December 2021 - wecubex

The Liebherr Group is a global player and, with its 13 product segments, operates in a wide range of areas, from construction and machine tools to refrigeration and freezing equipment, aircraft components and much more. As a flexible sheet metal fabricator, we are pleased to be able to manufacture for such a successful customer. Our two companies began their business relationship in 2019.

Following an enquiry from the Liebherr Group, the first step was the production of laser-cut parts and bent components. However, flexible sheet metal pre-fabrication is only one part of our value chain.

Following further discussions, we manufactured individual assemblies and platforms for Liebherr tower cranes. We currently produce two different platforms as part of series production, each with an annual quantity of 280 units. At WECUBEX Systemtechnik GmbH, the complete in-house process chain is now used for these products.

Another new project with our sister plant in the Czech Republic

Another new project is planned for the coming year, which is something special within the WECUBEX Group. The production process will be carried out jointly with our sister plant in Holysov near Pilsen in the Czech Republic.

We are planning to produce 2,000 platforms together.

The advantage we offer not only for this customer project is that the entire value chain, from sheet metal pre-fabrication and welding through to coating, assembly and dispatch, takes place under one roof. The platforms are laser-cut, welded, powder-coated or hot-dip galvanised and, in some cases, pre-assembled. In addition, WECUBEX has numerous regional partners who act as an extended workbench and also contribute to the successful completion of such projects.

“The diversity of the Liebherr Group’s product portfolio, combined with such high quality standards, is incredibly exciting to me,” says Michael Schandelmeyer, who manages the project on behalf of WECUBEX in sales, adding: “There are many different technical and administrative requirements. Whether it is compliance with factory standards, the preparation of initial sample inspection reports (EMPB) or the request for inspection certificates (APZ) – we manufacture the components in accordance with Liebherr’s specifications and document them accordingly.

These orders, in which we are able to apply all our expertise, whether for the production of individual parts, assemblies or assembled systems, are fully in line with our corporate strategy.”

Overall, our cooperation with the Liebherr Group has been continuously expanded since 2019.

We greatly appreciate this partnership-based and solution-oriented cooperation, as well as the open communication, and therefore look forward to new projects in the future!

We particularly enjoy reporting in our newsletter on customer projects that have been accompanying us for many years or even decades. Our cooperation with RAUCH Landmaschinenfabrik GmbH has been ongoing for 20 years. In 2019, another completely new project was added, which we would like to tell you more about.

Sometimes it is very interesting to find out how customer relationships come about in the first place. Looking back through the history of WECUBEX Systemtechnik GmbH, we find the acquisition of the Herbolzheim-based company “Rime Blechformtechnik GmbH”. One of the employees who joined as part of the acquisition was Mr Eberhard Herrmann, who has now been responsible for the RAUCH account for 20 years, first for Rime and later for WECUBEX.

Starting with simple laser-cut and bent components, the business relationship steadily developed. This was followed by a first major project: the AERO GT hopper (fertiliser spreader). This hopper is used as a fertiliser spreader on large agricultural farms.

The AERO GT is a very high-quality product, which means that the manufacturing processes are highly demanding. Different materials are processed, including square tubes, round tubes and sheets in a wide range of thicknesses. The surface finish requirements are also very high.

This assembly can only be manufactured with highly precise welding work and extensive experience on the part of our employees, ensuring that the specified tolerances and requirements can be met.

Ongoing optimisation following a visit to the test hall in Rheinmünster

In summer 2019, another major and, above all, innovative project was added: the boom for the AERO pneumatic precision fertiliser spreader.

“Before Agritechnica, the leading trade fair for the agricultural machinery industry, Rauch approached us and asked whether we could supply the individual parts for a new project at short notice. The new project was to be presented at Agritechnica in Hanover,” recalls WECUBEX sales representative Eberhard Herrmann, remembering the beginnings of the boom order.

WECUBEX therefore manufactured the individual parts for the individual booms at short notice and, due to time constraints, produced the left and right initial sections completely, including welding. “Of course, we hoped that there would be strong demand and interest at the trade fair,” says Herrmann. And there was! RAUCH decided to send six agricultural machines for field testing. Shortly afterwards, a meeting took place at RAUCH’s test hall in Rheinmünster. In addition to Herrmann and Managing Director Christian Graeve, employees from the welding and design departments were also present, as the aim was ultimately to further optimise the boom.

