マーケティング部門が未来のクランプテクノロジーを明示

シュミットさん、あなたは今年の初めにクランプ技術の公式責任をミンダー氏に引き継ぎましたね。この決断に至った理由は何ですか？

ヨハン・シュミット氏：現在、会社全体が再編成中です。組織再編の一環として、マーケティング部門へのフォーカスを強めています。年初に、私は一般機械加工マーケティング部門の全責任を引き継ぎました。2018年以来デニス・ミンダー氏と私は、クランピング技術の製品管理を引き継ぐことをすでに計画していました。それ以来、彼はクランピング・テクノロジーの全領域を経験し、当社の製品、顧客、市場に関するすべてをゼロから学び、徐々にその役割を担うまでに成長しました。私たちが再設計したチャックを発表したとき、彼はすでにその責任を担っていました。

ミンダーさん、MAPALのクランピング技術についてはどのようにお考えですか？

デニス・ミンダー氏：ここ数年、クランピング・テクノロジーへの旅路ですでに役割を果たすことができたので、私はこの道を歩むつもりです。責任の移譲はスムーズに行われたため、大きな変更はありません。私たちはこれからも、お客様のニーズを第一に考え、全力を尽くしていきます。

How would you describe the journey you have taken in a few words?

Dennis Minder: We are currently undergoing a transformation process. The chuck used to be just a tool holder. Now, it is increasingly becoming an application-oriented, performance-enhancing element of the overall system. To continue this, we plan to focus even more on individual market segments in the future and develop chucks for special requirements from the markets. The individual product and market segment departments at MAPAL are working closely together on this – so Jochen Schmidt and I will also be continuing our close cooperation.

Jochen Schmidt: I can only confirm this. In market segment management, we are intensively confronting the individual needs of customers from the specific markets and using these to generate – in cooperation with the respective product management – corresponding standard products and custom solutions. While this has already taken place in the same way in the past, we will now be increasing our focus on the individual market segments. Our optimally tailored overall system allows us to offer maximum added value for the users – our customers.

Were the two recently presented chucks with their new design – the UNIQ DReaM Chuck 4.5° and UNIQ Mill Chuck – already developed in this way?

Jochen Schmidt: In fact, we developed the essential characteristics that make these chucks special using specific customer requirements. With the UNIQ Mill Chuck, the corresponding requirements actually appeared in different market segments – wherever our customers machine high-quality parts in highly dynamic machining processes.

Dennis Minder: We took these requirements, including from customers in the aviation or die & mould sector, and transformed them into our UNIQ Mill Chuck. With this hydraulic chuck, we satisfy the main concerns for maximum process reliability, which is the most important requirement with these machining processes.

What makes the new UNIQ Mill Chuck so special, besides its process reliability?

Dennis Minder: For the new chuck, we developed our existing MillChuck HB further, which has, for example, proven itself many times over with trochoidal milling. We also designed the new UNIQ Mill Chuck for highly dynamic processes with spindle speeds of up to 33,000 rpm. To do so, we adjusted the entire geometry, technology and design. For example, the contour is optimised for dynamic processes. Both the UNIQ Mill Chuck and the UNIQ DReaM Chuck 4.5°, therefore both chucks designed according to the new industrial design, offer clear added value – not only in terms of their function, but also with regards to their ergonomics and handling. 

Which customer requirements does the second chuck, the UNIQ DReaM Chuck 4.5°, meet?

Dennis Minder: Due to the few tool restrictions on the shrink chuck, many parts were previously only able to be machined with it, meaning that parts with critical contours were reserved for shrink chucks. Now hydraulic chucks however offer indisputably significant advantages over shrink chucks. To enable our customers to use these benefits, we implemented the original contour of a shrink chuck in a hydraulic chuck. This is possible as the tension in our UNIQ DReaM Chuck 4.5° is fed into the collar – without any technical disadvantages for our customers. They only have advantages with the new chuck – easy handling, better surface finishes and a very ergonomic chuck. If customers switch their machining to our UNIQ DReaM Chuck 4.5°, they also do not have to plan any new calculations for tool restrictions, but can directly use the chuck as a “plug and play” solution.

Jochen Schmidt: In general, with this new chuck, we are accompanying our customers in switching to the hydraulic chuck. We meet them where they are – and in many cases, that is the shrink chuck. To make the switch as easy as possible for the user, we attach instructions directly onto the product. For example, the chucks feature a prominent symbol with the instruction “Do not shrink”. This is because the original contour may otherwise lead to confusion in manufacturing and a hydraulic chuck must never be used in combination with a shrink unit.
 

これらは新しい工業デザインの最初の2つのチャックに過ぎません。次はどうなるのでしょうか？他のチャックも計画されているのですか？

デニス・マインダー氏： もちろん、新しいデザインの他のチャックも登場します。これらのチャックにはUNIQという名前がついています。UNIQはチャックのユニークな品質を表していますが、これについては後ほど詳しく説明します。現在、私たちはUNIQミルチャックとUNIQ DReaMチャック4.5°を他のバージョンで提供することに注力しています。例えば現在アジアでは、UNIQ ミルチャック用の BT30 インターフェースに対する高い需要があります。現在このご要望の実現に取り組んでおり、今年中に対応するチャックを市場に投入する予定です。また、両ハイドロチャックとも、新しいクランプ径を近々発売する予定です。さらにUNIQ は他の製品も開発中で、近日中にご報告できる予定です。

インタビュー、ありがとうございました。