosophy of building up markets through long-term, local presences that include manufacturing and attractive workplaces.

The advanced manufacturing facility and sales and application center, which includes a 4,200 sq. foot showroom, will be open to local fabricators and manufacturers for tours and technology demonstrations. In addition, the facility has already begun to use state-of-the-art TRUMPF equipment and manufacturing techniques to produce frames for TRUMPF machinery made in North America.

“Monterrey is the heart of the Mexican metal industry,” says Claudio Schutz, general manager of TRUMPF Mexico. “This new building will help us develop a stronger market for high-tech equipment in Mexico and better serve the needs of our customers.”

An Accommodating Fireplace on the Small Screen Creating a home office is currently one of the hottest house renovation projects. In many cases this requires converting a typically unused space, such as an attic, basement or garage. However, a lack of proper insulation and heating can sometimes leave these projects cold.

So, when Hometime, a home improvement television show broadcast on public television and the Learning Channel, fi lmed a special on warming up basement home offices, they turned to Kozy Heat. During an episode titled “pint-sized fireplace,” hosts Dean and Miriam Johnson and the Hometime crew showed how to install one of the company’s small gas fireplace into a home office’s custom-fitted cabinetry.

Featured on the program, Kozy Heat’s Two Harbors gas fireplace offers a myriad of design possibilities…and doesn’t require electricity. The fireplace can be installed in a wall, in a cabinet, on a kitchen countertop, and can include a cabinet base with bookshelves, wine racks and more.

With all of these options, manufacturing flexibility is critical and TRUMPF technology is proud to play a role in the company’s production. > Additional information: www.kozyheat.com

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PANORAMA

Goodbye to Burrs Say farewell to the tedious finishing work required for punched sheet metal parts with burrs. Thanks to two new innovations – a roller deburring tool and deburring MultiTool for punching machines – a separate manual deburring step is no longer necessary.

The new tools displace any burr by chamfering the sharp edges (about 0.004 inches) on the underside of the part. In the case of coated sheets and parts with forming or visible edges, the tools significantly reduce throughput times.

The roller deburring tool uses a specially formed embossing roll for long edges and contours with a radius of more than 0.8 inches. The 3-way deburring MultiTool is suited to handle smaller radii, intricate geometries, and corners in a single stroke or in nibble mode.

Both tools are designed for punching sheet thicknesses of up to 0.10 inches in steel, stainless steel and aluminum. The two innovations have an additional benefit: the risk of injury is reduced when handling parts. And since there aren’t any punching burrs, an ideal foundation is laid for high quality welding and overlap welding.

> Additional information: Carl Peterhansel, 860-255-6314 E-mail: carl.peterhansel@us.trumpf.com

Book Premiere: The Laser as a Tool 280 enlightening pages about successfully working with light

TRUMPF Financial Services Complete the Puzzle Compact knowledge: TRUMPF’s latest book publication “The Laser as a Tool”

Once you’re familiar with the overall picture, it is easy to fit together the pieces of the puzzle. That is why TRUMPF Financial Services teamed up with lenders at the National Machine Tool Financial Corporation who understand our industry, customer needs and the value of an investment in TRUMPF equipment to put together practical financing for our products and services.

“This is a natural continuation of our consulting process,” says Janet Barone, manager of customer contracts and financing for TRUMPF Inc. “Sheet metal fabricators look to TRUMPF for flexible and productive solutions to their technical challenges. Now we can also offer them flexible, responsive and competitive financing. It is one-stop shopping. TRUMPF Financial Services’ turnkey financing makes the whole process easier.”

TRUMPF experts have always worked to find the right machine for each customer’s applications and needs. TRUMPF Financial Services now makes it possible to structure a customized finance solution that also meets the manufacturer’s specific needs.

Twinkling, glittering, shining, beaming: Light is energy. Light can be used as a tool. The laser beam is a special light beam; it is multitalented. Applications range from laser-marked apple skins to the laser-welded deck of a ship. Separating and joining, removing and attaching, drilling, marking and cutting – the laser beam is one of the most versatile tools of our time. The new TRUMPF book “The Laser as a Tool” follows this special light from its birth place, the laser machine, to its place of activity, the work piece, and demonstrates and explains all industrial production processes. On 280 pages with color illustrations, you will discover how diversely the laser is used today. It’s a journey of discovery for beginners, and a book for browsing for those familiar with the material. The book will be published in English in the spring of 2007.

> Additional information: Janet Barone, 860-255-6509 E-mail: janet.barone@us.trumpf.com

> Extracts and online ordering: www.trumpf.com/3.literature_laser-as-a-tool_start_v1.html Express Vol.2/07

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PANORAMA Phillip Haynes

Respected Industry Pioneer Dies Phillip Haynes was dedicated to furthering the machine tool industry in North America One of the forerunners of the machine tool business in New England and North America, Phillip Haynes passed away last November.

While working at Cincinnati Milacron, Hay nes made f riends w it h a not her engineer-turned-machine-tool-visionary, Berthold Leibinger, and later influenced the founding of TRUMPF’s US subsidiary. In the late 1960s, Leibinger was traveling through the major US manufacturing centers in the hopes of finding a good location to open a US office for TRUMPF. Haynes convinced his friend to visit him in Connecticut for the

weekend. During the trip, the two visited the Farmington Industrial Park (upon Haynes’ recommendation) and the decision was made.

TRUMPF has been in Connecticut ever since.

Haynes joined TRUMPF in 1969 as the company’s third US employee and became the subsidiary’s first vice president of sales.

Under his leadership, TRUMPF built their first US building, the subsidiary’s sales grew from $600,000 to $14 million, the number of employees increased to 100, and the company gained a national reputation for world-class fabricating machinery.

In 1982, H a y n e s resigned from TRUMPF to start his own business as t he New England distributor for the TRUMPF product line and was retired for the last 18 years.

TRUMPF colleagues remember Haynes as an even-tempered man, an excellent judge of character, and a careful listener.

Desktop Laser Compact entry-level machine for laser marking and labeling It is small and lightweight, but every bit as flexible and precise as larger models. The new VWS 150 desktop laser marking unit by TRUMPF weighs just 132 pounds and is one of the most compact systems on the market. This desktop workstation is especially suited for smaller companies who want to make their first forays into laser technology. Simple and easy to program, the laser can mark a variety of sizes, shapes and materials, always at top quality. It can apply lettering, serial numbers, data-matrix codes or logos to a labeling field of up to 4.72 by 4.72 inches.

Everything under control on the desktop: Marco Doenz uses the new VWS 150 laser marking station to apply serial numbers to flange components.

> Additional information: Peter Grollmann, Phone: 860-255-6011 E-Mail: peter.grollmann@us.trumpf.com

Rice Lake Celebrates a Weighty Occasion “Take care of the customers and the rest of the business will take care of itself.” This was Donald Johnson’s belief when he founded Rice Lake Weighing Systems sixty years ago. Although Rice Lake has outgrown the little garage in which it began, the company has not lost sight of the philosophy that set the tone for its success.

Today, Rice Lake Weighing Systems has a portfolio of more than 20,000 products for virtually every type of weighing requirement. The family operated business has extended to three generations including Donald’s son Mark who has taken over the company and Mark Johnson Jr. Together they maintain the philosophy that the customer comes first. This way of thinking, combined with a dedication to compassion and integrity and a strong focus on creating innovations for the future, has allowed the Johnson family to grow Rice Lake into a leader in the industrial scale and process-control weighing industry.

More than 70 percent of company’s design and manufacturing is performed in-house, much of it using TRUMPF precision laser technology. Now, as the company celebrates its 60th anniversary, it continues to find success in quality attention to products and customers.

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(From l to r): Donald Johnson, Mark Johnson and Mark Johnson, Jr.

