"AN UNSWERVING DEDICATION TO MANUFACTURING PERFECTION"
19/09/2017
For the
SACMA Group this has been a summer of looking to the future - which is far from
unusual for a company, long committed to occupy the leading edge in the
Fastener Manufacturing Technology - and looking back, with a mixture of sorrow but
also intense pride.
1939
witnessed the foundation of Sacma Limbiate as a small manufacturing business, the
brainchild of engineer Valeriano Rampezzotti. It also saw the birth of Mr
Rampezzotti’s son, Giancarlo who, having worked closely with his father, took
the helm in the 1960s and was largely responsible for the adoption of new
concepts in production and machine assembly, which drove accelerated growth in
Sacma’s fortunes and reputation in the field of fastener manufacturing
machinery.
On 17th
May 2017 Giancarlo Rampezzotti passed away, inevitably causing widespread
sorrow amongst his relatives but also the wider family of the SACMA Group.
Mixed with that sorrow, however, is an evidently profound pride in the passion
that engineered the transition from a small workshop, manufacturing marine
outboard engines, to global leadership in cold forming and thread rolling
technologies.
During
the 1950s Sacma developed its first machine for manufacturing woodscrews. It
also, extraordinarily, designed and manufactured an economical car, eventually
purchased by an Automotive Group abroad. Into the 1960s, Sacma started committing strongly to the production of machines for
manufacturing fasteners, and deepened its roots in the city of Limbiate, close
to Milan. Today, all the components to build the SACMA machines are
manufactured in house, having a total control of the Quality of all the parts, in three different plants, all belonging to
SACMA Group – the impressive main Cold Former plant in Limbiate; at the OBM
plant at Vimercate, which concentrates on the manufacturing of the smaller
parts; and at Castelnuovo Scrivia, where the Ingramatic thread rollers are
assembled.
A
fascinating tour of the SACMA facility
is to immediately comprehend two of the core principles Giancarlo Rampezzotti
installed in Sacma :
First is the direct and complete control of
the manufacture and assembly of its machines from the receipt of the core
castings through to final commissioning to fulfil the customers’ exact
requirements.
The second is the continuous investments in
Technology and in skilled workforce, even in the difficult market conditions.
Underlying both is what Sacma Group Commercial
Director Enrico Brigatti describes as “an unswerving dedication to
manufacturing perfection” – part of the shining example set by Giancarlo
Rampezzotti to which, without question, the next generation of Sacma management
is wholly committed. Vice-President and son to Giancarlo, Valeriano Rampezzotti
is succinct on that score: “We already have our investment strategy mapped out
for the next five to six years”. Valeriano is based in Limbiate: his sister
Nicole Elena is also a Member of the Board but is based in Sacma Machinery
Corporation, in Westlake, Ohio. The Chief Executive Officer for the Group is Mr
Valerio K. Mesutoglu.
Sacma
essentially builds standard machines, with the final 10 per cent of the design
and assembly customised to the fastener or parts manufacturers’ requirements.
The implications of that philosophy are evident throughout the plant and at all
stages of manufacturing. In the rear yard rows of core castings – the resolute
heart of all Sacma and Ingramatic machines - are ‘seasoned’ for up to eighteen
months. Standardisation means Sacma is able to source, depending on the size of
the ultimate machine, between six to fifteen cores at a time from carefully
selected forges, providing both quality and cost benefits.
The
entire complex machining of the main frames is carried out at Limbiate, on
state of the art CNC machining centres. That includes even the smallest machining
such as small holes, even though they
could be carried out on the shop floor, in order to ensure absolute accuracy
and consistency. The largest CNC centre has a 10 meters long bed and 130 tonne
capacity to accommodate the main frames for Sacma’s largest cold formers.
Similar, smaller machines surround it but much of the complex machining is
carried out on a robotic Mazak machining centre, which never fails to impress
visitors. A long cage holds 65 ‘pallets’ each with an operation set up during
the day shift ready for the machining centre to collect, select appropriate
tooling from a massive ‘library’, and carry out operations 24 hours a day,
seven days a week. An additional new 45-pallet machining centre is currently
being built, with commissioning in Japan expected this autumn and installation
at Limbiate planned in 2018. That level of investment reflects a Sacma
philosophy to replace production machinery every ten to fifteen years rather
than tolerate any fall off in accuracy or increase in maintenance costs.
