Gear Machines
STUDER Customer Care: Operating worldwide
In over 50 countries. In 15 languages. Over 200 service technicians. STUDER’s service technicians support customers worldwide. And they are closer to their customers than almost anyone else. Why? Because they speak the customers’ language, know the STUDER machines and work with passion and enormous personal commitment.
Hugo Forte, Regional Service Manager responsible for Portugal and Switzerland, supports a customer on the Helpline, who has noticed loud noises coming from the axis on his machines. The problem is quickly identified, the spare parts ordered and the service technician deployed. Hugo Forte did his apprenticeship as a polymechanic at STUDER. He has now been working at Fritz Studer AG for over 13 years. His longstanding experience helps him in his role as Regional Service Manager. He is the customers’ initial contact in his area of responsibility and he knows their needs: Quick response times and a high availability of technicians and parts.
Quick – competent – efficient
Friday morning, 7.30 am – production hall at Leica Geosystems AG. Hanspeter Munter, STUDER service technician, is removing the spindle on the S145cnc, which has reached its limits after a running time of around 20 years and over 50,000 hours of operation. He inserts the new spindle and adjusts it accurately with the special tool. A spindle with this operating time can lead to problems in dimensional stability, but also to vibrations and noises, as in the case of this S145cnc. “Once all the cover plates are removed and the machine is open, in consultation with the customer I also replace the belt of the B-axis and then realign the turret”, explains Hanspeter Munter, who has been working for STUDER for 35 years. He loves carrying out demanding electrical work on the machines. He was able to complete the work for Leica Geosystems AG quickly and routinely. “I approach every assignment with the highest commitment. It is important for our customers that we are quickly on site, have the right spare parts available and the machine is running perfectly again as soon as possible”, Munter knows from experience. A service which STUDER can offer. “The quick, global availability of competent service technicians is one of the main reasons why many customers choose a STUDER machine time and again”, says Munter. As in the case of Leica Geosystems AG: “We have been working side by side with STUDER for more than 20 years. We now have several STUDER machines in our fleet of machines”. In answer to the question of what makes STUDER particularly attractive, Stefan Thurnherr, Head of Grinding Technology, replies: “In addition to high-precision machines that we can we rely on, we also benefit from quick availability of service technicians on site and a high availability of spare parts. Over the past few decades we have always been able to count on STUDER to fix a machine breakdown promptly”.
Leica Geosystems AG
Leica Geosystems AG manufactures precision measuring instruments for construction surveying, geodesics, aerial photography and photogrammetry. Its Polymeca Business Unit operates as a mechanical production partner for the manufacture of various precision-mechanical components and assemblies, as well as surface technology. It also has its own Industrial Services center, which is responsible for servicing and maintaining all machines. “With the support of the STUDER Helpline, the experts at Polymeca can often maintain their machines themselves. They have very good people in the maintenance department”, says Hanspeter Munter. These specialists have also undergone training in the STUDER Service Academy.
STUDER Service Academy
In the Service Academy full-time instructors train STUDER service technicians and provide advanced training. Maintenance courses for customers and further training for foreign representatives are also held in the Academy. All new employees and more than 100 skilled personnel participate in training and development courses every year. The Academy offers around 90 modules in total. “This is unique in our industry”, Gideon Megert, Service Academy Director, is convinced.
Polymeca’s maintenance experts have been trained at the Service Academy. “This service is worth its weight in gold for us, because it means we can prevent possible machine downtimes and reduce them to an absolute minimum, as well as carrying out certain repairs ourselves”, explains Stefan Thurnherr. If they get stuck, Polymeca is happy to be able to call on the service technicians at Fritz Studer AG.
STUDER speaks the customers’ language
The STUDER Customer Care Organisation plays a big part in ensuring that the grinding machines also have the longest operating times. This is made possible by 200 service technicians in over 50 countries worldwide, who carry out well over 15,000 service visits per year. The Helpline is operated in around 15 languages. “We speak our customers’ language – this is very important to us”, promises Severin Steffen, Head of Helpline & Field Service at STUDER. All STUDER service technicians benefit from professional development – at a global level. This can be demonstrated by the example of a Chinese customer from the automotive industry. In November 2016 this customer recorded the highest order intake in its history. The more than fifteen STUDER cylindrical grinding machines were in continuous use. One afternoon a software problem occurred during set-up, which the customer could not resolve itself. Just a few hours later the Customer Care department at UNITED GRINDING China established a crisis unit via WeChat, in which the STUDER Regional Service Manager, Qu Hao, also took part. That evening a diagnosis was carried out via remote access and at eleven o’clock in the evening a service technician was already there in the production hall. Along with the operator, they solved the software problem together during the night. At seven o’clock in the morning the S22 was functioning perfectly again. “The service team responded incredibly quickly. They did this in a direct and committed manner, always acting in the customer’s interest. The team understood us and also recognized our time constraints”, says the customer’s Senior Maintenance Manager.
