The SCHERDEL Group demonstrates social ... - Scherdel GmbH

REPORTS ON RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, MANUFACTURING, MATERIAL TECHNOLOGY AND THE PRACTICAL APPLICA-
TIONS OF ENGINEERING SPRINGS AND ON THE SYSTEMS, MACHINERY AND TOOLING DIVISIONS OF THE SCHERDEL GROUP
Dear reader,
Despite the decline in the number
of new vehicle registrations
and the slump in the export market
– an area which is of prime importance
for the automotive industry –
SCHERDEL maintained a
favourable position in the marketplace
during the first half of 2002
and, contrary to the current trend,
even achieved an increase in
turnover. Of course this is encouraging,
but in view of the increasingly
fierce competition there's certainly
no cause for complacency.
The findings of a survey carried
out by the HypoVereinsbank and
Mercer Management Consulting
clearly show what tremendous efforts
are required to consolidate
and develop a company's position
in the marketplace: they forecast
that the number of automotive
parts suppliers worldwide will be
reduced from the present figure of
5,500 to 3,500 by the year 2010.
However, we are convinced that
we have created a basis for further
expansion. Another problem is the
fact that price negotiations with the
car manufacturers are becoming
increasingly tough. The automobile
companies are making every effort
to keep down the suppliers' prices.
Indeed, as far as accepting unprofitable
orders for strategic reasons
is concerned, many suppliers
have reached their limit. In the
past, this has been a partnership
based on fair play. Let us hope it
will continue to be so in the future.
Walter Bach
Group Managing Director
Published quarterly
The SCHERDEL Group
demonstrates social
commitment
Donation for flood victims presented at
anniversary celebrations in Marienberg
30
years ago, on 4 April 1972,
the Marienberg spring production
factory was formally opened. To
celebrate this anniversary, the staff of
the Company – which has been part of
the SCHERDEL Group since 1991 –
organised a fête and an open day for
relatives, regional business partners,
political representatives and interested
members of the public. The event was
combined with a campaign to collect
donations for the flood victims.
More than a thousand people took the
opportunity to have a look at the production
units and to participate in the
varied programme of events. After inspecting
the areas damaged by the
floods, Minister of State Mrs Weber,
and the County Council Chairman Mr
Kohldorf, made a point of visiting the
spring production factory.
Thanks to the concerted efforts of the
employees of the SCHERDEL Group at
our Marienberg location, since German
Reunification the Company has become
a prime supplier to the automotive
industry in particular. Group Managing
Director Mr Bach, the Manager of
the Marienberg spring production factory
Mr Makosch, and the Chairman of
the Works Council Mr Schmieder,
praised the hard work done by the
staff. The Mayor of Marienberg, Mr Wittig,
stated that the setting up of the
spring production factory in 1972 and
its successful privatisation in 1991 had
been of immense benefit to the region.
The highlight of the event was certainly
the moment when Group Managing Director
Mr Bach presented a cheque for
€ 50,000 from SCHERDEL KG as a
donation for the flood disaster victims.
In his speech, Mr Makosch had previously
mentioned that the staff at
Marienberg and at the parent company
in Marktredwitz were organising a flood
relief campaign. By 28 August the employees
at Marienberg had already donated
more than € 8,000. The Marienberg
companies also donated € 50,000
for flood relief and the proceeds from
the sale of drinks at the fête were
donated too. Currently, the total
amount donated stands at more than
€ 114,000. On 28 August this sum was
presented to the county authorities for
distribution to the flood victims.
