Issue 60 - Tornos

Presentationin cooperation with Tsugami in Japan, acompany which itself enjoys an enviablereputation and has many years of experiencein the construction of machine tools.The Delta range is supplied with 3, 4 or 5axes and bar capacity diameter ranges of12 mm or 20 mm. These are simple, easyto-operatemachines for standard turnedparts. In their design, particular emphasiswas placed on allowing easy accessibilityand fast tool changes, as well as ensuringclear vision of the machining process.The machines are delivered with a minimumof options within 2 to 4 weeks andcan be commissioned immediately. Theprogramming is performed via simplestandard software and requires virtually no training.Given their affordable price, the machines are ideallysuited to the extremely economical productionof simple parts. From the perspective of Klaus Meierand the experts at Ritzfahr, they therefore met therequired criteria better than any other machines.However, since the machines had only just beenlaunched in the market at the time and there werefew references available, Klaus Meier was somewhatconcerned at first that everything would work as itwas supposed to. Although stressful at the time, followingthe resounding success of the product launchand the fact that production was able to be immediatelyramped back up to full capacity, he can nowreflect on this time with a sense of accomplishmentand a smile.From investment banker to lathe expertBruno Fahr, sales director and one of the managersat Ritzfahr, used to work for a Swiss investment bankover 15 years ago, a time at which investment banksstill enjoyed a good reputation. He now devotes thispragmatic and entrepreneurial way of thinking tothe new company. Since he is always keen to examineprocesses holistically, he was a big supporter ofthe seven Delta machines. Not only do these modelsoffer an extremely low total cost of ownershipthanks to their low energy consumption and minimalmaintenance costs, the costs of documenting andtracking production processes are also significantlylower than on more technologically advanced standalonemachines. Added to this is the fact that thetools and devices are all uniform, allowing them tobe used across all machines, and that the simpleprogramming is the same for all machines and canbe performed by any member of staff. This helpsinstil a sense of teamwork and encourages employeesto move away from attitudes such as “that’s mymachine and I’m not interested in anything else”.Members of staff work in rotation here, learningabout new tasks and facing new challenges. Thisalso helps motivate the workforce and has madeRitzfahr very popular among young people andthose seeking a trainee position. After all, optimisingproduction is only the beginning. The goal nowis to optimise the entire production process, therebyensuring that the company is ready to face the challengesof the future and compete in the internationalarena. Internal logistics ranging from the receipt ofincoming goods to the dispatch of cleanly packagedparts is currently being realigned. Similar changesare also being applied to tool management andthe tool store, quality assurance and the materialswarehouse. The seven Delta machines from Tornosoffer important advantages here as well, impressingnot only with their low space requirements, but alsotheir uniform, end-to-end design. Thanks to the extraflexibility they offer, completely new orders can betaken on and profitably produced. Another growingmarket segment is polished turned parts, which arefully turned, slotted, threaded and leave the machinealready polished. Even custom finish options cannow be produced in small series for customers at avery attractive price. With its Delta machines and itspartner Tornos at its side, the newly founded RitzfahrGmbH considers itself perfectly equipped to handlefuture challenges and is confident that it will continuealong its present growth course over the nextfew years. Replacing the old cam-controlled latheswith the new machines from the Tornos Delta rangehas definitely paid off for Ritzfahr, and the company’spositive experiences in ongoing practical applicationshave also impressed the investor.Ritzfahr GmbHBeim Breitenstein 22D-79588 Efringen-KirchenGermanyTel : +49 (0)7628 / 9118-0Fax : +49 (0)7628 / 9118-89www.ritzfahr.deinfo@ritzfahr.de50 decomagazine01 / 12