GERMAN AMERICAN - Strothmann

Volume 15 · Number 3 · April 2004 · $5.00 Magazine of the German American Chamber of Commerce 

GERMAN AMERICAN 

TRADE 

Derek P. Clark, 

head of Sales & Marketing dept. (left) 

Michael Spiegel, 

CEO STROTHMANN Machines & Handling

Cover Story 

Cover Story 

6 

The RoundTrack rail system in elevator flow production: 

Arch-shaped rollers and a hardened steel rail for low rolling resistance 

German American Trade · Vol. 15 · No. 3

Innovation In Motion 

“We can handle it” – a statement which carries more 

than a figurative meaning for STROTHMANN customers, 

like for example Tower Automotive at Milwaukee, a tier 

one supplier for the U.S. American automotive industry. 

Here, body frames for all-terrain vehicles weighing – 

including the grippers – about as much as a complete mid-size 

European car, have to be transferred within welding lines. 

Sure, conveyors could do 

the job – but they take up 

lots of floor space, and 

Another exemplary application 

is the manufacturing of 

hoods for air conditioning sys- 

the mechanics is complicated, tems at Trane’s, a Texas-based 

too. The STROTHMANN solu- company. Here, STROTHtion 

employs linear robots, MANN implemented a han- 

which lift up 

dling system capa- 

the frame, Customers in the ble of processing a 

move it rapidly 

to the next 

U.S. include Ford and 

wide variety of 

blanks and sizes. 

welding sta- DaimlerChrysler and Without complicattion, 

and put it major component ed servo-motors, a 

down again. 

The robots can 

suppliers for the 

specially developed 

end of arm tooling 

carry up to automotive industry 

adapts automatical- 

3,500 lbs., 

ly to the size of the 

cover distances of 40 ft., and blank, a solution which 

also operate much faster than reduces moving masses and 

conveyor systems. 

saves costs. 

Machines for Handling 

Since 1976, STROTH- 

MANN GmbH & Co. 

KG develops and 

builds machines and 

implements solutions 

for all kinds of 

logistic and handling 

problems. Products 

and services range 

from linear shuttles 

and gantries, destackers 

and centering stations, 

end of arm tools 

and the patented 

RoundTrack floor rail 

system to complete press 

line automation and 

refurbishing. Customers in 

Cover Story 

German American Trade · Vol. 15 · No. 3 7

Cover Story 

Destacker and 

linear robot 

8 

Founded 

Ever since W. STROTHMANN 

GmbH & Co. KG was founded in 

1976, the development and 

implementation of effective 

solutions in machine engineering 

and handling technology 

was the governing principle for 

our company. 

STROTHMANN has been in the 

U.S. since 1998. 

Corporate Credo: 

Innovation in Motion means to 

constantly find innovative solutions 

in order to get things 

moving for our customers. 

U.S. Products 

DualFeeder, MagShuttle, 

RoundTrack. 

Corporate Fact-sheet 

The STROTHMANN Brand 

STROTHMANN has earned its 

reputation for the linear shuttles 

and destacker concepts. 

North America Headquarters 

ATR STROTHMANN 

400 Collier – McMillan Drive 

Cambridge, Ontario 

N1R 7H7/ Canada 

http://www.atrsi.com 

Sales Offices in USA and Mexico 

Industry Scope LLC 

733 Mornigside Drive 

Grand Blanc, Michigan 48439, 

USA 

www.industry-scope.com 

U.S. Sales 

$ 3 Million 

the U.S. include Ford and 

DaimlerChrysler and major 

component suppliers for the 

automotive industry like Tower 

Automotive or the Magna 

Group. 

“Being a special engineering 

company”, says Derek P. Clark, 

head of Sales & Marketing, 

“means that we can do both – 

assemble a solution using standardized 

components just as 

well as develop and build a 

dedicated system tailored to 

the individual application at 

hand.” As part of the globally 

operating Siempelkamp holding 

(with businesses in 

Machinery and Plant 

Manufacturing, Industrial 

Automation, Foundry 

Products, Nuclear Engineering, 

and Metal Forming), STROTH- 

MANN can draw from the 

know-how of other group 

members as well. A good example 

is the motion control soft- 


ware for the linear robots 

which is provided by ATR, the 

group’s specialist for system 

integration. 

KISS – Keep it simple, STROTH- 

MANN 

“Often, a simple solution 

brings about the greatest 

effect”, says Derek P. Clark. 

