TOOLING THE WHOLE PACKAGE
unknown, with some industries likely to
return to pre-Covid levels slower than others.
The machine tools industry moves at pace
and is driven by innovation, something
Ceratizit is acutely aware of and the
company’s target is to have 50 per cent of its
products younger than ve years old.
“We launched a lot of innovations last
year, like stainless turning programming that
is very successful, and a new standard line
for solid carbide drilling and milling.
“However, the market was not there, so
we now must reap the fruits of innovations
launched in 2020,” explains Wolter.
Ceratizit will launch a new catalogue in
July 2021, something that is still important to
customers and it is working on some other
niche products that it will bring to the market.
Wolter emphasises the importance of
providing a “complete package” to the
customer, as it will “make the difference in
the future”.
He believes it needs to be prepared for a
fast economic recovery in 2021 due to the
sharp decline, but feels it is ideally positioned
with how business will develop in 2021 and in
the years ahead.
“One thing that will remain after Covid-19
is the digital push in the cutting tool industry.
There will always be new products, grades,
and coatings, but this digital and service push
is so important. Covid-19 has really given a
strong boost to this digital and remote, new
way of doing things.” explains Wolter.
“Ceratizit is well positioned, because we
have a nice portfolio of digital solutions and
apps, LiveTechPro and all this combined
together will be very powerful and be the game
going forward in 2021 and the future.
“Acquiring data, using the data and having
a very fast service in delivering the tools to
customers has always been our strength and
is what we want to continue doing with digital
tools like LiveTechPro further driving the
service we provide our customers.”
New UK centre to boost effi ciency for customers
The UK is one of the key markets for Ceratizit and to help propel
sales, investment has been made in a new 4,000 square foot
Technical Centre scheduled to open in April 2021 that will be
located next to the University of Shef eld’s Advanced Manufacturing
Research Centre (AMRC).
The centre will feature a range of the latest equipment, decided
in close collaboration with various suppliers and cover different endand
endto
end machining processes.
It also brings together the different
product innovations and technology that
Ceratizit has introduced like ToolScope
and and FreeTurn.
KOmlife, while it will demonstrate HDT
Equipment on-site will include various
machines such as an XYZ 320 LTY, XYZ
UMC 5X, XYZ 800 HD, XYZ 500LR, XYZ
3500RMX, XYZ 425RLX, XYZ 2 OP, Mazak
Integrex 250H and a Star SV20-RG.
Bilz Heat-shrink technology and LNS swarf
and coolant management products will also
feature at the new facility.
Tony Pennington, managing director of Ceratizit UK &
Ireland, explains that the centre will boost the ef ciency and
productivity of its customers, while it will also generate additional
cutting tools and services turnover.
how the new Sheffi eld-based
“We aim to use the centre for customer training, our own sales
engineer training, customer demonstrations on their components,
customer process improvements, customer industry and application
speci c seminars, along with project work from drawing to rst off
prove out, off-site customer FreeTurn process improvement and
prove out, to then implement in customer machine shops,” he says.
The Technical Centre is like a number of Technical Centres that
Ceratizit operates in Europe, such as one recently opened in Paris,
where it not only shows customers the products it offers, but how
they can be optimised through different programmes and machining
processes. The investment also shows the importance of the UK
market to Ceratizit and ensuring that it is self-suf cient.
The LiveTechPro app is being piloted in the UK by Ceratizit and
Pennington is excited about the introduction of the technology, as
it will add value to its offering, especially in these challenging times
with lockdowns. Customers will be able to see how it works at the
“We are able to be the eyes and ears
in our customers machines without being
on site, hence we can be there when we
cannot be there, giving our usual high level
technical support from our technical sales
engineers when we cannot be on site,” he
explains.
“We are also using it to support our
overseas colleagues when testing tools
for customers and then being able to
show the actual cutting performance
remotely and allow interaction at the same
time, think Sky Sports analysis tools, it’s
exactly the same, with engineers, us and
the customer, analysing and assessing
how to attack the component on both
new centre.
A mock-up of
Technical Centre will look
sides in collaboration.”
The UK left the European Union (EU) at the end of 2020,
securing a last-ditch trade deal and Ceratizit has opened a new
warehouse in Shef eld to help it cope with any impact, as the
changes have presented challenges.
“The rst week was very challenging, but we are now getting the
process to work better, with the Shef eld stock back up, and are
still able to offer a 6.30pm cut-off for same-day despatch and next
day delivery,” explains Pennington.
“Ultimately, we aim to have the process completely back in
our central distribution centre and back to our normal high level of
service that customers have come to expect and rely on.”
20 February 2021 | www.machinery.co.uk | MachineryMagazine | @MachineryTweets
/www.machinery.co.uk