INTERNATIONAL NEWS

DoALL appoints Craig Freking as president

DoALL Sawing Products has named Craig Freking as its new president following the retirement of Kurt Plechaty after many years of dedicated service. The move marks a new chapter for DoALL, with Freking’s leadership ushering the company into its next phase of growth and innovation.

Freking joined DoALL Sawing Products in 2023 as operations manager, quickly showcasing his leadership capabilities and strategic vision. His efforts and impact were so notable that, in the autumn of 2024, Freking was promoted to director of operations. His forward-thinking approach and ability to inspire teams made him a natural choice for the role of president, where he will continue to guide DoALL toward even greater success.

Plechaty’s leadership over the years was pivotal in shaping the success and future of DoALL Sawing Products. His tenure as president saw significant advancements in operational processes, product diversification and global market positioning. Plechaty’s commitment to continuous improvement and his engineering expertise helped establish DoALL as a major player in the sawing industry.

“I’ve had the privilege of working with a talented and dedicated team during my time at DoALL,” he says. “I’m proud of the strides we’ve made in growing the company, and I have full confidence that Craig and the team will continue to build on our successes. It’s been an incredible journey, and I’m excited to see what the future holds for DoALL.”

Adds Freking: “I’m incredibly honoured to step into this role. We have a fantastic team, and I look forward to continuing the work Kurt started. Together, we will build on our legacy of providing high-quality sawing solutions to our customers and driving the success of DoALL in the years ahead.”

More information www.doallsaws.com

Smart automation: Sawing and stacking tubes

Neumeister Hydraulik has modernised its sawing centre and now relies on a fully automatic system from Behringer. Thanks to the new system, cylindrical tubes can now be sawn fully automatically with sections stacked automatically in pallet cages – an important step towards efficiency and future-proofing.

Neumeister Hydraulik was founded in 1929 by Otto Neumeister in Neuenstadt am Kocher, where it today employs around 300 people. The company specialises in the development and manufacture of hydraulic cylinders for lifting heavy loads. It produces around 100,000 hydraulic cylinders per year for a wide range of applications. For cylinder production, mainly round tubes with outer diameters of 50 to 250 mm are sawn. The tube sections usually have a length of 1 to 1.2 m. In addition, many short sections with a length of around 20 mm are required for the production of flanges.

Neumeister opted for a modern chain magazine that enables entire bundles to be efficiently loaded and easily separated, reducing crane movements and simplifying operation. In addition, the magazine has a remnant storage system to divert long remnants back to the infeed side and store them again. The entire material handling process is fully automated.

At the heart of the new sawing centre is the Behringer HBM440A-PC-E bandsaw with a cutting range of 440 mm. Thanks to the PC control system, it is designed for fully automatic operation and is easy to use. The SpeedCutting technology of the HBM440A, in combination with dynamic process control for pipes,  increases system throughput. The machine continuously adjusts the saw feed to the material cross-section and thus ensures optimum utilisation of the tool.

More information www.behringer.net

Stockholder upgrades bar storage system

German steel and aluminium stockholder Günther+Schramm has upgraded its high-bay store to ensure the continued reliability of the Königsbronn materials stocking and distribution operation. Carried out by engineers from the original warehouse manufacturer, Kasto Maschinenbau, the modernisation service is available to customers in the UK and Ireland through the group’s subsidiary in Leicestershire.

Supplying over 60,000 tonnes of metals and plastics annually to manufacturers in southern Germany and neighbouring countries, Günther+Schramm employs 180 people who place a lot of emphasis on timely delivery of the high quality products. This activity requires a smoothly functioning warehouse, but the company’s pre-existing storage and retrieval system had started to impose limitations on what was possible.

Michael Sticke, assistant operations manager responsible for the Kasto system in Königsbronn, says: “After three decades of service, the original mechanics were causing frequent disruptions, leading to significant downtime. It was a classic example of a bathtub curve, where initial issues subside, followed by a long, stable period before a rise in failures due to age and wear. We were always at risk of waiting a week or two for a replacement component, preventing us from serving our customers in the meantime.”

So the decision was taken to modernise the Kasto SNLS 5000/7100 S high-bay bar storage system, whose cassettes accommodate material up to 7.1 m in length to a maximum weight of 5 T per location. Given the stockholder’s positive experience with Kasto equipment over the years, including various sawing systems such as a KASTOvariospeed C 15 circular saw with robotic handling of cut pieces, Günther+Schramm naturally chose the same firm for the extensive retrofit.

More information www.kasto.com

Multi-million expansion at Doncasters

Precision castings specialist Doncasters has commissioned a new fully automated shell line at its Groton facility in Connecticut, USA, a key advancement in the company’s long-term manufacturing strategy. The $13m capital investment expands the Groton site’s operational footprint by 17,000 ft² and introduces next-generation automation and environmental control systems. Equipped with three high-precision six-axis robots and the IC-Crystal Shell Management System for process management, the new line significantly enhances production capacity, part quality and operational reliability.

More information www.doncasters.com

Prima Power Expands Italy Plant

Earlier this month, Prima Power inaugurated the expansion of its Cologna Veneta (VR) plant, a centre of excellence for sheet metal bending solutions. The facility offers over 50% more production capacity thanks to an additional 2500 m² and a 150 kW photovoltaic system, enabling sustainable growth.

Prima Power’s expanded VR plant has a new service building with an academy hall area for training, additional offices and renewed functional spaces, enhancing employee wellbeing.

Global production at the company also see a boost: the expansion completes the renewal project of Prima Power sites worldwide, making them more efficient, sustainable and fully integrated.

More information www.primapower.com