PANORAMA

Rolf Biekert, president and CEO of TRUMPF Inc.; M. Jodi Rell, Governor of Connecticut; and Peter Leibinger, TRUMPF Group managing partner and president of the laser and electronics division.

Laser Facility Construction Builds New Opportunities Last autumn, the Governor of Connecticut, M. Jodi Rell helped break ground on a new research and manufacturing facility that will be used to develop new lasers, expand the company’s production of laser resonators, and maintain its leadership in stateof-the-art laser technology. The high-tech facility will add 83,000 square feet to the existing TRUMPF Inc. campus in Farmington, Connecticut. The building will feature a new production hall designed for the manufacturing of different types of CO2 and solid-state laser resonators, as well as a laser research lab and laser development department. It will also house the laser marking application and sales group and give the information technologies department a larger area for a state-of-the-art server room.

“This new building means much more than just more space,” said Rolf Biekert, president and CEO of TRUMPF Inc. “It is a concrete example of our long-term commitment to the community, the region, the market, and of course to our employees. The new building means new products, new markets, new jobs, and new opportunities for all of us.”

Construction of the new building is expected to be completed by the end of 2007 and is estimated to cost more than $20 million.

The company hopes to open the building in early 2008. > View the construction webcam at: www.us.trumpf.com

Disk laser, as seen through the focusing nozzle.

More Power at Excellent Beam Quality New disk laser shines with 8 kW and unlimited applications Higher output and superior beam quality are what distinguish the new TruDisk lasers. The new disk lasers use high-performance diode stacks for excitation. This makes the investment per watt lower than ever before. TRUMPF’s first 8 kW disk laser, the TruDisk 8002, welds nearly every type of material faster and deeper – including even highly reflective materials such as copper and aluminum.

The TruDisk 8002 is able to weld 0.39 inches deep in construction steel with a welding speed of 3.28 feet per minute. At an increased welding speed of 65.62 feet per minute it can still weld 0.12 inches deep. Its high processing speed offers several productivity advantages such as shorter cycle times and higher throughput. The TruDisk 8002 is especially suited for challenging welding tasks on thick sheet metal. Applications for this high powered laser include welding tasks in heavy industry like construction equipment and ship building. Applications for the TruDisk 8002 in the field of automotive manufacturing are being tested as well. > Additional information: David Havrilla, 734-454-7213 E-mail: david.havrilla@us.trumpf.com Express Vol.2/07

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The fountains in front of the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas feature a variety of breathtaking light shows set to music every 15 to 30 minutes.

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FEATURE

Cool Waters Fabrication technology takes a California manufacturer and its water displays to new heights.

Smoke, mirrors…and high technology fluid dynamics? WET Design (Water Entertainment Technologies), a creator of interactive water fountains and features, has taken entertainment to greater heights – literally. With water bursts designed to reach the tops of high-rise buildings, sometimes topped with fire, and synchronized to music, it is hard to imagine anyone could pass by a WET Design creation and not be amazed.

Bursts of Genius The primary goal of WET Design was “to synthesize design and engineering – I have one foot in each,” says Mark Fuller, its co-founder and CEO. “A lot of people can come up with ideas – but not build them – or vice versa. The true magic of WET Design is that we can imagine it and build it.”

Artistic design and engineering have always interested Mark Fuller.

Throughout his undergraduate education at the University of Utah, he supplemented his engineering focus with classes in entertainment performance. Fuller then attended Stanford for his master’s degree in product design and engineering. This program provided a unique combination of classes from the school of engineering and the school of art. Armed with a graduate degree, Fuller thought, “It would be intensely cool to work with the creators who make people happy.”

So, he applied for a job in the well-known “Happiest Place on Earth” and soon found himself in the special effects department of the Walt Disney Company. > Express Vol.2/07

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FEATURE

At the corner of Central Park, the fountains of Columbus Circle create a calming refuge from the usual hustle and bustle of New York City.

“TRUMPF’s quick change tooling is important because we design each project to meet an individual client’s needs.”

While Fuller was at the company, Disney wanted an interactive attraction for EPCOT Center, its newest project. With the project already behind schedule, Fuller offered a few “cool ideas with high technology fluid dynamics” and was given the responsibility of designing the attraction so it would open on time. The result was a revolutionary series of interactive water streams which appear motionless as they pass overhead and then disappear without a splash. The LeapFrog fountain, as it became known, was a pioneering move and received much attention.

With Disney’s permission, Fuller and a few others began to do freelance work on weekends and evenings.

Spouting with Ideas With positive feedback and a growing demand for their designs, Fuller and two of his colleagues began to realize the potential for water features in architecture. In 1983, they left the Walt Disney Company and formed WET Enterprises, which would later become known as WET Design when they shifted their focus to emphasize concept design.

With Fuller’s kitchen table, a garden hose, thirteen maxed-out credit cards, and plenty of ideas, WET Design was soon up and running.

“We pretty much broke all the rules of starting a new business,” Fuller recalls with a laugh. “We initially planned to create our own designs but 12

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FEATURE Mark Fuller

With specially engineered components like the one pictured below, WET Design redefines the possibilities of water movement.

subcontract the manufacturing. However, we quickly learned that when you relinquish control you lose the ability to refine your designs. Once the parts are sent out to be made, it becomes increasingly difficult and costly to change them.” At these beginning stages, Fuller emphasizes, “You have to quickly adapt your ideas of what will succeed.”

Fuller and the other designers also began to realize they would be forced to modify their creations if they could not find a specific part they needed. “We kept saying ‘if only someone made this little widget or that shaped part, just think of what we could create!’” Recognizing the potential of bringing manufacturing in-house, WET Design bought a few manual machines and built a basic garage shop where they could produce some of the parts they had not been able to find previously.

Soon, company engineers were taking their dreams and making them a reality.

Creating Art from Water By the early 1990s WET Design had increased its manufacturing capabilities, but was still outsourcing much of its work. Fuller recalls, “We knew if we had sheet metal fabrication located in our own facilities, we could do things more cost effectively. So, we researched our options and saw TRUMPF had the best machines in the business.” At that >

Playing with Fire One of the most meaningful projects for Mark Fuller was WET Design’s work on the Olympic cauldron for the Salt Lake 2002 Winter Olympics. The lighting of the cauldron not only marked the beginning of the Olympic Games, but also took place in Salt Lake City, Utah – the city in which Fuller was born and raised. For this project, WET Design embraced the concept of fire and ice, the colors of the Utah mountains, and incorporated transparency in the cauldron design to express the theme of the Winter Games: “Light the Fire Within.” The cauldron presented a unique challenge as Fuller remembers, “We were in subzero weather and the cauldron had to be lit and immediately cooled in order not to destroy the crystal clear chalice containing the roaring flame.” The 130-foot glass cauldron flowed water over the transparent ceramic material to keep it clean and cool. For 17 days, the flame appeared vibrant and captivating - embracing the magic of the Olympic spirit.

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FEATURE

“We researched our options and saw TRUMPF had the best machines in the business.”

Providing musical and visual entertainment, the fountains at Branson Landing have become the soul of downtown Branson, Missouri.

time, Fuller did not feel WET Design had enough sheet metal work to completely justify the machines, but he anticipated that once they were installed, they would use them more than they expected. Fuller’s insight proved to be right on target.

“Patrick from product engineering is always on the machines. He will design a part, come right out to our TruPunch 2020, put the tools in the machine, and make the part. He can determine immediately if the part will work.” Fuller notices this is common for his engineers, “Our guys are out here putting metal in the machines and running parts all the time.” The quick change tooling affords the opportunity to run parts, modify a design, and continually develop the latest innovations.

“The incremental improvement cycle takes hours instead of days or weeks,” he adds.

