The specialist tool for pocket milling from Hoffmann Group’s GARANT MasterSteel product range scores top marks in all disciplines

Hoffmann Group is launching a new universal milling cutter for high-performance steel cutting from the MasterSteel product range. The GARANT MasterSteel PickPocket is designed for all milling disciplines. The tool is suitable for milling slots and pockets, as well as for side milling. However, its manoeuvrability for ramping and helical milling makes it particularly impressive. This all-rounder even achieves outstanding performance for drilling. The GARANT MasterSteel PickPocket is therefore the ideal tool for anyone who is looking for a flexible solution for a wide range of tasks with a single solid carbide mill.

The new GARANT MasterSteel PickPocket features an innovative front cutter geometry with three cutting edges and a drill tip recessed towards the milling shaft. The concept with three cutting edges enables very large flutes in comparison with a classic four-cutter design, which is why swarf can be routed away better. This makes the tool an excellent match for aggressive ramping and plunging.

The outstanding smooth cutting action and stability of the tool are due to the unevenly spaced end face and a dynamic helical pitch, together with a special core diameter increase. The crescent shape of the end face makes the cutting edges particularly robust for plunging and ramping. At the same time, the positive rake of the solid carbide mill makes it very free-cutting and therefore ideally suited for machining fragile and thin-walled components.

Hoffmann Group is expanding its GARANT MasterSteel product range with the new GARANT MasterSteel PickPocket universal milling cutter. In the summer of 2015, the first solid carbide mills from the range opened up a new performance class for solid carbide milling cutters. With these, Hoffmann Group offers state-of-the-art high-performance millers for any application.

The GARANT MasterSteel PickPocket is available for a diameter of 5.7 to 20 millimetres in the standard length and also with a longer neck from Hoffmann Group e-shop at www.hoffmann-group.com and from the 2016/2017 catalogue.

The GARANT presetting device VG1 is a true top seller. Now the Hoffmann Group has delivered the thousandth specimen to TAKTOMAT, a manufacturer of individual solutions for the automation industry. TAKTOMAT uses the VG1 daily for measuring and presetting cutting tools, which are used in various processing centers.

The GARANT VG1 is a pre-setting device for demanding people who know exactly what they need. This also includes TAKTOMAT, which develops complex solutions in the field of handling and drive technology, including round-stroke transmissions, linear actuators and transfer devices. For the presetting of the tools, TAKTOMAT requires equipment at an absolute premium level. This is exactly what the company gets with the GARANT VG1.

“Precisely calibrated tools are an important success factor for us,” explains Matthias Fuchs, Operations Manager at TAKTOMAT. “With the new GARANT VG1, we can quickly and reliably implement tools and guarantee short set-up times. For us this means more efficiency in production. The device is precise, reliable and easy to use – and at a good cost / benefit ratio. I am not surprised that the VG1 is one of the top sellers. ”

The presetting GARANT VG1 provides an accuracy of 1 micron, is extremely robust, compact and versatile. This makes measuring and presetting tools on the machine or manufacturing island simple and convenient. With its 15-inch touch screen, the intuitive handling of the measuring software, the powerful CMOS color camera as well as the fast and fine adjustment of both axes individually and simultaneously, the GARANT VG1 offers a complete package. It can be easily operated with one hand, its robust construction proves itself in every working environment.

The new solid carbide end mill from the GARANT MasterSteel product range offers 5 cutting edges and a new type of knuckle form profile, thereby achieving particularly high performance. The new GARANT MasterSteel SlotMachine from the Hoffmann Group is a solid carbide roughing end mill which achieves high feed rates when slot milling from solid in steel.

The innovative knuckle form profile produces extremely compact swarf. Therefore, the Hoffmann Group was able to construct the milling cutter with five cutting edges. As a result, at a constant feed rate per tooth the new five-edge end mill achieves 25 percent higher process efficiency than a classic four-edge end mill. Thanks to the innovative knuckle form profile, the cutting pressure is lower and higher feed rates can be obtained with a constant load. Due to the compact chips and the lower cutting forces, the new GARANT MasterSteel SlotMachine high-performance end mill is particularly suitable both for milling deep slots from solid and also for machining delicate components.

Based on its unusual geometry, the new GARANT MasterSteel SlotMachine solid carbide end mill produces chips that are very short, very fine and particularly tightly rolled. These are easily cleared by the flat chip-breaker recesses. The directional chip discharge increases the process reliability, the extremely sturdy core diameter the tool stability.

