Finkl Steel Installs New Production Line
The automotive industry sets high standards of quality and efficiency for their suppliers. Tool and die makers must adapt their manufacturing processes to these requirements. Consequently, one task is to reduce their overall lead time. To actively support automotive suppliers and improve their level of competitiveness was the decisive motivation for Finkl Steel (Chicago, IL), a subsidiary of Schmolz+Bickenbach Group (Chambly, France), to invest in a new production line in their plant in Québec, Canada.
Technical components of the new production line include an overhead crane with a capacity of up to 30 metric tons, a state-of-the-art CNC horizontal boring mill, and a new furnace for heat treatment. By linking process steps, the Canadian manufacturer of forging die steels, plastic mold steels and open-die forgings is obtaining an improved cycle times. This investment totaled almost C$2.7 million (approximately 1.85 million euros). The aim for the future is to offer fine machining of tool and die steel, as well as secondary heat treatment. Customers will receive semi-finished products for further direct processing. This makes the time-to-market of their products faster.
“To be able to meet the requirements of tool and die manufacturers, which are one of our key customer groups, we are installing a new, lean production line in Québec,” stated Richard Lahaye, the president and chief executive officer at Finkl Steel-Sorel. “With this new production line, we will continue to differentiate the product portfolio and extend the range of services in fine and precision machining.”
The new facility is slated to begin operations in spring 2017, when customers will be offered three different finishing processes from a single source; drilling, milling and heat treatment, a full-service offering that is unique in North America. In addition to the roughing of special steel, tool and die makers avoid material losses and gain production time for manufacturing dies and tools. Customers will also no longer have to work with external subcontractors in future for stress relief heat treatment, an interim step that frequently leads to delays in manufacturing.
