mwp awards 2008 sponsor
CATEGORY: BEST METALFORMING/FABRICATION EQUIPMENT
Siemens’ CNC
products help
manufacturers develop
high added value and
innovation-based
philosophies
Siemens A&D works in
partnership with
companies to provide both
the technology - and the
right kind of training and
support to equip people
with the skills they need.
Siemens Automation & Drives has developed a modular service
package which addresses the challenges faced by its customers
and the importance of added-value and innovation.
Striving for
excellence
THE British manufacturing industry has had it
tough for many years and has certainly been a topic of
much debate and discussion. This combined with a
significant reduction in capital investment, rising
overheads and the threat of lower cost economies such as
India and China has, in turn, had a detrimental effect on
the machine tool industry, resulting in a decline in
demand for this type of machinery.
For those manufacturers still operating in the UK, the
landscape remains a challenging one. However, all is not
doom and gloom. Low cost economies are, on the whole,
currently unable to compete with the UK when it comes
to high-end, state-of-the-art technology. Indeed, British
industry has always stood for flexibility, technology and
innovation and in order to survive in what has become a
fast changing, highly competitive marketplace,
businesses will need to harness these traits in order to
become more productive and more efficient. It is also
vital that businesses continue to embrace new
technologies as they become available and new working
practices and services are exploited wherever possible. In
summary, companies will need to become cleverer and
smarter in order to survive.
There is one area within UK manufacturing that is
already doing this. The UK aerospace sector has long led
the way in terms of innovation, specialisation, and
ingenuity. As with general manufacturing, this sector
has had to adapt to the UK’s higher cost base by using
innovation to produce advanced products and systems,
which although are low volume are also high technology
and therefore high value. The lessons already learnt here
could be used to ensure the survival of others and the
winners will undoubtedly be those who harness these
88 MWP april 2008
attributes to generate real competitive advantage.
In light of this, and as a leading technology provider,
Siemens A&D recognises the challenges faced by
machine tool manufacturers and machine operators in
the UK and understands the importance of added-value
and innovation for its customers. As a result, Siemens has
developed a unique modular service package which has
been specifically designed to increase availability,
productivity and quality in production and assembly,
whilst continuing to reduce overheads.
Under the banner of ‘Sinumerik Manufacturing
Excellence’ which will be unveiled for the first time in
the UK at this year’s MACH, Siemens has developed a
menu of services which includes:
■ Increased productivity
■ Manufacturing IT
■ Machine retrofits
■ Extended machine contracts
Increased Productivity - accelerates and optimises the
machine processes by reducing cycle times and
improving quality. Increased Productivity enables
machining operations to be analysed for the first time
without having to interrupt production. In this way,
hidden productivity potential can be found and realised.
When Increased Productivity finds unexploited
potential, it can be purposefully implemented in the
production at a suitable point in time.
■ Optimised machining times
■ Improved surface quality through a targeted analysis of
■ chains of action, down to the workpiece surface
■ Reduced prove-out times for new workpieces by
■ parallel simulation
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