Annual Report 2011

the integration of diverse machines into automated
flexible autonomous production systems.
The product range is built on nine strong, globally
recognized brands, each recognized for excellence
and leadership in its chosen application field.
The group’s marketing strategy is mainly based
on direct market presence, with local engineering
competence and short communication channels
between customers and the plants. Our
international customers appreciate these short,
direct communication channels, facilitated by
our presence in key centers of industrial activity
across the globe. This allows a swift response to
customer needs with experienced local, marketing,
applications and customer service specialists
who are familiar with local languages, cultures
and customs.
The competitive position is based on a cohesive
integrated organizational structure in order to
capture synergies along the value chain, in sales
and in customer service. One example is sharing
of quality peripheral components out of own
manufacturing across the group.
Our employees in the regions are material for
to build and maintain close, enduring customer
relationships based on trust and technical competence.
Knowledge sharing meeting and productand
application trainings are an integral part of our
strive for excellence.
Joint product development with
our customers
In order to sustain and enhance our technology
leadership, the group regularly invests an aboveaverage
percentage of sales in the development
of new products, services and technology. Innovation
is understood to be the undisputed definitive
driver of future business success. Starrag Group
operates an international network of research and
development groups in Switzerland, Germany,
France, the UK and India. Applications engineers
assigned to the local sales organizations work
hand in hand with customers and feed back improvement
needs to the R&D centers.
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This strategy accelerates the innovation process,
generating added value for our customers.
Starrag Group protects its technological developments
with an extensive patent portfolio. Technology
trends throughout the industry and the chosen
application fields are monitored and analyzed
systematically, and the results are used in the harmonized
development processes. Development
of new products is driven by actively monitoring
product life cycles and listening closely to day to
day operating experience from key customers.
The group’s development efforts are supported
by close cooperation with leading technical
universities and research institutes. Two leading
university professors in machine tool sciences,
Professor Reimund Neugebauer (TU Dresden) and
Prof. Christian Brecher (RWTH Aachen), serve on
the Supervisory Board of Dörries Scharmann and
help understand the global research activities in
the machine tool sector.
Top-end customer base with
growth potential
Starrag Group focuses on specific applications in
four target markets with uncompromising quality
standards: Aerospace, energy, transport and
industrial engineering.
Aerospace
Larger airplanes, rising kerosene prices and
growing environmental awareness call for lighter,
quieter, more cost-effective and economical
aircraft with lower emissions rates. For modern
aircraft manufacturers and their suppliers, the
resultant trend goes toward increasingly precise
more complex and larger parts. These call for reliable
manufacturing processes leading to narrower
tolerances under continuous process monitoring.
Demand is increasing for parts with complex geometries
requiring cost efficient 5-axis machining
technologies.
Starrag Group’s product spectrum ranges from
heavy-duty machining of high-strength titanium
alloys and high-speed aluminum cutting to ultraprecise
processing of large drive train components
made from lightweight metal alloys.