SUSTAINABILITY AS A CORE VALUE OF STRATEGY

Resource-saving production, reduced emissions, and circular economy are currently central topics in industrial manufacturing. One company that has consistently implemented and lived by these values for years is Geiger GmbH, based in Pretzfeld, Germany – a medium-sized supplier of high-precision components.

For almost fifteen years, the cutting oil SWISSCUT ORTHO NF-X 15 from MOTOREX has been in continuous use and still contributes significantly to achieving the highest surface quality.

The automotive industry is undergoing enormous change. Numerous components and assemblies are disappearing or being relocated to lower-cost countries. This presents suppliers and their partners with enormous challenges. To assert themselves in this environment, extraordinary performance is necessary. Geiger GmbH from Pretzfeld, a classic medium-sized supplier with 120 employees, has specialized in highly complex parts made of high-alloy steels, which are manufactured with the highest precision and best surface quality. An example of this are components for common rail systems with up to 2,700 bar system pressure. Special steels without sulfur and phosphorus are used, the processing of which requires special know-how. Development required Geiger to make significant investments of time and money before the process worked stably. The company is increasingly becoming a system partner of its customers and thus stands out from the competition. The project team develops the best machining strategy for each workpiece together with the customers. It is characterized by high agility and flexibility in all departments. For implementation, the team has around 70 state-of-the-art CNC machines at its disposal, covering the entire spectrum of metalworking. Currently, nearly one hundred different parts are produced per year in batch sizes from 10 to 500,000. This is usually achieved with accuracies in form and turned parts of up to 5 µm, in positional tolerances of up to 10 µm, and IT 6 for diameters. In many cases, Geiger can dispense with the grinding process, as the required surface quality is already achieved during turning. In addition to the automotive industry, more and more companies from mechanical engineering, medical technology and electronics are increasingly appreciating Geiger’s precision.

RESPONSIBILITY AND CONTINUITY
For Dieter Neller and his team, technological lead is only one side of the coin. At least as important to them are a trustworthy, reliable partnership with customers and suppliers as well as careful handling of the environment. This is reflected in the fact that most of them have been working trustfully with the company for more than ten years. They appreciate the reliability of delivery and the continuity of dependability. Over the years, the company has had hardly any complaints and no returns. Geiger is a reliable link in the supply chain, because it maintains good relations not only with its customers but also with its suppliers. The cooperation with MOTOREX has now lasted almost fifteen years and began in 2011. The company is located in the middle of nature, at the gateway to the idyllic Franconian Switzerland, and has dedicated itself entirely to environmentally friendly production. In order to reduce the emissions of the cutting oil used up to that point, Geiger was looking for alternatives at the time. A major customer recommended MOTOREX SWISSCUT ORTHO NF-X 15, with which he himself had already had very good experiences. Since both companies pursue the same values, there was immediately a common basis and Geiger decided to make a complete switch to this Swiss quality product. After just a few weeks, three tank trucks from Switzerland arrived and filled the two central systems with 15 m³ and later 70 m³ of cutting oil. A decision that Geiger has never regretted, because to this day this oil has not been replaced, is still in circulation, and is as efficient as on the first day.

TOP PERFORMANCE OVER YEARS
SWISSCUT ORTHO NF-X 15 is a high-performance cutting oil with which both high-alloy steels and aluminum can be optimally manufactured. It has very good air release capacity and foam behavior. With the changeover, emissions dropped to almost zero and there were no more odor nuisances. At the same time, the high-quality performance additives resulted in a higher performance level and better surface qualities. The oil was thinner but significantly more effective than the one used until then. The switch also brought advantages for employees, since the oil causes no skin problems and is odor-neutral. But how is it possible for a cutting oil to maintain its performance for more than ten years? As a system supplier, MOTOREX supports its customers in the monitoring and care of cooling lubricants. In cooperation with the responsible sales partner Erhard-Bürk Kauffmann and the MOTOREX laboratory, there is continuous and seamless laboratory-analytical support. Through the introduction of other oils and particles, the cutting oil becomes thicker over time. Therefore, fluid manager Tobias Gemsjäger at Geiger and the experts from Erhard-Bürk Kauffmann regularly assess the quality and, if necessary, add additives and thinner oil. Since Geiger works with high pressure up to 70 bar, larger particles would have a negative effect on surface quality. For this reason, the company has installed a precoat filter that also retains very fine particles. To reduce oil discharge through chips, Geiger has also installed a system that breaks chips, spins them, and reduces residual moisture to 0.1%. The oil recovered in this way is returned to the cycle. This is another building block contributing to more resource-efficient and sustainable production. Based on these positive experiences, the company now also obtains most of the water-miscible cooling lubricants from MOTOREX, as these are characterized by good production results, long service lives, and good employee acceptance. In this way, Geiger and MOTOREX as partners are one step closer to their intended goals of avoiding or reducing environmental impact.

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