“TRUMPF’s quick change tooling is also important because we design each project to meet an individual client’s needs.” Fuller explains, “Often this means we build a few hundred of a certain part and then we will not need to make more again for a year.” As a result of the quick setup and flexibility of the TRUMPF machines, WET Design is able to maintain virtually zero inventory.

The company also bought a TruBend press brake with the 6-axis system. “While we might not use the technology every day,” says Fuller, “we are always glad we have it when we create an idea for a part that can only be formed on a 6-axis system.”

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The Beauty of Water “WET Design is unique in that we have a huge talent pool of people with many different resumes putting these designs together.” Fuller continues, “We have an incredible infrastructure of professionals who know how to entertain people. It can almost be compared to producing a fi lm: we all combine our knowledge and together and we are able to entertain an audience.”

In the United States alone, WET Design appears everywhere – from McCormick Place in Chicago to the Brooklyn Museum of Art and Columbus Circle in New York City to the fountains of the Bellagio in Las Vegas. And, WET Design prides itself on refining all the details to provide the ultimate experience for visitors. Fuller explains, “Water is a pretty hostile environment and we utilize very sophisticated robots and other hardware to create some of the expressions. Most people do not realize the time and effort that goes into each project; they just know that something about it thrilled them. The attention to the emotional associations of the designs seems to contribute equally to the beauty and awe of the overall design. Fuller expresses, “Water is seen differently across different cultures and it is both fascinating and challenging to stir these emotions into the design.” He continues, “We are fanatics about thinking through every last detail because we all desire a great deal of pleasure from seeing the way people respond to our designs. It is great to know they walked away having found joy in the experience.”

CUSTOMER FOCUS

Born from Steel

Daniel Bravo, general manager of VENTA, a steel service center in Monterrey, Mexico, holds up a part fabricated for a client.

When you come from a region – and family – with a long history in the steel business, you have to find your own specialty.

Daniel Bravo has steel in his blood. His service center business, VENTA y Distribución de Acero, SA (VENTA) is located in a region of Mexico with a long history in the steel business. In fact, Mexico’s steel industry was born in Monterrey in 1903, when the country’s first steel mills opened there. Today, Monterrey and nearby Monclova (where VENTA was founded) still produce nearly half of all the steel in Mexico.

Bravo has his own history in steel. It was his father who started a business buying, selling, trading and supplying steel to local manufacturers. In fact, VENTA began in a section of the family steel warehouse.

Having come from a locale full of steel providers, as well as a family with five talented brothers in the industry, Bravo understood the importance of finding his own specialty and niche within the very competitive business. So, in March of 1996, when Bravo and one of his brothers became independent and built up their own business, they made a strategic decision go to beyond simply providing steel, and even beyond some of the more commonly offered services.

“The market needed more value-added offerings,” explains Daniel Bravo, general manager of VENTA. “And I knew we needed a specialty that would both differentiate us from our competitors and add value > Express Vol.2/07

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CUSTOMER FOCUS

Programmer Tania Davila Flores checks the accuracy of a part.

to our customer’s jobs. We formed the company with the main goals of providing steel and giving our clients the benefits of a full-service operation.”

VENTA supplies material and cut parts to customers that manufacture a variety of products for industries from industrial to automotive. In general, though, all of its customers create metal part assemblies. And they’re looking for high quality parts.

“Our customers demand that we fulfi ll the technical specifications of the cut (cut measurements and tolerances), with high quality, the quantity they’ve requested, and within the timeframe they expect,” explains Bravo.

At first, VENTA offered basic CNC machining and oxyfuel cutting and subcontracted some cutting, but their clients asked for more. “Our service was limited by open tolerances and unpredictable or long delivery times,” adds Bravo.

In search of the ability to provide better value, VENTA decided to add laser cutting capabilities and in 2003 investigated several fabricating machinery providers. Ultimately, the company chose a laser cutting machine that they felt would offer them more of the advantages they needed – higher finish quality, precision tolerances, user friendly software, fast piercing speeds and better production times. The decision, says Bravo was, “based on recommendations and the analysis that it was the best in quality.”

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“With TRUMPF laser technology we could cut more high tolerance pieces, and offer our clients higher quality tolerances, better finishes, surfaces and delivery times,” says Bravo about his first TruLaser 3030. “We no longer have to subcontract work and can better monitor quality and deadlines.”

The company soon returned to TRUMPF to add a TruBend 5130 and TruPunch 2020 punching machine to the roster of services offered to its clients. Although the original motivation was to improve the work done for customers, the diverse range of technology capabilities has also benefited VENTA. Bravo points out that a part with many holes is often better suited for the punch and lets him offer his clients a cost-effective alternative.

The precision bending technology has also offered new business opportunities for work in electrical assembly, gas tanks, motor plates and supports.

Explains Bravo, “We acquired high-tech machinery to offer added value to our clients, but the machinery has not only helped to enlarge our clients’ wallets. Providing these services has made it possible for us to secure our position in the market and obtain larger profit margins.”

The high-tech services have helped VENTA build a better relationship with its customers. “I’m a better provider and clients like to see the laser at the facility,” adds Bravo proudly. And as a result of the technology, Bravo also says he sees better and more >

USER STORY

“Everyone is looking to see what is next. We’re all growing together.”

Daniel Bravo overlooks VENTA’s laser cutting, punching and bending technology.

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CUSTOMER FOCUS

An assortment of laser cut parts.

(From left to right) VENTA General Manager Daniel Bravo, Programmer Tania Davila Flores, Production Manager Eduardo Meneses and Programmer Norberto Barron.

“A part with many holes is often better suited for the punch.” formal clients in addition to the larger customer database.

In addition to the Mexican emphasis on customer relationships based on mutual trust and reliability, it never hurts to prove you can do the work. For example, the flexible fabricating machinery allows VENTA to make prototypes quickly. “With setup so easy, we can quickly produce a prototype part and show the customer that we can do the job – which often gets us hired for more work,” smiles Bravo.

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It is also important to note that the employees think just as highly of the TRUMPF machinery, especially given the atmosphere at the small company. Although VENTA has grown from five employees (who still work for the company) to more than fifty people, it maintains a very close-knit environment.

Says Bravo, “everyone knows each other, gets along really well, and speaks to one another with respect. And of course, despite the companionship we all have high expectations.

Everyone is looking to see what is next. We’re all growing together.”

Bravo’s management style is similarly collegial and collaborative. But don’t mistake this attitude for a lackadaisical approach.

Bravo can often be found walking around the facility, creating new programs. And he knows in detail the operation of each activity related to VENTA’s purchase, sale and process of steel and all of the day-to-day goings-on.

With a past strongly rooted in steel, Bravo maintains an eye toward the future and is always looking for new ways to become a better service center and offer his clients more services. Says Bravo, “the goal is to guide my personnel with a business focus and let them act independently while contributing toward future improvements and the growth of the company.”

CustomerServices

More Brains TRUMPF’s Training Program

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CustomerServices

Success Begins in the Mind

2,000 participants at our customer training courses annually

Our machines and software always reflect state-of-the-art technology. Take advantage of this knowledge and get the best out of it for your company through courses at the TRUMPF Training Center in Farmington, Connecticut.

In our many machine and programming courses, our experienced instructors

35 training computers

will provide you with an in-depth understanding of our machines and teach you how to maximize your machine’s potential. For the most complete and up-to-date training course catalogue, please visit the customer services/ training tab found at: www.us.trumpf.com

7 machines dedicated to training

X

Operator Courses

Training courses > Here is a selection of

the courses we offer:

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Our operator courses will provide you with the basic knowledge and operating skills for your TRUMPF machine. This will help you learn to operate the machine with confidence. These courses are taught regularly on different machines and cover bending, punching and laser cutting technology. As a follow-up, we recommend our maintenance courses, because only a wellmaintained machine can achieve high utilization.