“The linear robot, for example, 

with its clearly defined movements 

along linear axes, greatly 

simplifies control. And there 

are almost no centrifugal 

forces. Even large blanks can be 

transferred at high speeds without 

bending or buckling. The 

high degree of dynamism of 

the shuttles is also based on a 

simple idea: The smaller the 

mass, the more easily it can be 

accelerated. That’s why the 

German American Trade · Vol. 15 · No. 3 

A glimpse into the near future: Vision based centering station 

The trend towards increased 

flexibility within the automotive 

industry continues. The 

ability to process a larger 

range of blanks (from ashtraysized 

sheets to complete body 

sides) as well as single or double 

blanks improves utilization 

rates and reduces costs, but 

also puts enormous demands 

on the devices which position 

the blanks for optimum press 

loading. A tried and tested 

solution is STROTHMANN’s 

mechanical centering station 

whose overall breadth is continuously 

adjustable to fit 

sheet size. But high flexibility 

means also high complexity, 

which limits the possibility of 

further improvement. Because 

of this, STROTHMANN is developing 

a new system: “At the 

moment, we are working on 

reducing the number of 

mechanical components by 

integrating an image processing 

system into the centering 

station”, explains head of 

development Rainer Massow. 

Our goal is not only to increase 

flexibility, but also to be considerably 

faster than the 

mechanical solution.” 

STROTHMANN will present the 

new device at the 18th 

International Sheet Metal 

Working Technology Exhibition 

(Euroblech) in Hanover / 

Germany, in Oct. 2004. 

Cover Story 

Linear 

movements and 

a stationary 

motor provide 

a high level of 

dynamism 

9

Cover Story 

10 

STROTHMANN linear robots robot delivered to him for a 

feature a stationary motor with machine tool, remembers Mr. 

a timing belt transmission for Clark. But the scale is different, 

the vertical movement.” of course: The new MagShuttle 

features a virtually limitless 

Next step: The MagShuttle travel length – combined with 

With the development of the a load capacity of 150 kg, 

world’s first shuttle with syn- velocities up to 5.5 m/s (nearly 

chronous linear direct drives in twice the speed of a belt shut- 

both horizontal and 

tle) and an accelera- 

vertical axes, Often, a simple tion up to 20 m/s_ – 

STROTHMANN 

managed to speed up 

its robots even fur- 

solution brings 

about the 

that’s four times 

faster than a conventional 

shuttle. 

ther. The force of the greatest effect Without transmis- 

motor is directly 

sion elements, linear 

applied to the shuttle carriage, direct drives also operate with 

which is floating magnetically less vibration as well as lower 

along the horizontal beam. wear and tear rates. The posi- 

Since this type of drive is often tioning accuracy is in the range 

used for machine tool, a cus- of ±0.1 mm, both vertically 

tomer even mistook a linear and horizontally. “Since these 

STROTHMANN stacker 


Interview with Michael Spiegel, 

CEO STROTHMANN Machines & Handling 

Q: Mr. Spiegel, STROTH- 

MANN started as a small 

machine engineering com-pany 

in East Westphalia / Germany. 

Today, STROTHMANN handling 

systems can be found all 

over the world – in the U.S. for 

example at the Magna plant at 

Spartanburg / South Carolina. 

What’s the STROTHMANN 

secret? 

A: Actually, it’s no secret, but 

all too obvious: Keep innovating, 

improve your know-how, 

keep moving – the STROTH- 

MANN formula for this is 

“Innovation in Motion”. Our 

products – RoundTrack, linear 

shuttles, destackers, centering 

stations – are notable for presenting 

simple and effective 

answers to the handling and 

transportation needs of our customers. 

Q: Who are your customers? 

A: Customers include companies 

from branches like furniture 

industry, machine engineering, 

even Airbus Industries. 

Metal sheet processing, especially 

the automotive industry, is of 

course very important. Here, 

STROTHMANN has gathered 

considerable expertise over the 

years through implementing 

systems for press line automation 

all over Germany and 

Europe. 

Q: So, if I am in the auto 

business, what’s my STROTH- 

MANN advantage? 

A: There are very rigid 

demands concerning quality 

standards and delivery reliability, 

because in this field, all 

chances to cut the costs have to 

be pursued to stay ahead of the 

global competition. Think of 

concepts like just in time or lean 

production, platform and modular 

strategies – many of these 

stem from the automotive 

industry. In a situation like this, 

the suppliers are under constant 

pressure. And a production line 

that isn’t operated efficiently, 

suffers from frequent downtimes, 

slow tooling, ineffective 

handling etc. is wasting a lot of 

money. Dynamic handling 

solutions are a key factor to face 

the competition. 

Q: Which means: Press line 

automation “Made in 

Germany” for the rest of the 

world? 

A: Well, that’s too strong a 

statement. Of course, the global 

scope and structure of the 

industry, with production lines 

and suppliers distributed all 

over the world, was definitely a 

reason to expand our business 

beyond Germany and Europe – 

and to open up the enormous 

North American market. But 

when I mentioned moving and 

mobility a little earlier, I was 

also driving at the ability to 

adapt to a particular market. 

Q: So, what is special about 

the American market? 

A: The first which comes to 

my mind is the service, which is 

at least as impor-tant as the 

technology. The consequences 

are far beyond establishing a 

service network. It’s more about 

construction and design of your 

machines: One must be able to 

eliminate failures and malfunctions 

in the easiest way possible. 

