02.2023
The UNITED GRINDING Group's
customer magazine

INDEPTH
What are rebuilds good for?
INTERNATIONAL Mexico, land of opportunity
IDEAS
Where machines need people

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28	A DAY WITH …

22... Chen Songchuan plans and configures machines forcustomers at UNITED GRINDING China

31	TOOLS & TECHNOLOGY
A new universal loading system from STUDER, a vertical
grinding arrangement for the BLOHM PLANOMAT XT, thebiggest MFP from MÄGERLE, new software functions
for Laser Contour Check from WALTER, and the newcustomer portal of the UNITED GRINDING GroupIN THIS EDITION OF MOTION,
YOU WILL FIND:
3	WELCOMECEO Stephan Nell on the 30th anniversary of the
UNITED GRINDING Group and the great importance ofcustomer relationships

4	A LOOK INSIDEHistoric brochures from 30 years of the
UNITED GRINDING Group36	INTERNATIONALIn Mexico, the UNITED GRINDING Group supports its
customers in a promising but difficult market

39	UPDATE
New developments

40	IDEAS
Why human creativity matters in the digitalproduction world6	NEWS
News from the UNITED GRINDING Group8	INNOVATION
For 30 years, the UNITED GRINDING Group has focusedon good relationships with customers, always with the aimof making our customers even more successful16	INDEPTH

43	INTOUCH
The Motion calendar: important trade shows and events

8

Machine overhauls have been a key customer service forover 30 years

20	INSIDE
Customer Care employees ensure that quick and expert
help is on hand when problems arise

22	INTERVIEW
How it all began: CEO Stephan Nell in conversation
with the former Chairman of the Board of Körber AG,
Werner Redeker

IMPRINTPUBLISHER United Grinding Group Management AG, Wankdorfallee 5, 3014 Bern, Switzerland RESPONSIBLE Michèle Fahrni PUBLICATIONMANAGER Raphaëlle Bonny CHIEF EDITOR Michael Hopp (responsible according to press law) ART DIRECTION Tobias Zabell ACCOUNT MANAGER
Jutta Groen IMAGE EDITOR Thomas Balke PROJECT MANAGEMENT / CHIEF EDITOR Markus Huth AUTHORS Sebastian Barth, Michael Hopp,
Markus Huth, Ira Schroers LAYOUT Claudia Knye PRODUCTION Wym Korff PUBLISHER AND ADDRESS OF EDITORIAL OFFICE JAHRESZEITEN VERLAG
GmbH, Harvestehuder Weg 42, 20149 Hamburg, Germany READER SERVICE wym.korff.extern@jalag.de MANAGEMENT Thomas Ganske,
Sebastian Ganske (CEO), Arne Bergmann, Peter Rensmann LITHO EINSATZ Creative Production GmbH & Co. KG, Hamburg
PRINTING Walstead Kraków, Poland
All trademarks marked with ® are registered as a basic trademark at least in Switzerland or in Germany and are therefore entitled to carry the trademark.

2 Motion 02.2023

Cover: David Maupilé (2); Photos: David Maupilé, Qilai Shen, Giacomo Maestri, KNARR Group, OSG, Natalie Bothur

28

WELCOME“A THANK YOU TO OUR
CUSTOMERS.”DEAR READERS,“The first 30 years” is written on the cover of this issue of Motion.
The history of our group has only just begun and we are continuing towrite it every day. It’s a story in which our customers play the starringrole. We would therefore like to take this opportunity to thank ourcustomers for their trust, loyalty, and valuable cooperation. But wealso want to take a look at the past where the foundations were laidfor so many of the things we stand for today.
“How it all began” is the title of the interview in this issue.
I will be talking to one of our founders Dr. Werner Redeker, former
Chairman of the Board of Körber AG, about the historical beginningsof our Group. The Group dates back to the 1990s. Shortly after thedeath of the legendary Hamburg entrepreneur and founder Dr. Kurt
A. Körber, the executive board of Körber AG began to get interested
in expanding the machine tool division. The focus of interest was onother German and Swiss grinding machine manufacturers, which
were, with a few exceptions, in a deep crisis at the time.
Back then, Dr. Eberhard Reuther was Chairman of the Executive
Board of Körber AG. In the nineties, together with his later successor
Redeker, he set about shaping Körber Schleifring, from which today’s
UNITED GRINDING Group emerged. Reuther’s approach of forminga group to strengthen the resilience of individual companies andto facilitate international expansion has proven itself a success.
We owe a lot to Eberhard Reuther. One conviction that we havetaken from the Körber era, and constantly consolidated, is that joint
success in long-term customer relationships is the foundation onwhich a lasting sustainable future can be built.
UNITED FOR YOUR SUCCESS is the headline of a long article
in which we portray some international customer relationships andattempt to provide a response. UNITED FOR YOUR SUCCESS is
our claim that describes briefly and concisely what we stand for.
Together as a group, we are strong, and we want to use this strength
to make our customers even more successful. This is our goal andthe foundation of long-term customer relationships.
It turns out that the most important things are the same as inall other personal relationships: good communication, trust, andshared values. This insight seems obvious, but the trick is putting
it into practice in our everyday lives. We want to get better at thisevery single day.

Stephan Nell,
CEO, UNITED GRINDING Group

Stephan Nell
CEO, UNITED GRINDING Group

Motion 02.2023 3

UNITED GRINDING GROUP

A LOOK INSIDETIME PASSES—BUT
SOME THINGS REMAIN
30 years of the UNITED GRINDING Group—the perfectopportunity to delve into the archives and look at older
means of communication. In the past, this primarily
meant printed materials. The image shows somebrochures, flyers, leaflets, anniversary brochures, andbrand brochures from the nineties when Körber
Schleifring and the UNITED GRINDING Group were
founded. In the early years, the aim was to show thegroup of tool and grinding machine companies in all its
diversity, the cosmos of brands and associated competencies that together had become Schleifring. Graphics
were already used to illustrate the range of production
technologies at the time, as shown here in the example
from a brochure of Schleifring Maschinenbau GmbH
from 1994. Although grinding is a much older business,
30 years is still an eternity in connection with technological development. The same can be said about therelatively simple design. Back then, there was no suchthing as rendering as is used today to depict machines.
The diagrams used were very similar to the engineeringdrawings and did not have any particular style. The
STUDER S40 CNC cylindrical grinding machine wasshown as being at the forefront of innovation—a futuristic machine. Today, it looks almost archaic, even if it
was state-of-the-art at the time with its computer-based
CNC control. But by no means everything in thebrochure from the 90s is outdated. The promise madein the text that the group would draw its "innovative
power for future innovations" from "long-standing
tradition and experience gained from it" was as true
then as it is today.

4 Motion 02.2023

MÄGERLE

BLOHM

JUNG

STUDERSCHAUDTMIKROSAWALTER

EWAG

IRPD

Motion 02.2023 5

UNITED GRINDING GROUPNEWSGERMANYBLOHM JUNG INVESTS INSUSTAINABILITYSWITZERLAND

UMATI HACKATHONMORE THAN 30 EXPERTS from the fields of digitalization, mechanicalengineering, and plant engineering met in spring for the second umati
Hackathon. The event, organized by the UNITED GRINDING Group andthe German Machine Tool Builder's Association (VDW) and held in Thun,
was aimed at driving forward the connectivity and digitalization of machine
tools and specifically integrating existing machines from older generations
into umati. umati stands for universal machine technology interface. It isa globally standardized data interface that machines can use to communicate regardless of their brand. It is also part of C.O.R.E., the cross-brandsoftware and hardware architecture of UNITED GRINDING. “As the host of
this event, we provide a creative platform that brings together developersfrom different companies – not for their own purpose, but always with afocus on tangible customer benefits,” says Christian Josi, Head of DigitalEngineering at UNITED GRINDING Group.

BLOHM JUNG CONTINUES TO INVEST in more
efficient energy use in production. The
5000-square-meter assembly halls at theHamburg site are now heated with new radiantceiling panels. This has been a significant investment but the new system has been implemented
in record time and offers numerous benefits,
explained Arno Binder, CEO of Technology Group
Surface & Profile. Previously, outside air was
drawn in and warmed to heat the hall. However,this solution proved to be noisy and not ideal
in terms of energy efficiency. A new ventilation
system with heat recovery will also be fitted later
this year. All in all, the investments should reduceenergy consumption by 30 to 40 percent. BLOHM
JUNG will then also be equipped for the use ofheat pumps, says Binder.

SWITZERLANDSTUDER CUTS
CO2 EMISSIONSUSANEW MACHINES FOR THE
GRINDING ACADEMYUNITED GRINDING has delivered three new machines
to the GRINDING Academy. They are a WALTERHELITRONIC POWER 400, a STUDER S31 (bothwith C.O.R.E.), and a STUDER favoritCNC. The
Grinding Academy from TITANS of CNC is an
online learning platform for grinding enthusiasts run by the former boxer Titan Gilroy
and his team. “The new machines give theGrinding Academy a multitude of improved
functions and updated possibilities, especiallyfor digital solutions. I am looking forward to thefascinating content that Titan and his team will
create in the near future with these state-of-the-art
machines,” says Markus Stolmar, President andCEO of UNITED GRINDING North America.

6 Motion 02.2023

THE STUDER PLANT IN THUN has been successfully connected to the Steffisburg district
heating network. This eliminates the need for
dedicated heating systems and boilers togenerate heating energy. Instead, it can be
piped in from the municipality’s central supplier using equipment that is space-saving,reliable, and virtually maintenance-free.
“Conserving the environment and resources
has always been important to STUDER, so
we are pleased that we can significantly
upgrade the sustainability of our site,” saysMichèle Zeller, Head of Communications.
The new district heating connection saves
STUDER around 330,000 liters (78,000 USgal.) of heating oil per year, reducing CO2
emissions by around 900 tons.

MÄGERLE

BLOHM

JUNG

STUDERSCHAUDTMIKROSAWALTER

EWAG

IRPD

CZECH REPUBLIC, SLOVAKIA, POLAND, HUNGARYSTUDER EXPANDS SERVICESIN EASTERN EUROPE
ADDITIONAL TECHNICAL SPECIALISTS and additional helplines
are bolstering STUDER’s services in Eastern Europe.
Customers from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and
Hungary can now contact STUDER directly and benefit froman expanded service team, says Pascal Roggli, Head of Field
Service. With the additional complement of staff, twice as
many employees are now available to take care of on-site
technical service. After completing their training at thein-house Service Academy, the new staff members will havethe outstanding skills and expertise customary to STUDER
employees. Local service specialists and regional service
managers of the helplines alike are fluent in the respective
national language.

TURKEY, NETHERLANDS, BELGIUMCUSTOMERS VISIT STUDERCUSTOMERS FROM TURKEY visited the STUDER plantin Thun, Switzerland, last May. STUDER has beenorganizing regular informational trips working with
the Turkish representative company Form Makina
since 2013. On these outings, grinding enthusiasts
can find out about the latest technologies and developments firsthand. In addition to the plant in Thun,the schedule included a trip to the Internal Grinding
Competence Center in Biel. The group also visited awell-known Swiss watchmaker. Another customer
delegation came to the Bernese Highlands in June—
this time from the Netherlands and Belgium. The
STUDER tour took place in cooperation with De Ridder,the representative for the countries of Belgium, theNetherlands, and Luxembourg.

CHINA

Photos: Thomas Kunz, Redpixel.pl/Shutterstock

NEW SHOWROOM SET UP
CUSTOMERS AND INTERESTED PARTIES can look forward to a new UNITED GRINDING showroom
at the Shanghai site. With an area of around 480 square meters (5,150 sqft), it is about athird larger than the previous showroom, says Jessie Wang, Marketing Director of UNITED
GRINDING China. More than ten machines are available for customer trials and training, forexample, the latest generation of the STUDER KC33, a STUDER S131, BLOHM PROFIMAT XT,
and WALTER HELICHECK PLUS. The company moved to a redesigned office building in the
Jiading district of Shanghai in October last year. The expansion reflects the growing businessactivities of UNITED GRINDING in China.

Motion 02.2023 7

UNITED GRINDING GROUPINNOVATIONUNI T EDIn the machine industry, long-term customer relationships are the foundation for sharedsuccess, with manufacturers and customers maintaining steady contact over many years.
But what distinguishes these relationships? How can mutual appreciation be achieved?
To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the UNITED GRINDING Group, “Motion” posed
these questions to an international selection of customers

FO R

The OSG Corporation in Toyokawa, Japan, is the world’s biggest provider ofcomplete solutions for cutting tools in the manufacturing industry—and a WALTER
customer since 1982. Pictured: Takeo Koji, Managing Executive Director OSG (right),
Michael Schmid of WALTER (left), and OSG Founder Hideo Osawa

8 Motion 02.2023

Photos: OSG (4); Illustration: johavel/Shutterstock

TEXT: Michael HoppMÄGERLE

BLOHM“WHEN YOU GO HOME to your family in theevening,” asks Adamo Venturelli, CEO VISHydraulics, near Bologna, “What do you
talk about around the dinner table? You talkabout the people you met and the things you
experienced with them.” Italy’s Venturelli is
another long-standing UNITED GRINDING
customer we surveyed for this article. This
time the discussion focused less on technical topics and more on the interpersonal
relationships that allow businesses to work
together successfully in the first place. “It
doesn’t matter if you have the best technology if the people who are supposed towork with it don’t understand each other,”
Venturelli concludes. “It’s a people business,” he says, “at least that’s how we at VIS
see it—and as far as I can tell, the colleagues
at STUDER see things the same way.”