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MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES - CNC TUBE BENDING MACHINE BM42JMS - FINITE ELEMENT METHOD - NEWS AND INFORMATION EDITION 2/2002 E

RESEARCH
MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES - CNC TUBE BENDING MACHINE BM42JMS - FINITE ELEMENT METHOD - NEWS AND INFORMATION
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Numerical simulation
applications at
Innotec GmbH
S
ince 1998 FEM (Finite Element
Method) calculations have been an
established part of the development
process in the SCHERDEL Group. This
method is used when analytical methods
either do not provide the necessary
precision or are not flexible enough to
represent complex structures. At
SCHERDEL we recognised the increasing
importance of this method and so,
at the beginning of 2002, the Numerical
Simulation Department (B-NS) was set
up within the company known as Innotec
F&E GmbH. Our customers and
any factories within the SCHERDEL
Group can call on our two staff members
Mr Georg Hannig (physics graduate)
and Mr Alexander Schade (engineering
graduate) if calculations are required.
The following examples of potential
applications will give you an idea of the
capabilities of the B-NS Department.
Typical applications for FEM calculations
are stampings, pressings and wire
shapes for which characteristic curves
and stress values have to be calculated,
and geometric optimisation procedures
carried out. Figs. 1 and 2 show
the peripheral stress values and characteristic
curves of a flap spring acting
Figs. 1 and 2: Peripheral stress values and characteristic curves of a flap spring
Fig. 3: Geometrically optimised flap spring
Fig. 4: Flap spring during assembly procedure
as a check valve. In figs. 3 and 4 you
can see geometrically optimised variants
of the spring. Firstly in the final position
and, secondly, when being assembled
through a space with a diameter
of 9 mm.
Simulated assembly procedures such
as the one shown above or the bracket
spring depicted in fig. 5 are always necessary
when there is a need to avoid
plastic deformation during the assembly
procedure.
Production processes (coiling, winding)
can also be simulated using the
FEM.

Fig. 5: Assembling a bracket spring
Fig. 7: Natural frequency spectrum of a compression spring
Fig. 8: Natural frequency spectrum of a spiral spring
Fig. 6: Simulation of spring coiling process
Fig. 6 shows the plastic extensions of a
coil simulation. The program generated
for this purpose can be used for the
calculation of wires of any cross-section.
The dimensional values provided
by the simulation are crucial both for
the manufacture and for the design of
the springs.
Another typical application is the calculation
of the natural frequency values.
For all types of spring, it is possible to
calculate the change in the natural frequency
values in the operative range.
Figs. 7 and 8 show examples of a compression
spring and a spiral spring with
their respective natural frequency spectra.
Another field of application is the dynamic
precalculation of valve springs
using multi-body simulation (MBS). This
enables the calculation of valve springs
in their environment, in the single valve
train. With the help of such simulation
procedures it is possible to assess the
dynamic behaviour of a spring within
the system as a whole. In addition to
the examples mentioned here, there
are many cases in which numerical
simulation has helped to reduce development
time. It is only by working in a
virtual environment that such geometric
optimisation can be carried out quickly
and efficiently. In fact, without such a
method, some solutions would simply
not have been possible.
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MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES - CNC TUBE BENDING MACHINE BM42JMS - FINITE ELEMENT METHOD - NEWS AND INFORMATION

COMPANY NEWS
Triumph for Audi in 24
hour marathon
SCHERDEL valve springs pass endurance
test with flying colours
MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES - CNC TUBE BENDING MACHINE BM42JMS - FINITE ELEMENT METHOD - NEWS AND INFORMATION
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Audi "en route" to defend the title
in the Le Mans 24 Hours.
When the team from Ingolstadt
won their triple victory in the
most famous marathon in motor-racing,
the Le Mans 24 Hours, SCHERDEL
was among the first to congratulate
them – and not without reason. The engines
of the successful racing cars
were equipped with valve springs from
our Company. And so Roland Lohmann,
the Audi Sport representative,
thanked the Marktredwitz team saying:
"There's no doubt that both the valve
spring and SCHERDEL have contributed
to this success. During the development
phase of the FSI engine for
Le Mans 2002 we had no problems
with this spring at all". Here you have
to realise that, in contrast to "normal"
racing, when valve springs are generally
replaced after each race, i.e. after
just under two hours of operation, during
the Le Mans long-distance race
these high-tech components are subjected
to top engine speeds, extremely
high temperatures and stress levels
just short of the load limit – and all this
for at least 24 hours and a distance of
more than 5,000 kilometres.