In Europe, you often rely on the 

experts on site, who will investigate 

and fix the problem (sooner 

or later). In the U.S., you 

exchange a module – and production 

continues. Another specialty 

are FMEA- (Failure Mode 

and Effect Analysis) and RCM- 

/R&M- (Reliability Centered 

Maintenance) studies. They are 

costly, of course, but in the long 

run, you benefit from an 

extended know-how and 

improved product quality. And 

last but not least: We learned 

that flexibility in product management 

is an important quality 

while working together with 

our American partners. 

“Nothing is as sure as change”, 

as you say – but nevertheless 

you have to keep the deadline. 

So engineering, structured planning 

and coordination skills 

must go hand-in-hand. 

Q: Taking the other perspective, 

are there any special characteristics 

of Ger-man automation? 

A: Americans like the high 

quality standards of our 

machine building. “Made in 

Germany” has a good ring to it. 

True, there are many areas 

where Americans are using 

domestic automation parts, but 

for many key components – 

especially in the automotive 

industry – the label “Made by 

STROTHMANN” is very important 

– and that’s a major stimulus 

for us, to keep on innovating. 

Cover Story 


12 

Features 

STROTHMANN 

facility at Schloß 

Holte-Stukenbrock, 

Westphalia, Germany 

Company Background 

W. STROTHMANN GmbH & 

Co. KG has been a force of 

innovation in transport and 

handling facilities ever 

since the company was 

founded in 1976. With 86 

employees worldwide, 

STROTHMANN manufactures 

linear and rotary robotic 

components and systems, 

including end of arm tooling, 

employed for handling 

a host of materials in a wide 

variety of process applications. 

STROTHMANN feeders 

and shuttles are typically 

used in sheet metal destacking 

and stacking, 

bodyshop transfers, part 

and pallet racking and 

stacking, inter-press 

automation, linear and 

gantry robots for transferring 

parts and machine tool 

load and unload systems. 

STROTHMANN is also the 

inventor of the patented 

Round Rail Floor System. 

Due to an extremely low 

rolling resistance, it allows 

for simple and inexpensive 

planar transport of large 

loads within a production 

site. Running on concave 

roller profiles, even 10 ton 

devices can easily be moved 

by hand by a single person 

along a round track protruding 

only millimeters from 

the floor. 

advantages have gotten around millimeters from the ground, 

in the meantime, I don’t expect and is therefore no hindrance 

any more mix-ups”, Mr. Clark to persons or vehicles. 

believes. 

Cleaning is also simple. 

Ever since its introduction, 

On the RoundTrack 

the system has proven its suit- 

The RoundTrack floor rail ability for daily use, be it at the 

system also embraces the KISS- Airbus facilities in Hamburg / 

principle. Key elements are a Germany, where body parts of 

round rail made from hardened up to 25 tons are moved via 

and polished steel, and rollers carts of about 69 ft. length, or 

with a “gothic-arch-shaped at various press lines for metal 

profile”, which together pro- sheet and die transport. Here, 

vide for an extremely low the combination of 

rolling resistance and high RoundTrack-based blank carts 

durability. One single person and fast destackers ensures a 

can move 10 

tons of equip- STROTHMANN is 

continuous “head of 

line” material feed. 

ment by hand, the right partner Whenever classical 

and carts with 

geared motors 

can carry 

to get things 

moving quicker 

band-conveyors are not 

applicable, the 

RoundRail system can be 

weights up to 50 and smoother 

used to establish flow 

tons. The system 

production assembly 

is easy to install: An aluminum lines and improve in-house 

profile is inset and cast flush logistics. The international oper- 

with the floor, in which the ating Trumpf Company, which 

round rods are laid in. With is well known for its machine 

crossover tracks and platforms, tools and laser technology, man- 

a complete logistical concept aged to further improve produc- 

can be designed around the tivity and quality by introduc- 

system. The round upper edge ing a RoundTrack-based flow 

of the rail protrudes only a few production system. 


The STROTHMANN way 

Finding and implementing 

effective solutions in machine 

engineering and handling 

technology is STROTHMANN’s 

key competence. Derek P. 

Clark: “Being able to run a 

press line at almost the theoretical 

limit of the maximum 

stroke rate because of 

improved handling and tooling, 

or to rely upon logistics 

tailored to the requirements of 

the manufacturing process is a 

major advantage in competition. 

With its expertise and 

ongoing history of innovation, 

STROTHMANN is the 

right partner to get things 

moving quicker and smoother 

– that’s what we want to 

be known for.” 

Contact: 

STROTHMANN 

Machines & Handling 

Derek Clark 

Altenkamp 5 

D-33758 Schloss Holte- 

Stukenbrock 

Fon: +49 5207 / 9122-50 

Fax: +49 5207 / 9122-96 

e-mail: 

d.clark@STROTHMANN.com 

www.STROTHMANN.com 

Magnetic 

Shuttle with 

tooling 

Features

GERMAN AMERICAN - Strothmann

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