Everything
about a Sacma machine is built for longevity – just one obvious indicator is
the depth of the bronze surfaces installed onto the main frame. With the
exception of electronics sourced from Siemens and ABB and held in stock to
provide immediate availability, Sacma machines all its components. The Group
also holds 100% of spares as inventory. Even with Sacma’s levels of
standardisation that is a massive stockholding but one that ensures not only
highly efficiency production in the plants but also total assurance of support
for machines in the field. Not, as Enrico Brigatti is quick to emphasise, that
Sacma machines have a habit of failing in use. “Unlike some of our competitors,
which derive up to half their revenues from spares and service, these activities
only represent 7% for Sacma.” It’s a figure, he acknowledges, that will rise in
coming years simply as a function of rapidly growing worldwide population of
Sacma and Ingramatic machines, but he still does not expect it to exceed 10%.
“That is crucially important,” he says. “It means the machines are running well
and continuously. Our customers rarely need the support of a technician from
Sacma. Generally we can diagnose issues remotely, ship spares to the customer
and they can have their machine back in production within a few hours of
receipt, minimising lost production and time, and keep those parts being
formed.
“We
are conservative innovators,” he goes onto explain. “We do make innovations but
it takes a while. When we do have something ready it is ready for thirty years
not ten.” All of which explains not just Sacma’s continuous program of
investment in production technology but also in research and development. “In
R&D we don’t just design the machine, we design each individual part,
creating drawings and manufacturing methodology.” A secure document storage
system next to the design office stores drawings for every Sacma part ever
produced. For additional security duplicates are held at the family home and in
a separate off-site facility. On the production floor, however, Sacma has
adopted Industry 4.0 principles and there are no drawings to be seen – instead
there are carefully positioned, large-screen terminals, via which engineers can
access all of the drawings and specifications they require.
Finally,
with sub-assembly completed the machine modules are brought together on a
series of final assembly lines, each dedicated to a different size machine and
on each of which a number of machines are nearing completion. For example, on
the largest scale assembly line this summer, Sacma had four Size 6 machines -
two 31mm and two 33mm diameter capacity. Across all the assembly lines the
final destinations of the machine underscore Sacma’s global market – with
machines destined for European, Asian, North and South American customers.
The
whole manufacturing facility, as well as the offices, is remarkably clinical –
redolent Formula One racing car assemblies but on a massive scale. Enrico
Brigatti smiles at the thought: “We sell high technology machinery. When our
customers come to Limbiate we want them to recognise that is not a superficial
commitment but runs throughout our operations. In same way we invest in really
attractive stands at worldwide fastener exhibitions. The machine we present is
a thing of beauty – it is like seeing a Ferrari car. So people want to work on
these machines, it attracts the young guys and helps to convince them that
fastener manufacturing is a modern, critical manufacturing process.” Nowhere,
says Enrico, is Sacma’s distinction in this regard proving more persuasive than
in Asia. “There really is a strong appreciation of the sophistication of our
technology. Sacma machines are desired not just for the manufacturing
efficiency and reliability but also as a visible sign to the factory’s
customers that they are committed to the highest global standards. Once the
customer installs one Sacma machine, maybe even with its ‘marketing’ benefit
more in mind, they rapidly realise the efficiency, accuracy and productivity
advantages that justify the significantly higher cost compared with locally
produced machines.”
Today the Sacma Group has global annual sales in excess of 60
million euros, and employs more than 210 people. Nearly 80% of its output is
exported, across the globe, with the emphasis on five and six die progressive
formers to meet the ever increasing demand for complex, net shape parts; and
bolt makers primarily for high volume accurate production of automotive parts.
Quite
some legacy from just two generations of entrepreneurial leadership but the
appetite to continue to build on it is evident. No question, there is much more
to come in Sacma Winning Technologies®.
By Phil Matten
Fastener & Fixing Magazine - September/October issue
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