“In the face of on-going, industry-wide challenges, Carsten’s leadership, vast experience and utmost regard for customers, dealers and suppliers alike has earned him a well-deserved reputation as a trusted partner to all, in all scenarios. With his expanded role, Carsten unifies all of our supply chain and procurement activity under one central function empowered to move with the speed and flexibility necessary to help us quickly get trucks, chassis and components to the nation’s fleets.”

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As demand for specialist combine harvester headers has increased in recent years, Fendt is now expanding its range to include special headers from Geringhoff. To this end, a long-term partnership was recently agreed between the agricultural equipment manufacturer AGCO/Fendt and Carl Geringhoff Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, based in Ahlen, Westphalia, Germany.

Geringhoff is known worldwide as a premium manufacturer of draper headers, corn pickers, headers for special crops, and folding headers – a perfect complement to Fendt units. Geringhoff’s products include draper headers with flexible cutter bars, and with a split frame and reel for the best ground adaptation, and an optional flexible cutter bar for the lowest pickup losses in stalk and bean cutting.

These units adapt perfectly to the ground contour. Fendt customers will also be able to use headers with a working width of up to 13.70 m with their Fendt combine harvester in the future. Geringhoff also provides special sunflower and millet heads. The existing range of Fendt headers – FreeFlow, PowerFlow, and CornFlow – is still available.

“Geringhoff is known worldwide as a pioneer in professional headers and attachments for maximum harvesting speeds at the lowest pickup losses. These headers are an excellent complement to our existing range, and we can now provide solutions for all our customers”,

says Christoph Gröblinghoff, Chairman of the AGCO/Fendt Management Board, referring to the collaboration with Geringhoff.

Geringhoff’s headers are sourced through sales partners and fully managed by Geringhoff, with them or the sales partner taking care of the purchasing, processing, service, and after-sales side of Geringhoff products. Geringhoff headers are sold in Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Africa.

Source: Fendt

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​​​​​​​​​Brazilian dairy farm “Fazenda Trevisan” produces and processes their own milk directly for the region; this end-to-end solution is possible thanks to sustainable GEA technology. Right from the start, Osmar and Carmen Trevisan searched for a way to improve efficiency, enhance animal well-being, and enable the sustainable processing of animal waste on their dairy farm. Convinced by GEA’s holistic solution, the family farm initially invested in a GEA free-stall barn including its system technology for intelligent manure management some years ago. The farm’s latest project, a new production line for milk processing, guarantees low energy consumption, minimizes the carbon footprint, and adds a guarantee of origin. Thanks to a long-term partnership, GEA was again selected as a partner for this project.

 Growing the herd with a focus on sustainability

With GEA milking technology components and Holstein dairy cattle, the family farm initially produced 1,500 liters of milk a day. The Trevisan farm now produces 13,000 liters of milk daily with a herd numbering 900 animals, with 370 lactation cows at their new location in Farroupilha in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil. To optimize the animal’s living conditions, the free-stall barn provides animal-friendly equipment from A to Z: Ventilators, sprinkler systems, a freshwater supply, and rubber mats noticeably enhance animal comfort. The relaxed atmosphere in the barn and the cows’ well-being has a positive effect on milk performance.

Sustainability and environmental friendliness were also considered when processing the manure. GEA’s liquid manure technology, therefore, consists of a scraper system ensuring dry walkways continuously and improving the hygiene standard in the barn. The resulting mass is first homogenized in pump and agitator systems. Subsequently, liquids and solids are processed in separators, screens, and presses. As valuable compost as well as a liquid fertilizer for growing grain, the processed liquid manure replaces artificial fertilizers. In addition, the high-energy material is used in Fazenda Trevisan’s own biogas plant to produce electricity, which can then be used for the farm’s operational processes.

Second mainstay thanks to milk processing

“Processing our own milk and marketing it successfully in the region was another important goal,”

says Jean Carlos, one of Trevisan’s sons, explaining the investment in the farm’s own dairy. The GEA product line consisting of centrifuge, homogenizer, and pasteurizing system increases the added value of the operation and opens the door to a segment of the dairy sector that will bring the family farm a significant increase in income in the long term.