The GARANT MasterSteel SlotMachine permits plunge angles up to ten degrees. The cutting edge design includes honing to minimise the risk of break-aways. The ultra-fine grain substrate greatly increases the resistance to breakage; whilst the enhanced coating also optimises the wear characteristics and reduces the rate of heat input. The unequal spacing ensures a smooth cutting action.

The new GARANT MasterSteel SlotMachine solid carbide end mill extends the GARANT MasterSteel product range, which currently includes the existing classic four-edge end mills and also the GARANT MasterSteel PickPocket universal end mill plus two solid carbide drills. With these the Hoffmann Group offers state-of-the-art high-performance tools for every application.

The Hoffmann Group, Europe’s leading system partner for quality tools, has been presented with the Preferred Supplier Award by Robert Bosch GmbH at AMB 2016. This signifies that the Hoffmann Group continues to be counted among the preferred suppliers in the field of ‘standard tools’ and will be involved in new cooperation strategies from an early stage.

Martin Reichenecker, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer of the Hoffmann Group, said: “We are delighted to have received this award. By presenting us with the Preferred Supplier Award, Bosch is once again confirming that we are offering our expected level of quality, reliability and advice worldwide, and that we are meeting the high requirements set by a global company with regard to supplying quality tools and workstations and storage.”

“A reliable tool supply is something that is critical to our business,” explained Markus Langer, Leader Buyer for Global Purchasing Projects at Bosch. “We work with the Hoffmann Group because we know from experience that this partner can provide us with a supply of ‘standard’ tools around the world. With a global presence in over 50 countries and subsidiaries in China, Singapore, Malaysia, Mexico, India and the USA, the Hoffmann Group also offers us first-class, on-site support and seamless cooperation at a local level.”

The Hoffmann Group and Robert Bosch GmbH have collaborated as partners for many years and as a result, the Hoffmann Group has already been presented with the Preferred Supplier Award on several occasions. In 2015, the Hoffmann Group was also the only supplier in the field of ‘tools’ to win the Bosch Global Supplier Award. Bosch presents this award every two years to carefully selected suppliers in recognition of their outstanding performance. When selecting the winners of the supplier awards, the following criteria are considered in particular: technical expertise, product quality, delivery reliability, entrepreneurial potential, price-performance ratio and production concept.

Christian Götschl, International Key Account Manager at the Hoffmann Group, said: “This recognition that we are a strategically important supplier encourages us in our efforts to become even better and to continue in the future to work on not only meeting the high expectations of our customers, but exceeding them.”

The Hoffmann Group and Bosch strengthened their relationship considerably in the spring of this year and the range in the new Hoffmann catalogue 2016/2017 has been significantly expanded to include Bosch power tools. Customers of the Hoffmann Group can therefore choose from a wide selection of Bosch products.

The new location in Knoxville, Tennessee, supports the manufacturing industry with its special expertise in trade, as a manufacturer and as a service provider and will initially focus on the machining industry and in the design and provision of facilities. This holistic approach makes the Hoffmann Group into a strong partner for the industry.

Martin Reichenecker, Sales Director of Hoffmann Group, explains: “In the United States the idea of system partnership for the tool industry is relatively rare implemented. Therefore, we assume that there is a large market potential for our portfolio. We can support the manufacturing industry with our comprehensive range of products and consulting services and have as Germany’s fourth largest manufacturer of cutting tools on special expertise in this area. ”

“We have chosen as the site Knoxville, because it is close to the great works of the US manufacturing industry, where many German companies have their offices,” said Charlie Slagle, head of the US branch. “Some of the local companies know the Hoffmann Group already from other markets, and the US subsidiary can comprehensively advise and help them to standardize their tool needs better internationally and to harmonize.”

The Hoffmann Group will initially focus in the US on the East and Midwest. Reichenecker says: “We want to support our customers and partners in the United States and we want to create jobs and opportunities for people in East Tennessee. Our goal is to contribute to the prosperity of the region and make our US office to one of our leading offices worldwide. ”

The Hoffmann Group is represented with its partners around the world in more than 50 countries. In Germany it is ten, in Europe with 44 and worldwide with a total of 69 branches and dealers for their local customers.