PROXIMITY, TRUST, RELIABILITY
You might think that Italians living in theirwarm Mediterranean climate are more inclined to personal warmth than Swedes in
the cold north or the Japanese with their coolreserve, but after talking with customers in
different countries and their contacts at thebrand companies of the UNITED GRINDING
Group, we have to question these old stereotypes. In all five of the examples, our interviews revealed just how much the successof any business collaboration depends on
the ability of the people involved to connect
on a personal level. In principle, everyone
agreed that customer/supplier relationships
are built on very similar foundations to relationships in the private sphere: proximity,
trust, reliability, and shared values.

JUNG

STUDERSCHAUDTMIKROSAGLOBAL RELATIONSHIPSOSG and WALTER have much incommon: a global orientation—andcommitment to high standards andinnovation

TAKEO KOJI is the Managing Executive Directorof OSG Corporation, a leading player in theinternational machine tool industry. Founded in 1938, OSG operates with over 7,000
employees in 33 countries, manufacturing
and selling cutting tools such as taps, drills,
and end mills worldwide, and are the world’s
largest manufacturer of solid tools. Takeo’s
experience with WALTER EWAG goes beyond just years of working together; he also
personally visited Tübingen, Germany, in the
1980s: “My first impression back then was:WALTER is similar to OSG. At least in viewof the fact that both were owner-operated
companies at the time. And even back then
WALTER was famous for high-end machinesand value-adding equipment.” Today, there
are three main reasons why OSG likes towork with WALTER: “Firstly, reliability. Secondly, consistency. And thirdly, its conservative approach.”

WALTER

EWAG

IRPD

CLEAR WORDS
The video interview, which Takeo conducts
from a conference room at OSG headquarters in Toyokawa (Aichi Prefecture), is alsojoined by Yasuhiro Tomida and Jun Ikeda
from WALTER EWAG Japan, as well as
Michael Schmid, who is responsible for all
WALTER EWAG business in the Asia-Pacificregion. Schmid, however, is not at OSG
headquarters, but links in from a conference
room at a trade show in Bangkok.
Takeo remains focused on every moment of the conversation and proves a manof clear, concise words. “There’s an important reason why we work together—OSG isactive globally, and we have production facilities around the world. And WALTER supports OSG with this.” Michael Schmid adds:“Our partnership is very extensive. We’reboth concerned with customer support. We
work closely with OSG maintenance staff.
Our application engineers talk back and forth
a great deal regarding application and production topics. We meet regularly. We haverelationships with OSG at all levels, and that
also helps solve problems.”

YOUR“WE COULDN’T HAVE DEVELOPED OUR CARBIDE END MILLWITHOUT WALTER. WE’VE ACHIEVED MUCH TOGETHER.”
Takeo Koji, OSG

SUC C E SS
Motion 02.2023 9

INNOVATIONVIS specializes in cartridge valve technology and manufactures hydraulic valves and components,
including for agriculture. Customers all over the world appreciate the responsiveness, skilled support,
and cost-effectiveness achieved by the Italians—with the help of STUDER technology.
Pictured: Adamo Venturelli, CEO VIS (right), Diego Capitanio, STUDER (left)—a friendly pair

10 Motion 02.2023

Photos: VIS Hydraulics (4); Illustration: Vectorfair/Shutterstock

UNITED GRINDING GROUP

MÄGERLE

BLOHM

JUNG

STUDERSCHAUDTMIKROSAWALTER

EWAG

IRPD“STUDER ALWAYS MAKES US FEEL LIKE PART OF THE FAMILY; WE’RE
NEVER LEFT FEELING LIKE JUST ANOTHER CUSTOMER. WE’RE SIMPLYA TEAM THAT WANTS TO ACHIEVE GREAT THINGS TOGETHER.”
Adamo Venturelli, VIS“ONE IMPORTANT VALUE FOR VIS IS
ENTHUSIASM. IT’S WHAT THE VIS BRAND IS
BUILT ON, AND ADAMO VENTURELLI IS THE
RIGHT PERSON TO REPRESENT THIS VALUE.”
Diego Capitanio, STUDERQUALITY KNOWS NOCOMPROMISE
VIS and STUDER see fully open
and direct communication as thebasis for their shared success—andthe passion for great machines“WHEN THE CUSTOMERS come to visit ourcompany and see all the beautiful STUDER
machines, they say: ’Oh, you use STUDER—
but aren’t those the most expensive machines?’
And I say yes, but they’re also the best. If
you want the best car in the world, where do
you look? If you’re looking for performance,
warranty, durability, then it’s Ferrari—they’rethe best but also the most expensive. And
at that point it’s clear what you need to do.”Adamo Venturelli never shies awayfrom new comparisons when he praises
his STUDER machines. He is CEO of VIS,a hydraulics and valve manufacturer hefounded in 2009 with his brother Davide. The
two were encouraged by the successes of
their father, whose “Tarp” developed from asmall turning shop into an industrial giant.

During the interview, in which STUDER
Area Sales Manager Diego Capitanio also
took part, Venturelli is in a great mood as herecounts his firm’s beginnings:“Our partnership with STUDER goesback to the era of my father’s company, 20
years ago. That’s when we bought our first
S25, as well as a series of other STUDER
machines. When VIS Hydraulics wasfounded in 2009, we had to choose a partner
for our cylindrical grinding machines. It was
the year of the Lehmann crash—a time ofdeep, global crisis. It was brave but also a bit
crazy to start a company in that hurricane.
We spent much time pondering this or that,and we also looked at other companies.
But in the end, we saw from our father’s
experience that there can be no doubt that
STUDER is the right partner.”

ENTHUSIASM AS A USP
Today VIS has 18 STUDER machines inuse; five STUDER S11s, all with loaders,were only delivered in 2021—and VIS has
been internationally recognized for sometime as a key supplier of hydraulic valvesand components, including for example inagriculture. With the option of high-speed
grinding, the S11 offers opportunities for“I THINK OUR GRINDING EFFICIENCY IS
TODAY A KEY FACTOR IN GUARANTEEINGOUR SUCCESS ON THE MARKET.”

further efficiency gains on the market. “TheS11 is one of the most interesting machines

we have,” says Venturelli. “It is of very highvalue for our company because efficiency is
the key factor in guaranteeing our successon the market.”
So what drives this successful partner­
ship? “We have totally open and directcommunication with the STUDER world.
Diego is our primary contact, and his
technical knowledge holds enormous value
for us. He doesn’t just sell machines fromthe catalog. This makes it much easier
to talk to him. He is simply not a typicalsalesperson.” Diego Capitanio for his partsays: “Sure, it’s wonderful to hear all thesenice words here. But when you’re talking
about reasons for success, then you have tomention enthusiasm. It’s what the VIS brandstands for, and Adamo is the right person torepresent this value.”

A FIRE THREATENS EVERYTHING
When a fire broke out one Sunday in
September 2021 at one of the VIS plants inPavullo nel Frignano, several machines wereaffected by the fire, some others destroyed.
A team of VIS and STUDER employees was
soon working day and night and was able
to restore full two-shift operation just fourweeks later—sparing the end customers
virtually any inconvenience. “This wasn’t justabout the business relationship, instead it
was about surviving an ordeal hand in handwith a true partner,” remembers Venturelli.
“It was a unique experience that allowed therelationship to grow even further.”

Adamo Venturelli, VIS

Motion 02.2023 11

UNITED GRINDING GROUPINNOVATIONTWO COMPANIES, ONELANGUAGE
Seco and EWAG are united by
the joy of customized, customeroriented solutions—and something
you might even call friendship

CENTRAL SWEDEN, in the historic Bergsladen
mining area. The small municipality serves
not only as the headquarters for Seco Tools,
but it is also known as the birthplace of theSwedish steel industry. Seco is deeply rooted
in Swedish industrial history. It all began in1873 when Fagersta Bruks AB was foundedin Fagersta, Sweden. Steel wire and steel
tubes, rifle barrels, and springs for rail vehicles
were manufactured here in the Bergslagenregion. In 1932, the company started smallscale production of a carbide product called“Seco.” Seco is Latin for “I cut.”
Today, Seco has 4,100 employees and isrepresented in 75 countries, with machining
solutions for milling, turning, drilling, andtool holding fixtures for the aerospace,automotive, medical technology, power
generation, and utility industries. After thedismantling of the steel industry in the
1980s, many plants in Fagersta are now
considered shrines of industrial history, andthe Engelsberg smelter’s plant has been
named a World Heritage Site.

the sauna—and then I learned that some ofthem played for the national team of bandy.
And that’s not all: They had different skates,
capable of gliding much farther than normal
ice hockey skates. They take two strides withthem, and they’re already five meters ahead.
But they only told me that after the game.”
Westman laughs as he hears the story, thestory about the higher speed which can beachieved by longer gliding surfaces of therunners he can only confirm, since he plays
bandy himself.

SPONTANEOUS, TRUSTWORTHYCOMMUNICATIONAt that time, in 1990, Georg Schröer was
still quite new to Seco. He got to know
the company in 1988 when Jan-Olof
Lundequist, the predecessor to Andreas
Westman, ordered the first RS-12-CNC ,followed by machines from the Ewamatic,
Ewamatic Line, Compact Line, and Ewamatic“WHEN I VISIT SECO,
IT’S LIKE GOING HOME.
BECAUSE SWEDISH
IS MY MOTHER’S NATIVELANGUAGE.”
Georg Schröer, WALTER EWAGHOW DO YOU PLAY ICE HOCKEY?
And how do the locals here play ice hockey?
This is an important topic in the interview withAndreas Westman, Manufacturing Engineer
Grinding, and Georg Schröer, Head of Service
at EWAG. To resolve this issue, we have to lookback to December 1990, when Schröer “Jojji”
was asked to suit up for the Seco-Ludvika
team against the team of Motherhouse
Seco-Fagesta at its annual ice hockey matchat the Ludvika site … the Seco team wasdown a man. Asking Schröer to fill in was
only natural, since he was clearly already seen
as being part of the Seco team. “I’m not bad
at ice hockey,” recalls Schröer. “But shortly
after the match began, I asked myself: ’Why
can’t I get a good lick in on these boys?’ It
was hopeless. After the match we went to
The richly historical world of Seco Tools: Historical interior view of a steel plant inFagersta for the manufacture of pipes (without date), the first plant of Seco Tools’
predecessor company Fagersta Bruks AB, today’s plant—and an employee with amatching cap. Left: Georg Schröer, right: Andreas Westman

12 Motion 02.2023

MÄGERLE

BLOHM

JUNG

STUDER“PEOPLE DEVELOP TECHNOLOGIES.
AND IF THEY DON’T GET ALONG,
THEN THEY WON’T UNDERSTAND
EACH OTHER’S TECHNOLOGIESEITHER.”MIKROSAWALTER

EWAG

IRPD

Linear. At the time, Schröer had moved
to Sweden and then back to Switzerland
in 1999, where he has been looking after
Seco ever since. He hasn’t forgotten his
Swedish. “The good thing is that you canspeak Swedish, which makes it easier forus,” Westman says. “English would be aforeign language for both of us.”
Trusting, spontaneous communicationis the basis for collaboration—and acultural commonality: “Like Seco, EWAG
is essentially a family business, which isalso one of the reasons why we get along
so well,” says Westman. “We think about
the customers, not just one-size-fits-allindustrial solutions. And EWAG is also
service-oriented and highly individual.
There isn’t one standard machine, butrather a base that is then always adapted
for our products so that a good solution isalways found.”Schröer has an example ready for this:“Seco has a lot of custom productsthat require development andspecial handling. This wasrecently the case with adrill tip, for which we had
to create a completely
new handling setup toautomate everything
and eliminate the needfor someone to standnext to the machine
the whole time. The
solution was image
processing combinedwith robotics.”

Photos: Seco Tools (3), Henrik Mill,BTEU/TEKNISKA/Alamy, Archive PL/Alamy;
Illustration: Agrus/Shutterstock

Andreas Westman, Seco Tools

SCHAUDT

Motion 02.2023 13

UNITED GRINDING GROUPINNOVATIONGROWING TOGETHERTHROUGH SUCCESSTHE PROVERBIAL STORY of companies being
founded in a garage is cliche—but it holds
true at least here at Orter Strasse 15 in the
Wüstensel district of the small Bavarian town
of Helmbrecht. As explained in an interview
with Thomas Wunsiedler, Deputy Head ofMarketing and Sales Representative, thefirm’s history traces back to 1994: “There
was a small, old weaving mill with a larger
entrance that young toolmaker Alfred Knarr
chose to rent. One of the first machines
he purchased for this space was a JUNG
HF 50 , a flat grinding machine, year of
manufacture 1980. The grinder was added
later, and it’s still on the premises today.”
The JUNG HF 50 is actually still in use today
as well. Meanwhile it is one of 31 machinesfrom the UNITED GRINDING Group: twoMÄGERLE, four STUDER, and 25 BLOHM
JUNG machines.
Founded in 1994, KNARR is almost
the same age as the UNITED GRINDING
Group, which was founded in 1993. “Here“THE TECHNICIANS OF BLOHM JUNG
DON’T SIT MEEKLY BEHIND THEIRCOMPUTERS. THEY TALK TO THE CUSTOMER.
PROVIDE SUPPORT.”
Thomas Wunsiedler, KNARR

at KNARR, we started with three employees
alongside the boss. We now count 250 andare heading towards 280. We have grown
together with UNITED GRINDING, I think it’sfair to say.”Just how well the companies are in sync
is immediately noticeable in the interview,which included Alfred Weber, Deputy
Production Manager and QMO at KNARR,
Ralf Traber, and Siegfried Völkel in addition
to Wunsiedler. Traber is the Sales Manager
at BLOHM JUNG, and Völkel represents thesales company Berner + Straller, which has
supported the partnership since the very start.
In Völkel’s words: “I remember driving to
JUNG in Göppingen after an AMB trade fairin Stuttgart, late in the evening because Mr.
Knarr wanted a ’J630’, and we knew there

was one there. It was pitch dark, and we
had to look for the light switches.” Webersays: “The machine wasn’t even ready. I
think the issue was how the digital display
should be implemented on the machine.
Mr. Knarr wanted to know how far things
had progressed. He knows everything about
the machines inside and out. That’s why
he’s always there when it comes to larger
purchases. He knows what he’s talking
about.” Traber adds: “Mr. Knarr is an original.
A guy. But in a good way! If a young man, as
Mr. Knarr was at the time, hopes to set up
his own company, then he needs the rightmindset. The focus needs to be on moving
forward …” Völkel adds: “ … and of course
also: short decision-making paths. A typical
German medium-sized company.”

