Driving customer manufacturing performance

Die Benvenuti S.r.l wurde 1987 von der Familie Benvenuti gegründet und stellt hochpräzise mechanische Komponenten her, vorwiegend für die Bereiche Hydraulik, Energie und Industriemechanik. In enger Zusammenarbeit mit den Kunden werden maßgeschneiderte Projekte von Komponenten bis hin zu vormontierten Teilen umgesetzt. 

Mit rund 70 Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeitern produziert Benvenuti in erster Linie Hydraulikkolbenpumpen, hydraulische Zahnradmotoren, Hydraulikblöcke und Wärmetauscher aus Guss, Stahl oder Aluminium. Die Losgrößen variieren von einzelnen Prototypen bis hin zu Serien von 500 oder mehr Teilen. Insgesamt fertigt das Unternehmen rund 3.000 verschiedene Bauteile aus Produktfamilien, die sich in einzelnen Merkmalen unterscheiden. 57 horizontale Bearbeitungszentren sind in drei Schichten an sieben Tagen rund um die Uhr im Einsatz. Die Hälfte der Maschinen verfügt über Roboterzellen, die anderen sind zur automatischen Be- und Entladung gruppenweise an ein FMS-System angeschlossen. Jeweils drei bis fünf Maschinen können so von einem Bediener betreut werden. „Für uns ist die Kombination aus automatisierten Einzelmaschinen und dem FMS-System der Schlüssel zu maximaler Flexibilität und macht uns sehr wettbewerbsfähig“, erläutert Production Coordinator Riccardo Benvenuti.
 

2023 wurde Benvenuti von der Casappa S.p.A übernommen, einem weltweit führenden Hersteller von Kolbenpumpen, Zahnradmotoren, Filtern und Hydrauliksystemen. Casappa ist ebenfalls ein italienisches Familienunternehmen mit 850 Beschäftigten. Mit Produktionsstätten in China und Indien sowie einem globalen Vertrieb ist das Unternehmen international aufgestellt. „In der Unternehmenszentrale in Parma haben wir jüngst ein modernes Logistikzentrum mit 10.000 Quadratmetern Fläche in Betrieb genommen, von dem aus wir die Produktion am Standort Parma versorgen sowie unsere Distributionszentren weltweit und unsere europäischen Kunden direkt beliefern“, berichtet Roberto Bergamaschi, Operations & Supply Chain Director der Casappa Group sowie CEO und Vorstandsmitglied bei Benvenuti.

Die Hydraulikkomponenten kommen vor allem in Bau- und Landmaschinen sowie weiteren Nutzfahrzeugen zum Einsatz. Mehr als 1 Million Einheiten stellt das Unternehmen pro Jahr her. Neben der auf Fluidtechnik ausgerichteten Casappa gehören die Firma Ikron für den Bereich der Filtration und die auf Hydrauliksteuerungen spezialisierte Firma Tecnord zu einer gemeinsamen Holding. Sie ergänzen sich bei der Entwicklung und Herstellung von Produkten für die Elektrohydraulik, die einen Trend markieren und in Zukunft eine immer größere Rolle spielen werden. 
 

When it comes to new products or optimising ongoing production, Benvenuti and MAPAL work closely together. Step by step, the partners review each stage of the process, decide on the right technologies, and agree on the best way to carry out the project. This approach led to the development of an initial turnkey solution for the efficient and automated manufacturing of aluminium pump covers a number of years ago. Particular attention was also paid to the clamping fixture: A clamping fixture which rotates 90 degrees enables two components to be machined from six sides in a single setup.

With its turnkey solutions, MAPAL now offers a comprehensive range of services covering the end-to-end planning and implementation of manufacturing processes. From project analysis and tool and fixture design through to commissioning and production support, every element is perfectly coordinated and tailored to the customer’s requirements – all from a single source. The result is stable processes, high cutting data and low cost per part. For Benvenuti, MAPAL took on responsibility for the complete tooling package, including process design, while the machining programme was developed in-house. “It was a very complex project, with all elements needing to be precisely coordinated”, says Riccardo Benvenuti, highlighting the benefits now achieved in production. It took eight months from initial quotation to the start of production, which was much quicker than expected.
 

Another turnkey project developed jointly involved prototype setting fixtures and dedicated tooling for machining oil pump covers for a new version of Casappa’s piston pump. The machine was ready for operation in just two and a half months. “We see our collaboration with MAPAL in a very positive light and are keen to complete more projects together”, confirms Riccardo Benvenuti. MAPAL’s ability to deliver complete turnkey projects – providing tools, clamping fixtures and all other process components all from a single source – has been met with strong demand. Benvenuti was among the first customers in Italy to adopt MAPAL’s workpiece clamping solutions.

With the purchase of Benvenuti, in addition to an important competitive advantage, Casappa has improved business continuity by significantly reducing the risks of dependence on machining suppliers, bringing back into balance the make-buy ratio that had been unbalanced in favor of machining in house in recent years of strong growth. The Board of Directors of Benvenuti confirmed the strategy of dedicating 60-70% of the installed production capacity to the other companies of the group (Casappa, Ikron and Tecnord) and the remaining 30-40% to other important Italian companies with which it can develop a long-term relationship. As Roberto Bergamaschi announces, Benvenuti has drawn up a business plan that forecasts a growth in turnover of over 30% in the next two years compared to 2026 and which aims for 12 million euros in 2028. In addition to the introduction of the subsidiary Tecnord, the plan provides for the introduction of new customers in various sectors in addition to that of hydraulics for which the company has an exceptional specialization. The next step in development after 2028 involves the evolution from a national supplier to an international player capable of making competitive business proposals to important European companies, proposing itself as prime contractor, also taking advantage of the Casappa group's network of suppliers of raw materials and surface treatments. 
 

Bergamaschi now aims to leverage the positive experience gained with MAPAL’s complete tooling solutions across other Casappa and Tecnord production sites. With this strategic decision, Benvenuti has entered into a close, long-term partnership with the tooling specialist – unlocking clear added value. “Casappa is not yet fully taking advantage of this added value, we’re still building that up while with Tecnord we still have to define the objectives and a consequent programme for the introduction of MAPAL technology”, says Bergamaschi. However, MAPAL tools and presetting systems are already in use at Casappa’s plant in Shanghai. To ensure process reliability for components with particularly high functional and manufacturing requirements, machining processes evaluated and applied by Benvenuti were transferred to China, including all the necessary tools.

MAPAL's global presence and international production could offer advantages to Casappa in its existing plants in China and India and also with regard to European and Asian machining suppliers which are supported by a team of dedicated technologists. They aim to introduce the best standards of processing and process control to guarantee both competitiveness and high quality standards. MAPAL has already established itself there and can support international sites with projects right through to sophisticated turnkey solutions – where close collaboration between all partners involved is key.