Highly integrated machining solutions

St. Louis, Missouri / Offenburg, Germany – After a successful production and market re-launch, FFG Werke GmbH’s Witzig & Frank brand has renewed its traditional partnership with St. Louis-based manufacturer Hydromat Inc., combining their matching portfolios of high volume metal cutting solutions for the automotive communications, medical, aerospace, plumbing, and general machining industries. 

Witzig & Frank, a manufacturer of highly integrated machining solutions for high volume applications based in Offenburg, Germany, is looking back at a long and successful history of machine tool engineering. Just before its 150th anniversary due next year, the machine tool builder has gone through a successful period. Under new ownership of FFG Europe, production at the Offenburg plant was re-launched in December 2013 and sales targets for 2014 have already been exceeded. Several metal forming and metal cutting machining systems for German customers are currently on the shop floor.

Following FFG’s global market approach, Witzig & Frank is now leveraging its long history in the American market. The natural choice for a partner in the US was the St. Louis, Missouri manufacturer of rotary transfer machines and multi-spindle machines Hydromat Inc. Apart from the matching portfolios, the companies have had close ties for more than 25 years when Hydromat President and CEO Bruno Schmitter co-founded a joint venture with Witzig & Frank. Hydromat’s Chief Sales Officer, Matthias Walter, started his career at Witzig & Frank – where his father had been managing director for many years – and later took over Witzig & Frank’s U.S. entity Turmatic Systems. Says Walter: “We have actually sold, installed and serviced more than 160 Witzig & Frank machines in the U.S., so we’re very experienced in the field and know the relevant players. Also, with our portfolio and the Witzig & Frank products, we can now cover a vast range of different sizes applications, leveraging our mutual strengths and giving our customers the competitive edge.” 

Witzig & Frank’s portfolio of rotary transfer machines chines can boast up to 15% increased performance with the newly available Siemens Solution Line controls. In addition, newly developed, 

application-oriented and standardized machining units, as well as a new, rotary indexing unit with an indexing time of 1.0 seconds provide for overall cost reduction and performance enhancements.

According to Pascal Schnebelt, sales director at Witzig & Frank, the demand for their products in the Norther American market is strong, “There is a variety of industries in the growing American manufacturing industry and also existing German customers setting up production in the US where our solutions for high volume applications perfectly match customers’ needs. With the proven partnership of Hydromat we have the expertise on site and we can guarantee a top service for our customers.”

Hydromat’s contract with FFG Werke GmbH, Witzig & Frank’s holding company, includes the full range of services for the brand, such as sales, service, spare parts supply, and retrofits.

Source: Hydromat