From the founder’s ’garage,’ an old weaving mill converted in 1994, we then moved into
the first new building and finally into the large new hall in Helmbrecht’s
industrial district—with photovoltaics on the roof since 2009. Pictured, right: Alfred Weber,Thomas Wunsiedler, KNARR, Ralf Traber, BLOHM JUNG

14 Motion 02.2023

Photos: KNARR Group (4), Fredrik Karlsson/SolstaFoto, HANZA (2);Illustrations: ElenVD/Shutterstock, Agrus/Shutterstock

KNARR and BLOHM JUNG havegrown together. Over almost 30
years, from the first machine to the
31st as it stands todayMÄGERLEBLOHM

A SAVIOR ON FIVE AXES
Hanza and MÄGERLE support large
customers from the gas turbine
industry—with a great deal oftrust in the partner and the latest
technology

OLA SVENSSON, Site Manager at Hanza, ischeery as he joins the video interview,
greeting the other participants with a“Morning, Morning, Morning, and Hi
Stefan” to Stefan Zürcher, Head of Sales andMarketing at MÄGERLE and the “Motion”
editor. Hanza has offered complete solutionsin advanced machining for turbine, aviation,industry, and offshore since the 1970s andserves customers from the gas turbine
industry such as Siemens or Energy Sweden
in six production clusters.
“In 1995, Hanza made the big switch to
the turbine business,” says Svensson, “weinitially worked on three-axis MÄGERLE
machines and a BLOHM double-wheel
machine.” When prices for turbines began
to fall, it was time to become more efficient.

“HANZA WAS ONE OF
THE FIRST COMPANIESWORLDWIDE TO INVEST
IN MÄGERLE FIVE-AXISTECHNOLOGY.”JUNG

STUDERSCHAUDTMIKROSA“Roger Persson and I visited MÄGERLE andinitially considered purchasing anotherthree-axis machine in order to grind theturbine blades. But then they showed us acompletely new machine—and we had a lot
to talk about for the next few days.”
The new machine was the MFP 50—thefirst with five axes. “Hanza was one of thefirst companies to embrace MÄGERLE fiveaxis technology,” says Stefan Zürcher. “Andbecause Hanza itself was still relatively new
to the turbine business, it was possible toproduce more efficiently from the outset.
They were pioneers.” “After a year thatfeatured a lot of help from MÄGERLE, wewere able to reduce the number of setups
for gas turbine parts for Siemens from theprevious six or seven to two,” Svensson
reports. “This was the prerequisite forremaining on the market at all, because
prices had fallen further in the meantime.”

WALTER

EWAG

IRPD

Here too, trust and communication were key
to success: “We know each other very well,and we know exactly what the other needs.
When we sit down to talk, we can go to thepoint immediately. And of course we also
benefit from the experience MÄGERLE has
worldwide. But we don’t do everything thatMÄGERLE says—and MÄGERLE doesn’t
do everything we say. And that’s the way
it should be.”“MÄGERLE ISRELIABLE AND
FLEXIBLE. YOU
CAN RELY ON
EVERYTHING
THEY SAY.”
Ola Svensson, HanzaÅrjäng is home to the Hanza Group’s mostmodern factory for machining and precision
mechanics. Complex turbine parts are
manufactured here using MÄGERLE MFP 50
five-axis technology. Pictured: Ola Svensson,
Hanza (right), Stefan Zürcher, MÄGERLE

Stefan Zürcher, MÄGERLE

Motion 02.2023 15

UNITED GRINDING GROUPINDEPTH

30 YEARS OLD BUT
FOREVER JUNGThe UNITED GRINDING Group has not only provided its
customers with new systems and made them more
successful for three decades, but it also provides them withvital services such as rebuilds, which make outdated
machines as good as new

It’s a sunny afternoon in Fürth, the sound of birds chirping in
the city park mingles with noises from JUNG grinding machines
coming from the windows of an old building in the city center.

“That’s good to hear, Mr. Dorn.
Of course, our technician will still come byto check everything in detail.”“Mr. Dorn, where can I reach you,
do you have time to talk?”

Matthias Friedrich, Sales Engineer at BLOHM JUNG, provides
top technical support for revision requests from customers. Dueto the high quality and longevity of JUNG machines, there arestill around 15,000 models in use worldwide that are no longer manufactured. This also applies to the JE 525 machines at
Reichenbächer + Hasel, which were built between 1989 and 1990.
For these customers, OEM maintenance, inspection, and machine
rebuilds are highly valued services.

“Mr. Friedrich, how nice it is to hearfrom you! Wait, I’ll go to the office for a
moment, we can talk better there.”“Wonderful. I just wanted to hear
whether everything was OK with your five
JUNG machines. Your next preventive
maintenance appointment is coming up.”
“Of course, everything is fine, as always.
Or, as we say here: Forever JUNG!”
Reiner Dorn is Managing Director of Reichenbächer + Hasel
Schleiftechnik GmbH, a successful company specializing in thehighest precision for surface and profile grinding technology.
Their customers include well-known companies from the electronics, medical technology, machine tool, mold and tool making,aerospace, and automotive industries. Since its foundation in1971, the company has relied exclusively on JUNG machines.

16 Motion 02.2023“Is everything OK with the two latest rebuilds?”“Mr. Friedrich, these machines are still as
good as new. We just had the rebuilds done a
few years ago. In any case, our customers
can continue to rely on the usual high standards ofprecision. It also greatly reduces ourenergy consumption, which many of ourcustomers insist on for their products.”

Photo: GaudiLab/Shutterstock; illustration: ElenVD/Shutterstock

TEXT: Markus HuthMÄGERLE

BLOHM

JUNG

STUDERSCHAUDT

Matthias Friedrich (right) is a sales engineer at the Göppingen site of BLOHM JUNG (pictured).
He advises and supports customers on subjects starting from defining the necessary extent
of the machine refurbishment to the overhaul of the associated dressing units and making theentire system as good as new. This picture shows the difference between old and new using
the example of a JUNG grinding machine from the JF series

MIKROSAWALTEREWAG

IRPD

HOW A REBUILD IS DONE
A machine overhaul can either be
for the complete machine or forindividual modular components. If
the entire machine is refurbished,
we call this a rebuild. Although theprocess can take several weeks at
the Göppingen plant, customers
can continue production without
losing much time at all. This isbecause they either receive acomparable as-new overhauledmachine directly in exchange for
their old machine, or they areprovided with a loaner machine forthe duration of the overhaul.
GUIDEWAYS
The guideways are crucial for the precision andlongevity of JUNG machines. As an exclusive
JUNG service for customers, these are groundin during the rebuild process. They are given a
special surface hardening treatment and theproven cross-hatch finish, which ensures thenecessary accuracy for medical technology andthe automotive industry, among others.

GRINDING SPINDLESOne of the most stressed and importantcomponents is the grinding spindle, which isin direct contact with the workpiece anddetermines its quality. Grinding spindles are
replaced when a machine is overhauled.

REPAINTING
Fashions change, even for grinding machines:
in the past, green was the color of choice, buttoday gleaming white is much more modern.
After a rebuild, your JUNG machine will look
like a newly built machine.

DRESSING“Yes, you’re right, of course. JUNG machines
have a top-grade cast steel base. The rebuild
process means that the energy used to
produce the machine the first time round is also
used for a second machine life, which has amuch lower energy footprint compared tobuilding a new machine.”
A complete overhaul (rebuild) of a machine at the JUNG plantin Göppingen breathes new life into old equipment. It is then as
good as it was when first delivered and is just as easy to operate.
After a rebuild, the service life of the machine is reset to up to
several decades and the customer receives a machine that is as
good as new at an economical price.

The dressing unit in the machine sharpens andshapes the grinding wheel. The rebuild team in
Göppingen restores it to an as-new condition
for maximum precision by replacing spare andwear parts and grinding the guides.

UPGRADES
Outdated grinding equipment can also benefit
from technical progress without having to replace the entire machine. An updated machine
control, a new automatic centralized lubrication
system, or new capabilities, such as creep
feed, plunge grinding, or face grinding, are just a
few examples.

Motion 02.2023 17

UNITED GRINDING GROUPINDEPTHSCHAUDT AND MIKROSA AS
GOOD AS NEW TOOTHANKS TO UNITED GRINDING’S MAINTENANCE
and rebuild service, thousands of SCHAUDT
and MIKROSA machines are still in use today. “The life expectancy of grinding machines is longer than that of other machine
tools. Because we have taken over the support of these models, there is no reason
for our customers to replace them, even
if no new ones are being built,” says Ralf
Schürl, Head of Technology at the Göppingen site of BLOHM JUNG. The technology center in Göppingen is currently being
modernized and expanded to make it evenmore efficient. “Because, where a relatively
small JUNG machine requires only aroundsix square meters (64.5 square feet) of installation space, a SCHAUDT can take up to
40 square meters (430 square feet).”The highly productive CamGrind L2 asa cylindrical and non-cylindrical grinding
machine for producing medium and large
series was specially designed to manufacture camshafts for combustion engines.
However, it is extremely versatile and canbe configured for other workpieces within a
few days. Conversions of this kind are also
performed in Göppingen, says Schürl. For

GRINDING WITH TRADITION
With the founding years of their predecessor
companies in 1878 and 1906, MIKROSA and
SCHAUDT are among the oldest brands of the
UNITED GRINDING Group. Since 2021, theirbusiness operations have been continued by
BLOHM JUNG, who provide servicing, consulting, spare parts, retooling, and rebuilding
services. For our customers, the contacts andthe usual high quality remain unchanged.

18 Motion 02.2023

example, by exchanging wheel guards on
machines that use the multi-wheel concept
developed by SCHAUDT, which allows all
the cylindrical features of a workpiece to be
ground in a single plunge. Another important service provided by the Göppingen siteis the overhaul of individual components
for machines in the field, which are theninstalled by experts at the customer’s site.
In addition to the CamGrind, our customers also use numerous FlexGrind machines
and we provide the same service for theseunits as well. This versatile cylindrical grinding machine from SCHAUDT has clamping
lengths of up to 4,000 millimeters (157 inches) and component weights of up to 1,200
kilograms (2,640 lbs). It is used for grinding
tool spindles, printing rolls, and workpieces
with individual forms.

MORE THAN 100 YEARS OF GRINDINGHISTORY—AND STILL IN DEMAND
The Göppingen team consists of specialists
in mechanical and electrical design, software, and process development. They aresupported by employees from the Service
department. In addition to the SCHAUDT
systems, they also take care of MIKROSA
machines.
The origins of this long-establishedcompany go back to 1878. Their stateof-the-art KRONOS S, M, L, and D series
are renowned for their highly productive
centerless grinding of precision workpieces. “The KRONOS S-series, with its crossslide system design for very high accuracy,
is still unique on the market,” says Schürl.
And thanks to the outstanding rebuild andmaintenance service with the know-how
of the original manufacturing company,
customers can use their SCHAUDT and
MIKROSA machines for successful production for many more years to come. MÄGERLE

BLOHM

JUNG

STUDERSCHAUDTMIKROSAWALTER

EWAG

IRPD

RALF SCHÜRL ON THE REBUILD VARIANTS:
Our Rebuild concepts are tailored to the customers' needs. For example,
Rebuild @ the customer: This is where the machine is overhauled at
the customer’s plant. This is possible up to a certain extent. Only more
complex tasks, such as the rebuilding and upgrading of the guideway
system are done at our site in Göppingen. We give our customers
logistical support.
The second concept is called Second Life. A machine is boughtback from the market from a third party and overhauled at our premises
in Göppingen. This machine is then available on the market again.
Customers can increase their capacity for established processes ordevelop workflows for new workpieces with the support of our experts.

