HEDELIUS features eight times over in BAADER blue.
Two traditional, innovative companies celebrate their 10-year partnership
Established in 1919, the BAADER Group is a leading manufacturer of machines for fish and poultry processing, including 1200 employees around the world and a team of 650 at their Lübeck headquarters alone. HEDELIUS Maschinenfabrik, based in Meppen, can reflect on a 55-year success story. Today, the company employs 235 people and is one of Europe's leading manufacturers of vertical CNC machining centres. Both family-owned companies have enjoyed a successful partnership spanning over a decade.
Mankind has eaten fish for 40,000 years, and in Germany alone, each citizen consumes around 13 kilograms of fish per year on average. Taking the fish from the catch to the fillet on the plate requires state-of-the-art processing equipment, built by specialists like the BAADER Group from Lübeck. Today's high-performance BAADER machines, for herring processing for example, are capable of portioning up to 24,000 fish fillets per hour.
High variance, small batch sizes
In Lübeck, more than 50 basic variants of the fish processing machines are manufactured on a 14,000 m² production area and sold in customer-specific versions, whereby the large number of different basic models requires a multitude of different components, mostly in small unit quantities. The average batch size is ten pieces, and the range of parts is highly diverse. Since BAADER machines are used in food processing, the topic of hygiene plays an important role; something that starts with the workpiece material. Stainless steel is predominantly used, although aluminium, brass and plastics are also employed to a lesser extent. It is always necessary to design the components such that no bacteria can deposit and settle on irregular surfaces.
"In 2012, we were faced with the challenge of having to modernise our entire CNC machining fleet", reflects Tim Sprenger, Production Manager at BAADER. "We were looking for a supplier who was as keen as we are to work in a partnership and who would tackle the task together with us as equals. We found what we were looking for at HEDELIUS."
"We took a technological leap forwards."
The RS 605 MAGNUM 5-axis machining centre was the first HEDELIUS unit to be delivered to Lübeck from Meppen. It is still in reliable use today. "On the one hand, we really initiated the modernisation of our machine fleet with our first HEDELIUS. The machine meant that we once again enjoyed confidence in our production. Confidence that our machines would operate reliably," recalls Tim Sprenger. "But that wasn't all. We also took a technological leap forwards with HEDELIUS. We were able to use modern tools, since a great deal had progressed in this area, too. And the clamping technology had also been brought up-to-date with the zero point clamping system."
Over the 10 years that followed, our collaboration developed further. Whether in the 5-axis or the 3-axis range, BAADER was looking for further flexible programming and manufacturing systems. Today, eight HEDELIUS CNC machining centres are in use at BAADER, and all finished in the requested BAADER blue paintwork.
One of the more recent additions to BAADER's machining range is the FORTE 65. The compact machining centre was purchased with the aim of modernising 3-axis machining. "We were looking for a machine equipped with a large tool magazine. With the FORTE 65, we have 65 tool slots, plus sufficient space for two vices and a clamping pallet; for us, these are simply ideal conditions for economical production. And it also means we're highly flexible."
The latest machining centre in the machining area at BAADER in Lübeck is the largest to date from HEDELIUS: The TILTENTA 9 is a versatile 5-axis machining centre with a continuously swivelling main spindle, an extra-large X travel path of 3600 mm, a 900 mm NC rotary table and a large fixed table.
"We can simply depend on HEDELIUS," enthuses Tim Sprenger. "All eight machining centres were delivered on time. And whenever we bought a machine, we also purchased the corresponding training sessions. Even when we invested in the last machining centre, the TILTENTA 9, our machine operators were in Meppen to complete their training before the machine was delivered, which meant that commissioning ran seamlessly."
Significant contribution to the quality of BAADER machines
"And there is something else that I'd like to highlight," adds the BAADER Group Production Manager. "Today, we have modern CNC machining, which has made us significantly more competitive. HEDELIUS makes an appreciable contribution to the quality of our fish processing machines."
Matthias Funk, Head of Sales at HEDELIUS, is proud of the company's partnership with the BAADER Group. On the occasion of the 10th anniversary, he says: "I'm delighted that we can celebrate this milestone together today: 10 years of partnership between BAADER and HEDELIUS. In a partnership, first of all you meet each other, then you develop together, and then trust and confidence are shared. I think this is something that is more important than ever in today's world. HEDELIUS says: Many thanks."
