Augmentation of the Vertical Range of Manufacture: Mechanical engineering and automation from a single source allows for realizing individual customer requirements
Building slitting and leveling lines constantly confronts manufacturers with new challenges, which often can only be resolved by specialized manufacturers under great time consumption. Ideally the whole production should therefore be done from a single source. In doing so, the lines and linked electrical and automation technology including the control software can be adjusted to meet customers’ requirements and their processes. In order to achieve this improved vertical range of manufacture, the Burghardt + Schmidt group hast integrated the automation specialist DAA DELTA Technik GmbH into the corporate group as a subsidiary company as from the 01.02.2018. As a result, the experts for slitting and leveling systems optimize internal processes and strengthen their position as a competent service partner for every aspect of the production chain.
DAA DELTA Technik GmbH has been supplying the electrical equipment for the B + S group's lines for more than twenty years, as the specialists for slitting and leveling lines have not had their own department responsible for this domain. "For some time now, we had been considering producing the automation electronics of our systems in-house or through an own company," reports Thomas Baral, Managing Director of Burghardt + Schmidt GmbH. "Many of our customers want a reliable contact partner for every component of their production chain, as this gives them certainty and enables a view of the work processes as a whole." This is why Burghardt + Schmidt decided to acquire DELTA Technik, whose automation technology has over many years proven to be reliable for the B + S corporate group. In this way, we ensure competent staff and a more comprehensive service.
DELTA Technik will also provide services for its own customer base in the future. "The only difference for the existing customers of DELTA Technik will be that they can now rely on a more comprehensive service," continues Baral. "DELTA Technik is of course commissioned for our projects, but the company itself will also attract new business from the market. Thus it remains almost in the usual form.” All customers of the B + S group benefit from the acquisition, through integrating the company know-how of the automation technology experts.
Comprehensive expertise for new and old plants
One of the core competencies of DELTA Technik is drive technology. The company stands for highly dynamic and high-precision drive control. All components - from the motors to the inverters, the infeed / feedback, the sensors and the gearbox ratios to the drive controls - are optimally matched to the respective systems. "This is the premise for a stable production and guarantees high productivity and optimal product qualities of our customers," explains Frank Mehlich, Managing Director of DAA DELTA Technik GmbH. "This also benefits the leveling lines of Schnutz GmbH, another B + S subsidiary." Particularly demanding plant processes, such as, for example, traversing spoolers or cross-cutting shears, are realized by DELTA Technik with real-time capable systems. "Compared to our market competitors, we offer our customers the advantage of using common, freely available and open systems," continues Mehlich. Another pillar of DELTA Technik is the modernization of existing plants. Particular attention is paid to plant productivity and the quality of the products produced by the plant. "Many automation companies can only modernize the systems of market competitors with great effort," says Mehlich. "With us, however, this is part of the core business, because thanks to our many years of experience, we know exactly what we have to pay attention to." In such cases, the DELTA Technik employees first carry out a plant inspection and examine the plant process including the operating philosophy and the installed components. Afterwards, the customer is presented with a modernization concept tailored to his requirements, discussed with him and finally decided and implemented. Short downtimes are very often in the foreground, which DELTA Technik always makes possible with suitable measures. A subsequent rapid start-up of the system is achieved by considering and optimizing existing process and operating sequences at the customer on site.
Safety technology for maximum system availability
Another competence of the company is plant safety. It is primarily about avoiding injuries to operating personnel but also about preventing possible machine damage. "We were one of the first companies to focus on safety technology for mechanical engineering early on, as it became increasingly important," explains Mehlich. "Even before the first legal machinery guidelines, we were therefore able to ensure the safe design of all work processes."
The aim of the safety concepts of DELTA Technik is always to ensure the greatest possible availability and productivity of the systems, while at the same time ensuring maximum protection for man and machinery. This includes, for example, a detailed analysis of all plant processes, risk assessments and validation of the safety functions. Against this background, employees of DELTA Technik were also trained and certified by TÜV as Functional Safety Experts. As a result, DELTA Technik has extensive know-how in terms of machine guidelines, product safety laws, risk assessments and declarations of conformity.
Internal communication enables improved customer service
The cooperation between the two companies should become even closer in the future. The entire staff of DELTA Technik was retained by the B + S group. Thanks to this additional expertise, the B + S group can now offer, manufacture and supply its systems as a full-range supplier. In the same way uncomplicated service of the machines is possible. Internal access to the appropriate specialist accelerates the service and thus maximizes system availability. "We are already receiving an increased request for offers and are seeing a significant improvement in our market share through the merger," concludes Mehlich. "All B + S customers are already feeling the positive effects of the wider range of service options," Baral adds.