The dairy was installed right next to the milking facility to process the raw milk into high-quality dairy products in the shortest possible time and pack them. The fully automated GEA production line optimizes the workload for personnel and ensures the highly efficient, economical use of energy, water, and operating resources for process control and plant hygiene. Thanks to processing the milk directly on the farm, transport routes are eliminated and cooling times minimized, with a positive effect on Fazenda Trevisan’s environmental impact.

Long-term planning with expandable GEA technology

The plant was designed to process 20,000 liters of milk per day, mainly focused on producing pasteurized and homogenized milk. However, the design is flexible so that production capacity can be expanded in the future.

“GEA’s solutions make sense, because they are efficient, long-lasting, and very robust, which pays off in the maintenance routine even after many years of use,”

emphasizes Jean Carlos.

“These guarantees are only possible because the plant’s level of innovation and automation is very high,”

adds head of the production, Luciano Persico.

“The plant is ultra-modern and has become a model for many dairy farms in Brazil. In addition, GEA’s service and support are always very satisfied. All stages of planning, implementation, system integration, and after-sales support were carried out very well.”

Just months after start-up, the family-run dairy farm is already successfully selling five products in the most important markets in the surrounding regions, from whole milk all the way to lactose-free milk and cream. Its success proves the farm made the right decision: The brand Trevisan stands for the sustainability and quality of products consumers love, with origin guaranteed.

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Thorsten Seehars, CEO of Grammer AG, notes about the agreement concluded:

“This strategic relationship with Hyster-Yale is a further confirmation of Grammer’s attractive product portfolio and leading global footprint. We are thus able to equip the new forklift platform of Hyster-Yale with our innovative, locally produced seating solutions – both in the United States and Europe. This newly established relationship strengthens our position in the market for seats and seating systems in Europe and the United States.”

Global Footprint and Top Quality

The next generation of counterbalance forklifts from Hyster-Yale will be equipped with innovative seating solutions from Grammer, which stand out thanks to their high degree of comfort and special ergonomic features. The seats will be produced locally at Grammer locations in both regions. This regional organization and the associated flexibility – all while ensuring compliance with highest quality standards at the Grammer facilities – were key factors in the decision made by Hyster-Yale.

Established Supplier for Global Producers

Over the coming years, this new relationship will allow Grammer to continue the expansion of its market position in North America in this segment. Part of Grammer’s growth strategy is to supply customers with products and innovations of consistent quality – even across national borders. In doing so, the new organization enables us to coordinate even better throughout the division, which operates around the globe, with the corresponding customer management, while the local presence and flexibility are ensured by the regionally managed production facilities. As part of this collaboration, uniform quality standards and the sharing of best practices across all regions are the responsibility of the global functions of the Grammer Group.

Source: Grammer

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Source: FENDT

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• The development center (eDLP), which is located in the triangle between Halle, Dessau and Leipzig, includes state-of-the-art test technologies designed for all standardized and client-specific test requirements for high-voltage battery systems.
• In addition to enabling all developmental tests to be conducted in one place, the 350 kN shaker with climate hood provides another globally unique feature of the testing facility. The shaker enables combined mechanical and electrical tests in ambient conditions ranging from -40 to 100°C.
• With this investment, FEV affirms its commitment to Germany as a business location and sets its sights on the future of mobility..

In the third quarter of 2020, FEV will finalize the commissioning of a state-of-the-art development and test center (eDLP) for high-voltage batteries for passenger and commercial vehicles at the Sandersdorf-Brehna location. The 12,000 square meter complex contains facilities for the electrical testing of both modules and complete high-voltage batteries. This includes a test chamber volume of approximately 600 m³, distributed over 54 climatic chambers with an electrical output of 30,000 kW. The new development center will thus have the largest operational, independent battery testing facility in the world. Systems for validating all (international) environmental and mechanical tests, as well as four bunkers will be installed. A fire hall for abuse tests, along with an associated disassembly and diagnosis workshop complete the spectrum. Together, these facilities cover every evaluation necessary for series production. The state of Saxony-Anhalt funded the project with over EUR 6 million.

