125 years of HELLER and 45 years of HELLER Brazil
TEXT Roberto Manzo PHOTOS Schulz / Mercedes-Benz
The company celebrates these two anniversaries at a time when the local Brazilian market sees an economic recovery.
Close customer support has always been a top priority for HELLER. The machine tool manufacturer offers complete service from the planning phase to the obtaining of permissions and the development of manufacturing strategies through to after-sales service with comprehensive technical support. In its anniversary year, the company will be focusing on partnership with customers. On occasion of the anniversary year, we spoke to representatives of the two longstanding partner companies Schulz S.A. and Mercedes-Benz Brazil about their experience with HELLER.
“Combined expertise makes us fit
for the future”
Schulz
Schulz S.A. enjoys an excellent reputation on the international stage. The company operates two business divisions: Schulz Automotiva and Schulz Compressores. The company’s headquarters are located in Joinville in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. The location also houses the R&D department responsible for numerous products, including reciprocating and screw-type compressors. Moreover, the company operates numerous locations around the globe, including subsidiaries in the US, in China and three distribution centres for automotive parts in Europe and the US. Among the company’s customers are all major global automotive manufacturers, as CEO Dr Ovandi Rosenstock explains. The technical requirements on the products are extremely high in the automotive sector. Strict standards apply to the more than three million prefabricated parts that must be strictly complied with. Every year, dozens of new projects with ever tighter tolerance ranges are added. Therefore, Schulz has always placed high demands on the HELLER machining centres in terms of quality and productivity.
According to Dr Rosenstock, the crucial factors for Schulz S.A. when procuring new capital goods for their own manufacturing operations are spare parts availability and competent technical support, referring to a current joint project of both companies – the testing of machines from the HF 3500 range equipped with five programmable axes. The CEO explains why the company has opted for HELLER machines time and again: “HELLER is a respectable enterprise with a technically and economically attractive portfolio. Furthermore, the company operates a subsidiary in Brazil and offers German technology. Benefits to Schulz are the favourable financing conditions and the full implementation of the technical requirements.”
Dr Ovandi Rosenstock, CEO of Schulz S.A.
However, tradition is always closely linked to innovation in mechanical engineering. Therefore, Dr Rosenstock also mentions new trends in the machine tool industry. Automation, for example, is constantly moving forward. More and more frequently, automatic loading and measuring systems are integrated into machining centres today – an area just as important as the handling of the data generated by the machining centres and compliance with productivity requirements as part of Industry 4.0 concepts.
According to Dr Rosenstock, HELLER’s 125-year company history shows that the company holds a firm place in the development history of machine tools. Schulz builds on a long-term cooperation with companies offering lasting business relationships. The 45-year presence of HELLER in Brazil is proof of the company’s outstanding technical expertise. Without it, the company would not have been able to persist in a country faced with several periods of economic instability. “This is true for Schulz as well as HELLER. Technically competent companies are successful even under the most adverse conditions.”
Today, Schulz operates a broad range of HELLER machines. In total, 130 machines, including milling machines and horizontal machining centres, were or are in operation at the company. Whenever, due to the introduction of new products or due to specific requirements, a new solution is required, the engineers of both companies cooperatively define the goals in terms of quality, precision and productivity and develop solutions for the medium and long term based on this foundation. The good relationship of the two companies and numerous shared successes make Schulz an important business partner of HELLER in Brazil, Latin America and around the globe.
Dr Ovandi Rosenstock, CEO of Schulz S.A.
“The company’s production capacity has seen a 60 percent increase from investments in high-performance machining centres and the replacement of outdated production lines.”
Mercedes-Benz
Throughout its 60-year presence in Brazil, Mercedes-Benz has developed into the largest manufacturer and exporter of trucks and buses in Latin America, becoming the technology leader in terms of vehicles for freight and passenger transportation. Currently, it employs 10,000 staff in Brazil and is the only manufacturer covering all vehicle segments in Latin America: from cars and light commercial vehicles through to trucks and buses.
Starting in 1976, the vehicle manufacturer has operated various HELLER machines, including milling machines and horizontal machining centres for the manufacture of axles and engines.
For Claudio Herbst, Head of Purchasing Machinery & Equipment at Mercedes-Benz do Brasil, HELLER is an important partner within the region. As part of the expansion of the company’s production capacity for commercial vehicles at the São Bernardo do Campo location, HELLER supplied four machining centres for the manufacturing of differential housings. “Based on this partnership, we have been able to raise productivity by more than 60 percent whilst achieving a significant increase in the quality standards of the manufacturing process,” explains Herbst.
HELLER was also involved in the replacement of an axle housing transferline by a flexible cell comprising four machining centres. This measure provided a 50 percent plus in productivity and a significantly higher quality standard in manufacturing. According to Herbst, the modifications also included two additional machining centres for the manufacture of truck axle housings and a machining centre for the differential gear bearings, also contributing to an increase in production capacity. “All these projects were a huge success for our company, both financially and as far as the optimisation of the production processes was concerned,” the Head of Purchasing concludes. “The HELLER portfolio comprises outstanding technical solutions.”
Herbst congratulates HELLER on 125 years of company history and on its 45-year presence in Brazil. Furthermore, he emphasises the significant achievements of the machine tool manufacturer in connection with the modernisation and the increase in production capacity the Brazilian industry has seen. He is convinced that HELLER will continue to develop world-class solutions at the highest technological level in the future to actively support its customers. “With in-house developed cutting-edge technology, HELLER is an important link between the industry in Germany and in Brazil,” he stresses.
Danilo Menezes, Head of Production Planning Engine Components & Gearbox Assembly, explains that the purchasing decision for investments of this scale always involves several departments. These decision-making teams are usually formed when new products are introduced, outdated machines replaced, or quality standards and production capacities raised.
Several innovative projects have already been implemented with HELLER. Due to the smooth cooperation, the experience and the great dedication and commitment of the engineers from both companies, we were able to overcome all challenges in the implementation phase of each project.
Claudio Herbst (right), Head of Purchasing Machinery & Equipment at Mercedes-Benz do Brasil, and Danilo Menezes (left), Head of Production Planning Engine Components & Gearbox Assembly at Mercedes-Benz do Brasil
The Mercedes-Benz do Brasil plant
