Opinion
majority of companies attending having received at least one positive lead to follow up after the events. As a manufacturer of high precision mechanical tappets
for internal combustion engines, Schaeffler UK is reaping the benefits of this inward investment by the OEMs. It recognised some years ago that it needed to invest in its UK production plant in order to support the major vehicle OEMs, investing heavily in new capital equipment for its plant in Llanelli, South Wales in 2011 and 2012. The company committed several million Euros in new surface coating technology for tappets, as well as a massive 66-tonne deep drawing press, which enables the plant to produce highly repeatable, superior quality mechanical tappets and other automotive engine components for OEMs. The new coating machine enables Schaeffler to coat the
surface of engine components with an ultra-thin, extremely hard, multi-layer coating. Applied using special, vacuum- controlled chambers, this coating minimises friction between mating components in the engine, resulting in lower fuel consumption and reduced CO2
emissions. The new deep drawing press enables the plant to press
tappet blanks to ‘near net shape’ ie as close to the finished product as possible. By deep drawing the tappets, the plant is now able to manufacture a more cost-effective alternative to the traditional forged and turned design. The investment in new capital equipment at Llanelli will
enable Schaeffler to supply Ford with over 20 million low friction tappets per year if required. These tappets are already helping Ford to improve the fuel efficiency of its engines and to minimise CO2
emissions, particularly evident on Ford’s new
Ecoboost gasoline range. Schaeffler supplies mechanical tappets for use on Ford’s
3-cylinder 1.0 Ecoboost engine, which was recently named ‘International Engine of the Year’, voted for by more than 75 journalists from 35 countries. As well as supplying tappets for this award-winning engine, Schaeffler supplies the VCT (variable cam timing) system, another technology contributing to improved fuel efficiency and lower CO2
emissions. In
addition, for some regions of the world, Schaeffler will also supply an idler for the Front End Accessory Drive. Schaeffler is continuously developing new lightweight,
lower friction, more energy-efficient components and systems for vehicle engines, transmissions and chassis. This is helping to reduce the weight of the vehicle, improve fuel consumption and minimise CO2
emissions in order to help OEMs meet
ever-tighter European vehicle emissions targets. Innovation and collaborative working with vehicle
manufacturers is also important. Ford and Schaeffler have worked together on a number of projects, both within and outside of the UK. As well as supplying tappets to Bridgend and Dagenham in the UK, Schaeffler supplies tappets for Ford’s engines built in Spain, Romania, Germany, Brazil, India and China. Schaeffler even has a resident project engineer based at Ford’s Dunton Technical Centre in Essex, who is responsible for ensuring the smooth integration of Schaeffler components and systems into Ford engines. Resident engineers work closely with the vehicle
manufacturer’s design team, resulting in clearer, faster communication. In Schaeffler’s case, any new automotive components, modules or system innovations can be communicated quickly and effectively to the design engineers. This usually includes tailoring a specific Schaeffler system or component for the customer - adding real value where it matters. By working in close partnership with vehicle manufacturers,
suppliers can react much faster and can quickly identify new business opportunities. By having a resident engineer close to the customer, the supplier gains a deeper understanding of new, relevant R&D projects. Knowing what a vehicle manufacturer is working on now and in the near future is priceless information. This could help to generate more business in the form of more projects, which in turn leads to increased growth and security of jobs for the supplier. This increased business can then cascade down the supply chain to lower tier suppliers, ultimately resulting in benefits for UK plc as a whole. Of course, this close working also benefits the vehicle manufacturer since they can tap into the supplier’s knowledge by quickly accessing the relevant areas of expertise within the organisation through the resident engineer. ●
Richard Hall is head of Schaeffler UK’s Automotive Division, Minworth, Sutton Coldfield, UK.
www.schaeffler.co.uk
Top 10 predictions for supply chain T
o support the productive enterprise, supply chains must embrace resiliency and become ‘massively multi-dimensional, according to IDC Manufacturing Insights Predictions 2013: Supply Chain. The predictions are:
➊ Resiliency becomes a priority for end users looking to master ‘massive multi- dimensionality’. ➋ On the supply side of the supply chain, recognising the inherent cost of long lead- times, manufacturers continue to look at global networks through the lens of both
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regional and country-level sourcing. ➌ On the demand side of the supply chain, recognising the need for better service levels and mass customisation, manufacturers look again to postponement techniques and data analytics to drive customer insights and ‘smarter’ fulfilment. ➍ End user IT organisations will have to support a more productive supply chain ecosystem. ➎ Service excellence becomes a strategic priority. ❻ Supply chains will optimise omni- channel customer service and cost by
enabling trustworthy, efficient and effective supply chains (TEE). ➐ End users will focus efforts to improve collaboration both upstream with suppliers and downstream with customers to better compete in a faster world. ❽ Supply chains will invest in technologies that enable visibility, visualisation and virtualisation. ➒ The ‘modern’ supply chain gets ‘smarter’. ➓ The big data ‘era’ dawns for supply chain organisations. ●
For more information, visit
www.idc.com
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