“This strategic investment will enable us to offer our customers a globally unique development service for passenger and commercial vehicles at one location. All common test methods for batteries are covered – in life expectancy, environmental and transport tests, as well as crash safety for cells, modules and packs”

said Professor Stefan Pischinger, President & CEO of the FEV Group.

The energy required to test components is provided almost entirely by power generated from renewable resources. Essential for this is a roof area of 12,000 m², fully covered by photovoltaic panels with an output capacity of over 900 kWp. “The facility therefore operates in a climate-friendly manner using a zero CO2 emissions approach,” added Pischinger.

With the opening of the eDLP, FEV is expanding its development expertise for future mobility at the Sandersdorf-Brehna location. The seven pure-electric and more than ten hybrid powertrain test rigs in the nearby continuous testing center (DLP), only 9 km away, complement FEV’s full service in electromobility development. With this investment, the Central German Metropolitan Region will also benefit from FEV’s global growth, as the Managing Directors of the eDLP, Dr. Christoph Szasz and Hans-Dieter Sonntag, emphasized:

“The opening of this battery development center created almost 100 new jobs, strengthening FEV’s position as an important employer in Saxony-Anhalt with a total of around 350 employees.”

Source: Fev

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Liebherr-Verzahntechnik GmbH’s new “Liebherr Tech-Center” gives customers an insight into the world of automation systems.

“Our new Tech-Center provides a wide range of testing options. In addition to our pallet handling system, we have also set up two test cells for bin picking. We are also testing a flexible production cell with automated guided vehicle and our LP 100 linear robot.”

says Thomas Mattern, Head of Automation Systems Development, explaining the structure of the test hall.

Newly created customer area

The new 90 m² customer area creates a pleasant atmosphere for discussing customer projects or conducting technical discussions. For many of the exhibits, the topic of Industry 4.0 also plays an important role. At a bin picking workstation, customers can experience “random bin picking” live and carry out tests themselves. The customer area thus serves as a place of innovation and, due to its slightly elevated position, provides an overview of the entire test hall.

“This is a win-win situation for Liebherr and our customers. While we can effectively carry out trials and test series with new products in terms of development, our customers receive professional support. For example, feasibility studies or customer trials can be carried out”.

says Mattern.

On the upper floor there is also an office area and a meeting room. Two test technicians are currently permanently on site in the new Tech-Center to commission the test systems, carry out prototype or customer trials and document the results. Other employees such as assembly workers, installers, software developers and computer scientists are deployed on site as required.

The hall was originally rented as a test area for a project. After a successful test phase, the test vehicles were distributed at the main location across the automation and gear technology divisions. As a result, the assembly area of the automation technology could no longer be fully used. Ultimately, this led to a relocation of the automation systems testing area to the new Tech-Center, which is only a five-minute drive from the main site.

Bin picking

Liebherr has been working on bin picking since 2010. Special software enables a robotic gripper arm to pick unsorted workpieces from a box. The gripped part is then introduced into the production process. “This automation solution optimizes process reliability and increases productivity. With the two bin picking test cells, our Tech Center is another factor of a modern production site,” concludes Thomas Mattern.

Source: Liebherr

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“Our products continue to be sought after worldwide. Some of the orders on our books are of crucial importance and their shipment cannot be postponed.”

pointed out Bernd Baader, head of MTU engine and system assembly.

At the same time, that a ‘new normal’ now prevails cannot be denied. Employees must keep each other at considerable distance and when that is not possible wear protective FFP2 masks. Work stations are sanitized between shifts to prevent the risk of infection among staff whose health has been given top priority at the company.

In addiction, punctual delivery of their MTU systems still remains crucial to many customers – for example emergency generator sets which are indispensable in vital facilities such as hospitals or in security-critical data centers. Added to that, China is starting to rev up its industrial activity again.

Logistics experts keep supply chains afloat

The biggest challenge of all is protecting supply chains. “We kept in contact daily with many suppliers and forwarders, negotiating things like extended delivery times, alternative delivery routes and higher quantities as emergency stock,” said Werner Schlegel, head of materials planning, supplier and production control. Many suppliers of parts for MTU products have been forced to suspend their production operations. Using their powers of persuasion, however, the logistics team have been able to ensure procurement of the parts needed in production.

