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Schindler elevates its manufacturing performance with Lantek CAD/CAM
10/24/2012 |
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By installing Lantek CAD/CAM software for its laser cutting machines, Schindler has been able to deliver on its commitment to quality and productivity improvement. The software has enabled the company to optimize the performance of its different machines by utilizing their capabilities to the full.
Schindler, which has its head office in Switzerland, is well known for the manufacture, installation, updating and maintenance of lifts, escalators and moving walkways. Its objective in choosing Lantek software for its manufacturing plant in Saragossa, Spain, was to implement a single system that was capable of programming all the different machines it uses for lift component manufacture while at the same time increasing flexibility and simplifying the manufacturing process.
The strategic approach to production employed by Schindler has led it to implement the best technology available for excellence in its processes. By moving to a single software solution for programming all of its laser cutting machines, it has been able to share its workload between all its machines, which was previously very difficult, greatly increasing flexibility in the workshop. In addition, the Lantek software has made it possible to increase material utilization, reduce scrap, and implement micro jointing which makes it easier to unload and handle small components.
Jesus Lazaro, Schindler's IT Manager in Saragossa says, "We have a large variety of high value machinery so it is important for us to have an advanced and innovative software infrastucture which can squeeze the utmost performance from our equipment and which is also capable of optimizing our processes. Some of our machines, particularly those used for sheet metal cutting, had rigid and, in some cases, obsolete software, which made it very difficult to generate effective CNC programs, seriously limiting the capability, versatility and productivity of our machines."
Schindler evaluated the sheet metal CAD/CAM systems on the market and selected Lantek Expert Cut as the solution most suited to its needs. The company appreciated the ease of use and intuitive interface of the Lantek software and additionally the integration of processes for design, CAD data import, nesting and rapid generation of CNC code into one flexible system. The agility of Lantek Expert Cut and the way it can integrate with all of Schindler's machinery has greatly improved flexibility on the shop floor and also provided a valuable saving in programming time, significantly improving productivity levels,
In addition to the benefits of faster programming, Jesus Lazaro comments on Lantek's high service and skill levels, "The Lantek software operates on any make of sheet metal cutting machinery and the technical knowledge it has of all the different machines on the market is particularly important to us. Lantek has shown that its software will run all our machines and this gives us greater freedom in managing our machinery in one system, making it unnecessary to install the multiple CAD/CAM systems suggested by each machine manufacturer which can result in incompatibility and much greater training and operational overheads." |
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