Maintenance Courses Maintenance courses are available for bending, punching and laser cutting machines. Our instructors will teach you how to perform preventive maintenance and basic troubleshooting techniques on your machine.

These skills will ensure the highest possible up-time of your equipment and will decrease your need for on-site service.

CustomerServices

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Questions and Answers about our Training Center

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What if you are already familiar with the technology?

According to Peter Senge (The Fifth Discipline), “The ability to learn faster than your competitors may be the only sustainable competitive advantage.” And as technology continues to evolve, life-long learning is becoming more and more important.

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Are there additional standard training courses and special offers?

We also offer individual courses that we customize exactly to meet your needs.

If required, an instructor will travel to your place of business—even overseas.

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Who answers questions on classes and handles scheduling and rescheduling training courses?

Our training center administrator will answer any of your questions, phone: 860-255-6068, E-mail: training@us.trumpf.com.

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Where can you stay and how do you get to the training center?

On our website www.us.trumpf.com in the customer services/training tab, there is information on recommended hotels in the area, a free shuttle service from the hotel to the training center as well as a map with directions.

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What happens if you have to cancel a training course on short notice?

It would be a shame, but is not a problem. We will work together to find the right alternative for you.

Why are training courses useful?

TRUMPF machines are an investment in state-of-the-art technology.

Employees who know how to get the best out of them ensure a decisive competitive advantage for your company.

What will TRUMPF instructors teach your employees?

Our instructors are actively involved in the development process and familiar with the practical use of our machines and software.

This knowledge flows directly into the training concept — and is immediately passed on to your employees.

Why should you have your employees invest time in a training course?

TRUMPF machines and programming software offer you a broad range of products and services. The necessary know-how for capitalizing on the overall potential of the machine or software requires a certain amount of time. In addition, we apply theoretical knowledge to the machines and give your employees a great opportunity to practice — so that they can apply their newly acquired skills and knowledge right away.

1

Address >

Programming

Onsite Courses

In our programming courses you will learn everything there is to know about our TruTops software – from the fundamentals to TruTops marking and nesting to TruTops technology.

If your staff needs a customized course, or you do not want to travel to TRUMPF, we will bring the class to you. We can create a customized class or teach a standard class at your facility.

TRUMPF Training, 111 Hyde Rd. Farmington, Connecticut, Phone: 860-255-6068 www.us.trumpf.com (Customer Services/ Training tab), training@us.trumpf.com

833 lunches per month

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CustomerServices

John Alamed, Supervisor, Instructor Teaching TruTops Punch programming and punch and combination machine operation, John also supervises 3 other instructors.

Tom Gauvin, Instructor A previous service technician, Tom passes on his 29 years of experience with TRUMPF punch machines to our customers.

Annette Doyle, Manager, Training Center A mechanical engineer who started as a service project engineer, Annette is now the manager of the training department.

Robert Caranci, Instructor With 18 years of laser experience, Robert now shares his knowledge of lasers (TruFlow, TruCoax and 2D laser cutting machines) with our customers.

The TRUMPF Training Center staff in Farmington represents nearly 100 years of combined TRUMPF experience which they pass on to customers.

They work hard every day to make sure that you gain exactly the knowledge you need in our training center. Our administrator is always ready to take your calls Monday through Friday from 7:00 am to 4:30 pm.

Your path to more knowledge: www.us.trumpf.com (customer services/ training tab), training@us.trumpf.com or 860-255-6068.

Kathy Coco, Administration If you want to register for a training class, need information about accommodations in the area, or simply have questions about the dates and contents of training classes, Kathy will help you out.

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Robert Pugliese, Instructor Once a programmer and machine operator, Bob imparts 28 years of experience during 2D laser cutting machine operation and programming courses.

Grant Hagedorn, Instructor A former Navy instructor, Grant teaches press brake operation, maintenance and programming, as well as courses on the VectorMark laser marking systems.

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INTERVIEW TRUMPF Mexico General Manager Claudio Schutz

Over $100 billion – more than half of Mexico’s total industrial output is exported to the U.S. With so much cross-border commerce, it is important to better understand our business partners in Mexico. Claudio Schutz, general manager of TRUMPF Mexico, shares some insights and advice about the Mexican market.

Beyond Tequila, Sombreros and Sunny Beaches

Tell us more about the Mexican fabrication market. What type of work do you see being done most frequently? For what types of industries?

The Mexican fabrication market has evolved from a focus on labor costs to a more technology-oriented processing. Customers set the standards. With more than two thirds of the products and components in the metal fabrication business being exported North of the border, US customers are setting expectations for quality, on-time delivery, and process repeatability. And those requirements can no longer be met successfully without state of the art technology.

Looking at different industry sectors, the automotive industry and its suppliers continued to be the largest and fastest growing manufacturing sector in Mexico during 2005 and 2006. Other important sectors are home appliances, construction and electronics.

An increasing number of manufacturers are viewing Mexican operations as an attractive alternative to Asia. What do you think is the reason behind this change?

There are a few factors that play an important role in this type of decision. Geographical proximity is a big one. With lot sizes getting smaller and freight costs rising, being the nextdoor neighbor helps, especially in reducing costs. Another aspect is that the business cultures are more similar than they are to Asian business practices and etiquette. Doing business to Monterrey does not feel much different than it does in Texas.

Mexico cannot compete with China on very labor intensive jobs. This is why operations at the “maquiladoras” (contract manufacturing located in the border region) have been evolving from pure assembly into manufacturing. Other reasons to do business in Mexico (instead of going overseas) include reducing time to market, shrinking inventories, and lowering logistics costs. > Express Vol.2/07

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INTERVIEW

“Laser cutting has been a great tool for many manufacturers looking to enter the market of precision high quality manufacturing.”

What trends do you see among the fabricators in your region?

Laser cutting has been a great tool for many manufacturers looking to enter the market of precision high quality manufacturing. Now they are realizing that every production process step needs to follow this same level of accuracy and repeatability. Many fabricators are finding an answer to this challenge in automation. It isn’t just about producing at a lower cost; it is about meeting customer’s demands.

How much of a factor is labor turnover to fabricators?

Turnover rates can vary by region. With the increasing need for higher skilled employees, successful Mexican businesses are using continuous training programs and career development opportunities to combat job turnover.

Mexican employees are usually loyal to their companies. Fair pay, a complete benefits package, and a good work environment keep 24

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employees with their employers.

Mexicans have a rich history and culture of art and creativity. Do you think this affects their approach to business?

Mexico is a showcase of art and creativity. I think this creativity helps smaller businesses in Mexico to be flexible, to find solutions, and get things done.

With a long history of bureaucracy and economic crisis behind them, Mexicans have learned to cope with constraints and discovered ways to get ahead on their own. This is another example of Mexican resourcefulness and creativity.

Are there any characterizations about Mexican businesses that are useful to know?

As is usually the case when doing business with a foreign country and culture, every effort you make to understand and appreciate the local culture and values will get you ahead. Personal and family relationships are extremely

important. Respect and politeness are central values to Mexicans. In addition, in some regions or situations the pace may seem slower than in the US or Europe. Also, commitments are expressed not only in a different language, Spanish, but can sometimes have a different meaning. For example, in conflict situations, “yes” does not always mean “yes.” Mexicans avoid saying “no.” Regular follow-ups and reconfirming commitments will help you to get things done.

What stereotypes about Mexico would you like to debunk?

Well, it would probably be the three things that often come to mind when asking a nonMexican what he or she would associate with Mexico: tequila, sombreros and sunny beaches. These pictures portray the leisurely and relaxed tourist atmosphere. In business however, Mexicans can be very motivated, enthusiastic and extremely hard workers.

