"Made in Germany" – A UAE aircraft component supplier counts on Handtmann!
How to establish oneself today as a new professional aircraft component supplier in this highly competitive market? That’s exactly the question, the Handtmann key account Tawazun Precision Industries L.L.C. (TPI) had to face some years ago. Their solution: Quality. But imagine on the other side a quality conscious customer when choosing his suppliers and facing the options of quality “made in Germany” and a less known supplier from Asia. TPI also found a good solution for this dilemma: cooperating with strong, leading European partners. This, combined with the demand of quality led TPI to the decision to machine their parts on machining centres of the German machine manufacturer Handtmann A-Punkt Automation GmbH. This not only ensures the quality “made in Germany” but also enables them to work with an experienced and established machine manufacturer in the international aerospace industry. “At TPI, we are not positioned to manufacture basic and simple components, we aim at complex high added value components and quality”, Vincent Mohni, Senior Operations Manager at TPI states.
TPI – A Dynmanic Success Story
The interview with Vincent Mohni, at the Dubai Airshow in November 2011 was accompanied by incoming orders in the billions for international aircraft manufacturers. TPI was able to sign some contracts, as for example with Airbus and Dassault, and is facing a promising future. The company belongs to Tawazun Holding and is situated in Abu Dhabi. Its development is extremely dynamic. Fifteen employees, working at three machines on 1,000m² in 2007 developed to 250 employees with about 50 high-tech milling and turning machines on more than 10,000m². The next construction plans are already set apart. As one and a half years ago, TPI didn’t machine any aerospace parts at all; this sector is now generating 10% of the whole turnover (besides the business units “General Mechanics” and “Oil and Gas”). In two to three years, the aerospace business is set to increase to 65% - a pretty impressive development, in deed.
This pace of development is supported by initiatives of the government of Abu Dhabi. This is part of the 2030 vision
of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, a groundbreaking strategy of development with the aim of strengthening the economy and decreasing the one-sided dependence on oil. Thereby, different industrial sectors are specially being targeted. Theaerospace industry is one of them. The high-tech oriented company TPI, fits best into this vision with its existing structures and the in-house expertise. With TPI as a key aircraft component manufacturer, Abu Dhabi is up to play an important and active key role in the international aircraft supply chain in the future. The potential for aerospace in the UAE is tremendous. Just think about notable world class airlines like Etihad and Emirates. Plus, the UAE is lately one of the fastest growing markets in the world. As for the beginning, TPI will predominantly machine metallic aerostrcture components for front section fuselage. In the long run, the company’s aim is also to move into assembly and design activities.
References Increase Expectations
With the German manufacturer of machining centres, TPI found a good partner to combine their own demands on innovation, diversification, quality and on-time-delivery with gaining appreciation in the market. The production at the TPI facility has just started. Nevertheless, the expectations on Handtmann machining centers are pretty high. The good relationship between TPI and the French aircraft supplier Aérolia are crucial for this. The consistently positive experience with the profile machining centre PBZ HD as well as the smooth handling and the good service are extensively raising the expectations of the new customer TPI and the good references were also a first step towards these orders of seven machining centres in a short time.
Performance to Take-off
The Handtmann machinery at TPI is multifaceted. TPI wants to have the right machining centre for each of the various applications. The broad range of machines Handtmann is offering is much appreciated by the customer. With the 6m long PBZ HD, TPI is machining long aluminium beams for the Airbus A320 and A330, working with 30,000rpm and rapid feed up to in X/Y/Z 70/40/40 m/min. The machine certainly runs more cost-effective than comparable profile machining centers, that is what Vincent Mohni says. Besides the PBZ, TPI counts on the horizontal machining of workpieces for aerospace. Two horizontal machining centres HBZ CompactCell with table sizes of 2m x 1m and spindle power up to 45kW and 30,000rpm are implemented for smaller structural parts. With feed rates of up to 60/40/60 mm/min in X/Y/Z. Furthermore, four machines of the type HBZ AeroCell 500/200 are currently being assembled with a table size of 5m x 2m and a powerful spindle with up to 110kW and 30,000rpm. An integrated palette changing system is implemented additionally to clearly minimize time- and cost-intensive downtimes. Mr. Mohni especially appreciates the enormous productivity of the Handtmann machining centers, combined with automated solutions and various options. This leads to a tremendous time advantage of several hours. With these powerful and flexible machines, Mohni says, the whole machining process is being optimized and the risk of human failure is being minimized. He also appreciates that Handtmann only uses high quality and reliable components and no “cheap material” when building the machines. That’s the way to prove oneself in the branch and to survive in the long-run. The production, TPI already ran on the Handtmann machining centers was promising. All the machines optimally fit to the application. TPI chose the right machine, the right clamping and the right spindle for the right part.
Successful Through Quality
“Quality” is of main focus of the aerospace supplier TPI. The company is certificated with ISO 9001, ISO/TS 29001 and recently became the first company in the region certified EN/AS 9100 Revision C. The employees are professionally educated, also e.g. in Germany. This demand on quality results from one of the company’s main goals: TPI not only wants to establish a good name in the GCC market but also succeed on the international market in a short time.
On the Way to a Long-term Partnership
After Vincent Mohni visited the Handtmann Aerospace Days, the annual customer event for customers of the international aerospace industry, for the first time in 2009 in the Swabian Baienfurt, only two years later, in December 2011, the event offered platform for the hand-over of the keys for the fourth Handtmann machining center to the Emirati’s company. Already at that time, Mohni had a good impression of the machines, materials, way of working and the staff so that he gladly was ready for the official handing-over of the keys and highlighting to be proud of having found German supplier to establish a long-term partnership. This partnership, Vincent Mohni states in the interview, should go beyond an ordinary customer-supplier-relationship. TPI wants to intensively work together with few but first-class suppliers instead of buying from a lot of different machine manufacturers. This enables a best possible exchange between customer and supplier and optimizes customer orientation. Andreas Podiebrad, Director of Handtmann states: Handtmann is equally interested in this long-term partnership and supports the key account at the best in terms of service and support. “Only a clear customer orientation enables to discover needs and develop innovations.”
The Emirati company TPI is still in its beginning phase in aerospace but holds great potential, especially through governmental promotion on the one hand and the presence of enormous know-how on the other hand. This becomes obvious through the extremely dynamic development till now as well as the dynamic expansion plans in the future. Within the whole UAE, TPI is the company with most 5-axis CNC machines. According to Amit Paranjape, Sales Manager Middle East at Handtmann, the acquisition of the key account TPI, who enabled Handtmann to open up the new market in the Middle East, obviously shows the significance of keeping a good reputation at leading aerospace companies on the one hand and the significance of fast developing countries on the other hand. With big plans and visions, TPI holds great potential to become a key player in the international aerospace industry, which Handtmann is looking forward to accompany.
Handtmann A-Punkt Automation GmbH
www.handtmann.de
sales.apunkt@handtmann.de