It was during the Die Mould India 2016 that I caught up with Hoffmann Executives. In a 30 minute conversation with Martin Reichenecker, Chief Sales Officer, Hoffmann Group and Pinaki Banerjee, MD, Asia Pacific, Hoffmann Quality Tools, Asia Pacific Pte Ltd I spoke to them about their plans for the Indian market, products and strategies. Excerpts…

Tell us something about Hoffmann Group…
Martin Reichenecker: Founded in 1919 in Munich, Germany, Hoffmann Group is active in the metal treating industry. What makes us different is that we provide very high quality consultancy services. Our main motto is to solve the problems of our customers that are related to the tools, thus enhancing their productivity and efficiency.

We are the third largest supplier in Germany and directly competing with the best and biggest in the industry. Additionally, in our portfolio, is a wide range of hand tools and work shop equipment. So we not only help with the tools but also optimize the whole production process by having products that is used in general engineering as well.

This is what we are doing for almost a century …increasing our portfolio, enhancing productivity of our customers and we are very proud to say that we reached the sales of Euro 1.1 billion last year.

We source our products from the leading manufacturers. With 65,000 tools in our catalogue we work with roughly 500 suppliers and manufacturers and most of them are coming from Europe.

Also, with a team of highly skilled people at our headquarters in Munich, we develop tools with our suppliers. We consult with our customers about their demand and changes they want. With that feedback we go to our manufacturers and they help us develop the product according to our customers demand.

What helps you tackle tough competition?
Martin Reichenecker: I would say our highly skilled and qualified people. We invest generously in training our people so that they understand the cutting tool process in detail. We believe we are between manufacturers and distributors as we don’t manufacture directly but we consult our manufacturers about the latest technologies and also try to understand the overall production process of the customers. Our people on the field understand the customer’s requirement and their biggest priority is to solve the customer’s problems not just to sell products.

What per cent of your revenue do you invest in R&D?
Martin Reichenecker: We have product management that consist more than 100 people and they develop the tools together with our suppliers, that’s our R&D. Since we don’t produce directly, we don’t have full equipped R&D setup like manufacturers.

What are the current trends that you see in the cutting tool industry?
Martin Reichenecker: I think information is getting more importance. We have to provide all the data related to the tools and products to our customers so that they can take the right decisions. We are in the cutting tool business and also offer pre-setting machine, quality checking equipment, clamping tools, etc and we  have to ensure that we give added value to the customers. Customers should be aware of all the information related to his manufacturing process like which pre-setting machine, tool holders and cutting tools is best suited for them. We are well aware about the industry 4.0 and working towards that.

You said Hoffmann saw Euro 1.1 billion sales last year. How much was the contribution from Asia and India particularly?
Martin Reichenecker: In India? I invite you to ask this question after two years (laughs…. joined by Pinaki Banerjee, and Shashi Menon, Head – Technical Department, Hoffmann Quality Tools India Pvt Ltd).

We started our operations in India on April 1, 2016 so we cannot comment anything about the sales here in India. But we have high hopes and we are certain about the positive business outlook of the country. We opened our office and logistics setup in China around 5 years ago and the growth rate in that market is quite high. We expect the same here in India.

The kind of demand you see in European countries might not be same in India and China or any other developing country as they are cost sensitive. How do you plan to tap such markets?
Pinaki Banerjee: We are very new in India. If you look at Hoffmann’s success around the world, you will see it is because we are much focused and want to know ‘how to walk before how to run’. Our first objective is to understand the Indian market. We started in Pune. It is a very lucrative market with huge machining activities happening in and around the city. So our first major focus is on Maharashtra.

Also, as our business motto, we calculate the Price-Performance-Ratio and focus on customer’s ROI. We sell in 97 countries and are proud to say that we are able to compete in every market. In India too we will need to make some adjustments as we go forward, but that’s the name of the game. We might need some local suppliers, we know duty rates are very high and there are some local manufacturers, so in some cutting tool segment we might not be able to compete, but that’s the challenge and we need to start and solve customer’s requirement.

At this moment what we can promise is that we are going to give them value that they are looking for. We see one thing missing in the Indian market is consolidation, so we are coming here as system partner who can provide most of the customer requirements. We are here to stay and solve your machining challenges.

