Saving time and reducing errors with Hoffmann Group Tool Management

Interview with Karlheinz Hahn (Straubing) - experiences of a pilot customer:

Company “Karlheinz Hahn – Konstruktion & Entwicklung” is one of the first pilot customers for the Hoffmann Group Tool Management, which they have been using for several months now. In a short interview Managing Director Karlheinz Hahn talks about his experiences with the new system:

Which challenges does your company face on a daily basis and which processes are particularly time-consuming?

Key problem areas for us are organisation of the production process and the handling of tools. We often lack an overview of the tools that are in use somewhere in production. This of course makes job preparation or provision of tools more difficult. Every day time is lost searching for tools.

What made you chose the Tool Management solution of the Hoffmann Group?

We have been searching for a lean tool management solution for years and have looked at various providers. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to find a suitable solution as a lot of the systems on the market are not ideal for small and medium-sized companies like ours. When we heard that the Hoffmann Group would like to become established in this sector, we pricked up our ears as we are used to the Hoffmann Group delivering good quality and as we have found them to be a reliable partner over many years.

What has been your experience of the pilot customer phase to date?

Of course, there were some teething troubles at the beginning, but these could be eliminated one by one. The close contact with the Hoffmann Group ensured that potential problems were identified and rectified. The software is now running reliably in day-to-day production and we are very satisfied with the performance and the results.

What added value does the Tool Management of the Hoffmann Group deliver for you?

The software is clearly structured and easy to use. We were particularly impressed by the ease with which tools could be measured and the values transmitted to the machine. We already have a time saving of approx. 5 minutes per tool when we create a new tool and equip a machine with it. Furthermore, we also avoid annoying transcription errors, which are easily made when inputting the data into the machine controls. Here we were able to reduce the error rate by about 100%. This makes us significantly faster, we work more efficiently and our processes are more reliable. Our employees are now able to concentrate on more productive tasks, as time-intensive activities such as manual entries and controls are no longer necessary. The Hoffmann Group Tool Management delivered a significant added value for us and we were able to reduce costs in these areas by about 20%.

How was the system introduced in your company?

After we had received the fully developed CAM interface, we were able to start right away as the CAM data base was simply imported into the Hoffmann Group Tool Management and all the tools were created automatically from the Tebis library. Afterwards we just needed to select the tool in the Hoffmann Group TM, scan the RFID code and then we were able to start measuring the tool straight away.

What is your next step going to be?

We are in constant dialogue with the development department of the Hoffmann Group and are jointly optimising the operation and various other functions of the software in real-life use. At the same time this pilot customer phase also helps to perfect the product and to ensure that the system is running reliably in the day-to-day production environment. We’re pleased that our ideas and experiences are taken into account in the development process and that they can be implemented. Here, in a real-life environment, we can help to shape a system so that it is ready for market and ensure that the Hoffmann Group Tool Management is optimally geared to our needs, i.e. the needs of small and medium-sized companies.

Customer system in use:
Machine: 5 x Hermle, 1 x DMG (all machine controls iTNC530)
Pre-Setting: 1 x Hoffmann GARANT VG1
CAM: Tebis

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