Automotive suppliers re-starting production

One thing logistics experts did was persuade automotive suppliers suffering the loss of key customers to re-start their production operations. One, for example, agreed to run an extra shift on his soldering ovens to make thermostat inserts for Series 4000 units. And the shipping department managed to get approval for export from Italy across its currently closed border of a heavy goods consignment comprising a 1163 marine engine gearbox weighing several tons.

“We had to pull out all the stops. Where shutdowns had been instructed by the authorities, we sent our suppliers letters of request to pass on to them. In many of these cases, we were able to argue convincingly that we supply system-critical emergency plant whose delivery cannot be delayed under any circumstances.”

reported logistics chief Simone Rühfel.

If a supplier, with the best will in the world, was still unable to deliver, service spare parts were released from internal stocks. Furthermore, to fill in the gaps, the development section made it possible for components of similar construction to those needed to be rebuilt if available in sufficient quantities.

Remote engine acceptance

To overcome Corona-induced difficulties, other kinds of creative solution were needed too: Due to travel or stay-at-home restrictions, for example, customers were no longer able to confirm acceptance of their engines at the test stands of Friedrichshafen, Novi, or Singapore. The solution is now a test-stand visit per Skype or Webex. Using a camera, the technicians take the customer on a tour of the engine. Monitors displaying parameters such as speed, pressures, power output and temperature can be viewed by the customer in the comfort of his own office.

“The first nine MTU engines that we put through their paces with the customer attending virtually were duly accepted,” explained Philipp Gleissner, senior manager for product approval and acceptance. Is that the model for the future? “Definitely,” said Gleissner, who predicts that some customers are now likely to forgo making the journey and will accept the engine digitally instead.

Emission certification remote

This was what employees from Chinese classification society CCS and Jing’an Test Center decided to do when it came to certifying MTU-brand marine engines. Instead of flying to Friedrichshafen, the certification was done remotely online. This way of proceeding is in fact unprecedented in the engineering industry and there was definitely excitement in the air when Paul Röck, who heads Power Systems engineering activities in China, along with his colleagues from the product compliance section, first suggested it.

To put it into effect, stationary and mobile cameras were installed at the engine testing facility in Friedrichshafen, giving staff at the agency in China the chance to survey what was happening at the test stand. They could also view the engine data displayed on the monitors at any time. And so, in the end, certification of compliance of the 2000 and 4000 units with China 1, the maritime emissions stage, was done remotely.

“It all worked amazingly well thanks to the excellent teamwork between our colleagues at the test stands, in our Development and Quality divisions, and from the Works Council,” said Paul Röck. His colleague Oleg Minz, who is responsible for emissions approval in Friedrichshafen, agreed, “All those involved have shown extraordinary commitment. In normal times, this would certainly not have been so quick and easy.“

Remote commissioning

These days, service technicians in particular are called upon to be uncomplicated and super-flexible. Since their job is to commission and maintain customer plant all over the world, they are particularly thwarted by the current travel restrictions and quarantine rules. German service technician Michael Schuler, for example, had to abandon his commissioning assignment in the Bilgin shipyard in Turkey where he was working on the yacht Tatiana, since flights between Germany and Turkey had been disrupted. He actually escaped being stranded in Turkey by a hair’s breadth. Since the Tatiana is the first Turkish yacht to be powered by MTU‘s new IMOIII-compliant propulsion system with engines and SCR, technicians at MTU Turkey needed specific support from Germany. Working from home, Michael Schuler managed to provide it – in various telephone calls, and with the help of pictures and videos sent by his Turkish counterparts.

Servicing work under adverse conditions

A flexible response to the crisis was also shown by MTU service technicians working on the Spanish catamaran Benchijigua Express at the Fred. Olsen shipping company. The high-speed ferry shuttles between La Palma, Tenerife and La Gomera and also delivers foodstuffs, drinks and medication to the islands. After a case of Covid-19 on the 12-man team caused maintenance work in the dry dock to be stopped, everyone was sent into quarantine, and the catamaran put back into service. Having completed their quarantine, the Spanish service technicians resumed their maintenance work, but working in night shifts, when the ferry was not being used.