Don’t you think you are a late entrant in the Indian market?
Pinaki Banerjee: Yes. We admit that we are the last entrant, but better late than never.  I also believe that we are in right time. We all know that after Modi government came into power and with the Make in India campaign, the manufacturing industry is getting stronger. This is actually the right time to enter the Indian market with growth in GDP rate. I think no one in the world is experiencing such growth.

We are fortunate that we are entering the market when the business sentiment looks positive, manufacturing is growing and FDIs are coming in. Also, I would like to point out that whenever a multinational enters the Indian market they first enter with dealer network, then a branch office and the third they put in the subsidiary, I want to make it very clear, the way Hoffmann has started in the market by setting up a subsidiary, it is a clear sign that we are serious about this market. We are making a commitment to the market that we are going to be in India for the coming 100 years. That’s a promise we want to make to our Indian customers.

What kind of customers do you cater to?
Martin Reichenecker: We have customers from all industries, from big to small. We say “As long as something is produced or maintained, we can help,” that means five people company to a factory employing 5000 people, we serve them all. This is something we are very proud of.

India is home to all kinds of companies that provides high-end tech to cost effective solutions. How do you plan to compete in such a competitive market?
Pinaki Banerjee: Our focus segment is top segment and middle segment…we are not at all into mass, cheap and poor quality product segment. Also the consolidation that we can offer makes us different from any other player. If you look at the tooling it’s not more than 5% of overall investment but if you go to procurement manager in India the biggest focus for him is that 5%. So our approach, as the system partner, is going to add a lot of benefit by cutting down the number of suppliers he needs to negotiate with. Another new initiative we are going to take in the Indian market is “e-commerce”, so we will be putting all our 65,000 products available on the website where you select the product, check the pricing, integrate with your ERP system and the product is delivered to you in a maximum 2 weeks’ time. We are also known for our excellent logistics services, we deliver almost 60,000 products everyday in Europe.

Coming to e-commerce, is it going to be only through your website or are you looking for tie-ups with the likes of PayTM, Tolexo, etc.
Pinaki Banerjee: We have got two systems in place, as you know that multinationals and big companies have got ERP systems and they are very conscious about it and not anybody can be included in their system. Within our company we have got two software’s developed, one we can integrate within their ERP system and another for SMEs, where we have got web shop based e-commerce platform. It’s all about value additions and efficiency.

Going ahead …
Pinaki Banerjee: As they say, “You must first understand then understood” we are currently in the journey of understanding the Indian market and the best way to do that is by meeting the end customers. We have given clear target to our sales executive that they have to meet 1000 customers in a year. It’s time to roll up our sleeves, get in front of customers, understand the market and add value to Indian manufacturing system.

By Nishant Kashyap

Subsidiary in Pune offers reliable tool supply and machining expertise

The Hoffmann Group has been operating its own subsidiary in India since April 2016. From Pune in the south-east of the Indian subcontinent, it is supporting the manufacturing industry as a system partner with its unique combination of trading, manufacturing and service competence.

Due to the geographical dimensions of the subcontinent, the ten-member team will initially concentrate on consultative sales in the state of Maharashtra with a focus on the machining industry and on workstations and storage.

“India has the potential to become the driving force for growth in the Asian economy in the long term,” explains Martin Reichenecker, Chief Sales Officer of the Hoffmann Group. “We chose Pune because the automotive industry is based there as well as corporations and medium-sized companies from the machine and system building industry. As a system partner, we can offer these companies a reliable supply of quality tools and of workstations and storage. Furthermore, we can support them with our specific machining expertise. The idea of the system partnership is still relatively rare in India. We therefore anticipate excellent market opportunities for our portfolio there.”

The Hoffmann Group team is initially concentrating its work in the state of Maharashtra as many German companies also have subsidiaries in this region. In the north of the subcontinent, the Hoffmann Group will, however, continue to be represented by partner Lakshmi Factory Tools. The Hoffmann Group is therefore staying true to its core concept of offering premium services with a high level of support.

“Many of the companies based in and around Pune already know us from other markets,” Reichenecker continues. “With us as a partner, they now have the opportunity to standardise and harmonise their tool requirements across borders. Alongside this, we are offering them our usual high-quality service and excellent consultation in India.” The Hoffmann Group is represented by its partners in more than 50 countries around the world. It offers local customer service with 10 subsidiaries and dealerships in Germany, 44 in Europe and a total of 69 worldwide.