Precise machine – high availability – successful customer
The Chinese customer sums it up like this: “A STUDER machine has advanced technology and high precision. At the same time Customer Care regularly visits customers, notes the problems that we face and provides feedback within the promised time. The qualified and experienced technicians provide us with quick and straightforward support and solve the problem within a short time”. The high machine availability is a huge advantage for customers. Retrofittable, innovative products, such as UNITED GRINDING Digital SolutionsTM, enable machine failures to be analyzed and remedied via the Internet.
A family member of the Gleason Corporation, Gleason Works India, turns 25 on November 6th, 2021.
Gleason Works India commemorates its 25th year of operations on November 6th, 2021. To recognize this important milestone, Gleason Works India will hold a celebration for current and former employees on November 8th, 2021. Long-time employees who have been with Gleason Works India for more than 20 years will be honored for their service to the company during this special event.
Gleason Works India Pvt. Ltd. was founded on April 01, 1996, as a wholly-owned subsidiary to provide sales, service and local manufacturing capabilities within the Indian market. The start of operations was dedicated formally on November 06, 1996 by the former President of Gleason Corporation, Mr. James S. Gleason. Over the years, Gleason Work India’s product program has been extended to include a wide array of bevel and cylindrical gear tooling products, gear machine production, as well as machine remanufacturing activities.
A significant milestone was achieved in 2017 with the completion and inauguration of a modern, 65,000 square foot factory, including activities for tool manufacturing, services and machine assembly. With its own solar panel roof installation, the plant produces more than 70% of its daily energy requirements, thus helping to achieve LEED certification in 2018. The new facility puts design, manufacturing and testing under one roof, giving Gleason India a self-sufficient operation to help meet domestic and global demand for Gleason products such as the 200SVP Gear Shaving Machine and customer-specific tooling solutions.
Commenting on this milestone, John J. Perrotti, President and Chief Executive Officer of Gleason Corporation, said “Gleason Works India is today considered one of India’s most modern and productive sources for a wide array of gear manufacturing solutions. Congratulations to the Gleason Works India team for this great achievement and we look forward to further growth and success together.”
April 3, 2021 marks the 125th Anniversary of Gleason-Hurth Tooling GmbH, and a proud legacy of innovation dating back to when mechanic and tinkerer Carl Hurth founded his first workshop on Munich’s Viktualienmarkt. Today, Gleason-Hurth Tooling GmbH is an important part of global leader Gleason Corporation, producing advanced workholding and precision tools for the world’s gear manufacturing industries.
Gleason-Hurth Tooling GmbH, Munich, Germany, celebrated its 125th Anniversary on April 3, 2021, a significant milestone in its rise from a small workshop on Munich’s Viktualienmarkt, to one of the world’s leading innovators in the production of high-precision workholding and tools for the global gear manufacturing industry. Products today include some of the most advanced and productive shaving cutters, chamfering and deburring tools, master gears and setting masters, honing and grinding tools, as well as diamond-plated dressing tools for a wide range of applications.
Most recently, the company’s plant facilities on Moosacher Strasse in Munich Milbertshofen have been completely renovated with state-of-the-art equipment and extremely efficient workflow and quality processes. In addition to the ultra-modern, digitized production, the newly designed office environment offers employees all the amenities and benefits of a creative and flexible working environment.
Company officials credit much of Gleason-Hurth Tooling GmbH’s continued success to its workforce of skilled and dedicated employees. The company continues to train its own apprentices to hand down critical skills and methodologies to the next generation of coworkers. Indeed, a large part of the company’s workforce today completed their apprenticeships at the Gleason-Hurth Tooling GmbH plant. The facility also serves as a training center for the global Gleason Academy with an extensive program of training, seminars and webinars.