For further optimisation, those responsible also decided to use a welding robot. Herrmann on the project: “I really enjoy working with RAUCH because we have an honest and open exchange. The ongoing optimisation is one example of this. We work together to identify improvements and solutions, which are then incorporated into the drawings by the designers. That is what constructive collaboration looks like to me.”

Once the changes had been implemented, WECUBEX was awarded the contract for a larger order volume. We wish RAUCH continued success with the booms and look forward to the next exciting projects!

Continuously optimising our production processes is part of the corporate philosophy of WECUBEX Systemtechnik GmbH. We are therefore pleased to report on our latest investment: the acquisition of two new grinding booths.

At our headquarters in Herbolzheim in Baden, we work with various materials. Since mid-September, we have had two new grinding booths, one for stainless steel and one for aluminium. The stainless steel booth has three manual grinding stations as well as a semi-automated grinding station. The new aluminium grinding booth (ATEX Zone 22) is smaller and offers a manual work area.

Thanks to the semi-automation in the stainless steel area, we can integrate the grinding processes even more effectively into the overall workflow and optimise our processes. The grinding requirements range from purely functional requirements, such as smoothing weld seams and removing heat tints, to visual requirements for a high-quality appearance.

In addition to the improvements in the production process that are already noticeable, both investments in our machinery and equipment also provide our employees with greater protection. Specifically, this means improved noise protection and reduced noise emissions in the production hall. We have also reduced the dust and fine dust levels in the production hall through the use of modern extraction technology.

Managing Director Christian Graeve is also pleased with the two new grinding booths: “The repositioning and optimisation of the workstations has resulted in better integration of grinding work into the value creation process. This has enabled us to optimise our process times and fulfil our customers’ high quality requirements even more efficiently.”

He adds: “It is important that we provide our employees with the highest possible level of health protection. And this includes investing in increasingly environmentally friendly equipment.”

As a customer, you expect the highest levels of quality and precision from us throughout our entire manufacturing processes. In addition to a strong workforce and qualified personnel, a modern machine park is essential for this. In another article, we have already informed you about our two new grinding booths. We would now like to present our latest acquisition, the “Timesavers RB 42 Series” deburring machine, and the improved production possibilities it offers.

In order to take deburring results to a new level, we acquired this new machine for our stainless steel and aluminium production. With its multi-rotating brush system featuring up to eight brushes, the machine enables greater consistency during deburring as well as optimised rounding of the (cut) metal edges. Edge rounding of up to a radius of 2 mm is possible.

We can also offer you more options in terms of component size. Sheet thicknesses of up to 25 mm and component sizes ranging from 50 mm up to 1,350 mm in width are no longer a problem for this deburring process. This deburring machine can also be equipped with one or more abrasive belt heads, allowing even very large burrs to be removed perfectly and/or ensuring a perfect surface finish. As the “42 RB 1350 Series” is equipped with frequency-controlled rotating brushes, the machine is also suitable for processing plasma-cut, laser-cut, punched 3D and machined components.

Klaus Wehrle, Head of Sheet Metal Fabrication, considers the investment to be a very good one: “In addition to better deburring results, the machine is also much more user-friendly to operate.” Furthermore, tool costs are lower due to the longer service life of the abrasives.

Ultimately, the new deburring machine makes work more enjoyable for our operators and results in higher quality for you as our customers.

An overview of what we offer:

High-quality edge rounding (radius of up to 2 mm)
Deburring of small (50 x 50 mm) and large workpieces (up to 1,350 mm in width)
Flat, formed and 3D workpieces with embossings/forming can be processed.
Pre-grinding of large burrs and surface finishing.
Subsequent application (finish grinding) of a brushed finish (up to grit 320) to cold-rolled aluminium and stainless steel sheets, on sheet blanks up to a width of 1,350 mm.
Removal of burrs from laser-, plasma- or punched components in a single operation.
Table opening allows processing of materials up to 100 mm thick.