CUTTING PUNCHINGLASER TECHNOLOGY

Inside the Product Peeling back the layers of the punching machine.

Anyone who has toured the company’s manufacturing facilities knows that TRUMPF often uses its own machinery to manufacture its products.

But did you know that a TRUMPF laser is used to produce punching machine components?

TRUMPF’s signature hydraulic punch head is created from about 150 layers of metal that are laser cut or punched individually, stacked and then joined together. Why all the trouble just to make a part? Take a closer look inside. What looks like a compact steel block is, in reality, an intricate structure with many hydraulic channels and cavities.

Manufacturing a part like this is difficult with conventional methods, such as drilling or milling. Instead, the company uses laminated object manufacturing or LOM. In this process, blanks are punched or cut individually using a laser. Then they are stacked on top of each other and joined. As a result, it is possible the build the complex

structure of the punching head while maintaining a compact design and keeping the flow channels as short as possible.

Then why bother putting more energy into developing this method?

There are two answers to this question. Initially, processes were not well adapted to serial production, and laminating the layers was too costly. On the first prototypes, contours of the blanks were manually configured using 3D CAD models. Now this is handled automatically.

The programming system is capable of placing the blanks on the sheet in the right order. That means the unloading system can stack them automatically.

With the first obstacle to serial production overcome, the next step was to lower the cost of joining the layers. At first, the sheets were coated on both sides with copper and then soldered together in a vacuum oven.

It was a complex and costly procedure. Just coating the sheets with copper cost several hundred dollars for each component. To get around this loss of time and money, another method of applying the solder had to be found.

A new method eliminated 98 percent of the costs associated with coating the sheets with copper. The developer had reached his goal: find a new method based on LOM technology that is suitable for serial production and makes sense from a cost perspective.

Given its expense, LOM technology is certain to remain a niche application. Nevertheless, TRUMPF is now able to utilize the technology’s potential to a greater degree and apply it to other components with complex internal structures, such as cooling elements in power electronics.

■

■

150 layers of sheet metal – laser cut or punched – are stacked and joined together to form a punch machine component.

This article originates from the new Fascination of Sheet Metal, an informative book on sheet metal processing.

For more information, please see: www.trumpf.com/fascination-sheet-metal

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LASER CUTTING

86 O’Neal Steel expands into advanced custom processing services to add value and drive growth.

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Years Old and Still

Growing

O’Neal Steel’s mission statement “Consistently provide the best possible value to our customers” could fit inside a fortune cookie, yet it has provided the powerful business philosophy behind The United State’s largest family-owned metal service center company. Since Kirkman O’Neal founded the company in Birmingham, Alabama in 1921, O’Neal Steel has been a model of consistency, thriving through the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression and countless business cycles. While they have always provided value to their customers, today that means adding value beyond delivering raw metal stock.

“O’Neal Steel has always prided itself on its depth and breadth of inventory,” says Steve Holley, O’Neal’s operations manager in Birmingham. “But we also recognize that we must push forward to offer more value to our customers.” That value now includes a wide range of metals processing services: shearing, sawing, rolling, forming, coil and tube processing, weldments, punching, drilling, notching, machining, and flame, plasma and laser cutting.

LASER CUTTING

At O’Neal headquarters: Birmingham Operations Manager Steve Holley and Corporate Non-steel Purchasing Manager John Elrod.

“With valued-added services like processing, we can now quickly deliver the finished products our customers need.”

One-stop shop. Seventy locations O’Neal Steel is a nationwide, full-line metals service center offering multi-stage processing to provide fabricators, job shops and OEMs with the shapes, sizes and subassemblies they need, when they need them.

“It’s all about being versatile,” says Holley. “Our customers range from those who need ready-to-ship stock materials straight off the shelf, to OEM accounts that require custom welded fabrication, painted and ready for installation.” This includes such industries as heavy equipment, trucks, trailers, waste management, material handling, rail, boats and fabricators.

As production lead times shrink from months to days, a metals provider that can provide processing services becomes particularly valuable. After all, in their stock form, metal products are commodities and, therefore, subject to intense price competition. O’Neal’s corporate non-steel purchasing manager, John Elrod, underlines this point, “We’re in a very competitive field. With valued-added services like processing, we can now quickly deliver the finished products our customers need. It’s a good value per dollar spent.”

Inroads in outsourcing O’Neal’s versatility is helping to build their reputation as an outsourcer for multi-stage metals processing. Increasingly, they are taking in projects that their customers had performed in-house. “Certain OEM customers are turning to us as an extension of their operations,” says Holley. He also feels that their additional role as a production resource has helped

O’Neal improve in other areas. “Our new involvement (as an outsourcer) has pushed us to become even better in every aspect of our operations, especially in quality and on-time delivery,” he says.

A history built of steely determination Kirkman O’Neal founded the company as a modest steel fabricating business in 1921. It was not long before the fledgling firm developed a reputation for dependability and performance. In a 1926 article in The Birmingham News, Kirkman said, “We turn out each piece of work and each contract the very best that can be done, and we are determined that it shall be satisfactory.”

In the following years, that determination served O’Neal Steel well.

When the Great Depression hit in the early 1930s, O’Neal managed to not only hold onto his customer relationships, but to prosper in a niche market serving a clientele who did not meet the high-tonnage requirements of the major mills.

After the outbreak of World War II, O’Neal transformed into a major weapons manufacturer. The company was the nation’s largest producer of general-purpose bombs, used extensively to win the conflict in the Pacific Theater.

With peace came a new chapter in the company’s history when Kirkman’s son, Emmet, joined the family business in 1946. This sparked an era of expansion. They opened their first satellite district in Jackson, Mississippi in 1952. And the growth continued with diversified operations in the South, Midwest, Southwest and Rocky Mountain States. > Express Vol.2/07

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LASER CUTTING

O’Neal Steel has served the steel industry for 86 years, through the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression and countless business cycles.

Three Generations of O’Neals: Kirkman, Emmet (above) and Craft (center photo).

“Naturally, having the ability to cut a wide range of metals efficiently and accurately into an almost infinite variety of shapes and sizes is a key element in successful metals processing.”

The third generation came aboard in 1984 when Emmet’s son, Craft, joined the company. After a series of sales and district manager positions, Craft became chairman in the 1990s.

TRUMPF laser cutters turn up the versatility Naturally, having the ability to cut a wide range of metals efficiently and accurately into an almost infinite variety of shapes and sizes is a key element in successful metals processing.

O’Neal Steel has moved aggressively to bolster and expand their cutting capabilities with the acquisition of eight TRUMPF laser cutters in less than 24 months. Their laser cutter evolution started with the installation of four TruLaser 5040 systems in their Shelbyville, Indiana location. Now they have three TruLaser 3040 machines in their Birmingham plant, and one in their Knoxville, Tennessee facility.

Steve Holley thinks that TRUMPF machines have greatly enhanced their versatility. “Our new TRUMPF machines integrated with the TKL storage systems have been used in several ways. We use them on smaller, faster running jobs on thinner gauge material, all the way up to multipleshift jobs on thicker material that we can run in “lights out” mode at night,” says Holley. “The functionality of TKL storage system working with the TRUMPF laser cutter allows us to run virtually any material thickness.

We can cut HR (hot rolled) steel up to 0.750 inches and stainless steel up to 0.625 inches in any order, as long as we store that plate in our storage 28

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system. The system can store up to 30 different types of plate and is easily maintained,” he says.

Even the best-laid plans can go awry and TRUMPF lasers help O’Neal Steel cope when it happens. Says Holley, “If a customer fails to plan for a job, which can happen sometimes, we’re now in a better position to shift work around and respond to our customer’s need.”

