“We are very well positioned”

MAPAL has big plans for the market launch in the die & mould sector. Dietmar Maichel, Head of Segment Management Die & Mould, made a clear statement: “In this interesting sector, we want to convince with the same competence that makes us strong in sectors such as the automotive industry or machine engineering.” To meet this demand, a team of specialists at MAPAL have been intensively dealing with the requirements in the die & mould sector. For example, the company is striking new paths in sales and logistics. Many products are available from the warehouse through MAPAL and authorised specialist trade partners.

The quick availability of tools was important for the team of experts. However, the first priority was to establish a product range that satisfied the special requirements of the sector. “We used our expertise from the existing MAPAL range and gained key sector knowledge from our acquisition of the Voha-Tosec and Radtke companies. Both companies specialise in solid carbide tools in the die & mould sector and have been part of the MAPAL Group since 2018. This network enabled us to determine the best geometries and in cooperation with the experts, to define the sector-specific tool dimensions,” explains Maichel. The programme for the die & mould sector now forms a cross-section through MAPAL’s tool portfolio, from milling with fixed and replacement blades and drilling to countersinking and reaming. “It is an integrated programme that has not been offered on the market in this form until now,” emphasises the market segment manager. This is because it also includes clamping tools, setting and measuring devices and dispensing systems and engineering services – the entire range of the complete supplier. For companies in the die & mould sector, this means they can receive a consistent machining solution from MAPAL, if needed, which offers lots of potential for efficiency. “We are very well positioned with this programme,” says Maichel. Uwe Rein, Sales Director Die & Mould is also confident: “We are well-equipped for the die & mould sector.”

Trade partners in Germany, where sales have already started, have expressed a lot of praise and positive feedback. Uwe Rein: “Dealers have been impressed by our activities in the die & mould sector.” They find it interesting to have MAPAL by their side as a precision tools manufacturer, “who offers one of the most comprehensive programmes of products and services there are. Currently, no other providers feature such a vast and in-depth assortment for potential end customers. Dealers appreciate our specialist skills and the solution focus that MAPAL has for customers.”

The MAPAL programme is also becoming increasingly popular with major direct customers in the die & mould sector. “This shows that our tools have already been well-received in the sector,” adds Rein

However, it is mainly smaller businesses that are active in the die & mould sector. “We therefore decided to serve these customers via a regional trade channel to offer them a fast and efficient service,” explains Rein. Across Germany, MAPAL now cooperates with various trading companies. These are locally represented and based in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Hessen and North Rhine-Westphalia. “All trading partners are specialist dealers for cutting tools. Along with having a great deal of expertise, they play a huge regional role in supplying end customers with precision tools,” says Rein. In addition to the MAPAL assortment for the die & mould sector, these trading partners usually also sell machines and corresponding accessories. MAPAL is also already working with authorised specialist dealers in Denmark, Italy and Portugal. “We will also be expanding the trading network in Italy and Portugal to make it more closely interlinked,” announced Rein. As for the international availability of the product programme for the die & mould sector, MAPAL plans to take a gradual approach. “We are pursuing a strategy tailored to each country by making use of our experiences from practical tests in Germany.” Each market launch is being planned and prepared with care. International trading partners and the respective country subsidiaries of MAPAL are in close contact. Through in-house training programmes, MAPAL ensures that employees and customer contact partners have up-to-date product knowledge and application expertise at their disposal.

The MAPAL portfolio for the die & mould sector includes some 6,500 items, with the related specialist catalogue more than 500 pages thick. If you take a look through them, you will find numerous product highlights. For Dietmar Maichel, for example, these include the tools with high-feed geometry, both the solid carbide design of the OptiMill series and the versions with replaceable blades, which enable machining with high rates of removal and can also be used flexibly. “Also worth a mention are the shoulder radius milling cutter OptiMill-3D-CS with its large operating radius or the drilling reamer MEGA-Drill-Reamer, which combines three work steps into one and is mainly used in the mould sector for creating dowel pin and ejector bores.”

The catalogue is already available in various languages and can be downloaded at die-mould.mapal.com.

Regarding the availability of products, MAPAL bases itself around the requirements of the sector. “We want to deliver quickly,” ensures Maichel. The majority of items are kept in stock and available within the respective delivery promise, either within 24 hours or no later than five days. Many other items are available upon request. These are monitored for planning purposes and the delivery promise is flexibly adjusted as required. The production of custom tools is also possible. In addition, MAPAL provides its customers with digital tool data for CAD/CAM systems.

Dietmar Maichel has worked for MAPAL since 2006. He started his career here as a Trial and Development Engineer in R&D for the Aviation sector and CFK machining before working in the 3D Milling department. From these fields, he contributes experience in the fine machining of parts from the whole piece. Maichel has also been involved in implementing customer projects in structural part machining as well as turbine and impeller manufacturing.

In addition to his position as Director Sales Die & Mould, Uwe Rein is also the Managing Director of MAPAL subsidiary WEISSKOPF Werkzeuge in Meiningen. Before joining MAPAL, Rein worked in trade for many years. The technical specialist salesman for tools and machines developed a keen interest for the die & mould sector early on. Over the course of his career, Rein has gained vast industry knowledge and experience along with a variety of contacts in the die & mould sector.