WEMO Automation is positioning itself for the future with new management and a broader portfolio

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The founders of WEMO Automation Sven, Olof and Bengt Ståhl are handing over the management of the company to Johannes Kjellgren (CEO) and Håkan Larsson (COO). As part of this, WEMO will move to the Robotics Division within the HAHN Group in order to offer its customers an even broader portfolio of solutions and products with mobile and collaborative robotics. This complements the focus on the plastics market with technological competencies.

After more than 30 years of building, developing and managing WEMO Automation, the Ståhl brothers are handing over the management of the company to new hands. Already in 2015, the HAHN Group took over the majority of the company’s shares, and finally all of them. Now also the leadership will be handed over to Johannes Kjellgren, who took over management of the company in October 2021. Johannes Kjellgren has many years of experience in customer-centric sales and general management. With his deep knowledge of international markets, he will continue to expand the sales network and customer service for WEMO in order to be even closer to the customers. At his side, Håkan Larsson will be responsible for operational management as COO, starting in spring 2022. As a proven expert in technical development and the plastics industry and with his many years of experience, he stands for the continuity with regard to the reliability and technological excellence of the WEMO products.

“It is not easy to successfully shape a succession situation in which the founders have built and managed their company with so much dedication and passion. Therefore we are very happy that in Johannes and Håkan we have found two very experienced entrepreneurs who can not only preserve what has been achieved, but also want to add new things at the same time,” says Philipp Unterhalt, CEO of the HAHN Group. “Our thanks go to Sven, Olof and Bengt. For the trusting cooperation of the last few years, the friendly interaction and also for the fact that they continue to support us in an advisory capacity – also beyond WEMO within the HAHN Group.”

The previous CEO, Sven Ståhl, adds: “With the takeover by the HAHN Group, we were able to set the course for a stable and secure future for WEMO as early as 2015. With Johannes and Håkan, the HAHN Group remains true to its culture of continuing to run the business with highly professional and very value-based people. “

“I am looking forward to the new task of further positioning the team and the potential of WEMO in the plastics market and also inspiring existing and new customers with further automation and robotics solutions from the HAHN Group”, comments Johannes Kjellgren.

“I have spent most of my career in the plastics industry and got to know WEMO as a very professional and innovative company”, adds Håkan Larsson, new COO of WEMO. “Therefore I am delighted to further develop the technology according to our customers’ requirements and needs.”

As part of the succession, WEMO Automation will strengthen the Robotics division within the HAHN Group in the future. This bundles the know-how in the areas of linear, collaborative and mobile robotics and makes it even easier for customers to access. In addition, own sales and partner networks complement each other very well in order to further increase customer proximity. Through the HAHN Group network, WEMO is also to be developed even more strongly as a regional hub in Scandinavia in the future.

Spray smart – the new I4.0 spray valve from Walther

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Walther Systemtechnik presents its new spray valve for maximum process control as well as an increase in process capability, overall system effectiveness (OEE) and product quality.

The spraying of low to medium viscosity media is one of the most common forms of application of the most varied of fluids across almost all branches of industry. The correctly applied spray quantity plays just as important a role as the required spray pattern to ensure that the applied medium fulfills its function. In practice, however, there are numerous disruptive factors that can have a negative effect on the quality of the spray pattern and require the process parameters to be adjusted.

Walther meets these challenges of a volatile work environment with the new WSV spray valve of the current I4.0 product family. The integral compact design combines a pressure sensor, a valve heater with associated temperature control and the electronics for control, monitoring and online evaluation of the process data. Extensive connectivity to peripheral devices is ensured through various analog and digital connections as well as an Ethernet connection. For the first time, this allows remote parameterization and remote diagnosis of the valve via a corresponding web interface, virtually on-the-fly. Several parameter sets can be stored and process variables can be documented. For the user, this means maximum process control and, as a result, an increase in process capability, overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and product quality. In addition, software ADD-ONS and firmware updates, which can be installed and activated later if necessary, promise additional scope for future problems.

In addition to a smart valve, Walther offers other I4.0-based fluid components within the product family. Whether pumps, media storage, filter systems or modules for air bubble discharge – with additional integrated sensors, important process and status variables can be recorded and evaluated over the entire fluid line in real time and used to maximize the system key figure.