The experience gained here is invaluable,
not only for the drivers but also
for the developers and specialists at
SCHERDEL, who incorporate it in their
day-to-day work. After all, the race for
improved quality is a never-ending one!
You never win more than one stage at
a time. In the past, SCHERDEL has
contributed to a number of spectacular
events. Starting with the Mercedes victory
in the 1914 French Grand Prix, the
list includes the absolute world speed
record with the ME 109 R in 1939, a
series of World Championships won by
the legendary NSU Blue Whales in
1954, three world records for European
motor boats on Lake Iseo in Northern
Italy, culminating in the Formula 1
World Championship won by Nelson
Piquet in a Brabham BMW in 1983. In
addition to the "Le Mans" engines
SCHERDEL continues to supply the
springs for the winning Formula 3 engines
and for a wide variety of touring
car series.

PRODUCTION
Marienberg spring production
factory invests in new
tube bending technology
Extension of expertise and production capabilities
U
ntil recently, the Marienberg spring
production factory had manufactured
shaped tube components with a
maximum outside diameter of 12 mm
using CNC multiple bending machines.
To keep pace with market requirements
and to diversify the product range, the
Company has invested in modern CNC
tube bending technology and equipment
for machining tube ends: for cutting,
trimming, drilling and piercing
bores and orifices. Using this technology
it is possible to carry out three dimensional
bending of cylindrical tubes,
square-bore tubes and wires.
This automatic tube bending machine
(5-axis control, with right-hand bending)
has the following technical parameters:
- max. bending capacity (for material
where R m = 400 N/mm 2 ):
outside diameter 42 x 2.5 mm
- min. inside bending radius: 25 mm
- max. bending radius on tube centre
line
• when using rollers: 270 mm
• with a set of tools tending to ∞
- max. bending angle: 187 °
- max. length of tube: 4300 mm
Tube bending technology is used both
for the manufacture of vehicle seating
components and for the production of
shaped tubing for other branches of industry.
Based on the experience gained
so far, it seems likely that in relation to
component manufacture this equipment
will provide a very high degree of repeatability.
It produces bending angles
to within a tolerance of approx. ± 0.5 °,
with very little flattening at the radius
transitions. The equipment is relatively
easy to operate. All the functions can
be controlled via the colour monitor and
touch screen.
As a supplement to the tube bending
machine, tools are also available for
special requirements such as machining
tube ends, disengaging tube ends,
cutting and trimming the tubes, and for
drilling and piercing work. Such jobs
are performed both by hydraulic stamping
stations and by mechanical presses.
This technology is suitable for machining
tubes with the bending capacity
stated.
As well as the above-mentioned production
technology for tube machining,
the Company also invested in robot
equipment for MAG welding which
meets the special requirements for
welding tube joints.
Control unit of CNC tube bending
machine BM42JMS with
colour monitor and touch screen
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MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES - CNC TUBE BENDING MACHINE BM42JMS - FINITE ELEMENT METHOD - NEWS AND INFORMATION

CORPORATE MANAGEMENT
Target-oriented Management –
Old wine in new bottles?
MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES - CNC TUBE BENDING MACHINE BM42JMS - FINITE ELEMENT METHOD - NEWS AND INFORMATION
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Prof. Meuche:
special adviser for staff development
in the SCHERDEL Group
E
very employee acts as an
"entrepreneur" at his workplace –
that is the central statement in the
SCHERDEL management principles.
But what characterizes an entrepreneur?
An entrepreneur is someone who
starts an enterprise in order to earn
money. He makes a plan, converts the
plan to reality, compares the results
with the plan and may adjust his policy
if he doesn't achieve his objective.