“Working under challenging conditions brings you all closer. And people have really shown us gratitude – not only the staff at Fred. Olsen but local inhabitants too”.

reported Spanish MTU service technician Daniel Guerra.

Donations from Rolls-Royce Power Systems

Gratitude was also shown by the recipients of numerous donations given by staff in the Power Systems division of Roll-Royce in recent weeks. Some used a 3D printer to make holders for the protective masks worn by doctors and care workers. Staff in the special production section also manufactured equipment frames for the local hospital, and 5000 FFP2 masks were donated to ambulant care services. Along with a Chinese partner, Rolls-Royce Power Systems donated an electrical generator set to the Yichang Red Cross Society that will be installed in a hospital located near the metropolis of Wuhan.

IT gets digital infrastructure ready for remote working

And how was it possible for staff to do all of the above while working from home? In mid-March, when all of a sudden several thousand employees were forced to work remotely, a small, global IT team moved into action and in just a few days got the company’s digital infrastructure ready for the extra load. Technical issues arising over the first few days were resolved quickly. Head of IT Jürgen Winterholler said:

“All of a sudden, we were able to enact in just a few days a measure that under normal circumstances would probably have taken several months to push through – and without superfluous discussion and debate. We just went ahead and did it”.

The spread of the corona virus that causes the disease COVID-19 requires increased sensitivity and special precautions from everyone.

With immediate effect, entry to Germany from an EU member state, a Schengen associated state or the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is again possible without quarantine. Entry into Germany from another country still require a 14-day quarantine. The only exception is international stays abroad of less than 48 hours. These also do not require quarantine on return to Germany.

International guidelines

When entering other countries (except Germany), the local regulations regarding quarantine must always be observed. It is not possible to define a general quarantine rule here, as the spread of the coronavirus varies strongly internationally.

Furthermore, only business-critical travel is permitted. Air travel is approved by the responsible E2, all other travel is decided by the responsible E3 manager.

No access with symptoms

The following still applies: (contractor) employees who have returned from abroad or have had contact with a person suffering from COVID-19 or a suspected case of COVID-19 must have been free of COVID-19 specific symptoms in the past two days. These include:

Common:

• Fever > 37.3°C (without antipyretic medication)
• Exhaustion
• Sniffles
• Loss of sense of taste and smell – even without a cold
• Cough/ sore throat/ throat Scratching
• Shortness of breath

Possible:

• Muscle pain/headaches/ dizziness
• Diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, stomach ache
• Skin rash
• Trachoma
• Enlarged lymph nodes

Source: Rolls-Royce Power Systems

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On average there are 130 trucks driving in and out of the plant premises in Marktoberdorf. For one thing they are delivering AGCO/Fendt with parts and components from other AGCO plants as well as external suppliers. On the other hand they are loading up the finished tractors to deliver them to the customers.

During their waiting time, truck drivers can freshen up and use the shower and toilet for free. The container is open daily from 5 am to 9:30 pm and is being cleaned and sanitized twice every day.

“Our forwarding partners ensure that our supply chains are not interrupted. Without the delivery of important parts we could not produce anymore and deliver our Fendt tractors to our customers”, so Christoph Gröblinghoff Managing Director and Chairman of the AGCO/Fendt Management Board.“We have established hygiene possibilities at all of the six AGCO/Fendt locations in Germany.

“As soon as the truck drivers register at the gate, they are being informed about the container and its location. In addition we will attach information signs with a shower symbol. A lot of drivers do not speak German or English but the symbol is understandable for all”, explains Sabine Gutbrod manager for strategic logistic at Fendt.

 

“The shower container is very well received by the drivers, but you can also clearly see that the truck drivers are not used to it and that the offer must first establish itself”. The shower container at the location Marktoberdorf is only a temporary solution. In the long term an empty building will be converted into a permanent building with showers and toilets.

Source: Fendt

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