Ralf Schürl (above, next to the Rebuild hall in Göppingen) is Head of Technology at
BLOHM JUNG in Göppingen and, with his team, takes care of machine overhauls for JUNG,
SCHAUDT, and MIKROSA. Below in the picture: a MIKROSA KRONOS S on the left and
SCHAUDT CamGrind L2 on the right

Motion 02.2023 19

UNITED GRINDING GROUPINSIDEWE FIND SOLUTIONS!
Even the best machine is useless if it stops and nobody comes to fix it. That’s why ourexpert Customer Service staff get there quickly to fix your problem. This is only possible
thanks to our motivated and impeccably trained employees. Motion presents four of them
TEXT: Markus Huth

“GOOD SERVICE IS BASED ON
TRUST.”
JOACHIM CERUSOPOSITION: Process Engineer at BLOHM JUNG, Göppingen
CONTACT: Joachim.Ceruso@blohmjung.com“GETTING A MACHINE TO RUN IS
THE BEST FEELING.”
JERRY MASONPOSITION: Cylindrical Service Manager at UNITED GRINDING
North America, Miamisburg
CONTACT: Jerry.Mason@grinding.com“GETTING A CUSTOMER’S MACHINE running again is the best feeling in
my job,” says Jerry Mason. He is responsible for customer service
in cylindrical grinding at UNITED GRINDING North America andprimarily looks after customers with STUDER machines in the USA
and Canada. He is responsible for a team of nine technical service
professionals. They are based in different locations across North
America to enable them to get to the sites as quickly as possible.
“I also really enjoy working with my technicians and communicating with our affiliates. They give their best for our customers.”
Before Mason joined the company about 22 years ago, the qualified
master electrician worked in this field in industrial and commercial
buildings. Today, his working day begins with reading requests andservice reports before he starts making customer calls and new
emails land in his inbox. “Often these are very nice messages from
customers thanking us for solving their problem quickly,” says
Mason, adding: “You never get tired of receiving those.”
Photo: Romy Streit“I LIKE INTERACTING WITH CUSTOMERS and solving tricky problems,”
says Joachim Ceruso. Today, the experienced technician works
at the Göppingen BLOHM JUNG site looking after all SCHAUDT
machines that are still being used by customers. Ceruso has a long
history with the venerable company, where he began working in
1986. SCHAUDT’s business operations and those of MIKROSA
have been transferred to BLOHM JUNG. However, customers cantrust the same high-quality services and keep their familiar contact
persons. Ceruso’s tasks include procedural project planning, thedevelopment of non-cylindrical and cylindrical grinding operations(for example for camshafts), supporting processes up to final acceptance, and development coordination in the software group. “I amcurrently supporting the optimization and conversion of a CamGrindmachine to a new camshaft in Hungary,” he reports. Ceruso always
attaches great importance to discussing all the details with customers whether it concerns conversions, remote maintenance, or the
installation of new software. “Because no two processes are thesame and, ultimately, good service is based on trust.”

20 Motion 02.2023

MÄGERLE

BLOHM

JUNG

STUDERSCHAUDTMIKROSAWALTER

EWAG

IRPD“PROFESSIONAL ANDSYMPATHETIC”
PETR BAĎUŘÍKPOSITION: Service Coordinator for Central andEastern Europe at WALTER, Kuřim
CONTACT: Petr.Badurik@walter-machines.de“I STILL ENJOY MY WORKAFTER 40 YEARS.”
PAOLO CURCILLOPOSITION: Regional Service Manager for Italy at STUDER, Thun
CONTACT: Paolo.Curcillo@studer.com“WHAT I ENJOY most about my work is being in contact with customers,” says Paolo Curcillo. These days, he is the STUDER service
manager in Thun for the region from which he moved to Switzerland at the beginning of the 80s: Italy. “I had just graduated fromthe technical college in Italy with a degree in electrical engineeringand initially worked as an electrician in Switzerland,” he recalls.
But he began working for STUDER as early as 1984 and today
leads a Service team providing customers with outstanding technical support. His tasks include direct customer communication,
preparing quotations, and the quick and solution-oriented organization of technical service calls. He starts his working day byreading emails and speaking with customers on the phone. And
if Curcillo is unable to take your call due to other conversations,
he will get back to you as quickly as possible. Just recently, hemanaged to restart a grinding machine that was disabled due toelectrical problems. “I simply enjoy helping our customers—even
after almost 40 years in the company and 25 in customer service,”says Curcillo. “It is a nice feeling when production managers orowners call me specifically to thank me for my help in getting
production back on track.”“I LOOK FORWARD TO THE PHONE RINGING and being able to help ourcustomers,” says Petr Baďuřík. As Service Coordinator for WALTERat the Kuřim site. He and his team are responsible for the Central
and Eastern Europe region and support more than 500 companies.
In addition to expert advice and rapid assistance in the event oftechnical problems, Baďuřík also prepares quotations for spareparts and accessories. “If we cannot find a remote solution byphone or Internet, I send one of our service technicians to visit thecustomer,” he says. Baďuřík graduated from an industrial school
specializing in CNC machines and has been with the company
for almost 20 years. “There are no stereotypical days in this job.
Every day is different and I like that variety,” he says. It is always
important to remember to be sympathetic. It is not uncommon forcustomers to call him in moments of stress due to the machineissues they are experiencing. “My task is to communicate withthem in a professional yet sympathetic way. Nobody should feellike they are talking to a call center robot,” explains Baďuřík. “Itfeels good when these customers visit me at a trade show or an
Open House to personally thank me for successful cooperation.”

Motion 02.2023 21

UNITED GRINDING GROUP

INTERVIEW

HOW IT ALL STARTEDCEO Stephan Nell met Werner Redeker, former Chairman of the Board of Körber AG, for the
30th anniversary of the UNITED GRINDING Group. The discussion takes them back to thenineties when the Körber Schleifring was formed during a serious crisis in the German andSwiss machine tool industry. The Schleifring was the predecessor from which the present
UNITED GRINDING Group emerged. And it looks to the future of the group in a world where
many things are changing and yet a surprising amount remains the same
TEXT: Michael Hopp
PHOTOGRAPHY: David Maupilé

Mr. Redeker, you started as a development
engineer at Körber in 1979.
Redeker: I can still remember the interview
22 Motion 02.2023

with Eberhard Reuther. He first gave me atour of HAUNI. At the time, HAUNI was
already a model plant. The Mecca of manufacturing technology with all the latest
machines and equipment. And then wecrossed over the road to BLOHM. What adifference between them. Eberhard Reutherexplained his plans for BLOHM and convinced me to start working there. And what
can I say, it all turned out like he explained
it. Better in fact.
What role did German Chancellor Helmut
Schmidt play in the takeover of companies
such as BLOHM or SCHAUDT?
Redeker: Bergedorf, the location of HAUNIand BLOHM, was in Schmidt’s constituency.
And Schmidt asked his friend Körber to takeover BLOHM. However, Körber was initiallyonly interested in taking on the employees
he needed for his growing business. At thesame time, however, he also investigated
the future of the machine tool market. At
the time, BLOHM had a famous twin-headmachine for the turbine industry. That wasinteresting.
Nell: They are still available today ...
Redeker: ... and it was one reason thatconvinced Körber to acquire BLOHM as amachine tool company. Eberhard Reutherorganized the takeover and immediately became the division manager after the
takeover. As a non-technician, he got very
deeply involved in the technology and began
to rebuild BLOHM with great verve. That iswhen I met him for my job interview.

Photos: picture-alliance/dpa (2), picture-alliance/ZB

I’ll show you the 2013 Motion that was
published to introduce the new brand andthe new machine design. Do you remember, Mr. Nell?
Stephan Nell: The new machine design wasa major revelation back then at the EMO in
Hanover. For the first time, the outside world
saw us as a group. We exhibited machinesfrom all our brands together at the EMO, allwith this new design. It was a big step in theright direction for us.
Werner Redeker: I remember this magazine.
I was still Chairman of the Board at Körber.
Creating a unified brand for the Group andachieving greater cohesion was alreadyan ongoing issue at Körber that we neverreally managed to solve.
Nell: A lot has changed since then. The
brands work together on many projects. We
have established working groups beyond theseparate brands in many areas. Cooperation
is a priority—now we collaborate instead ofcompeting. Another great example is our
new C.O.R.E. OS user interface. It would
not have been possible without close cooperation. But we also achieve more together
in sales, marketing, finance, production—by
which I mean our manufacturing concept—
and in many other areas. Nevertheless, weare still not where we could be.
Redeker: I can tell you something, you never
get there 100 percent …

MÄGERLE

BLOHM

JUNG

STUDERSCHAUDTMIKROSAWALTER

EWAG

IRPD

In 1992, Körber AG started bringing together separate tool and grinding machine companies in Germany and Switzerland toform the Körber Schleifring. It was established 30 years ago in 1993. In 2013, the group was separated from Körber AG
and renamed UNITED GRINDING. Stephan Nell had been appointed CEO beforehand in 2012. For this interview, he met
Werner Redeker. In the 90s, Mr. Redeker helped Eberhard Reuther (then Chairman of the Board of Körber) to set up theSchleifring and was himself appointed Chairman of the Board of Körber AG in 2000

Motion 02.2023 23

UNITED GRINDING GROUP

INTERVIEW

TAKING PART IN THE
DISCUSSIONWERNER REDEKER
Werner Redeker was born in 1947 in Stemwede,North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. He studied
mechanical engineering at the Technical
University of Braunschweig starting in 1967
and initially remained at the university as ascientific employee from 1972. In 1979, after
receiving his doctorate in engineering, Redeker
was hired by Eberhard Reuther as a development engineer for the HAUNI plants of Körber
AG. In 1989, he became managing directorof Blohm Maschinenbau GmbH. In 1992 hebecame a member of the board of Körber AG,
then chairman of the board of Körber AG, and amember of the board of trustees of the Körber
Foundation in 2000. In 2009, he moved to thesupervisory board. Mr. Redeker retired in 2016.

And the Schleifring companies in former
East Germany, like MIKROSA for example.
How did they join the Group?
Redeker: East German companies had been
held in escrow for disposal of assets sincereunification in 1989. Reuther himself comesfrom Leipzig. Helmut Schmidt was alreadyon the Körber Supervisory Board at the time.
At the EMO 1992, he saw our BLOHM and
SCHAUDT booth and had a word with me:
do not close any of the three East German
companies in the next three years! And so
we also took care of the East German Schleifring. We fought hard during this time. I kept
saying, this is going to go terribly wrong with
only BLOHM and SCHAUDT and the three
East German companies. But, the decisionat the time was that we either get out of themachine tool industry or we do it right.

STEPHAN NELLAs CEO, Stephan Nell has been responsible
for the UNITED GRINDING Group’s businessworldwide since 2012. He joined STUDER in
2003 as a sales manager for Europe and served
as CEO from 2007 to 2011.

And we know what decision was made.
Redeker: We wrote to many grinding machine companies asking them to join us andmany were interested. To our surprise, so
were the Swiss companies STUDER andMÄGERLE. I still remember the first discussions. The two managing directors were very
successful, but very different personalities.
Nell: The same applies to the owners: One
was a well-known Swiss investor, the otheran architect and art lover—which is where
we got the slogan “The Art of Grinding.”.
Redeker: When all the discussions went well,it was clear that we had to set up Schleifring
as a separate division. It was a completely
different business than we had with HAUNI
before. Very strong competition, a very diverse international customer base.
How bad was the crisis at the beginningof the nineties?
Redeker: The economy was at rock bottom
worldwide. Industries such as the automotive sector and turbine manufacturers wereno longer investing. For example, SCHAUDT
did not receive any inquiries for six months
and therefore did not receive a single order.
Some companies disappeared into obscurity
or the owners gave up due to poor equity.
Many East German companies still believedthat the market would revive thanks to good
contacts with Russia, but they were wrong.
However, MÄGERLE, which turned a profit
during the crisis, and STUDER were not at
risk. But all the other companies in our new
Schleifring Group could not have survived
without us or another investor.

24 Motion 02.2023

Mr. Nell, you started your career in the
midst of this crisis?
Nell: Well, I didn't start until 2002. But I know
about crises too. They are common in themachine tool business. There is a slump
roughly every seven years—it is a volatileindustry. I have friends in the food industry
who complain if sales fall by five percent.
That wouldn’t even bother us. You have tolearn how to deal with it and develop something like resistance to downturns. We always need to know what would happen if
sales dropped by 30 percent from the peak.
What exactly? What measures to take, whenwill they take effect? There is only one rule:permanent staff will not be made redundant.
Our goal is to keep the team. Because it isalso clear that things will improve again afterwards and then we can only succeed if
we also have the people.
Redeker: At the time, we didn’t have a setup
like that for Schleifring. We simply had too
many people for the few orders we received.
And the German companies could not be
adapted quickly enough due to legislation.
Besides that, we never liked dismissing
people at Körber. There was a completely
different mentality in Switzerland. Despite
staff reductions, the people in the companies
were much happier than those in Germany.
There, they knew they would be needed andhired back very quickly when things picked
up. And that is exactly what happened starting in 1994. But many German companies
had already disappeared by then.
Nell: We have gained additional market
shares after every crisis of the last 20 years.
And that is because we had the strength of
the Group—and the people. Also because
we did not need any funding for larger orders
and because we ordered material early on.
We only lose out if the issue of the moment
is pricing. We do not engage in the kind of
price competition that our competitors doout of desperation. Because what I sell has
a value—and it still has the same value even
if the market doesn`t perform.
Redeker: But you also need to have theproducts. Before being taken over by Körber,
BLOHM had relied on standard machinesthat were never really developed any further
for 20 to 30 years. There were hardly any
innovations. Sales were steadily declining,
and in the meantime, the competition in theturbine industry, which was so importantfor surface and profile grinding machines,
had made considerable progress. When weMÄGERLE

BLOHM

JUNG

STUDER“OURS IS A VOLATILE
INDUSTRY. YOU HAVE TOLEARN TO DEAL WITH IT
AND DEVELOP SOMETHING
LIKE RESISTANCE TO
DOWNTURNS.”SCHAUDTMIKROSAWALTER

EWAG

IRPD“THE ADVANTAGE OF A GROUPIS THAT EVERY COMPANY
IS BACKED UP BY A STRONG
PARENT ENTERPRISE.
THIS IS ALSO HELPFUL
DURING A CRISIS.”
Werner Redeker

Stephan Nell

In this interview, Werner Redeker and Stephan Nell discuss the 30-year history of the Group.
They agreed that the current UNITED GRINDING Group would not exist if Körber AG had nottaken over the then crises-ridden tool and grinding machine companies in the nineties and restructured
them—with staying power and entrepreneurial foresight

