FACE TO FACE
The Gizelis GBend Plus 3140 press brake with real-time angle measurement and correction system .
The new Schneider control for the Boschert CuProfi punching machine .
The future in focus
“ We sell worldwide but our core market is mid Europe i . e . Austria , Germany , Switzerland and France . The U . S . market is also very important for us . We have 34 dealers around the world and there are always opportunities . I think northern Europe ( Norway , Sweden , Denmark and Finland ) will become a more important market for us . We see growth potential there . We have invested a lot of time and training in a new dealer network in Scandinavia ,” explained Philipp Schöchlin .
After FABTECH this year , he confirmed Boschert ’ s presence at some in-house dealer events in Italy and Greece before the company gears up for new product launches at the Hannover fair next year ( where it will mainly showcase its CuProfi punching machines and a new copper bar punch system ). An in-house event at Boschert ’ s headquarters , possibly at the end of February next year , is still in the planning stages . It will use that event to announce its new machines for next year .
“ Looking to the future , we are building the first 4020 combined with a laser . It should be ready at the end of the first quarter of next year . We are also moving forward with our copper bar machines and are producing a new model with different tooling solutions and features which should be ready by the middle of next year ,” Schöchlin confirmed to ISMR .
“ The electrical G-Electrobend press-brake line ( also for 3m machines ) are more energyefficient than hydraulic machines . We have already developed electrical systems for press brakes and shears . However , we will stay with hydraulic systems for our punching machines because they need to be able to form as well as punch . Punches do not consume huge amounts of energy ,” he added .
An eye on automation
Automation is a key trend and target objective for Boschert . The company has set itself a target to provide more automation solutions for its customers , working with partners in various areas . It is also working with partners on the development of Industry- 4.0 software for wider machine networking connectivity ( for example , to other branded machinery on a customer ’ s site ).
“ We see a huge trend towards automation e . g . automated loading and unloading systems . We will be taking steps in this area over the next few years and need to speed up development . Our first projects have already started and we are working really hard behind the scenes to stay on track and develop the right solutions ,” explained Schöchlin .
Labour and skills shortages have brought automation into greater focus across the manufacturing industry .
“ People often think that in eastern Europe and Asia , automation is not needed because labour costs are low . However , this is not always the case because even those countries are having problems finding skilled labour for machinery operation so they also need automated systems . Europe has a massive labour shortage issue . We see it too as we are also looking for employees in our workshops . We try to promote apprenticeships to help with this . We generally have between ten and fifteen people on three-year apprenticeships at Boschert ,” Schöchlin told ISMR .
At the Blechexpo exhibition in Stuttgart ( October 2021 ), Boschert and Gizelis launched two innovations : a fully automated robotic bending cell , incorporating a flexible and productive ATC ( Automatic Tool Change ) system , and a versatile stacking system for shears .
The Gizelis ROBOBEND 2 fully automated robotic bending cell incorporates Automatic Tool Change ( ATC ) with bending and palletising procedures as a turnkey solution .
“ The system has a smart design and can be operated in three different modes . Individual safety systems are activated in each working mode in full compliance with EU directives . There is large capacity for tooling ( punches and dies ) which can be safely organised in a robust , smart tooling warehouse , able to store more than 20m of punches and dies ( including tooling in very small segments for bending small / complex details ),” explained Gizelis .
Challenges and opportunities
“ We have some challenging years ahead of us to increase Boschert ’ s market share as well as the capabilities of our machines . Having navigated the worst years of the COVID-19 pandemic , we are now also facing supply-chain disruption from the war in Ukraine . This is now really affecting economies in producing countries , especially re the availability of materials . We are talking about 6-10 months for
Robotic bending in focus .
The Gizelis ROBOBEND 2 automated bending cell was presented at Blechexpo 2021 in Stuttgart , Germany .