What's the basis for an employee's
plan? He makes his plan in accordance
with the targets which he and his superior
have agreed on. Typical targets for
the individual employee might be the
acquisition of particular skills, such as
learning how to operate a new type of
machine, speaking a foreign language,
or gaining the expertise required to take
on responsibility for a particular field.
Other targets are based on hard facts,
such as run time, number of working
hours estimated for a job, number of
parts produced, or surplus of income
over expenditure (cash flow) over a certain
period. The achievement of these
objectives doesn't usually depend on
the individual employee alone but on a
team which is also involved in the planning
procedure.
Basically, target setting is a "vertical"
process running from the top of a company
to the bottom. That means: the individual
targets set for each employee
contribute to the overall corporate objectives.
Generally speaking, this is
what happens at SCHERDEL. However,
we found that some employees
were not sure what targets they were
aiming at. Neither did they know how
their targets related to the aims of the
Company as a whole. That's why the
Target-oriented Management Project
was initiated.
However, a company can't survive
simply by agreeing on targets; it survives
by successfully converting these
targets into reality. In order to assess
which targets have been achieved, we
need to have some feedback about the
results. On the one hand, the people
concerned can assess their performance
themselves and make a written
report; on the other, they can discuss
the results with their superior. At the
end of a shift, for example the employees
themselves can enter the number
of parts produced, or the run time, in a
table or chart so that the team can see
at a glance whether the target for that
day has been achieved. The feedback
obtained from regular discussions with
the employees is particularly concerned
with the achievement of targets which
cannot be expressed in figures. The
aim of such discussions is to pinpoint
discrepancies between what was
planned and what has been achieved,
and to suggest improvements. After all,
the aim is to hit the target.
And what's the advantage of hitting
the target? A feeling of success; praise
from your colleagues and superiors;
perhaps a bonus; or if you are a member
of the SCHERDEL staff participation
scheme and have a share in your
Company's capital, you may get a higher
return of interest if the whole team
has achieved or exceeded its targets.
And this brings us back to the original
comparison: an "entrepreneur" who is a
good manager gets a higher return of
interest on his capital.
One of our main customers, Bosch,
has proved that this is a method which
leads to improvements, and this company
has given us a number of good
ideas for our Target-oriented Management
Project. These ideas have also
been included in the guide to Targetoriented
Management drawn up by our
Central Quality Department. You'll find
this in SOLIS under the heading "Guide
to Target-oriented Management". This
also lists your contacts at our Head Office
who will assist you in implementing
this project.
Is this just old wine in new bottles? In
the opinion of Walter Bach: "This has
always been our basic principle but obviously
we haven't been 100% consistent
in carrying it out. From now on we
will be".
Let us make a joint effort to implement
this principle. We need the type of person
who shows initiative and can act as
an "entrepreneur" at his workplace.
(Prof. Thomas Meuche)

COMPANY NEWS
Secretary of State Hans
Spitzner visits Waldershof
SCHERDEL plans to create more jobs at MECO
factory and in stamping and bending technology
V
IP visit to the SCHERDEL factory
in Waldershof: Hans Spitzner,
Secretary of State at the Bavarian Ministry
of Economics, Transport and
Technology, was accompanied by
Georg Girisch M.P., Herbert Rubenbauer
Member of the Bavarian State
Parliament, Ludwig Spreitzer Vice-
President of the Regional Council, Herbert
Hahn Deputy Chairman of the
County Council, Mayor Hubert Kellner,
Deputy Mayor Josef Daubenmerkl and
several Regional and County Councillors.
Accompanied by Helmut Lang and
Martin Zeis, the guests were taken on a
guided tour of the workshops where
they inspected the modern production
equipment. They were particularly impressed
by the 600-tonne pressing and
stamping machine.
In his official speech of welcome,
Group Managing Director Walter Bach
described the visit as an honour for
SCHERDEL. The visitors were shown
the image film, after which Walter Bach
emphasised the increasing importance
of the Research and Development Division.