Motion 02.2023 25

UNITED GRINDING GROUP

INTERVIEW“BLOHM AND SCHAUDTALREADY HAD MAJOR
CUSTOMERS IN THE USA AND
CHINA. WE DIDN’T HAVE
MUCH OF A PRESENCE YET
BECAUSE OF OUR SIZE.”
Werner Redeker

were acquired by Körber, Eberhard Reutherinitiated a period during which we caught
up extremely quickly and then outpaced
our rivals.
Nell: Today, the UNITED GRINDING Groupinvests the same amount into research anddevelopment every year regardless of thestate of the economy. We already established this habit during the Körber years. You
can always find excuses for not spending
money on development: If things are going
badly—we have no money. And if things aregoing well—we have no time. So you end
up with an outdated product range. We canonly convince new customers to buy fromus if they earn more with our machines thanwith the machines made by our competitors. That’s why continuous investment is
crucial. Results can be optimized, of course,
but never at the expense of substance. And
the other thing: we can be sure that machine
tools will always exist. For as long as wehumans move, live, and deal with things we
can physically handle.
Redeker: The machine tool industry is themother of all machines, they say.
Nell: This is a business that works in very
long cycles. It is not a question of raising
the return on sales by two tenths. This is along-term business, and that’s how we wantto handle it. Responsibly.
26 Motion 02.2023“THE DIFFERENCE IS THAT BACKTHEN WE WERE A EUROPEAN
COMPANY WITH INTERNATIONAL
BUSINESS. TODAY WE ARE AN
INTERNATIONAL GROUP.”
Stephan Nell

New topic: the Schleifring Group had already begun to expand internationally andtoday the UNITED GRINDING Group generates more than half of its sales outside
Europe. What has been continued andwhat has changed?
Redeker: BLOHM and SCHAUDT alreadyhad major customers in the USA and China,
and a few in Japan. We didn’t have muchof a presence yet in these locations justbecause of our size. Then STUDER joined
us and already had its own subsidiaries andagencies around the world. We were thenable to afford to expand our presence inthe USA and China. Local contacts, local
service technicians. At the time, we were
struggling to find a name to use in the
USA and ended up choosing UNITED
GRINDING Technologies. This then became
UNITED GRINDING Group. I am very happy
about that.
Nell: The difference is that back then wewere a European company with international
business and now we have become much

more of an international group. Anyone
seeing UNITED GRINDING North America
today would see an American company, nota branch of a German or Swiss company.
It’s very similar in China. Many of the things
we are discussing today were set in motion
years ago. And we have actually made excellent progress.
One reason for this was certainly thatboth the Körber Schleifring and UNITED
GRINDING Group are based on the idea of
running separate companies as a group.
What are the tangible benefits?
Redeker: Quite simply that every company
and every brand is backed up by a strong
parent enterprise. This is helpful during acrisis—for example, we can always provide
our customers with services no matter what
predicament we are in. Is it also advantageous for international expansion. We canafford to open sales and service branches without each company having to fundeverything themselves.

MÄGERLE

BLOHM

Nell: The various member companies also
have different customers and industries withdifferent business cycles. This buffers thefluctuating effects of every economic cycle
across the group. Digitalization is a current
topic where working as a group is beneficial.
The size of the group and the fact that we
cooperate with more people are favorable as
we can develop more know-how and better
software.
But aren't there also situations in which
companies are not so enthusiastic about
being welded together into a group?
Redeker: Of course, individual company
managers have a healthy self-interest. Thisselfishness is partly healthy, but partly also
an impediment to enhancing our synergies.

JUNG

STUDERSCHAUDTMIKROSA

Nell: They only get enthusiastic later on when
the additional benefits become apparent.
Redeker: Another thing that was certainly
crucial for the development of the group as
it is today was the earlier combination ofKörber AG and Körber as a foundation-owned
company—a great concept. Models of thiskind are similar to a family business—they
think in the longer term and keep profits
within the company. The executives andworkers alike feel that they are also doing
something for the benefit of society.
Nell: This is the background to how today’sgroup came to exist.
Redeker: Without the foundation, theUNITED GRINDING Group would not exist today. I don't think that anyone else
in 1993 would have been willing to bring

WALTER

EWAG

IRPD

together so many companies, almost allof which were struggling, and take overthe East German companies too. Althoughthese were bought for negative purchaseprices, i.e. with subsidies. You can live on
subsidies for two or three years but not in
the long term. You have to get your feet on
the ground at some point. You can only dothat in companies or investor groups thatconsider long-term goals, not just tomorrowand the day after. “THIS IS THE BACKGROUND TO HOWTODAY’S GROUP CAME TO EXIST.”
Stephan Nellv

“I DON'T THINK THAT,IN 1993, ANYONE ELSEWOULD HAVE BEEN
WILLING TO BRING
TOGETHER SO MANYCOMPANIES.”
Werner Redeker

Motion 02.2023 27

UNITED GRINDING GROUP

A DAY WITH …

Project Engineer Chen Songchuan and his team at
UNITED GRINDING China plan and configure machines
for customers

FROM
PLANNINGTOCOMPLETIONTEXT: Markus Huth
PHOTOS: Qilai Shen

“FOR ME, direct communication with customers is the top priority.
This is the only way we can align processes and plans with theirwishes and requirements,” says Chen Songchuan. The projectengineer has been with UNITED GRINDING China for 16 years
and supports customers from the Shanghai site along with ateam of nine. His tasks include pre-sales and planning support.
He is a graduate of the renowned Jiangsu University in Zhenjiang and has acquired extensive expertise in machining injection
pump parts and assembling injection systems over more than
15 years. His working day begins with reading and answering
customer inquiries and telephone calls. He is currently working
on behalf of a customer who has four STUDER grinding machines to develop the perfect machine configuration for the workpieces they produce. In addition, he and his team are currently
preparing a KC33 machine of the latest generation for delivery.
Commissioning at the customer’s site and issuing the certificate
of completion takes an average of ten days, explains Songchuan
and adds: “That’s one of my favorite moments because manycustomers thank us.”
CONTACT:
Chen.Songchuan@grinding.cn

28 Motion 02.2023

9:00 A.M.
DIRECT COMMUNICATION
Songchuan’s workday begins with reading emails
and answering customer questionsMÄGERLE

BLOHM

JUNG

STUDERSCHAUDTMIKROSAWALTER

EWAG

IRPD

10:00 A.M.
CUSTOM CONFIGURATION
Together with his colleague
Liu Dongliang from the Development
department, he inspects a customer’s
process plan and workpiece drawings.
This allows them to configure andadapt their machine perfectly

10:45 A.M.
QUALITY
He consults with Shi Yalin from
Quality Control as the process plan isvery complex“THANKS TO DIRECTCOMMUNICATION WITH THE
CUSTOMER, WE CAN
IMPLEMENT ALL THEIRWISHES PRECISELY.”
Chen Songchuan

11:30 A.M.
ON THE WAY
The customer needs the requested
services to be implemented quickly.
Songchuan calls the Sales department
on his way to the office to ensure thateverything is well-coordinated

12:00 P.M.
MEETING
Together with product manager Liu Bing (left)
and application engineer Jiang Bo, he updates theprocess plan before sending it to Sales
Motion 02.2023 29

UNITED GRINDING GROUP

A DAY WITH …

1:30 P.M.
IN THE WAREHOUSE
Songchuan picks up materials
and accessories from thewarehouse to install on thecurrent machine

2:45 P.M.
PERFORMANCE TEST
He installs and tests the accessories on thecurrent machine with the help of applicationengineer Hou Keke

5:00 P.M.

3:30 P.M.
PRELIMINARY ACCEPTANCE
Internal preliminary acceptance of thecurrent machine includes measuring thefirst workpiece after grinding
30 Motion 02.2023

A LAST CHECKSongchuan is on his
way back to theoffice to check his
emails before
going homeMÄGERLE

BLOHM

JUNG

STUDERSCHAUDTMIKROSAWALTER

EWAG

IRPD

TOOLS
TECHNOLOGY
NEWS FROM THE UNITED GRINDING GROUP

CONTENTS32	
STUDER
The new insertLoad universal loader for
S33 and S31 cylindrical grinding machines33	
BLOHM JUNG
PLANOMAT XT 408 with a vertical
grinding layout

34	MÄGERLE
The MFP 330 is the biggest of its kind35	
WALTER
New Laser Contour Check software functionin HELITRONIC TOOL STUDIO 3.5

35	
NEW CUSTOMER PORTAL
Customers of the UNITED GRINDING Group
have access to a manufacturer-neutral
customer portal

Detailed view of
STUDER insertLoad universal
loading system with double
gripper for shaft parts
clamped between centers

UNITED GRINDING GROUPTOOLSTECHNOLOGY

S31 – CNC universal
external cylindrical grinding
machine with new insertLoad
automation solution

NEW UNIVERSALLOADING SYSTEM
The new STUDER insertLoad loading system is a universal
automation solution for S33 and S31 cylindrical grinding machines.
It can load parts between centers and in chucks

THE NEW, UNIVERSAL AUTOMATION solution
makes it easier to load and unload the S33
and S31 CNC universal cylindrical grinding
machines. Until now, customer-specificloaders were required for automation. The
new standardized loading system can handle both vertical and horizontal workpieces
and, thanks to its design, can be easily configured for centers or chucks by the users
themselves. A set-up wizard helps users toprogram the loading system using simple
visualizations; no programming knowledge
is needed.
The S33 and S31 are ideal grinding solutions for small to large workpieces in one-off,small-batch, and mass production. Both machines have a distance between centers of
400 to 1,600 millimeters (15.75 to 63 inches)
and a center height of 175 millimeters (6.9
inches). The insertLoad can handle distances between centers of up to 1,000 millimeters (39.4 inches) and thus closes a gap in
32 Motion 02.2023

STUDER’s standardized automation systems. The workpieces can be up to 100 mm
in length and weigh 1.5 kg in alternating or
5 kg in individual operation.

GREAT FLEXIBILITY
Due to the great flexibility of the loader interms of geometry, size, and the time required for the relevant grinding task, its level of autonomy varies, as does the capacityof the workpiece drawers. The time without
operator intervention is typically between
half an hour and one hour. A Fanuc robot
takes over the loading and unloading of theworkpieces. It moves back and forth along
a linear axis between the loader and the machine’s workspace.
Another important factor in the development was reliability in grinding processes
that use grinding oil. For example, a loading
hatch separates the loading area of the automation solution from the workspace of themachine. This prevents flame flashback inprocesses that use grinding oil. The softwareand a safety switch furthermore ensure that
operators are not at risk in the event of adeflagration. STUDER will present the new
insertLoad loading system to an international
audience for the first time at EMO Hannover2023 – it is also currently being prepared foruse on other machines.
CONTACT:
Daniel.Schafroth@studer.com

BENEFITS AT A GLANCE	Economical standard solution	Universal use
	Operate using set-up wizard
	Loading between centers or in chuck	Completely integrated into machine
designMÄGERLE

BLOHM

JUNG

STUDERSCHAUDTMIKROSAWALTER

MORE PRECISE
AND PRODUCTIVEOUR OWN AUTOMATION SOLUTION
The new automation solution specially developed for this purpose
also contributes to higher productivity. A robot gripper picks up thestator package to be ground from a buffer magazine and loads it

IRPD

The new vertical
grinding layout
has many advantages whenmachiningstators for hydraulic motors

BLOHM JUNG equips its PLANOMAT XT 408
with a vertical grinding arrangement and an
automation solution for the internal
machining of hydraulic motor stators

MORE UNIFORM DISTRIBUTION OF GRINDING ALLOWANCE, higher feed
rates, shorter cycle times, and less strain on the grinding spindle belts: The new vertical grinding layout of the PLANOMATXT 408 offers numerous advantages when machining stators forhydraulic motors. A quick-clamping device also lets the grinding arm
be replaced faster and easier. Changing to a different stator variant
by retooling the spindle arm, grinding wheel, dressing roller, andworkpiece clamping device only takes around 30 minutes all told.
This results in higher precision and increased productivity.
The vertical grinding arrangement does not require special spindles. It has standard spindles with flange-mounted motors that use
belt drives to achieve the speeds required for the durable CBN grinding wheels. No separate cooling is required for spindle or motor.
The grinding wheel is dressed within the machine, typically after
every five to six loads. In order to precisely hit the profile on the
dressing roll, the heat conduction of the grinding arm and machineis recorded in the workspace using a Samsomatic air impact measurement system.