> Versatility + Geography = Growth ■

With more than 70 locations divided into regional districts across the country, O’Neal Steel has grown into the nation’s largest family-owned metals service company. O’Neal’s subsidiaries include O’Neal Weldments, Metalwest, Tube Processing Center, Aerodyne Alloys, Leeco Steel, TW Metals, Timberline Steel, Ferguson Metals, AIM and Supply Dynamics.

This extended family gives O’Neal the capability to fulfill a wide range of metals needs from light gauge flat-rolled steel, hot rolled, to tube, to stainless, aerospace materials, alloys, fasteners and much more.

On certain large-scale orders, O’Neal’s districts work in concert to combine capabilities and complete the jobs. To speed orders to customers, the company fields its own fleet of trucks.

ENTREPRENEURS

“Do you like wine?” Anyone seeking employment as an engineer, technician or assembler should be ready to answer this question with an honest and heartfelt “Si” during a job interview with Carlo Gai.

Carlo Gai, president of GAI spa, prefers to hire people who share his passion for good wine. Because it is wine that provides a comfortable livelihood for the Gai family and its approximately 160 employees. At the center of the Piedmont wine country in Northern Italy, for more than 60 years Gai has developed and produced macchine imbottigliatrici —

A Life Between Vines and Sheet Metal machines for which the sober-sounding English translation “fi lling and labelling machines” fits about as well as the designation “mushroom” for a fine truffle. The belle macchine engineered

by Gai are mechanical artworks, thought out and designed by passionate engineers, manufactured using German technology, clad in first-rate steel, and assembled in a spic-andspan plant that would pass the white glove test. For many of the world’s finest and most expensive wines, the pipes, tubes and valves > Express Vol.2/07

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ENTREPRENEURS A jack of (almost) all trades: The “Monobloc A” machine rinses the bottles, pumps out the air, injects an inert gas to displace the last traces of oxygen, fills the wine and finally corks the bottle. Another machine — naturally made by Gai, too — takes care of label and capsule application. The top models can process as many as 10 000 bottles per hour.

in a Gai machine are their last contact with the outside world before the bottles are fi lled and corked, and the labels applied.

Life is good in the hilly green countryside of the Piedmont region.

The region at the foot of the mountains joins economic power with artistic and gastronomic quality. It’s a setting almost tailor-made for the passionate engineer Carlo Gai. The tiny village of Barolo, less than a few miles — but many, many curves — away from the company’s headquarters, lends its name to one of the world’s noblest wines.

Three hills on down the road, in the town of Bra, connoisseurs launched a “slow food” movement in the 1980s, an international campaign for culinary pleasure and common-sense understanding. Just around the corner, the white truffles from Alba exude what is certainly the world’s most precious aroma every year in the late autumn. The Piedmont business community is also a pièce de résistance of the Italian economy. It was in Alba that confectioner Pietro Ferrero launched his sweet, chocolaty revolution and thus laid the cornerstone for one of the world’s largest makers of sweets. Grand names in fashion such as Loro Piana, Cerrutti or Miroglio have their roots in Piedmont. Turin, the region’s capital, is the birthplace and home to the Italian automobile industry. Families such as Agnelli or De Benedetti represent the industrial nobility of this remarkable area in Italy’s far northwest.

Sheet metal and vines in the genes Gai is celebrating its 60th anniversary as a company. The firm was founded by Carlo’s father, Giacomo Gai, who died in 1999. In 1946, among Italy’s post-war scrap and tough times, there was no work to be had and the family was planning to move to Argentina. But then 30

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the trained meccanico Giacomo Gai reflected on his strengths: dealing with sheet metal and vines. Born in 1912, his father was a winemaker and his grandfather the village blacksmith. Already at the age of seventeen Giacomo hung out his shingle as an agricultural implements technician.

During World War II he served as a mechanic in the military and built all sorts of machinery and equipment. It was during this period that, among other items, a simple bottling machine was devised. It was destined for the restaurant which his wife Elsa ran. This first macchina imbottigliatrici became, after the War, the means for the family’s survival and the raw material from which today’s company developed. Today Carlo explains with a wink of the eye that his love for wine must have

ENTREPRENEURS

“Our machines can’t make wine better than it is. But the smallest bottling error can destroy a top wine. This responsibility is the measure of quality — for us and for our suppliers.”

matured early in his youth as he moved between the shop, vineyards and restaurant. That’s a love that you might not guess upon first seeing his large, wiry frame, but it’s nonetheless the driving force behind his career. He’s thoroughly convinced that good wine deserves the best possible bottling technology.

In 1969 with an engineering diploma fresh in hand, Carlo Gai joined his father’s company and a few years later, together with his older brother Battista, assumed management responsibilities. With youthful style and new ideas, the brothers pursued their vision of realizing highquality, state-of-the-art bottling machines. But in their own country these quality-packed machines didn’t quite match the tastes of the day.

“At that time Italy was purely a mass producer of wine — lots of quantity,

hardly any quality,” Carlo Gai remembers, making a sour face. His high-quality machines were too complex — and too expensive — for the Italian market at that time. That’s why more than 90 percent of the machines were exported. The French and German winemakers, in particular, appreciate the fine technology developed by these Italian wine lovers. In return, Gai learns a lot from the winemakers. Particularly in terms of the special demands which the sweet German wines of that day placed on the bottling technology. Wines with high residual sugar content and low alcohol content spoil faster than dry wines with little sugar and a lot of alcohol. That is why bottling has to be under absolutely sterile conditions. To achieve this Gai developed a process from which the company and its customers still profit from today. And recently > Express Vol.2/07

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ENTREPRENEURS

The Gai family (r.) will do almost anything for a good drop of wine. On more than 20 000 square meters of spotless production space its company manufactures high-quality bottling equipment for the world’s best vineyards.

many smaller breweries have joined the clientele. Many of these so-called microbreweries produce unfi ltered, non-pasteurized beer that must also be bottled in a completely hygienic, sterile environment.

Quality as an engine for growth The turnaround in the domestic wine market came in 1989. A methanol scandal shook the Italian vineyards to the roots and sent a wake-up call to customers between Milan and Palermo. Since that time Italian winemakers and cooperatives have shifted their emphasis from volume to value. That’s been good for Gai. As a consequence, the company has significantly increased its market share and today is the Italian market leader for machines with medium fi lling capacities (up to about 3,000 bottles per hour). The export ratio, at 70 percent, nonetheless remains high. The bulk of the machinery built in Ceresole D’Alba is at work in the globe’s best vineyards — in Burgundy and Bordeaux, New Zealand, Chile and California.

And at the Gai engineering offices and production buildings, time and progress are making their marks. Carlo Gai can certainly remember his first CNC machine, which not only turned production upside down, but his cost calculations as well. At that time he passed the cost advantage along to his customers almost entirely, something which earned him no favor among the competition, but all the more among the clientele. The next revolution was launched by the first TRUMPF laser, which went into operation working at Ceresole in 1995. A second joined it just a few years later. A TruLaser 5040 has already been ordered for delivery.

Gai’s business is bubbling right along. But Carlo Gai still has the biggest and most difficult project ahead of him. His nephew Giacomo and his sons Guglielmo and Giovanni are at the starting gates and Carlo himself has actually reached retirement age. “But what am I to do? This work is my finest hobby,” the engineer is pleased to note as he gazes out the window over the sunny vineyards of Piedmont.

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“A good wine is 50 percent imagination.

The rest are grapes, expertise and technology.”

> The finest technology for a noble drink Name: GAI spa, Ceresole D’Alba (Italy) Founded: 1946 Employees: 160 Sales: 30 million euros TRUMPF machines: TruLaser 3040, TrumaBend V 170, TrumaBend V 85, TruLaser 3040, TruLaser 5040 with 6,000-watt laser, LiftMaster + Stopa compact storage Contact: www.gai-it.com

Like Father, Like Son

Chrima leaders share a family spirit for adventure and fabrication.