Here SCHERDEL employs 120
engineers. Mr Bach also mentioned the
special efforts the Company was making
in relation to trainees. More than
130 young people are currently completing
their apprenticeship in the Company.
This year alone SCHERDEL took
on the record number of 42 trainees. In
this connection the audience was told
that 80% of the staff required by
SCHERDEL are trained in-house. With
regard to the economic situation, Walter
Bach stated that this year again –
contrary to the general trend –
SCHERDEL would achieve an increase
in turnover. The Company had a good
reputation in the Region, a fact which
was underlined by the large number of
applications for jobs. He also attached
great importance to in-service training.
"That's our capital". Walter Bach then
mentioned the Waldershof factory, saying
that they would be investing a total
of 2 million euros here during the next
few years. This would mean greater
productivity and he estimated that it
would create ten new jobs a year.
Touching on CAD technology he said
that by carrying out development work
in a virtual environment the Company
saved time, which also meant a saving
in costs. Walter Bach then made some
general remarks criticising the high
labour costs in Germany: "As far as ancillary
wage costs are concerned we
lead the field".
Secretary of State Spitzner said he
was pleased to be back at SCHERDEL
again. He expressed his thanks, saying
that it had been a most informative
visit. SCHERDEL had an outstanding
position in a marketplace where
competition was extremely fierce. The
crucial factors here were innovation,
flexibility, creativity, proximity to the
customer and, above all, excellent
human resources. In conclusion Mr
Spitzner remarked: "If all companies
were as good as SCHERDEL there
would be no problems".
During a visit to SCHERDEL at
Waldershof: from l. to r. Secretary
of State Hans Spitzner, Group
Managing Director Walter Bach,
Georg Girisch M.P. and Herbert
Rubenbauer Member of the Bavarian
State Parliament.
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MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES - CNC TUBE BENDING MACHINE BM42JMS - FINITE ELEMENT METHOD - NEWS AND INFORMATION

COMPANY NEWS
A clear case of competence:
www.scherdel.de
Attractive graphics – plenty of information
New SCHERDEL website on the Internet
MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES - CNC TUBE BENDING MACHINE BM42JMS - FINITE ELEMENT METHOD - NEWS AND INFORMATION
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The newly organised website provides
information about the Company:
individual product lines and
services are clearly presented. The
English version will be available
shortly.
D
uring recent years, hardly any
other medium has brought about
such a change in our society as the Internet.
Because of its almost universal
availability and tremendous development
potential it is becoming increasingly
useful in our business world. For
the SCHERDEL Group, which has had
a website for years, it was now time to
revise their Internet presentation and to
give it a new look. In co-operation with
the Media Agency SPECTRUM from
Tirschenreuth the website was given a
clear-cut design.
The website contains more than 50
pages accessed via five main headings,
and a section for getting in touch
electronically. Here, the links to the individual
product sections, and to the
services offered by the development
and prototype departments are easily
accessible. The departments dealing
with special systems, machines, tools
and surface finishing are also presented
here. The list of our individual Company
locations is updated on a regular
basis. This also takes into account the
current development of our Service
Centers. A route-planner and a map
showing the Company locations ensure
that you take the most direct route to
SCHERDEL. A news ticker gives you
the latest information and there's also a
page with a summary of press releases.
A service which has proved successful
in the past is the possibility of
downloading the latest edition of
SCHERDELnews as a pdf-file – and of
course this applies to previous editions
as well. Under the heading "career",
visitors to the site will find a variety of
job-related opportunities. Anyone seeking
practical work experience, in connection
with a university degree for example,
can apply to SCHERDEL via
the Internet.
In addition, there are links to the existing
websites of companies in the
SCHERDEL Group. You're just one
click away from the Internet presentation
of OFTM, MECO or KANYA. (al)
SCHERDEL GmbH, PO Box 4 40, 95604 Marktredwitz, Germany, Phone: +49 9 23 16 03-0, Fax: +49 9 23 16 03-4 62