EWAG

into the workspace through a side door on the right-hand side of
the machine. The finished package is discharged from the machineand placed on a conveyor belt. Automation can currently work independently for up to an hour, giving users more time for othertasks. BLOHM JUNG will demonstrate how the new system works
in practice for the first time ever at EMO Hannover 2023 using a
two-armed variant of the PLANOMAT XT 408 with a buffer magazine
and automatic loader.
CONTACT:
Johannes.Muecke@blohmjung.com

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS	Footprint including automation components
approx. 6,500 x 2,200 mm (256 x 87 inches)	Grinding length/workpiece stack height: max. 130 mm (5.12 inches)	Cutting speed: max. 80 m/s (15,750 sfpm)
	
Grinding power: up to approx. 7 kW (9.5 hp)
	
Quick-change interface for time-saving retooling	
One or two grinding arms	
Automation with buffer magazine

PLANOMAT XT 408 is available
with a new vertical grinding
arrangement

Motion 02.2023 33

UNITED GRINDING GROUPTOOLSTECHNOLOGYTechnical drawing of the
MFP 330

THE LARGEST OF ITS KIND
The MÄGERLE MFP 330 isthe biggest machine of its kindever madeMÄGERLE MFP MACHINES stand for precision
grinding of large workpiece series in continuous operation. The robustly designed
systems for creep feed grinding, profile
grinding, and surface grinding using thependulum method are modular in design.
The basic modular system features a varietyof table lengths, vertical strokes, additionalaxes, and special components for workpiece-specific configuration.
The most recent example of the great
variability of the series is the MFP 330, whichMÄGERLE built on behalf of a customer. Thismachine has a grinding area 3,300 millimeters (130 inches) long and a table width of
750 millimeters (29.5 inches). This makes it
the largest machine of its kind ever made.
The MFP 330 has been specially manufactured for a leading manufacturer of motor-driven devices for the forestry, landscapemaintenance, gardening, and constructionindustries. This long machine was designed
to grind long machine tool components,
such as guideways and injection molds,
and is, therefore, an economical alternative
to gantry machines. However, it can also be
used to economically process special tools.
“Machines like the MFP 330 enable us tosell to particularly challenging niche markets,” says Viktor Ruh, Product Manager atMÄGERLE.
34 Motion 02.2023

With a grinding
length of 3.3 meters(130 inches), this is thelargest MFP to date

HIGH PERFORMANCE
In order to perform its special tasks optimally, the MFP 330 has a particularly powerfulgrinding spindle (115 kW/155 hp) and a correspondingly large grinding wheel (600 mm
x 300 mm/26 x 11.8 inch). The workpiece
profile is dressed in the machine using a table dresser. A special clamping device was
required to withstand the high grinding forces. Like the machine, the coolant cleaningsystem of the MFP 330 is unusually large.
It has a 10,000-liter (2,640-gallon) tank andachieves a flow rate of 780 liters (205 gal)
per minute for the grinding process.
CONTACT:
Viktor.Ruh@maegerle.com

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS	Table size and grinding area: 3,300 x 750 mm(130 x 29.5 inches)	Configurable grinding spindle power: 25, 50,
75, or 115 kW (33, 67, 100, or 155 hp)

	Maximum grinding wheel speed: dia.
600 mm x width 300 mm (dia. 26 x 11.8 inch)	
Footprint with coolant cleaning system:
approx. 13 x 4.5 m (42.6 x 14.75 ft)

	
Coolant cleaning system with 10,000-liter(2,640-gallon) tank	
780 l/min (205 gal/min) flow rate for cooling
the grinding processMÄGERLE

BLOHM

JUNG

STUDERSCHAUDTMIKROSAWALTER

EWAG

IRPD

TRANSACTION-NETWORKUNITED GRINDING Group invests inplatform providers to expand the functions ofDigital Solutions

UNITED GRINDING CUSTOMERS will be able toorder spare parts, resolve service tickets ormaintain machine records faster and moreeasily than ever before using the Transaction-Network customer portal. This tool
developed by Transaction-Network was so
impressive that we bought shares in thecompany as well as licenses. The digitalplatform is a software-as-a-service solution
for quick, simple, and affordable digitalization of after-sales service using standardized
interfaces.
“A manufacturer-independent customer
portal has many advantages for customers,such as uniform logins and consistent userinterfaces,” says Paul Kössl, Global Head ofBusiness Development and Customer Care at
UNITED GRINDING Group. The portal gives
customers access to all important master
data, documentation, and the history of theirmachines. For UNITED GRINDING customers, it is particularly convenient that the newcustomer portal will also be connected tothe in-house SAP system, which will enable
manual machines to be managed in separate
accounts. This means that the appropriate
operating instructions, documentation, andparts and spare parts lists are also automatically available for analog grinding machines.

Screenshot of theTransaction-Network
portalCONTACT:
Paul.Koessl@grinding.ch

NEW LASER CONTOUR CHECK FEATURE
At EMO Hannover 2023, WALTER will present new software
functions for its intelligent, non-contact measuring system in
HELITRONIC TOOL STUDIO 3.5

Laser Contour Check measuringsystem in a WALTER tool grinding
machineTHE LASER CONTOUR CHECK SOFTWARE module in the latest release of the HELITRONIC TOOLSTUDIO 3.5 workpiece processing software is more powerful than before. Measurement
operations can be added to a program with just a few clicks. The laser operation locks onto
the workpiece contour, automatically follows the corresponding grinding edge during measurement and then compares the target and actual contour. If the deviations are outside
the specified tolerance range, the software initiates a fully automatic correction to ensurethat subsequent parts are within the tolerances. The aim is to reduce the number of rejects.
Non-contact tool measurement using lasers is fast and avoids damaging the tool. Amongother things, the new software module presented at EMO Hannover can correct any tangentially connected contours. Furthermore, all corrections are presented in graphical andtabular form in a clear measurement report.
CONTACT:
Andreas.Nowack@walter-machines.de

Motion 02.2023 35

UNITED GRINDING GROUP

INTERNATIONALThe UNITED GRINDING Group has been making its customers more successful
around the world for 30 years. This also applies to Mexico, where the
manufacturing industry has great potential for the grinding machine market, butdomestic companies often struggle to compete internationally
TEXT: Markus Huth

LAND

OF

MEXICOGuadalajara
Santiago deQuerétaro
Mexico City

Antonio Mendoza (above, next to the Guadalajara Cathedral) is the CEO of Moldes Mendoza, an internationallysuccessful company for high-performance thermoplastic injection molds for large industries, such as food,hygiene, medicine, electronics, automotive, and aerospace. As CEO of UNITED GRINDING North America,
Markus Stolmar (right) is proud to count him among his customers

36 Motion 02.2023

MÄGERLE

BLOHM

JUNG

STUDERSCHAUDTMIKROSAWALTER

EWAG

IRPD

Mexico combines diverse landscapes, amomentous history, and a state-of-the-art
manufacturing industry. Shown here (from left):the sun pyramid of Teotihuacán, the pillar of
independence in Mexico City, the historiccolonial town of Real de Catorce, and theFord automobile plant in Sonora

OPPORTUNITY

Photos: Diego Grandi/Shutterstock, eskystudio/Shutterstock, E Rojas/Shutterstock,
Claudio Briones/Shutterstock, IMAGO/ingimage, Luis Gutierrez/NortePhoto.com/Alamy

company also supplies customers aroundthe world, including the automotive, aerospace, and electronics industries. However,their main business is covers and caps forhygiene and medical products, food containers, and other everyday products. “Everyone
probably picks up something every day thatwas made using our tools,” says Antonio
Mendoza, who helped his father as a teenager and learned the trade from him early on.
Today, he is the CEO himself and is responsible for Moldes Mendoza’s successstory. Among other things, he modernized
their machinery by purchasing a S33 CNC
universal cylindrical grinding machine fromSTUDER.

FOREIGN COMPANIES DOMINATE
Moldes Mendoza has around 60 employees and is a purely Mexican-run company– something that makes this success story
unusual for Mexico. The Mexican manufacturing industry is mainly dominated byforeign corporations. A glance at the map
reveals what makes this country with 126vv

PRIDE AND ENTHUSIASM resonate in Antonio
Mendoza’s voice when he talks about his
new STUDER machine. For Mexico, his
history is both typical and extraordinary.
Like many of Mendoza’s compatriots, hisfather once emigrated to the neighboring
USA to find a better life. There, he kept hishead above water by working as a kitchen
assistant and in other temporary jobs until atsome point he got a chance in a metalworking company. Through his hard work andenormous aptitude for learning, he becamea sought-after master of the grinding trade.
He produced metal parts for the aerospaceindustry with great precision and finallyfounded his own successful company anda family. But what might be the happy endof a story for the majority of people was justthe beginning for the Mendozas.
“One day my father decided that wewould return to his home country of Mexico
to start a business,” says Mendoza. Moldes
Mendoza was founded in 1972 and today
is the market leader for thermoplastic highperformance injection molds in Mexico. The

million residents interesting for companies
around the world: It forms a bridge between
North and South America, is a direct neighbor of the largest industrial nation in theworld (USA), and, thanks to deep-sea ports
in the Atlantic and Pacific, is well integrated
into the global supply chain system. It is also
one of the most open markets in the world:
13 free trade agreements with around 50
partners including the USA, Canada, the European Union, Japan, and numerous SouthAmerican countries.
“Mexico is already an important market
for us as a manufacturer of grinding and machine tools and has great potential,” says
Markus Stolmar, CEO of UNITED GRINDING
North America. According to figures fromthe Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT), grinding machines worth
around 158 million US dollars were imported in 2022. With a gross domestic productof around 1.41 trillion USD, Mexico was in15th place globally in 2022 and boasts majorwell-established industries such as automotive, aerospace, energy, and electronics.
Motion 02.2023 37

UNITED GRINDING GROUP

INTERNATIONAL

The federal capital Santiago deQuerétaro is the headquarters of
UNITED GRINDING Mexico, headedby German Gordillo. It is an
important cultural city with UNESCOWorld Heritage status. The famous
statue of an indigenous dancer islocated in the city center

Moreover, the country’s population is very
young, which is promising for the futurelabor market—in contrast to the aging workforce in many industrialized countries.

UNITED GRINDING has had its own branch
in Mexico since 2014, where four service
technicians and one customer manager
currently work. It is located in the famous
UNESCO World Heritage Site city of Santiago de Querétaro in the center of thecountry and in the heart of an importantand dynamic industrial region, as German
Gordillo, Managing Director of UNITED
GRINDING Mexico, explains. Large automotive and aerospace companies havetheir plants here or in neighboring states.
For example, Volkswagen operates Mexico’s biggest automotive plant in Pueblawith around 13,000 employees. The northof the country, which borders the USA, isalso easily accessible thanks to the good
highway connectivity and international airport, and this is where the majority of production facilities for metal components arestill located. To the west, we head to thestate of Jalisco and its capital Guadalajara,
which is considered Mexico’s Silicon Valley
due to the abundance of tech companies.

EXPERTISE AND PERSONALCOMMUNICATION
Moldes Mendoza is also located in Guadalajara and has already been visited byGerman Gordillo’s team. “Our customers
in Mexico expect highly expert services.
At the same time, Latin American cultureattaches great importance to personal contact and direct communication,” he says.
But why did Antonio Mendoza choose a
new UNITED GRINDING system in thefirst place just over a year ago? “My father
preferred to work with his usual manual
cylindrical grinding machine. He was a truemaster in its use and achieved great precision,” says Antonio Mendoza. But when heretired, there was no substitute for theseskills and so the decision was made topurchase a new, technologically advanced,

and easy-to-operate system. “I am a fan of
TITANS of CNC and was very impressedby what they achieved with the STUDER
system. I simply wanted to invest in thebest and most future-proof machine withdiverse capabilities and reliable service,”says the CEO, explaining his decision to
opt for the S33.
Thanks to this, his employees can now
reliably produce precise components withaccuracies down to the micrometer after
a short introductory phase. Production
has become quicker, more efficient, andcheaper overall, says Mendoza, and somecomponents that used to have to be madeexternally are now made directly in-house.
“The machine opens up completely newopportunities for our business and I see avery successful future for us in Mexico.”

“UNITED GRINDING’S MACHINE OPENS UPCOMPLETELY NEW OPPORTUNITIES.”
Antonio Mendoza, CEO of Moldes Mendoza

38 Motion 02.2023

Photos: Angel Flores Guerra Bistrain/Unsplash, VED cine naturaleza arte/Shutterstock

AT THE HEART OF INDUSTRYMÄGERLE

BLOHM

JUNG

STUDERSCHAUDTMIKROSAWALTER

EWAG

IRPD

UPDATEDESIGN IS THE FUTURE
In the UNITED GRINDING Group, design has the role of anticipating the future as well as a functional
purpose. This became apparent in 2013 when a new machine design was developed for all theGroup’s brands. And continued from 2015 with C.O.R.E., the first joint interaction design, and thedevelopment of a cross-group digital ecosystem which will result in further innovations
TEXT: Michael Hopp
UNITED GRINDING GROUP INNOVATION

MÄGERLE

BLOHM

JUNG

STUDERSCHAUDTMIKROSAWALTER

EWAG

THE MACHINEIS THE STAR!
The machines of the UNITED GRINDING
Group will appear in an exciting new
design in future, which will apply for
all brands in the Group.
The creation was by no means basedon purely aesthetic criteria. The criteriaof operability, ergonomics and service
friendliness were even more important
than beauty in the design process

MotionTHE NEW MACHINE DESIGN
Those responsible at the UNITED GRINDING Group anddesigner Dominic Schindler had little more than a year tocomplete the new corporate design in time for EMO
Hannover 2013. This was a major, high-impact task. The
transition from Körber Schleifring to the UNITED GRINDING
Group was shown at the time by a uniform machine designand consistent design elements, such as the signal light,
etc. The premium design was intended to convey theadditional value of the machines, and also to appeal tocustomers and employees.

Phone +41 31 356 01 11
Fax +41 31 356 01 12
info@grinding.ch
www.grinding.ch

INNOVATIONINTERVIEW

SURFACE AND
PROFILECYLINDRICAL

TOOLS

Mägerle AG Maschinenfabrik

Fritz Studer AG

Walter Maschinenbau GmbH

INTERNATIONALTOOLS & TECHNOLOGY
Walter Ewag Asia Pacic Pte. Ltd.

