Hightech uit het hart van het Emsland

We can do everything except speak High German.’ With this humorous slogan, Baden-Württemberg attempts to enlist good will. People in northern Germany can of course speak High German, and they can do just about everything that Swabians in southern Germany can do. Such as building successful machine tools, like HEDELIUS Machinenbau GmbH in Meppen. The company was founded in 1967 as a manufacturer of woodworking equipment, and around 20 years ago it relocated to this attractive town in the Emsland region. After a successful start with a focus on special machines for large-scale series production, in 1979 it changed its approach to something that many enterprises are still attempting to achieve: focussing on the essentials. The credo of company boss Gerhard Hempelmann is ‘a single type of product and nothing else: machining centres’. ‘First, this leads to an outstanding price/performance ratio, and second, it results in a trend-setting machine concept.’ HEDELIUS has entirely discontinued production of special machines, although according to Hempelmann this does not mean that they do not adapt their machines to the specific needs of their customers. They produce vertical machining centres, consisting of three basic

models after the full product range has been completed. They are available in a variety of models with a variety of configurations and performance specifications for use in diverse machining processes. According to Hempelmann, all of the machines have in common ‘high cutting performance and good workspace accessibility’. Torsionally stiff machine bodies and broad carriage guideways ensure optimum manufacturing quality. The high-performance machining centres made by the Meppen-based company enjoy an excellent reputation not only in the tool- and die-making industry, where HEDELIUS achieves between 30 and 40 percent of its turnover. This industry appreciates the large travel distances, the high load capacity of the machine tables, and the outstanding ergonomics of the machines, which are suitable for HSC machining as well as conventional machining. The CB 80/1200, for example, has an unusually compact construction that is specifically aligned to the needs of one-off and small-series manufacturers, which means traditional job shops, and with its footprint of 4 x 6 metres it fits in even the smallest shop. HEDELIUS advertises its unique position in the market with its island concept. The ROTASwing^® 80K is designed as a production island.

Its target group consists of all manufacturers that have to mass produce complex workpieces. This machine has two workspaces. Clamping and reference surfaces are machined in the right-hand workspace, while full five-sided machining is performed in the left-hand workspace. In addition, the right-hand workspace can be fitted with an NC rotary table or a pivoting bridge. Naturally, this enthusiasm for innovation translates into hard cash. HEDELIUS achieved a turnover of around 24 million euros in 2002, and further growth is already planned for 2003. Hempelmann intends to put special emphasis on trade fair presence, with exhibitor participation this year at Nortec, Emo and Euromold, as well as export business with a focus on Eastern Europe. And last but not least, the company is also swimming against the stream in another regard: HEDELIUS trains machining mechanics, technical draughtsmen and industrial electricians.

MM Special
Innovativer Norden · 2003
01-122-01-09 / Feser/Schreier

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