mwp awards 2008 sponsor
CATEGORY: BEST TOOLING PRODUCT, EQUIPMENT OR SYSTEM
Yamazaki Mazak had good reason to celebrate in 2007 with the 20th anniversary of
manufacturing at the European Headquarters in Worcester, reflecting a period in which
more than 17,000 machine tools have been manufactured. It also received a second
Queen’s Award for Enterprise for its production and export of machine tools.
Global brand with
local connections
The Integrex i-150,
one of the new
generation of intelligent
machines
ALMOST 90% of the current production
from the UK factory is exported, confirming
Yamazaki Mazak as a major asset to the
Worcester and UK economies. This is not least
because as the world’s leading manufacturer of
CNC metalcutting machine tools Yamazaki
Mazak continues to develop products to meet
local requirements through its commitment to
being close to its customers.
As with all European-based manufacturing companies,
Mazak has to constantly look to improve productivity in
order to remain competitive. The extensive use of
automation within its own facility is not simply a case of
highlighting the technology within the Mazak Group. It
is a necessity in order to meet the increasing demand for
the 18 specific models of machine tools that are produced
by Mazak in Europe. Indeed, European manufactured
products now account for around 45% of total European
sales of Mazak machine tools.
Following the completion at the beginning of 2007 of
the latest round of investment at Worcester the
production capacity was increased to 150 machine tools
per month. A change in the order mix across Europe,
which saw an increased demand for the 2-axis lathes
produced at Worcester, resulted in that capacity limit
being increased to 166 machines - a figure achieved
through the mix of work being produced and the use of
innovative production management techniques.
Being close to its customers and their markets allows
Mazak to develop machine tools that are a better fit to
customers’ requirements. Each of its manufacturing
plants has a design capability and the UK is playing an
important role in developing new machine tools. In
fact, one of the stars of the recent EMO exhibition in
96 MWP april 2008
Germany was a UK designed and built machine, the
VTC800 / 30SR.
However, Mazak provides more than just machine tools
and at MACH2008 visitors will be introduced to a
concept that takes the machine tool into the next
generation. On display will be Intelligent Machines that
perform automatic compensation or maintenance by
reacting automatically to changes in their status or
environment. Mazak machines will now be equipped
with up to seven Intelligent Functions that are aimed at
improving functionality, productivity and helping to
overcome the scarcity of highly skilled operators. By
giving the machine tool the ability to ‘think’, Mazak is
reducing the reliance on skilled operators and the
knowledge pool that is fast diminishing in the
manufacturing sector.
Mazak recognises that machine tool manufacturers are
required to develop machines that incorporate the
expertise of experienced machine operators and monitor
themselves in order to realise optimum production and
avoid operator error. The resulting Intelligent Machines,
or i-machines, incorporate the following intelligent
functions: Active Vibration Control for minimised
vibration; Intelligent Thermal Shield for heat
displacement control; Intelligent Safety Shield for
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