Motion 02/2013
showed the newmachine design of
the UNITED
GRINDING Groupand aligned
the layout with
the new CI
Allmendstrasse 50
8320 Fehraltorf, Switzerland
Phone +41 43 355 66 00
Fax +41 43 355 65 00
sales@maegerle.com

3602 Thun
Switzerland
Phone +41 33 439 11 11
Fax +41 33 439 11 12
info@studer.com

Jopestraße 572072 Tübingen, Germany
Phone +49 7071 9393 0
Fax +49 7071 9393 695
info@walter-machines.com

Blohm Jung GmbH

Fritz Studer AG

Ewag AG

Kurt-A.-Körber-Chaussee 63–71
21033 Hamburg, Germany
Phone +49 40 7250 02
Fax +49 40 7250 3287
sales-hh@blohmjung.com

Lengnaustrasse 122504 Biel, Switzerland
Phone +41 32 344 04 50
Fax +41 32 314 06 71
info@studer.com

Industriestrasse 44554 Etziken, Switzerland
Phone +41 32 613 31 31
Fax +41 32 613 31 15
info@ewag.com

Blohm Jung GmbH

Schaudt Mikrosa GmbH

Walter Kurim s.r.o.

Jahnstraße 80–82
73037 Göppingen
Germany
Phone +49 7161 612 0
Fax +49 7161 612 170
sales-gp@blohmjung.com

Saarländer Straße 25
04179 Leipzig, Germany
Phone +49 341 4971 0
Fax +49 341 4971 500
sales@schaudtmikrosa.com

Blanenská 1289
66434 Kurim, Czechia
Phone +420 541 4266 11
Fax +420 541 2319 52
info.wcz@walter-machines.com

StuderTEC K.K.

Walter Ewag Japan K.K.

Matsumoto Bldg. 2F
4-10-8, Omorikita, Ota-ku
Tokyo 143-0016, Japan
Phone +81 3 6801 6140
Fax +81 3 6662 6970
info.jp@studer.com

1st oor MA Park Building
Mikawaanjo-cho 1-10-14
Anjo City 446-0056, Japan
Phone +81 556 71 1666
Fax +81 566 71 1668
info.jp@walter-machines.com

The machine is the star!
Design is a narrative
Solutions for the subcontinent
New technology in the service of customers

25 International Business Park
#01-53/56 German Centre
609916 Singapore
Phone +65 6562 8101
Fax +65 6562 8102
info.sg@walter-machines.com

Walter Ewag UK Ltd.
B 13 Holly Farm Business Park
Honiley, CV8 1NP Kenilworth
Great Britain
Phone +44 1926 4850 47
Fax +44 1926 4850 49
info.uk@walter-machines.com

IT IS THE WORLD’S LARGEST trade fair for metalworking: at EMO in
Han02.2013

nover this autumn, the UNITED GRINDING Group not only presentThe customer magazine of theed new machines – but also an innovative design, which will apply
UNITED GRINDING Groupfor the entire Group in future. “For us, design is not an end in itself.
It’s more a matter of trying to communicate the inner values of a
product or brand externally through the design”, explains designer
Dominic Schindler. His company, Dominic Schindler Creations
GmbH, based in Austrian Lauterach near Bregenz on Lake Constance, has created the new “outt” for the machines in collaboration with the UNITED GRINDING Group. This multiple award-winning creative agency is clearly committed to the importance ofdesign, particularly in areas where it is generally believed to be lessimportant: “The most perfect possible functioning is the basic prerequisite for every product in machine tools, without limitation. But
we have to offer the customer an added value which also speaks to
him personally”, says Dominic Schindler.
All machines manufactured by the brands of the UNITED
GRINDING Group will be designed in accordance with the new
guidelines: “The direction of the design will fundamentally be thesame across the entire Group”, conrms Sandro Bottazzo, Head ofBusiness Development & Marketing. “However, the machines of thevarious technology groups are distinguished from each other bycharacteristic formal elements: STUDER, SCHAUDT and MIKROSA
cylindrical grinding machines are characterized by the dynamic belt
area, which opens towards the machine sides. BLOHM, JUNG andMÄGERLE surface and prole grinding machines are given their unmistakable appearance by the V-shaped door area. WALTER and
EWAG tool grinding machines convey function and aesthetics
through distinctive rounded edges and obliquely cut doors.”

THE NEW DESIGN
The common features of all machines will in future be the new signal
lamp, a standard control panel, branding inlays and Customer Care
plates, which ensure that customers always have the service num8

Walter Ewag Italia S.r.l.
Via G. Garibaldi, 42
22070 Bregnano (CO), Italy
Phone +39 31 7708 98
Fax +39 31 7760 429
info.it@walter-machines.com

BLOHM
PLANOMAT HP
CUSTOMER BENEFITS
Universal grinding machine forsurface and prole grinding.
Individual and small batch
production in six sizes.
No special foundations orelectrical installations required

APPLICATION
Large range of applicationfrom machine tools, tool anddie making through to thebearing, turbine, hydraulic andautomotive industry

TECHNICAL FEATURES
EasyProle or CNC control
system. Software packages for
additional productivity, e.g. forautomatic step grinding, rotarytable surface grinding and
UNITEDGRINDING GROUP
automatic
gap control

Motion 02 .2013

Körber Schleifring Machinery(Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

Körber Schleifring Machinery(Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
Beijing Branch Ofce

Room 202, Building 18
Tower B, Universal Business Park
No.10 Jiuxianqiao Road
Chaoyang District
Beijing 100015, China
Phone +86 10 8526 1040
Fax +86 10 6500 6579
info@grinding.cn

Körber Schleifring Machinery(Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
Chongqing Branch Ofce

15-11 Building 4,
No.18 Jinshan Road,
Longxi Street, Yubei District,
Chongqing 401147, China
Phone +86 23 6370 3600
Fax +86 23 6374 1055
info@grinding.cn

Körber Schleifring Machinery(Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
Guangzhou Branch Ofce
Room 2003, 20/F
Center Plaza Tower B
161 Linhexi Road
Tianhe District
Guangzhou 510620, China
Phone +86 20 3862 1241
Fax +86 20 3862 1270
info@grinding.cn

United Grinding
North America, Inc.
510 Earl Blvd.
Miamisburg, OH 45342
USA
Phone +1 937 859 1975
Fax +1 937 859 1115
ugt@grinding.com

United Grinding GmbH
Moscow Ofce

BLOHM

Motion 02.2013

JUNG

STUDERSCHAUDTMIKROSAWALTER

Machining of workpieces witha weight of up to 250 kg anddimensions of up to 275 mm
height of centers and maximum
1600 mm distance between
centers

PREPARE FOR MORE SURPRISESThe ve machines presented on these pages were presented
in the new design at EMO Hannover in September. The next
milestones in this major innovation project are GrindTec and
the Grinding Symposium of the UNITED GRINDING Group
from May 21 to 23, 2014 in Thun - Switzerland.

Up to four external grinding
wheels or three internal
grinding spindles enable over
30 grinding head combinations.
StuderGuide® guideway
system, high-precision axis
drives with linear motors

United Grinding
North America, Inc.
5160 Lad Land Drive
Frederiksburg, VA 22407
USA
Phone +1 540 898 3700
Fax +1 540 898 6819
ugt@grinding.com

United Grinding North America, Inc.
Mexico Branch Ofce

UNITED GRINDING GROUP INNOVATION

Blvd. Bernardo Quintana No. 7001
Of. 1003
Queretaro, Qro. 76079, Mexico
Phone +52-1-555-509-7739
german.gordillo@grinding.com

Designed on thedrawing board, developedwith practitioners:
the new design of themachines from the
UNITED GRINDING GroupMÄGERLE

BLOHM

JUNG

STUDERSCHAUDTMIKROSAWALTER“OUR GOAL:
WE WANT TO MAKEOUR CUSTOMERSMORE SUCCESSFUL.”WALTERHELITRONICVISION 400
CUSTOMER BENEFITS
High-performance tool grinding
machine for rotationallysymmetrical precision tools
from 3|to 315 mm in diameterand a machining length of up
to 350|mm

10

STUDER
S11

EWAG

bers at hand – or rather on the machine. “We are the largest grinding
machine manufacturer in the world. With the “New Design” project,which also includes the branding and corporate design for the entire
Group in addition to the machine design, we want to clearly signal tothe market that we have the broadest application, product and service portfolio in the industry, that we are represented worldwide, andthus set a benchmark for future-proof design”, says Bottazzo. “Unied design draws attention to a uniform brand, a cohesive group of
13.11.13 14:10 companies. Just as a Golf differs from a Passat, but everyone immediately recognizes that they are both models from the Volkswagen
company”, adds Schindler.
The Group takes both aspects – functionality and design – very
seriously. Technology, rst and foremost, is at the heart of all efforts.
For this reason the Group sets aside a higher budget for research anddevelopment than any of its competitors and employs a large numSandro Bottazzo,
of experts in all areas – for hardware, software and services. HowHead of Businessber
Development& Marketing,ever,
in all innovations design must support or even improve funcUnited Grinding
AGit. Important points in this connection are operabilitytion, Groupnot limit
and ergonomics. Even the fact that people are different sizes is taken

EN_44_Motion_02_2013 44-1

into account. “We had a case where a machine from another company with good functionality and a low price couldn’t be sold, because it was so awkward to operate. After an ergonomic redesign thesales of this machine doubled in four years”, recalls Schindler.

CUSTOMER BENEFITS
Compact universal
cylindrical grinding machinefor micro components.
Large grinding wheels despite
small dimensions

FOCUS ON OPERABILITY
With regard to ergonomic design in particular, the new-look machines of the UNITED GRINDING Group have plenty to offer: features
include a height-adjustable control panel and maintenance-friendly
access, door handles with a modied prole, an enlarged eld of vision in the machine interior and the multi-color signal lamp with optimal status visibility and integrated ash mode. Additional features
are improved surfaces and material modications to facilitate cleaning, an optimized, modied foot area, which ensures better working
space access and foot clearance, as well as a compact housing
shape, efciently grouped connections and high-quality, wear-free
product graphics.
“Operability is a very important point, as the many individual improvements in this area demonstrate. It’s no good if the machine can

APPLICATION
Machining of rotationallysymmetrical micro components
with diameters up to 50 andlengths up to 150 mm.
Especially suitable for the watch
industry and medical
technology

TECHNICAL FEATURES
New operating systemStuderWINfocus. Grinding
wheel with 500 mm diameter.
No hydraulic elements

Motion 02 .2013

Motion 02.2013

EN_010_Motion_02_2013 10

13.11.13 14:27

EN_11_Motion_02_2013 11

TECHNICAL FEATURE
Motor output 24 KW/
10,500|rpm. Grinding wheels
up to max. 254 mm in diameter.
6-axis CNC robot as toolchangerdo everything, but the operator is unable to implement this functionality”, Dominic Schindler underlines the importance of good operability. The reason for this is simple: the constantly sought-after emotionality – a crucial factor for the designer – is particularly easy toinspire, if operating the machine is really enjoyable. “If the customer
doesn’t have a positive experience when using the machine, theproduct is basically useless – and all the trendy coloring and designin the world won’t help then”, says the innovative designer simply.

A CONTROVERSIAL PROCESSThe new design was developed in close collaboration between
Engineering, Production, Marketing and the Creative Team – acontroversial process from the very outset. Not everyone is enthusiastic about new ideas. Often the argument is presented: “We’ve
always done it like this”. Sparks often y between rationality andemotion. “But that’s a good thing”, states Schindler. “Our experience shows that the results are best in cases where there has been
the hottest debate. Strictly speaking both groups are product developers, but the engineer takes a rational approach and the designer takes a more emotional approach.” Head of Marketing Sandro Bottazzo adds: “Ultimately it was a question of making ourmachines even more distinctive and our combined technologicalexpertise externally visible.” Good machine construction today is

JUNG
J600

a balancing act between technology, function and design. Anyone
who wants to be one of the top companies must effectively
achieve this balance. However, the people who make up a company are crucial in this connection. “Our brands, i.e. the UNITED
GRINDING family brand, as well as the individual company brands,
are only so strong because we employ the best people in the industry”, Sandro Bottazzo heaps praise on his workforce. They
ght for the brands every day and put ideas into action. This is alsopart of the success story of the UNITED GRINDING Group. And
this attitude of the workforce can be directly measured against thelength of service of many of the 2200 employees. 20, 30 and evenmore years of service are not uncommon. This also applies not
only for the Group’s companies in Europe, Bottazzo emphasizes,
but also those in America and Asia.
The most important point of reference is, of course, the customers. “We want to make our customers more successful in competition. Our brands depend on products and services that help ourcustomers to map out their production even more efciently andsuccessfully”, says Bottazzo. Modern design must also take account of this aspect. In any case Dominic Schindler is convincedthat the UNITED GRINDING Group has taken a big leap into the
future with the new design concept and has also set a benchmark
KLAUS JOPP
in this area.

CUSTOMER BENEFITS
Surface, prole and contour
grinding machine for tool anddie making. Modular system
which can be optimally adapted
to customer requirements

APPLICATIONCan be used in a grinding
range of 300 x 600 mm.
Also external cylindrical andnoncircular grinding

TECHNICAL FEATURE
Outstanding damping
characteristics thanks tohydrodynamic guideways.
High accelerations and infeed
speeds. Automatic proledressing system PA-K37

Motion 02 .2013

EN_12_Motion_02_2013 12

Motion 02 . 201315.11.13 14:58
EN_13_Motion_02_2013 13

13

15.11.13 14:58

C.O.R.E. PRESENTATION – MORE THAN DESIGN
The standardized C.O.R.E.
panel with user-friendly,
configurable C.O.R.E. HMI,
based on state-of-the-art
web front-end technology;
uniform software hascomplemented the visually
coordinated appearance ofthe machines from 2021

Photo: Thomas Eugster

THE FUTURE HAS ALREADY BEGUN
Developed by IRPD, the additive manufacturing specialist of
the UNITED GRINDING Group, the LPBF IMPACT 4530
system marks the beginning of the next evolution in machine operation. If this trend continues, fixed control panels
may disappear almost entirely from machines in ten years.
The IMPACT 4530’s sophisticated, vacuum-resistant laser
protection glass could then be replaced by a large screen
built into the protective door that shows the images transmitted from cameras inside the machine. The operator
would see what was going on inside the build area in highresolution on a digital screen, as well as other important
processing and access data.

