Practically everyone in Germany comes into contact with products from WVG alu-tec GmbH at some point. Most of the time, they don't even realise it.
Cast aluminium products from Bad Arolsen can be found in furniture, on Deutsche Bahn trains, on billboards in restaurants and beer gardens, and in illuminated advertising signs from pay TV provider Sky. WVG alu-tec is even represented in the field of medical technology!
But let's start at the beginning: WVG alu-tec GmbH was founded in 2001. The cast aluminium division was previously part of WVG Industrie- und Schalttechnik, based in Lohfelden near Kassel.
After some relocations, the company has been based in Bad Arolsen since 2016. Managing partner Armin Gruhs has been there from the start.
More than 10 years ago, the entrepreneur decided to invest in CNC machines for the production of the moulds and in machines for post-processing the castings. He found what he was looking for at HEDELIUS.
"We just want to keep moving forward and stay one step ahead!" says Armin Gruhs. And that's only possible with partners you can trust.
"We have known HEDELIUS for many years, and we are already like a family. And who do you trust more than family?"
That’s why Gruhs is also proud of its "latest achievement", as he calls it: The TILTENTA 7-3200 5-axis machining centre with swivelling spindle and two integrated NC rotary tables.
"The components are getting bigger and bigger, but we can make full use of the 3.20 metre machining surface here. We can also process two components at the same time, alternating between the two machining sections of the TILTENTA, so we can avoid machine downtimes." The use of a workspace partition makes this possible. The partition separates the large machining area into two smaller work areas, where machining takes place on one side and set-up on the other.
The quality and surface properties of the components are always impressive. But the alu-tec employees are already aware of this from the three other HEDELIUS machines in their operating area, which covers almost 25,000 square metres.
50 people work in the factory. And their future doesn't just depend on the quality and innovation of their products. More than ever, it’s also about energy: the costs, of course – but also the environmental aspects. It's a tricky issue.
But this is also reflected in Armin Gruhs’ concept and the HEDELIUS approach. With the new TILTENTA, components can be manufactured quicker and thus more energy-efficiently, and with less CO2 emissions.
As such, it is forward-looking. And that’s where we come back to the idea of family: Two of Armin Gruhs' children have already joined the company, bringing fresh new ideas with them.
Just like HEDELIUS, in fact. The TILTENTA 7 will probably not be the last generation of machinery to be delivered from Meppen to Bad Arolsen ...