In beautiful Stratford, Ontario is Chrima Iron Work, Ltd., a highly successful, family-owned business that specializes in precision metal fabrication for OEMs and subcontractors representing a wide range of industries. Chrima’s roots go back to the 1950s, when company president and founder William Christian, a master machine builder in Germany, immigrated to Canada and got a job building fire trucks – a trade he learned from his father, a builder of horse-drawn trucks before the days of the combustion engine.

Before long, William bought a piece of land in Shakespeare (a town just east of Stratford) where he began pursuing his dream of running his own fabrication shop. “Actually, my father built what he intended to be a motorcycle repair shop,” explains Daniel Christian, the company’s vice president and general manager. “Almost immediately, local farmers came to him asking if he could fabricate parts and help repair their equipment. That led to more and more fabrication work. He never did get into the motorcycle business.”

Incorporated in 1960 as Chrima Iron Work Ltd. (a combination of William’s last name and the word “machine”), the company soon had another family member on the payroll: William’s wife, Karin, who worked in the office for the next 20 years. The Christian children, Catherine, who was born in 1962, and Dan, born four years later, would follow in their parents’ footsteps. Catherine, now a successful investment banker in Toronto, worked during summer holidays and breaks from > Express Vol.2/07

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FABRICATING Chrima Vice President and General Manager Dan Christian holds a punched part with louvers.

school. Dan, the company’s seventh employee, started working full-time as an 18-year-old in 1984, though he learned the business from the ground up at a much younger age. “One of my earliest memories is sitting on the tailstock of an old lathe running the clutch,” recalls Dan with a hint of nostalgia in his voice. “I was three or four at the time.”

When Chrima first opened its doors more than 45 years ago, William was fortunate to forge a relationship with a large Canadian-based boiler manufacturer, for which he fabricated numerous parts. (That manufacturer remains Chrima’s largest customer.) In addition, the company took on, in the words of Dan, “whatever else came along,” including stairwells and railings. As the years went by, the custom fabricating and metal processing operations grew, and Chrima built a strong customer base, particularly in construction, mining equipment and steam generation OEMs. As a result of this growth, in 1998 the Christians opened a 35,000 squarefoot facility in Stratford (home to the largest 34

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FABRICATING

Chrima fabricates precision parts and assemblies, such as laser cut and formed cab roofs for off-road construction equipment, assembly kits for energy transfer systems, prototype hydraulic tanks, and boiler head assemblies.

“In order to achieve these goals we evaluate our supplier base of materials, services and equipment on an ongoing basis.”

classical repertory theater event in North America), followed in 2005 by a 35,000 square-foot addition. The property in Shakespeare, site of the company’s first shop – as well as the Christian family’s home – was sold.

Today, Chrima’s 70,000 square-foot facility is “home” to 70 employees running two shifts, as well as a lights-out laser cutting operation. From here precision parts and assemblies – such as laser cut and formed cab roofs for off-road construction equipment, assembly kits for energy transfer systems, prototype hydraulic tanks, and boiler head assemblies – are fabricated for customers in Canada, the United States and Brazil. Handling the laser cutting workload are two stand-alone TRUMPF machines installed in 1996 and 1998 (now used primarily for short run job-shop activities) and two high performance TRUMPF laser cutting machines that handle the lion’s share of Chrima’s fullscale production cutting: a 5,000-watt TruLaser 5030 and a 6000-watt

TruLaser 5030, both of which of are integrated with a LiftMaster Sort, Sortmaster and a dual-tower TKL storage system for fully automated loading and unloading operations. A TRUMPF punching machine purchased in 1989 continues to be used for the forming of louvers.

“The first new TRUMPF machine my father bought was a nibbler he purchased in the early 1970s,” recalls Dan. “We began to buy from TRUMPF because we viewed them as the industry leader in reliable, technologically advanced fabrication equipment.”

Dan adds that since installing their first TRUMPF laser, Chrima operations have been completely revolutionized. “Productivity and growth have increased exponentially,” he says. “With the new cell installation we have seen at least a 100% increase in efficiency per machine – with only half of the staffing needed to operate our standalone laser equipment. The machines are run 24 hours and, in some cases, staffed for only 18 of those hours. In addition, inventory is > Express Vol.2/07

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FABRICATING

“I guess I share my father’s adventuresome spirit.”

Parts are fabricated for customers in Canada, the United States and Brazil by Chrima’s 70 employees during two shifts and a lights-out laser cutting operation.

recorded automatically, and we have enhanced operator safety due to the automated handling of new material, finished parts and scrap.”

Chrima (the first Canadian fabricator to achieve the new ISO 90012000 standard) is always looking to improve the quality and efficiency of its operations through leading edge technology. They also partner with many of their OEM customers in ongoing research and development projects with the goal of increasing quality, value and efficiency – a goal shared by TRUMPF. “We continuously strive to improve our ability to satisfy our customer’s needs and expectations,” notes Dan. “In order to achieve these goals we evaluate our supplier base of materials, services and equipment on an ongoing basis. In our opinion, TRUMPF has been

the only choice for Chrima as a supplier of advanced cutting systems.”

Clearly, Dan Christian shares his father’s passion for the metal fabrication business. But that’s not all he and William, who is now semi-retired, have in common. They also share a love for flying – and aerobatics (much to the chagrin of Dan’s wife, Joanne). “My father has had his pilot’s license for about 40 years,” says Dan, the father of a fouryear-old boy, Will, and a seven-year-old daughter, Julia. “I got my license in 1986 and built my own aerobatic biplane about ten years ago in a hanger out at the local airport. Today, we own three airplanes between us.” Dan pauses. “I guess I share my father’s adventuresome spirit.”

> Cleaning Up In April 2006, TRUMPF introduced an exciting new portable power tool – the TSC 1 – which quickly and easily removes slag build-up from the slats that comprise the beds of laser cutting machines. Dan Christian, vice president and general manager of Chrima Iron Work, Ltd., is glad it did. “The TRUMPF slat cleaner has extended slat life by four or five times, depending on what kinds of parts we are cutting,” he exclaims. “We estimate that it paid for itself in less than thirty days.” Christian is impressed with the tool’s ease of operation and its ability to clean slats while Chrima’s laser cutters are running large programs. “There is virtually no machine downtime during the cleaning process, and we consume less capacity and material as a result of cutting fewer slats,” he says. Until the development of the TSC 1, machine operators had to clean slats with a hammer or home-made tools, a difficult and time-consuming task. With TRUMPF’s TSC 1, a standard 5-by-10 foot pallet can be cleaned in only 20 minutes. Equally important, the TSC 1 can be used on flatbed laser machines with pallet changers of any manufacturer.

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Regine Leibinger and Frank Barkow design buildings in which work is done efficiently and is fun. The architecture firm Barkow Leibinger ranks as one of the most respected in Germany.

“Good Work is also a Result of Good Architecture” Architects Regine Leibinger and Frank Barkow on communication, conflicts and cactuses in the workplace.

Can the workplace be designed to truly motivate employees? How do you encourage communication between colleagues, yet respect their private space? And what role can architecture play, if at all, in the success of a company? These questions are posed to two people who know: architects Regine Leibinger and Frank Barkow.

separated by three floors that are only connected to one another by a separate stairway. Such a structure absolutely hinders communication. At some point, you stop running up two flights of stairs to speak directly to a colleague. Instead you send an e-mail or keep the thought to yourself, in the worst case scenario.

Let’s start with you personally: You don’t simply design work places for others, but also your own work areas. What is important for you in the design?

