process development
The argument that cost-effectiveness is more important than price is
boosted at AMB as innovative manufacturers of precision tools aim to
make a big impression through helping to achieve low overall costs
Cutting tools in the spotlight at AMB
“From the
viewpoint of
tool
manufacturers it
is important
that tools are
regarded as
part of the
complete
production
process.”
Dr. Dieter Kress
Manufacturers of precision
tools are using scientific
methods to an increasing
extent: Sandvik Coromant,
for example, operates a
research laboratory where
crystalline structures can
be analysed using an
X-ray diffractometer.
TOOLS produced in Germany may be initially very
expensive, but manufacturers work things out differently.
They point to higher cutting performance, longer tool
lives and better surface qualities - factors which pay off
for customers through lower production costs.
Comparisons are made easier thanks to separately
produced calculation programs, which will be presented
during AMB, the International Exhibition for Metal
Working, taking place at the New Stuttgart Trade Fair
Centre next door to Stuttgart Airport from 9 to 13
September 2008.
With over 70,000 employees, the precision tool industry
in Germany recorded an annual turnover of over 9.3
billion Euro (up 7%) in 2007. Exports accounted for almost
half of this figure. The precision tool industry is one of
the largest branches of mechanical engineering - and also
one of the most innovative. The industry is looking to the
future with confidence, and it is anticipated that the 10
billion Euro mark will be exceeded this year.
The German Engineering Federation (VDMA), the
promotional supporter of AMB naturally supports this
view. ‘Customers are increasingly realising that the
extremely low lifecycle costs of German high-tech tools
are more advantageous than purchases of cheap tools -
which often involve short service lives and high
subsequent costs’ says Alfred Graf Zedtwitz, Head of the
Precision Tools Association in the German Engineering
Federation. He adds that a large number of German
manufacturers of precision tools focus on lifecycle
orientation, and that energy efficiency is also an
increasingly more important aspect in times of rapidly
rising energy prices.
‘From the viewpoint of tool manufacturers it is
important that the tools are regarded as part of the
complete production process. The decisive factor here is to
carefully analyse the total costs of the process rather than
primarily considering the price involved in purchasing
the tools’ says Dr Dieter Kress, Managing Shareholder of
Mapal Dr. Kress KG, Aalen, and Chairman of the
38 MWP july 2008
Precision Tools Association in the German Engineering
Federation. He also says that his company very consciously
sets high standards regarding the analysis of Total Costs of
Ownership (TCO): ‘Precision tools from Aalen are
designed according to the principle of avoiding waste in
production instead of offering the cheapest price. It is
pleasing to see that an increasing number of customers
share this opinion and are demanding low total
production costs rather than a cheap purchase price.’
Tools can account for up to 9% of the total costs in
production processes. However, they have a great
influence on the remaining 91%. Generally speaking, the
total operating costs can be reduced in various ways by
using suitable tools. Dr. Kress says: ‘The safety of a
complete production process and the associated costs are
two aspects which are strongly influenced by tools.
Finally, a large number of precision tool manufacturers
supply services which can help to reduce logistics and
warehousing costs or increase know-how and, thus, the
efficiency of the operators.’
The LMT Group aims to show customers the economic
benefits by means of a model calculation. The wellknown
TCO approach does not go far enough when
analysing tool performance. ‘Even if the price of certain
tools was reduced substantially, something which would
be extremely attractive from the viewpoint of TCO, they
would be more expensive for users than tools with a
correspondingly higher performance’ states Professor Dr.
Diethard Thomas, tool developer at the LMT subsidiary
Fette GmbH, Schwarzenbeck, and Head of the LMT
Academy. TPI is the name of the newly developed
parameter, and stands for Tool Performance Indicator. It is
calculated by dividing the TBO (Total Benefit of
Ownership) by the TCO. If the result is higher than 1, the
tool is better. If it is lower than 1, the tool is worse than the
current tool. ‘Factors such as technical and operating
benefits, market changes, complexity of use and the
lifecycle of the tool are also taken into account in this
case’, says Thomas. Example: a comparison of a HSS tool
with a solid carbide tool that is roughly two and a half
times more expensive reveals, however, that the TPI is 4.1
for the solid carbide tool. It is therefore far superior to the
HSS milling cutter. However, the TPI can also be used to
calculate how much more expensive a technically better
tool ought to be in order to attain a profit.
New tool technologies will be the topic of the
Production Engineering Colloquium (FtK), which will be
held during AMB at the Stuttgart International Congress
Centre (ICS) on 10 and 11 September 2008 under the
direction of Professor Dr.-Ing. Uwe Heisel. This event is
being organised by the University of Stuttgart and its
partner institutes of the Fraunhofer Association.
www.messe-stuttgart.de
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