11

APPLICATION
Production and regrinding of
cutters, drills, step-drills,
woodworking and prole tools
made of HM, HSS, ceramic,
cermet and CBN

12The C.O.R.E. initiative was started in 2015 advocating Industry 4.0 and the digital transformation of the entire Group.
The C.O.R.E. hardware and software architecture presented
in Milan in 2021 added group-wide uniform machine operation concepts to the new machine designs. On the operator
side, a panel was developed for all machines that ensures aconsistent user experience. As with the hardware, we now
have a design system containing a uniform component
library for software development.

EWAG

9

The UNITED GRINDING Group,
the international leader in hard nemachining, was present at
15.11.13
14:53
EMO
2013
with a stand area of
1200 square meters

Dominic Schindler,
Dominic Schindler Creations GmbHAPPLICATIONTECHNICAL FEATURES

United Grinding GmbH
India Branch Ofce

No. 487 - D1 & D2A
4th Phase, KIADB Main Road
Peenya Industrial Area
Bangalore 560058, India
Phone +91 80 415 54 601
Fax +91 80 415 54 603
info.in@grinding.ch

1-j Kasatschij Pereulok 5/2,
Strojenije 1
119017 Moskau, Russia
Phone +7 495 956 93 58
Fax +7 495 956 93 59
info.ru@grinding.chMÄGERLE“WE TRY TO COMMUNICATETHE INNER VALUES OF A PRODUCTEXTERNALLY THROUGH DESIGN.”

15.11.13 14:52
EN_09_Motion_02_2013 9

CUSTOMER BENEFITS
CNC universal cylindrical
grinding machine for highprecision and high metal
removal rate. Short setup andchange-over times

Walter Ewag do Brasil Ltda.
Avenida XV de Agosto,
5-060 Jd. Leocádia
18 085-290 Sorocaba, Brazil
CEP: 18 085 290
Phone +55 15 3228 6910
Fax +55 15 3228 1366
vendas@walter-maquinas.com.br

UNITED GRINDING Group International
1128, Tai Shun Road
Anting Town
Jiading District
Shanghai 201814, China
Phone +86 21 3958 7333
Fax +86 21 3958 7338
info@grinding.cn

INNOVATIONSTUDER
S41

EN_08_Motion_02_2013 8

Photo: Andrea Kueppers

United Grinding Group AG
Jubiläumsstrasse 95
3005 Bern, Switzerland

This IMPACT 4530
shows what machines will look likein the future. Control
panels are replaced
by touchscreens forhuman-machineinteraction

Motion 02.2023 39

14.11.13 15:11

UNITED GRINDING GROUPIDEASDIGITAL,
NETWORKEDPRODUCTION
NEEDS
CLEVER MINDSThe history of human production has
always focused on expanding
possibilities—and has always beenaccompanied by fears that it could
harm or replace human beings

40 Motion 02.2023

MÄGERLE

BLOHMWith digital technology,
humans can create a new,modern production reality
involving fewer repetitiveand monotonous tasks.
Their creativity and intuition
are crucial

Photos: Natalia Leinonen, koya979, Nyvlt-art, Itsmesimon, Hein Nouwens, Marzolino (all Shutterstock)

TEXT: Sebastian Barth

PROGRESSING FROM SIMPLE WORKSHOPS to digitally connected production facilities is justone remarkable process from our industrial
history. The driving force behind this progress has always been and still is human creativity and innovation.
The German word for factory (Fabrik)comes from the Latin word fabrica, whichmeans workshop or structure. In ancientRome, the term was used to describe buildings in which craftsmen produced everyday
products mostly using hand tools. Today’s
factories are rarely associated with craftsmen
but rather with skilled labor, engineers, andknowledgable employees. However, it is still
essential that they understand their craft.
The factory concept continued to evolve,
particularly during the industrial revolution
in the 18th and 19th centuries. This period
saw the emergence of large, industrial production facilities in which human manual
processes were replaced with machines.
Thanks to the development of ever-more sophisticated machine designs and their continual further advancement, machine tool
manufacturing has today become one of theworld’s key industries.

JUNG

STUDERSCHAUDTMIKROSAHOW IS THE ROLE OF HUMANS
CHANGING?
The machine tool industry today is in a special period of evolution. Rising levels of machine digitalization, the technological leaps
and bounds made in artificial intelligence(AI), and the growing availability of production data are all leading to a positive boomin automation. More and more factories are
now digitally networked. Intelligent machines and systems communicate in thesefacilities to create highly complex production systems. In this socio-technological environment, the role of humans is also fundamentally changing. But how exactly is therole of human beings changing?
In the past, humans were often entrusted with repetitive and monotonous tasks.
They were responsible for the manufacturing and operation of machines, carried out
assembly work, or supervised production.
With the introduction and constant expansion of assistive digital technologies, we have
unprecedented potential to cut back on people performing these activities. Machines are
better than humans at handling large
amounts of data quickly and efficiently. They
can carry out complex calculations and perform repetitive tasks both quickly and accurately. Tasks involving heavy loads or hazards
can be done with less risk for the employees.
Errors are avoided, productivity is increased
and occupational safety is enhanced.

WHEN IT COMES TO COMPLEXQUESTIONS, AI IS NO MATCH FOR A
CLEVER MIND
One of the most important tasks of humans
in this environment is to create suitable interfaces via which humans can communicate with the intelligent machines in the pro-

WALTER

EWAG

IRPD

duction network. Exercising this inventive
capacity enables humans to interpret dataand information from machines and systems
and derive added value. Humans must also
employ their technical knowledge and experience to design, configure, and optimize
machines. It is particularly important thatmachines and digital assistance systems
created by humans can be used intuitively.
And only clever programming and constantmaintenance of intelligent machines and robots ensure the safe, productive executionof production tasks.
Human creativity will continue to play acentral role in the future as it did in past centuries. Innovative approaches to optimizing
processes are often found by combining“HUMANS CANWEIGH PERSPECTIVES
WHEREAS MACHINESDEPEND ON
PARAMETERS.”
Sebastian Barthtechnological knowledge and inventiveness.
When it comes to finding creative solutions,developing new ideas, and solving complex
problems that require a high degree of flexibility and originality, no artificial intelligencecan match the abilities of a clever humanmind. In contrast to machines and algorithms, humans’ many years of experienceand interdisciplinary cooperation enable
them to develop innovative products andMotion 02.2023 41

UNITED GRINDING GROUP

IDEAS

differentiate between correlation and causality. In this way, they can identify the causes of problems and technologically evaluate
the effect of measures.

CREATIVITY AND CRITICALTHINKING WILL BE IN GREATER
DEMAND IN THE FUTURE
The flexibility and adaptability of humans are
becoming ever-more important in the increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and“DIGITALIZATIONDOESN'T REPLACEHUMANS, IT
EXPANDS OUR
POSSIBILITIES.”
Quote: Bartels, May, von Au

ABOUT
SEBASTIAN BARTH
Dr.-Ing. Sebastian Barth, Head of Grinding
Technology and Technology Management in
Manufacturing at the Laboratory for Machine
Tools and Production Engineering of RWTH
Aachen University, Head ofTechnology Consulting at
the WBA Tooling Academy
Aachen, Head of the
Bio4MatPro CompetenceCenter[1] Peter Bartels, Peter May, Dominik von Au: “F.cube –How to secure the future of your family business”.
Publisher Murmann
Photos: AFANASEV IVAN/Shutterstock, IM Imagery/Shutterstock, private

ambiguous (VUCA) economic environment
driven by climate change, legal and geopolitical uncertainties, and crises in raw material and skilled worker availability, to namebut a few current issues. Changes or unfamiliar situations often require us to quickly
adapt our skills and mindsets. Human cognitive abilities and intuition are crucial here

because mechanical systems usually dependon programmed instructions and parameters to achieve their targets.
Critical thinking and making ethically
based decisions will also be in greater demand in the future. More and more manufacturing companies are focusing on sustainable products and production methods.
This is causing them to rethink products andprocesses to which machine systems have
not yet been adapted. Humans can analyze
and weigh different perspectives in complex
and disorderly situations and information
systems. Machines and production systems,on the other hand, are limited to working
with defined rules and algorithms.
The role of every one of us is to be awareof this interplay and to form a symbiosis between our own strengths and the machinery strengths newly created by the innovative power of other people. In this way, eachof us can contribute our specific expertise
to make the best possible use of the current
wide range of economic, ecological, and social opportunities. The authors Bartels, May,and von Au sum it up: “Digitalization does
not replace humans, rather it expands their
possibilities.” 1 And as bright minds, weknow how to exploit these possibilities andcreate a new world of production.

42 Motion 02.2023

MÄGERLE

BLOHM

JUNG

STUDERSCHAUDTMIKROSAWALTER

EWAG

IRPD

LEADINGTRADE SHOWFOR GRINDINGTECHNOLOGY
MAY 14-17, 2024, STUTTGART,GERMANYIN MAY, GRINDINGHUB WILL ONCE again be held in Stuttgart. It is oneof the most important international trade shows for grinding technology. It is being organized by the German Machine Tool Builder's
Association (VDW) in cooperation with the Swiss Association for
the Machinery, Electrical and Metal Industry (Swissmem) and theMesse Stuttgart exhibition center. Here, trade visitors can findout about new developments in grinding machines, tool grinding
machines, and abrasives. An additional theme is current trends
in software tools, quality management, and the entire production
environment related to the value chain of grinding technology. The
UNITED GRINDING Group is also looking forward to informing
customers and grinding enthusiasts about our latest technologies
and products. You can experience the revolutionary and crossbrand C.O.R.E. hardware and software architecture or try out
state-of-the-art grinding technologies and automation solutions
directly at the booth. GrindingHub celebrated its premiere in 2022
and takes place every two years. “We are delighted to be backat GrindingHub presenting our new products to customers andinterested parties,” says Michèle Fahrni, Head of Marketing &Communications.
GrindingHub, May 14-17, 2024,
Landesmesse Stuttgart GmbH,
Messepiazza 1, 70629 Stuttgart, Germany

OTHER TRADE SHOWS:OCTOBER 2023
OCTOBER 10–13, 2023
MSV –BRNO, CZECH REPUBLICOCTOBER 18–21, 2023
MECT –NAGOYA, JAPANNOVEMBER 2023
NOVEMBER 22–25, 2023
THAI METALEX –BANGKOK, THAILANDAPRIL 2024
APRIL 8–12, 2024
CCMT –SHANGHAI, CHINA

MAY 2024
MAY 14–17, 2024
GRINDINGHUB –STUTTGART, GERMANY

www.grindinghub.de/en
YOU CAN FIND THE LATEST
TRADE SHOW DATES AT
www.grinding.ch/en/events

Motion 02.2023 43

UNITED GRINDING Group
3014 Bern, Switzerland
T +41 31 356 01 11
grinding.ch

SURFACE AND PROFILECYLINDRICAL

TOOLMÄGERLESTUDERWALTERWALTER EWAG

8320 Fehraltorf, Switzerland
T +41 43 355 66 00
maegerle.com

3602 Thun, Switzerland
T +41 33 439 11 11
studer.com

72072 Tübingen, Germany
T +49 7071 9393 0
walter-machines.com

Warwick CV34 5DR,
Great Britain
T +44 1926 4850 47
walter-machines.com

BLOHM JUNGSTUDERWALTER

21033 Hamburg, Germany
T +49 40 33461 2000
blohmjung.com

2504 Biel, Switzerland
T +41 32 344 04 50
studer.com

30827 Garbsen, Germany
T +49 5131 4948 0
walter-machines.com

BLOHM JUNGSTUDERWALTER

73037 Göppingen, Germany
T +49 7161 6271 800
blohmjung.com

Tokyo 143-0016, Japan
T +81 3 6801 6140
studer.com

66434 Kuřim, Czech Republic
T +420 541 4266 11
walter-machines.com

SCHAUDT MIKROSA

EWAG

73037 Göppingen, Germany
T +49 7161 6271 815
schaudtmikrosa.com

4554 Etziken, Switzerland
T +41 32 613 31 31
ewag.com

ADDITIVE
MANUFACTURINGWALTER EWAG

IRPD

WALTER EWAG

9014 St. Gallen, Switzerland
T +41 71 274 73 10
irpd.ch609916 Singapore
T +65 6562 8101
walter-machines.com

Anjo City 446-0056, Japan
T +81 556 71 1666
walter-machines.com

UNITED GRINDING GROUP INTERNATIONALUNITED GRINDING

UNITED GRINDING

UNITED GRINDING

Shanghai 201814, P. R. China
T +86 21 3958 7333
grinding.cn

Bangalore 560058, India
T +91 80 30257 612
grinding.ch

Querétaro, Qro. 76090, Mexico
T +52 4421 99 5010
grinding.com

UNITED GRINDING

UNITED GRINDING

Beijing 100015, China
T +86 10 8526 1040
grinding.cn

Miamisburg, OH 45342, USA
T +1 937 859 1975
grinding.com

WALTER EWAG

22070 Vertemate con
Minoprio (CO), Italy
T +39 31 7708 98
walter-machines.com