COVER STORY
Pühl - Pressing ahead
Through a combination of state of the art production equipment, an unwavering commitment to quality, and a dedication to a complete customer service, Adolf Pühl GmbH & Co KG has established itself as a leading manufacturer of standard and non-standard flat washers and pressings. Will Lowry visited the company to find out the latest developments and how Pühl plans to stay at the forefront of the industry.
F
ounded in 1897, Adolf Pühl originally focused on production of wood screws, hinges, gib keys and split pins according to DIN 94 - the company still supplies the split pins today. In the 1960s the company changed
its production range completely to specialise in DIN washers and pressings. Since this decision Pühl has developed market recognition of its product range and quality - firstly in Germany, before moving further into Europe, until finally establishing a global presence; all the time meeting the challenges of international competition. Based in Plettenberg in the heartland of Germany’s Sauerland (60km south of Dortmund), Adolf Pühl’s premises stretches along the main road through the town, covering an area of almost 30,000m2
. Inside, approximately 25 modern high-speed eccentric
and hydraulic presses have an output of more than 25,000 tonnes of washers and pressings p.a. Pühl offers a full range of capabilities, ranging from 0.5mm thick washers – produced with a stamping force of 125 tonnes – up to 12mm thick washers (with thicker possible) - formed with an impressive stamping force of 1,000 tonnes. Its product range includes high tensile washers such as EN 14399-6, BS 4395 and ASTM F436, conical spring washers to DIN 6796, as well as almost all types of other flat washers according to DIN or ISO specifications, as well as French (NFE), British (BS), Italian (UNI) or Scandinavian norms. “We are quite unique in being able to offer a very wide range
of products,” says Christoph Schulte, commercial director at Adolf Pühl. “From the very small to the very big we can supply
a whole range of washers, meaning that we can be very flexible when answering our customers’ needs.” Adolf Pühl delivers its products to wholesalers European wide and to customers in a variety of markets, including wind energy, railway, agriculture, steel building and construction, trucks and automotive, and traffic engineering. A key feature of Pühl’s flexibility is its commitment to continuously investing in production equipment, logistics and internal infrastructure to stay competitive and to maintain the right capacities for its customers’ requirements. In addition to developing its manufacturing capabilities Pühl
also completed an expansion of its facilities in 2011, which enabled it to increase its warehouse capacity by an additional 6,000m2
. “Three years ago we had the opportunity to expand into
the premise next door, which was invaluable as we were bursting at the seams,” explains Christoph. “We thought that this would be enough space, but we have now filled that space and are again ‘fully loaded’ with products.” The new warehouse is mainly used as storage for materials
and tools, with a specially developed automatic racking system giving Pühl the capability to store a large quantity of products in a small space. Each individual racking line can be moved according to which one needs to be accessed. The racking lines can be positioned flush against one another, with only one aisle available at a time. This helps the company to store the necessary products, whilst still saving space. This extra storage has given Pühl the opportunity to establish
38 Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 81 May 2013
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