Frank Barkow: Our office is a classic loft, like one you might find in New York or San Francisco, with daylight on both sides and large spaces in which everyone can work together — from trainees to partners. The whole space functions less like an office and more like an open, creative and entirely non-hierarchical studio. A true stroke of luck.

Regine Leibinger: However, here we are

Spatial distance can no longer be avoided once a company exceeds a certain number of employees.

Leibinger: Of course, and this is where architecture can actually make a valuable contribution. At the TRUMPF Sales and Service Center in Ditzingen, for example, we offset two building wings against one another with half a floor and in this way removed the conventional separation between floors. In turn, we connected this so-called split level through integrated flights of stairs into one organic entity. These connection paths create visual relationships and are meeting places. > Express Vol.2/07

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DISCUSSION

“A motivating workplace has to be flexible and workable.

Daylight is second to none.”

Frank Barkow studied in Montana and at Harvard University.

After guest professorships in the USA and in England, he currently teaches at the Stuttgarter Kunstakademie (Stuttgart Academy of the Arts).

Why is it so important for a company that its employees run into one another?

Leibinger: According to a study done by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, up to 85 percent of all innovations currently happen as a result of coincidental, unplanned communication between employees.

Therefore, for the TRUMPF Sales and Service Center, we selected a very open office concept conducive to all work processes, one that facilitates maximum communication, but also ensures a certain level of privacy. For example, between the desks we positioned high, soundabsorbing partitions that are no longer than 6 feet, but only 3.61 feet high. It was a major step, preceded by intensive discussions. There are always employees who are used to not being seen, and, in such a transparent structure, initially try to literally seal themselves off 38

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The company’s own office floor reflects the conviction: It is free of communications barriers and is filled with light, air and openness.

from others with beverage crates and cactuses.

However, such an attitude does not meet the open, communicative company philosophy of TRUMPF. Does this illustrate the basic conflict in office planning: maximum openness and communication versus quiet and privacy?

Barkow: I think so. And I could therefore imagine some kind of employee library as a contemplative counterbalance to the large, open space office plan. Because in a large space, it can be very difficult to concentrate — I notice that same problem in my own office.

How would a motivating workstation or desk area ideally look?

Barkow: It would have to be flexible and

workable. Daylight is second to none. Also, warm tactile materials — a clean, purely functional working atmosphere is unfriendly.

In addition, it is important to have balanced acoustics — this creates a feeling of intimacy even in a large office space.

Does this apply to all industrial work places?

And what about small businesses? Challenging architecture often costs more than a preferred functional building.

Leibinger: At first glance, it may cost more, but it will pay for itself in the end, even for the smallest production building. Through construction requirements — existing ones, but also through improvements — you can optimize complex processes and work sequences to operate more cost-effectively. In addition, employees always prefer to work and

DISCUSSION

Building with Barkow Leibinger The Berlin agency Barkow Leibinger Architects is considered one of the most respected planning teams for industrial architecture – from individual buildings to the master plan for developing small or large production locations. Designs from the 35employee studio include, among others, the blueprints for the TRUMPF sales center and the laser factory in Ditzingen, the master plan for the gradual expansion of the company location in Neukirch, and the production and ad-ministration building at TRUMPF’s Swiss locations. Regine Leibinger, 42, studied architecture in Berlin and at Harvard University. She is currently working with her American partner and husband Frank Barkow, 48, on a residential and commercial building, as well as two single-family homes in Berlin, an office building in South Korea, the expansion of TRUMPF Inc. in Farmington, Connecticut; numerous submissions for competitions for projects in Stuttgart, Berlin and Hamburg, as well as on an exhibition of her own work in Oslo.

Still a model: the future company cafeteria for TRUMPF in Ditzingen.

work better in a motivating, communicative work environment than in a florescent-lit office space thrown together without thought.

Architecture can create greater loyalty and identification with one’s company — all important requirements for corporate success.

That’s why good work is also a result of good architecture. One of my father’s favorite expressions is: “If we want to invent and manufacture first-class products, then we need a first-class environment.”

It is often said that the “human dimension” makes a good work place. Can this claim be implemented at all in large industrial operations?

Barkow: You can at least strive toward that.

An important advance in standards develops,

for example, due to the fact that we try to bring together production and administration, if it’s at all possible. We try to keep both areas under one roof in a non-hierarchical layout.

> For questions, please contact: Barkow Leibinger Architects Schillerstraße 94, 10625 Berlin, Germany +49(0) 30 315 712 – 0, www.barkowleibinger.com

Where do you like to work best when you’re not in your office?

Leibinger: In the Berlin city library designed

by Hans Scharoun. It’s a wonderful place where you can read and relax in total peace and quiet.

Otherwise at home, at the long dining room table in our Berlin apartment. There, one can work with Lego bricks, the other can paint, the third reads, and the fourth works.

Barkow: In business class on long flights. No e-mails, no phone calls, just my sketch pad in my hand. Simply perfect.

“Four-fifths of innovation is a result of coincidental communication.

Architecture can promote this.”

Regine Leibinger knows the corporate value of good architecture.

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PERSONALITIES

CREDITS

Sheet Metal as Art According to sheet metal artist Elisa Zertuche, good art is a combination of originality and style. “Originality stands out and the style characterizes the artist,” explains Zertuche, whose artistic inspirations – Kandinsky Matisse, Miró and Gustav Klimt – each have a distinctive stamp of their own.

Elisa’s artistic style, which she describes as abstract and a little figurative, will be featured in a work to be displayed at the new TRUMPF facility in Monterrey, Mexico. No stranger to the world of sheet metal, her family runs EZI Metales, a job shop in Santa Catarina.

Sheet Metal artist Elisa Zertuche

How did you get started making your works of art?

When I started this hobby, I was interested in using the scrap generated in the production of sheet metal parts at our company. When looking at a scrap part, I imagine colors and textures around and over it. I loved the idea of expressing myself by creating artwork; first by using only scrap, and then continuing to design some figurative pieces.

Take us inside your process a little bit.

I observe and then I imagine. I am very interested in diverse cultures and architecture.

During every trip I make, I find some inspiration for my works of art. I calculate the possible dimensions, produce the sketch, and select the materials, metal pieces, mixed textures, silica sands and colors. Then I decide if I’m going to use wood, fabrics or metal and 40

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if I’m going to work with acrylic paint or oil.

Oil is my favorite, because it takes longer to dry and it gives me more time to work on it. I like to imagine, create and combine materials, textures and colors in order to transform them into a whole piece of art – unique and original.

Is your work all hand done? Or do you use any tools?

All my art is handmade, but the metal pieces that I apply to my paintings are either punched or laser cut.

What’s your favorite material to work with, and why?

Steel, because when I leave it natural it is easy to combine with any color, but it could also be painted, polished and engraved. The originality of my art is that I always use a metal part – that’s my characteristic feature.

TRUMPF Express Volume 2, 2007 Magazine for Sheet Metal Processing Published by TRUMPF Inc. Farmington, CT 06032 www.us.trumpf.com Responsible for the content Sheila LaMothe Editor-in-chief Catherine Flynn 860-255-6112 catherine.flynn@us.trumpf.com Editorial staff Mike Gordon Susan Grohs Sheila LaMothe Karen Miller pr+co. gmbh, Stuttgart Design and production John Mik, MIK Advertising Printing and assembly Paladin Commercial Printers LLC Authors Robert Devol Catherine Flynn Susan Grohs pr+co.

Todd Rosenthal Photographs Steve Adams Photography KD Busch Tim Jacobs, Studio Down Under Ralf Kreuels Hawkeye Industries The Haynes Family Kozy Heat Cristobal León Hernandez Jens Neumann O’Neal Steel pr+co Rice Lake Guillermo da Ronco TRUMPF Archive WET Design

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