The challenge:
As is the case for most medium-sized companies in the metal and steel industry, MESA must manufacture high-quality products as cheaply as possible whilst fulfilling as lucrative a market niche as possible. With its particularly high quality requirements, MESA saw such a niche in rail vehicle construction. However, production using conventional welding technology and other manufacturers’ machines proved to be rather costly, so much so that it almost became unfeasible. The company had to look for other production alternatives.
The solution:
As part of the ewm maXsolution innovation and technology consultation, experts from EWM carefully examined and analysed every step in the production process across the entire process chain. “Not only was the consultation very competent and proactive, it also gave us new solutions to problems that we hadn’t previously recognised ourselves,” says Pierre Mack, Managing Director at MESA Metall-Stahlbau GmbH. Using EWM’s welding machines, welding torches and innovative welding processes means savings in all areas imaginable: welding time, materials, shielding gas, welding consumables, power consumption, wear parts and, most importantly, post-weld work.
The success:
“We have managed to cut down production times for welding and grinding by an incredible 57 percent,” reports Mack. The reason: the new forceArc puls welding process. Virtually spatter-free, the innovative arc excels thanks to a low heat input and also allows greater welding speeds. As well as manual welding that takes only little time to become familiar with, MESA was also able to mechanise certain welding processes. This mechanisation significantly increased the quality of the welding process once more, due to the constant, high level of consistency. The investment paid for itself in no time. Above all else, however, mechanisation has massively widened MESA’s production portfolio: “We would miss out on a lot of contracts if we weren’t able to weld in the required way,” testifies Mack. “With conventional machines we wouldn’t be able to compete at all.”