Today, Gleason-Hurth Tooling GmbH is poised for significant future growth, and well positioned to meet fast-growing demand for innovative new drive concepts for electric vehicles, and other emerging products using increasingly complex, high quality gears.
Historical Background
In 1896, mechanic and tinkerer Carl Hurth founds his first workshop in a backyard at Frauenstraße 19 on Munich’s Viktualienmarkt. The development of his own gear hobbing machine in 1904 marks the beginning of his specialization in gear manufacturing. The business expands to such an extent that in 1911 the Carl Hurth Maschinen- und Zahnradfabrik is built at Holzstrasse 19 in the Glockenbach district of Munich.
In the 1920s, the son of the company founder, Hans Hurth, takes up the manufacture of motorcycle gearboxes. The company now employs 800 people. In 1935, cylindrical gear shaving is added to the manufacturing program. In the following decades more than 100,000 shaving cutters are produced and shipped globally.
From 1958 on, machine tool building activities continue in Moosacher Strasse in Munich Milbertshofen. Six years later the plunge shaving process is developed, which – to this day – is one of the most widely used processes for gear finishing. Supported by the rapid economic growth of the time, employment in Munich increases to over 3,000 people in 1969. In 1983, the two Munich plants in Moosacher Strasse are merged to bundle activities related to gear technology. Hurth achieves world fame with transmissions for tractors, marine applications and rail traffic, including those for Munich’s subway and commuter trains. With the introduction of “Power Honing” in 1993, Hurth again heralds a trend-setting development in hard finishing of cylindrical gears.
In 1995, the Machines and Tools division is acquired by Gleason Corporation. Gleason leverages the long-standing relationships of both companies to drive the group’s expansion in the global marketplace. The company now operates as Gleason-Hurth Machinery and Tools. Within the Gleason group, the Munich site becomes the competence center for fine finishing of cylindrical gears. The product range of gear manufacturing machines includes chamfering, shaving, honing and threaded wheel grinding machines as well as corresponding automation, workholding and tools. With the reorganization of Gleason’s European Competence Centers in 2015, machine building is relocated to the Gleason-Pfauter facility in Ludwigsburg. The Munich site now concentrates on workholding systems and gear manufacturing tools and operates as Gleason-Hurth Tooling GmbH.
While the company will celebrate its 125th anniversary on April 3, 2021, the planned open house and company celebration will be postponed to 2022 due to the pandemic. Check Gleason’s social media channels and website for more information on the planned events.
With tradeshows and in-person visits at a minimum, access to new technologies can be limited. Until the world returns to business as usual, Gleason offers a solution: the “emotions” virtual show, an up-close, virtual experience that puts the latest technologies at the global gear industry’s fingertips.
Gleason Corporation is launching its first-ever virtual event, called “emotions” on May 4th to showcase the latest gear technology innovations for cylindrical and bevel gear design and manufacture. From May 4th through May 12th, Gleason will give visitors access to four showrooms featuring demonstrations of gear design, manufacturing, inspection and tooling solutions, including Closed Loop manufacturing, in-process inspection and detailed gear noise analysis. Exhibits will address solutions for the next generation of e-drive and power transmission products.
Each showroom will open with a special event topic, presented by industry experts:
May 04: Gear and Transmission Design
Product Liability and Developments in International Standards
Dr. Ulrich Kissling, KISSsoft AG, a Gleason Company
May 05: e-Drive Gears
Challenges and Solutions in Gear Design, Manufacturing and Measurement
Dr. Antoine Türich, Gleason Corporation
May 06: Industrial Gears
Race to CO2 Neutrality / Gear Manufacturing for Eco-Performance
Dr. Tim Gudszend, Gleason-Pfauter Maschinenfabrik GmbH
May 07, 2021: Bevel Gears
Diff² Double Differential for e-Drives
Prof. Dr. Hermann J. Stadtfeld, The Gleason Works
After each opening event participants can browse through the respective show rooms to experience the featured technologies, with or without a guided tour. Gleason’s technology experts and product managers are going to be available through the duration of the virtual event to answer any question.
To register for “emotions”, participate in the opening events, and get the first glimpse at what’s next in gear technology, visit: Welcome to emotions
Registration link extended:
https://www.gleason.com/en/facts-and-news/events/856/emotions-virtual-show
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