MTU: What are the latest technologies offered by Haas Automation?

TM: We have launched several new products in the recent time and at this edition of HaasTec we are displaying 5-axis UMC 750. , which provides extremely good efficiency in a compact manner. This is a new product and we have sold over 700 such machines worldwide in two years. This number speaks about the quality and demand of this product.

I would say this is Haas’s way of making five-axis machines affordable. The machine is also very accurate and pricing is very aggressive.

MTU: Please tell us more about HaasTec?

TM: This is the 7^th HaasTec in India. The entire idea of the show is to present the full range of Haas machines to local customers where they can get the live demonstration of the machines. Since this show is in Pune, our focus in mainly on customers from Maharashtra. We have welcomed around 3000 visitors in these 4 days from in and around Pune.

Other important point of the show is that we have five technical experts from USA, along with our local technical persons to answer each and every query of the customer. The purpose of the show is not just sales but also to educate customers about latest innovations in the CNC industry.

We started HaasTec few years ago in Chennai and it has become a well-known show in India. We also organize it in cities like Manesar, Ahmedabad and Mumbai. The next HaasTec would be held in February in Bengaluru.

MTU: What are the other technologies that are shaping the CNC industry?

TM: Several customers across the globe are looking for more automated solutions. Making automation means loading and unloading of component in the machine automatically and other factors to reduce human intervention is growing. So this demand is pushing CNC manufacturer to make machine that are highly automated and smart in nature.  

MTU: We all know that automotive industry is the biggest consumer of machine tool, but for the last few years the industry is not in its best shape. What are the other avenues for CNC builders like Haas?

TM: Automotive is traditionally and even today the biggest consumer of machine tool. Since we are having a wide variety of product range, we cater to various other industries like aerospace, medical, power & energy, general engineering and die mould, among others. In India we see a good demand from aerospace industry.

Joins the conversation Chris Mchugh, Business Manager, Haas Automation, Inc.

MTU: How is your experience working with the Indian customers?

CM: So far it’s been pretty good, I find that Indians are an intelligent group of people and are well aware of the machining processes. Indians are also very particular about what they want; I get more questions from Indians than any other market.

MTU: Which continent contributes most to Haas sales?

CM: Around 53% of our sales are from the USA market and rest are exports. We really control the CNC machine industry in USA.

MTU: How is competition from Asia, as there are many cost effective machines coming from Taiwan and China among others?

TM: Competition is everywhere but what makes us different is our expertise when it comes to CNC machines. We have huge experience backed with some of the most skilled technical manpower in our factory, where we only focus on innovations. Also, we have good number of sales support team who can serve customer at any given point.

MTU: What are your plans for Indian market?

CM: Growth! We believe India has a lot of potential and we are very much focused on the Indian market.

Haas Automation Europe is reporting an impressive 30% growth in European machine tool sales in the first two quarters of 2014 in comparison with the same period last year. This is in stark contrast to the 2% growth forecast for 2014 predicted by CECIMO, a European organisation that brings together 15 national associations of machine tool builders and covers 98% of the total machine tool production in Europe.

During CECIMO’s annual general assembly, which took place in Prague on June 24th, the organisation’s economic committee confirmed that while European machine tool production increased to €22.8 billion from €22.7 billion last year, growth prospects remain modest in Europe. CECIMO therefore states that the outlook for considerable gains in 2014 remains low.

An increase in machine tool consumption of 2% in 2013 leads CECIMO to conclude: “companies are finally upgrading their production facilities”.

It’s clear that manufacturers in Europe ‘shop around’ for their machine tools, far beyond national boundaries. The 30% European growth enjoyed by Haas in the first two quarters of 2014 is, says Mr. Jens Thing, Haas Automation Europe managing director, little short of remarkable.

“We would like to thank our customers for their confidence in Haas Automation and in our 37 Haas Factory Outlets in Europe,” he says. “Our customers appreciate how the Haas product and support is meeting their exact needs in terms of value, capability and reliability, even when they have the choice of machines built by strong, domestic suppliers.”

CECIMO’s imports declined 5% to €8 billion last year, so the organization concludes that “the companies investing in machine tools mostly used their domestic suppliers”. And yet Haas Automation has witnessed strong growth in France, Spain, Italy, southern Germany, Poland, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Denmark.

“We are well on target to reach our goal of having 20% more sales than in 2013, so we will beat all economic estimates,” adds Mr. Thing. “The reason is because Haas Automation combines rigorous, reliable, tried-and-tested, pragmatic technology with quick spare parts delivery, low maintenance costs, and competitive financing solutions. This is providing our customers with far lower long-term costs, and is helping many of them stay competitive – that is our priority as a partner.”

Haas Automation Europe is strategically located in Brussels to provide customers throughout Europe with the best sales, applications, and service support in the industry via a multilingual team of factory-trained and Haas-certified support personnel. To facilitate quick delivery throughout Europe, Haas maintains a 3000m2 warehouse and spare parts facility in Brussels, with additional machines warehoused in Antwerp, ready to ship.

The Haas Automation Europe distribution system is based on the highly successful Haas Factory Outlet (HFO) concept – a network of locally owned distributors dedicated exclusively to the sales, service, and support of Haas products. Every HFO fields a service department staffed with factory-trained personnel, and houses an extensive inventory of service spares. Technicians are dispatched locally in Haas service vehicles fully stocked with the parts and tools needed to successfully repair machines first time – more than 90% of the time.

Building on its position of strength in the European market, Haas will maintain a high profile for the remainder of 2014. The company will be present at exhibitions including AMB in Stuttgart (September 16th – 20th) and BIMU in Milan (September 30th – October 4th).