As an innovation driver, Walther ensures the future viability of its customer applications with the current I4.0 product family and, with over two decades of experience in dosing technology, positions itself as a reliable partner for the implementation of standard solutions through to individual complete systems.

HAHN Group MOBILE.EXPO offers local trade fair in your region

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Frankfurt am Main, Germany – The HAHN Group MOBILE.EXPO is picking up speed and presenting its technologies and products with its innovative exhibition and trade fair concept at 13 locations in Europe
The HAHN Group starts its MOBILE.EXPO in Europe on September 20th. At 13 locations in 5 countries, including a stop at the FAKUMA trade fair, the new exhibition and trade fair concept brings the technologies, products and contacts of the company network to regional customers and partners.
The HAHN Group shows digital and service-oriented concepts on 60m² of exhibition space in the specially converted exhibition truck. With the help of a wide range of information, a place for exchange, networking and brainstorming is created. At the accompanying exhibition, the current state of the art in the field of automation and robot technologies can be experienced up close on a further 80m². The agenda is designed for each truck stop location-specifically and thus sets sustainable impulses for transformation and knowledge transfer within the respective region.
Interested participants can register for MOBILE.EXPO on the HAHN Group website: https://www.hahn.group/en/events/mobile-expo/
The MOBILE.EXPO is carried out with the following event dates and locations:
  • 20.09. – 23.09.2021 | HAHN Robotics in Bettlach, Switzerland
  • 28.09. – 01.10.2021 | Waldorf Technik in Engen, Germany
  • 12.10. – 16.10.2021 | FAKUMA in Friedrichshafen, Germany
  • 19.10. – 21.10.2021 | Mainz, Germany
  • 25.10. – 26.10.2021 | HAHN Robotics in Fichtenau, Germany
  • 08.11. – 10.11.2021 | HAHN Robotics in Kelmis, Belgium
  • 15.11. – 19.11.2021 | GeKu Automatisierungssysteme in Diepenau, Germany
  • 22.11. – 24.11.2021 | HAHN Robotics in Ponitz, Germany
  • 25.11. – 01.12.2021 | HAHN Automation in Ùvaly, Czech Republic
  • 02.12. – 07.12.2021 | HAHN Automation in Kremsmünster, Austria
  • 09.12. – 11.12.2021 | HAHN Robotics in Lüdenscheid, Germany
  • 13.12. – 17.12.2021 | HAHN Automation in Rheinböllen, Germany
In addition to the information materials that can be experienced on site at MOBILE.EXPO, the HAHN Group offers featured content on the subject of “DIGITAL ADVANCED AUTOMATION” on their website. Through a video case study for the Healthcare industry, you will learn how today’s production will be further optimized through the application of intelligent and digital automation technologies. With its network, the HAHN Group is able to offer complex large-scale projects from a single source and to distribute capacities in times of high incoming orders. The video as well as a short presentation of the digital product portfolio and the responsible contact persons can be found here: https://www.hahn.group/en/digital-advanced-automation/

Thomas Marufke strengthens HAHN Group Material Handling Division

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Thomas Marufke is expanding the management of the Material Handling Division as of August 2021. He takes on the role of Bernhard Rupke, who will retire at the end of the year. Together with COO Gregor Kessler, Thomas Marufke will continue to unify the division and expand its leading position in automation solutions surrounding injection molding machines.

As managing director, Thomas Marufke controls the expertise of the HAHN Group in automation systems for plastics production and processing. In his role, he will be responsible for the customer-oriented areas of sales and service as well as the oversight of topics relating to project management and technology. Together with Gregor Kessler, COO of the Material Handling Division, he will take care of the strategic development of the division. Both also take over the management of Waldorf Technik.

Through his career, Thomas Marufke earned many years of experience in the plastics industry. After graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering from the Technical University of Darmstadt, Marufke last worked for KraussMaffei Automation GmbH for over 20 years, of which he spent nine in the position as managing director.

The Material Handling Division includes the brands Waldorf Technik, GeKu Automatisierungssysteme and WEMO Automation with locations in Germany, Sweden, the USA and Turkey. A presence in Asia is also currently being established. These companies will benefit from Marufke’s profound expert knowledge of automation and robot technology for all aspects of injection molding production.

