Delivering complex tools within seventy-two hours
Fanar is one of the top five manufacturers of tools in Europe and is known in the market for its uncompromising quality. The Polish based company supplies a wide range of cutting tools for threading, drilling, milling and turning and specialises in shank tools for machining holes. Fanar’s global network of customers operate in the automotive, aerospace, medical and home appliances industries among others.
From the beginning Fanar has invested in the newest technology and machine tools to ensure they have the capability to offer the latest products. However, in 2016 Fanar realised that if it was going to remain ahead in the market they needed to improve the production time for manufacturing complex cutting tools.
Dariusz Ptaszkiewicz, Technical Director at Fanar said “In the era of e-bay people are accustomed to the convivence of online shopping where products are delivered within two to three days. This mindset can be challenging when customers expect this same type of service especially when purchasing specialist cutting tools. We needed to find a way to meet our customers’ expectations without compromising on quality.”
“The more complex the tool, the longer it takes to produce and may require several machines and different set ups as part of the grinding process. Essentially, this process can be quite lengthy. However, at FANAR we are not afraid of a challenge and we set ourselves the ambitious goal of delivery to our customers within seventy-two hours from receipt of the order.”
“We looked for a supplier who could provide a solution that enabled fast changeovers, precision and repeatability. Another important requirement was that the grinding machine had a software package that was intuitive to use and didn’t require highly skilled programmers.
“After reviewing what was available on the market, we were confident that ANCA’s MX7 Linear was right for our businesses because of its numerous innovative features. The polymer concrete base, linear motors, ability to prepare tools (wheels) on the machine and integrated measuring system meant that we could achieve our goal of seventy-two-hour delivery with a grinding machine of the highest standard.”
First impressions and opening new markets
Dariusz Ptaszkiewicz, continued “When investing in a new product, there is always some concern that the machine may not deliver what was promised. ANCA’s MX7 Linear exceeded our expectations and I am yet to find a product that offers so many innovations and features that are unique to the market.”
“Once we had the latest technology, combined with our years of experience in grinding and metalworking, we could quickly begin production of the most complex geometry and high dimensional precision tools.”
“I am excited that Fanar is now in a position where we can consider orders that in the past we avoided. The technology means we have the capacity to produce complex tools, even for individual orders, at the highest quality with minimal risk. With the investment, we have achieved our goal of significantly reducing lead times and production costs, while opening new potential markets for our business.”
Special features such as RoboMate have enabled simple but accurate automation and ANCA’s in process measuring system, Laser Plus, has meant that for the first time our company has implemented unmanned production without any concern that the products may be defective.
“Furthermore, the machine was ordered with the Statistical Process Control (SPC) software package for quality control purposes. This enables Fanar (as a trusted supplier of cutting tools) to continue to meet ISO 9001, ISO / TS 16949 standards.”
