Today’s Turnkeys
Generally regarded as a process for the automotive sector, turnkey setups can play a role in small-batch manufacturing too
September 1, 2009
As lean manufacturing practices become the norm, batch sizes for automotive parts generally are smaller, and gone are the long-run production processes that create parts by the tens of thousands.
Smaller runs do not necessarily preclude the requirement for a turnkey-style installation, however. Moving forward, most experts agree that the automotive industry’s need for turnkey systems won’t change, but future systems will be different from the turnkeys of the past.
“Turnkey projects and purchasing was historically and predominantly a requirement for the automotive sector,” explained Vince D’Alessio, executive vice president for machine tool distributor Elliott-Matsuura. “The automotive OEMs and larger subcontractors don’t have the manufacturing engineering resources required to implement a new program. They tend to focus their engineering resources on process development, procurement selection, and productivity improvement.”
“In the past when volumes reached a certain level, people thought of turnkeys,” said Frank Bolieiro, Elliott-Matsuura’s vice president of sales and marketing. “Now when we enter discussions about a turnkey setup, customers are looking for systems to produce a family of complex components and the system must be flexible to accommodate engineering changes and new parts.”
This new type of turnkey usually requires the equipment to be reliable and run around the clock because of the capital cost involved.
“Customers want to buy a complete solution. They understand that there needs to be an investment to remain competitive, but they need our help identifying and developing the processes that are available. Technology is constantly evolving and manufacturing companies are looking to us for turnkey solutions,” said D’Alessio.
Traditionally, a turnkey system’s variables were the machining equipment, tooling, fixturing, and load/unload accessories. Now what are equally important as the equipment itself is application engineering, programming, and process guarantees.
Customers want a guaranteed total cost, a guaranteed cycle time, and even guaranteed uptime - generally in the 93 to 97 percent range.
Local Service
“On-site support and the ability to work with the customer’s team to get the system up and running are also more important now,” said Bolieiro. “In this economy companies cannot afford to have their equipment being unproductive.”
Service response time on complex machines is also critical to the success of any company.
“If the customer has to wait two weeks for a spare part and on-site service support, for example, it can cause severe financial consequences,” said Bolieiro.
It is also important for applications and service staff to be better trained than ever before, especially as the equipment becomes more and more complex.
Turnkeys aren’t always about one machine or process either. Some complex components require multimachine process development including operations such as milling, turning, grinding, EDM, and finally a quality verification process involving a coordinate measurement machine (CMM) may also be required.
Turning Turnkey Into Teamkey
The importance of customer input when creating a turnkey system is also paramount.
“Having the customer engaged is critical. They have to learn the process as you develop it because they are the ones that will be running it on a day-to-day basis,” said Mazak Canada General Manager Ray Buxton. “The time will be spent whether it is at the beginning, during the development, or after implementation, when there is a problem.”
Machine tool manufacturers are creating fewer and fewer turnkeys these days, and the drop in part volumes is one reason. Also, automation systems are being created by third-party automation vendors more now than in the past. However, this has not stopped Mazak from creating a new automation group, based in its Florence, Ky., facility, that will focus on robotic integration and turnkeys.
“Our engineers will visit a customer’s facility and advise them on the best way to produce their part,” said Buxton. “We know our machines, and we know how to make parts, but to make the customer truly happy we have found that we must include them and make them comfortable with a process that they have had a say in designing.”
Whether you use the word turnkey or teamkey, some things remains the same. These systems involve complex equipment that requires complicated programming. Also, the quality of the finished part starts with the raw material and any initial work done to the part that may be outside the system.
“What is delivered to your turnkey from other processes in the manufacturing facility will affect the final quality of the part after it moves through the turnkey,” said Buxton. “That is why we as developers have to understand the entire process from raw material through completion even if our system is only a small part of the process as a whole.”
By adding technology to a shop floor environment, companies will affect other areas of production. And most likely, the larger and more complex the addition, the more it will have an effect.
Out of the Box Turnkeys?
In today’s world of plug-and-play technology, one area that may never evolve into this is the turnkey. Each part, or even a family of parts, is different. Each shop is designed differently, and each company has its own needs and desires.
“Each system is unique, and it’s very difficult to produce a ‘cookie cutter’ solution,” said Buxton. “As much as we may wish for this, each system is reliant on the best technology that is available at the time. As machining equipment, tooling, and accessories evolve, so too will the turnkey.”
For more information, visit www.elliottmachinery.com and www.mazakcanada.com.
Related Company Showrooms:
Mazak Corporation
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