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News Release from: Muller Weingarten | Subject: Muller Weingarten Werkzeuge - press dies
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 02 November 2006
Power press builder's dies division
restructures
In view of radical shifts in the market and surplus capacity in the sector of tools for large body sheets, Muller Weingarten is restructuring its toolmaking subsidiary.
Muller Weingarten Werkzeuge (MWZ) aims at getting back on the right track by deploying a new management and a new strategy In view of radical shifts in the market and surplus capacity in the sector of tools (dies) for large body panel sheets, Muller Weingarten AG and its toolmaking subsidiary have analyzed the market in depth and come up with a future-proof business model
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 29 Dec 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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"The growing internationalization of the business, our customers and suppliers requires that we re-align our organization and focus more rigorously on strengths and competences," stated the new technical director at MWZ, Axel Wittig.
The planned moves include a re-division of the competences at the three sites at Weingarten/Germany (Headquarters), Erfurt/ Germany (UmformCenter) and Morkov/Czechia (Production).
The Morkov site will become the central production site for machinery-intensive components.
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Plans for the Weingarten site see an expansion of the capacity for larger blanking and forming tools, alongside the production of body components.
"By collaborating closely with the mechanical engineering operations in the Group, this product segment has developed well, giving it a technological headstart in the market," commented Wittig.
This means that from now on customers will be able to use this know-how and purchase tried and tested tools or smaller volumes from the Erfurt site (UmformCenter).
For the products relating to body components, the focus in future will be on engineering, design and development, consultancy, planning, production of parts (body components, PMS etc) and tryout.
"Muller Weingarten is one of the few suppliers capable of offering this product portfolio and we will continue to deliver it to our customers," said Wittig, putting matters straight.
"Here we will build on the interplay between our Muller Weingarten mechanical engineering skills and our toolmaking expertise." Customers all over the world, but most notably in China and India, who have singled out Manduuml;ller Weingarten as their engineering partner and general contractor, have benefited from the company's know-how.
Wittig spells out the advantages: "We provide the customer with a one-stop source for planning, toolmaking, press construction and tryout, right the way through to maintenance and servicing." In addition to its expansion as a system supplier, the Group will concentrate more closely on product innovations giving the customer added value or additional benefit, such as the digital simulator, the deployment of innovative blanking-forming and hot forming technologies.
The remodelling of Muller Weingarten Werkzeuge should be concluded by mid-2007.
"Unfortunately the transformation necessarily has repercussions on manning levels due to a shift in the quality of the production services carried out and the demand for other skills," regretted Wittig.
In Weingarten some 60 jobs will be shed and the expansion of the other national and international sites will not entirely make up for them.
Wittig is confident that the action taken will allow achieving breakeven in 2007.
In the financial year 2005 the toolmaking business unit reported revenue of EUR 32.8 million and a loss of EUR 1 million.
A negative result is again expected for 2006 due to the restructuring measures.
"Our plans are of a long-term nature and are geared to achieving a positive result in 2008," said Wittig, charting the course ahead.
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