Schleuniger presents a new product area for customer-specific solutions

Schleuniger has been offering customers high-precision and efficient quality machines for almost 50 years with its broad range of solutions in the Cut&Strip area. The production requirements and wishes of customers are a top priority at Schleuniger and also flow into the development of new products thanks to continuous and close cooperation. But customers in the wire processing industry aren't just looking for machines produced with maximum precision and which offer a quality and competitive advantage. There is an ever-increasing demand for solutions tailored to customer-specific production requirements and applications. Tailored, flexible and innovative technology and processes are required to enable quick and flexible production that supports a wide range of wire types, sizes and specifications.

Our customers' wish is our command. In order to fulfil the individual requirements of its customers even faster and more efficiently, Schleuniger Thun created the new "Customized Standard Products" product area. The specialists in the new department focus on the production requirements of customers and carry out the desired modifications on the Schleuniger standard machines. Matteo Thöni, responsible Customer Application Manager, explains in the following interview what is possible in the field of customer-specific modifications to standard products.


Matteo Thöni, Schleuniger has created the new product area "Customized Standard Products". Why?
The production requirements of our customers are becoming ever more varied and the requirements for wire processing are increasing constantly. Particularly in light of digitalization. The increasing complexity of their products, for example in terms of variety, requires a stronger focus on quality and efficiency in production. There is also a desire for clear production processes. We have noticed over the past few years that more and more customers have been looking for tailored solutions and often didn't realize that their requirements could be met by modifications on the Schleuniger standard products. So, with the new "Customized Standard Products" product area, we wanted to increase our focus on individual requirements and modify or supplement our high-quality standard products to meet these needs. Our goal is to offer customers a high-quality solution to meet their specific wishes and requirements.


Which products from the Schleuniger semiautomatic standard catalog can be adapted to customer-specific requirements?
All plants can be modified. Including machines that have already been delivered to customers. But the focus is on the new Cut-&-Strip family generations, i.e. the E300 and E400, the B-models from the Strip series, the 9x80 series, wire handling products and, of course, the CoaxCenter 6000. All these machines offer excellent potential for customer-specific adaptations.


What adjustments and customer applications are possible?
Any you can think of! Obviously, there are technical limits and finding these is part of our task. But we can implement a high proportion of our customers' wishes.


Could you give us a practical example?
For example, a customer may want a software function on the CoaxCenter 6000 so the crimp module can be used for bending wire with a special tool. We can implement this customer request in a CSP project. Or a customer may want a laser marking that covers two thirds of the wire cross-section. We can also fulfil this requirement with a double laser module that can be used in a line with a MegaStrip 9680.


How do customers communicate their specific requirements to Schleuniger?
They contact the responsible sales organization, which then gets in touch with our team at the Schleuniger headquarters in Thun. This is the first contact. Then we follow our defined project process and create the desired solution. Close communication with our customers is obviously required here and we sometimes travel to the customer site to get an exact overview of the production site and to develop a deeper understanding of the requirements of our customers. This depends completely on the complexity of the inquiry.


How long does the implementation process take from the customer inquiry to the delivery of the tailored solution?
This varies significantly depending on the scope of the project. If only a small change to a component is required, we can deliver the solution to our customers extremely quickly. But if the customer requires a complete processing line with various modifications, it can take several months to develop the solution. We aim to respond to customer inquiries within a week with an estimate of feasibility and a guide price.


Are the developed solutions simply delivered? What is the acceptance process?
We always aim to carry out the acceptance at our site, because this enables us to guarantee the desired product quality. Who would buy a car without a test drive? But we accompany our customers beyond this stage and support them with commissioning in the plant, for example. It goes without saying that our service team supports the customer solution along the product lifecycle in the usual way.


Does the Customized Standard Products area focus on specific industries?
Not at all. There's a need for customer-specific solutions in all sectors. But the requirements in terms of implementation are extremely different. Customers from the field of medical technology have different requirements than customers from the automotive industry. But we can serve them all.


The new "Customized Standard Products" product area was only recently formed. What are the plans for the future?
We are currently working hard to build up the new department. For me personally, this can't happen quickly enough. Luckily, we already have a strong and professional organization within the Komax Group in Switzerland, who we are in close contact with and benefit from greatly. The expert team at Schleuniger in Thun is now ready to carry out the first implementations. Another important step is to establish the new processes in the Customized Standard Products area in the organization. Close cooperation with the departments involved is therefore essential. Customers can also meet our specialists at trade fairs and discuss tailored solutions with them there.