voestalpine Rotec Group focuses on in-house plant engineering

The Rotec Engineering Center (REC) develops new products and builds innovative production technologies for the voestalpine Rotec Group and is therefore the central point of contact for new plants and plant expansions - and rightly so, because the advantages of "in-house" plant construction are convincing across the board.

Experienced knowledge in project management, extensive expertise in automation and the complete product, tool and process know-how make the REC a strategically important unit within the voestalpine Rotec Group. This is also because the REC supports customers as early as the product development stage. At the Rotec sites in Annweiler (DE) and Krieglach (AT), a total of 14 REC employees develop innovative products and manufacturing technologies at the highest level.

Thoroughbred mechanical engineers

Through the perfect interplay of design, project management, automation, process development, technology and assembly and close cooperation with customers, the team develops machines and systems for the voestalpine Rotec Group in order to meet the requirements for (tube) solutions in the best possible way from both a technical and economic point of view. Several international Rotec locations have specialized toolmaking departments ("tool stores") that manufacture complex tools themselves - including the REC. The REC's mechanical engineering expertise thus ranges from tools, such as rolling or pressing tools, to individual stations or station blocks, e.g. for plant expansions that are integrated into production lines, through to complete production lines. Mechanical engineering approaches of modular building block systems offer more flexibility, e.g. for the replacement or expansion of stations. This means that similar product requests can be produced on the existing system. Maximum flexibility is guaranteed by deciding on a project-by-project basis whether and which project packages are taken over internally by REC or purchased externally. The mechanical engineering service portfolio includes systems for hot forming and cold forming processes as well as for stamping, embossing and machining processes, automation, inline testing and handling solutions. From A to Z - i.e. from the idea to the finished system - REC is equipped with the necessary expertise to achieve the best possible mechanical engineering result. In addition, the path from technology to the customer is short thanks to the in-house development department, and the REC's development support for the sales and business development colleagues also impresses customers.

Securing expertise, short distances and optimized solutions

Another decisive advantage of having our own mechanical engineering center is that responsibilities are clearly defined: If solutions are needed in Poland, China or Mexico, REC employees are on their way. The REC also offers another significant advantage over outsourcing to external plant manufacturers, as the voestalpine Rotec Group is always independent of market solutions, if there are any for the specific application. No less important is the fact that the know-how remains within the company. The in-house engineering center therefore also has great strategic value for the voestalpine Rotec Group. Thanks to the REC's in-house developments, Group-wide standards can be established, for example by using uniform components such as control systems. This in turn simplifies employee training, reduces maintenance costs and makes spare parts inventory more economical.

From the sketch to the component to the machine

The systems are currently being developed and built exclusively for the voestalpine Rotec Group sites around the world, which use these systems to manufacture products for their customers. At the moment, they are mainly located in the automotive industry and produce chassis or safety components, as in two current REC projects. These plants are used, for example, to machine highly tempered precision steel tubes in hot forming and machining processes, which are used for gas generators in airbags. These high-tech systems are also equipped with fully automated inline inspection cells and robotic bin-picking systems, which minimize disruptions caused by jammed parts, reduce noise and enable better quality with consistent feeding costs. From planning and engineering to the entire process development and plant construction, such production systems are created at the REC in Annweiler (Germany), while the three REC colleagues in Krieglach (Austria) provide remote support, but also play a key role in the design. In addition to safety components, chassis components also play a major role at the REC: a project for an air suspension pressure accumulator, which had already been implemented in Annweiler, was recently expanded for the Rotec colleagues in China and will be transferred back to Europe after successful development and commissioning. In recent years, REC has also designed, built and installed three production lines for shock absorber tube components for the Rotec site in Środa Śląska, Poland, in collaboration with the Polish colleagues. The voestalpine Rotec Group bundles its comprehensive plant engineering expertise in the REC. This one-stop mechanical engineering store is a key USP for the Group and makes an important contribution to voestalpine's technology and innovation leadership.

More information about the automotive tubular assemblies of the voestalpine Rotec Group can be found here.