Large investments in R & D – a continuous process - Scherdel GmbH

COMPANY NEWS
Staff profile
We'd like to introduce staff members
to you who will act as your
contact if required.
Motor racing – a driving for
In many vehicles SCHERDEL components are part
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING - TECHNOLOGY & PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT - NEWS AND INFORMATION
2
Olaf Korf, graduate in physics
and Head of the Department
of Purchasing and Materials
Management
Since the beginning of the year
Mr Olaf Korf has been in charge of
the Department of Purchasing and
Materials Management for the
whole SCHERDELGroup.
Mr Korf studied physics and
business economics at the University
of Bayreuth. After passing the
final State examination in military
engineering he began working as
a civil servant with the Federal
Office for Military Engineering and
Procurement. Now 38 years old,
he started working for SCHERDEL
in 2003. As an assistant to the
Group Managing Director he soon
acquired an extensive knowledge
of the organization and procedures
within the SCHERDEL-
Group and he then occupied
various positions at the Group's
locations in France. Here Mr Korf
devoted his efforts to staff development,
the organization of sales
and technology, and process optimization
regarding production.
One particularly important aspect
of these activities was to make
use of synergy effects within the
French factories and to integrate
them into the Group.
Some of the most important
tasks of the new Head of the Purchasing
Department now include
the coordination of SCHERDEL's
purchasing activities worldwide,
the setting up of a supplier management
scheme for the whole
Group, the further development of
the procurement strategy and the
optimization and standardization
of the procurement process.
Mr Korf is married and has three
children. As a former marathon
runner, he is still an enthusiastic
and ambitious participant in endurance
sports.
I
n no other field is the pioneering
spirit so active and of such practical
use as in motor racing. Creativity and a
capacity for enthusiasm, coupled with a
fair amount of know-how, experience,
endurance and a talent for improvising
as well – these are the qualities which
characterize the world's best racing
teams. An environment which demands
speed and flexibility from all those involved.
The SCHERDELGroup, as a
supplier to the sport of motor racing,
readily accepts such challenges. And
this has been the case for a long time
now. For many decades SCHERDEL
products have been contributing to the
success of racing drivers on courses,
tracks and circuits worldwide. And so,
indirectly, the Group is part of every
winning team. This success is the result
of a long and sometimes difficult development
process. One important reason
for SCHERDEL's great efforts in relation
to this sport is the fact that Mr Walter
Bach, the Group Managing Director,
is an enthusiastic supporter of motor
racing.
Of course we take a certain amount of
pride in the fact that, for a long time
now, some of the most important racing
events have been won by cars fitted
with SCHERDEL products such as the
valve spring. One great success here
and a special highlight was in 1983
when Nelson Piquet won the Formula 1
World Championship driving a Brabham
BMW BT52 whose engine was
equipped with SCHERDEL valve
springs. In 2006 there was an equally
exciting event when the Audi R10 TDI –
also fitted with valve springs made by
SCHERDEL won at Le Mans, the classic
long-distance race. Other successes
(past and present) with our valve
springs include DTM, WTCC, WRC and
GT events – in motor racing and motorbike
racing, such as the Speedway, for
example. The list could be extended by
any number of races and, hopefully, it
will become even longer.
For decades, wins at international motor-racing events have always meant success for products made
by SCHERDEL as well. Development work carried out for motor racing is often incorporated in the series
production of vehicles for everyday use.
It's fascinating to consider the development
from the first heavy-fuel engine
of Rudolf Diesel (1893) to the world's
first diesel engine which won the classic
long-distance race at Le Mans in
2006. Both engines benefited from the
reliable operation of valve springs made
by SCHERDEL. A pioneering spirit and
the extreme demands of motor racing
form a symbiosis which results in success.
The Group is committed to producing
first-rate quality at all times – not
only as a supplier of products but as a
development partner with an extensive
range of activities in the development of
materials, the development of products
and their manufacturing processes.
SCHERDEL's activities also include
surface coating procedures and the
Group has its own Machines and Systems
Division. If required, customers
can obtain not only a particular component
but also the appropriate assembly
units.
Thanks to the Group's extensive development
activities SCHERDEL has, in
some cases, been able to incorporate
in the production process for motor racing
special measures which ensure that
all the components survive the distance
required for the race without damage.