Hans-Joachim Pahnke Book

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WepUKO-Hydraulik under the
management of Michael Pahnke
After seeing through the merger of pahnKE Engineering and Siempelkamp
Pressen Systeme, Michael Pahnke returned to WepUKO-Hydraulik in 1999,
where he took on the sole management of the company from his father one
year later. Unfortunately Hans-Joachim Pahnke suffered serious strokes in
2002 and 2003, the effects of which meant he was in need of permanent
care afterwards. In February 2010, he died at the age of 84.
While WepUKO in the following years was focusing mainly on hydraulics and
pumps, as well as reconditioning and modernisation of existing press equipment,
an increase in demand for new open die presses became evident from
about 2002/03. Both WepUKO pahnKE Engineering in the Usa and the production
of pahnKE presses at WepUKO-Hydraulik in Germany, which had
started again, benefitted from this positive development.
WPE open die presses for Villares Metals
At Wpe, three large presses were built in a relatively short time, a 30 mn
open die press for Weber Metals, a 55 mn push down open die press for
Union Electric in Pittsburgh and a 50 mn open die press for Villares Metals
in São Paulo. Parallel to that WepUKO-Hydraulik in Germany built the same
30 mn press as the one in the Usa for Fuchs in Meinerzhagen, the parent
company of Weber Metals.
The relationship between Wpe and Villares was primarily developed during
the years from 2001 to 2008. Before the order for the new 50 MN open die
press, the Brazilian company invested in the modernisation of its forge shop,
initially with a 30 mn open die press facility, which needed new foundations
and manipulators and a new hydraulic drive station with electronic control.
The same process was repeated in 2004 for a 20 MN open die press.
Weber open die press (same construction as
the press for Fuchs) with PMSD drive (2009)