“I am delighted that we were able to win Thomas, a proven expert and great character, for the HAHN Group,” explains Philipp Unterhalt, CEO of the HAHN Group. “With his skills and many years of experience as managing director, he will support our companies in the plastics processing market segment in offering an even more extensive range of services for our customers and partners.”

“The companies Waldorf Technik, GeKu Automatisierungssysteme and WEMO Automation are powerful brands that stand for the highest quality and precision,” states Thomas Marufke regarding his new tasks. “I am looking forward to working with a strong team to further expand our customers’ satisfaction, to grow internationally and to deliver economical solutions for injection molding automation worldwide.”

In his role, Thomas Marufke takes over the duties of the previous managing director and division director Bernhard Rupke, who is retiring. After a transition period, he will continue to support the HAHN Group in an advisory capacity. “We would like to thank Bernhard very much for his work over the past few years,” explains Philipp Unterhalt. “With his support, we brought the companies in the division closer together and mastered the Covid period superbly. We wish Bernhard the best health and satisfaction.”

HAHN Group sets the course for the future

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The HAHN Group is preparing for further growth.

With the reorganization of the investment structure by RSBG SE, the investment company for medium-sized companies of the RAG Foundation, RSBG Automation & Technologies GmbH is created as a new corporate platform. This also results in a broader potential and further synergies for the HAHN Group. The previous CEO of the HAHN Group, Thomas Hähn, will be in charge of the new platform. The previous managing director Philipp Unterhalt will take over the helm of the HAHN Group on April 1, 2021. Together with Axel Greschitz (CFO), the further expansion of the group in factory automation is driven forward. Additional locations are to be opened in the next few months.

RSBG Automation & Robotics Technologies GmbH as a new company platform enables growth in further business areas through the use of technical and organizational synergies

With the establishment of RSBG Automation & Robotics Technologies, RSBG SE opens up the possibility for further technology investments besides the HAHN Group. The HAHN Group is a 100 percent stake in the new platform and focuses on automation and robotics in the industrial environment. In addition, further investments in automation and robotics in non-industrial areas are planned.

Further development of the management team underlines the stability and continuity of the HAHN Group

The management of RSBG Automation & Robotics Technologies is taken over by Thomas Hähn, founder of HAHN Automation and longstanding CEO of the HAHN Group. In the future, as CEO of RSBG Automation & Robotics Technologies, he will be responsible for all activities in the area of automation & robotics, and will therefore continue to be strategically linked to the HAHN Group.

Philipp Unterhalt takes over the management of the HAHN Group. Together with Axel Greschitz as CFO, he will push the next growth step and promote the diversification of the company network. Unterhalt will take up his new role as CEO of the HAHN Group on April 1, 2021.

“I am pleased to introduce Philipp Unterhalt as the new CEO of the HAHN Group. He has demonstrated outstanding strategic orientation. With his international experience and value-based management style, he is the ideal candidate for the further development of the HAHN Group. I really appreciate our cooperation and look forward to continuing it in the new constellation,” said Thomas Hähn, CEO RSBG Automation & Robotics Technologies GmbH.

Philipp Unterhalt has been with the HAHN Group since 2014 and worked as its managing director since 2019. Together with Thomas Hähn he developed the concept of the HAHN Group as a platform for entrepreneurially managed automation companies and managed all transactions of the group of companies. Under his leadership, the new companies were integrated and the digital strategy was also developed and implemented. In addition to the operational business, the 39-year-old is also responsible for corona management at the HAHN Group. The economist lives with his family in Essen.

“The HAHN Group is a fascinating group of companies and entrepreneurs. Due to the network character, we can use the synergies of a large company and still be very close to the customer with innovative solutions,” explains Unterhalt. “I am really looking forward to working with the entire team in order to continue our successful strategy: organic growth, supplemented by technological expansion as well as expansion of the business in additional industries and the strengthening of global activities.”

Into the future with mobile robotics

The HAHN Group continues to grow even during the pandemic. Incoming orders across the Group in 2020 increased by 21 percent compared to the previous year, in particular due to orders in the healthcare sector. The focus of the current year is, among other things, on growth in the area of mobile robotics. Two more locations for the HAHN Robotics Network are to be established in southern and eastern Germany this spring. Mobile robotics enables the support of logistics processes in production with minimal integration effort and thus offers even for smaller companies interesting automation solutions that quickly pay for themselves.

HAHN Group presents new virtual showroom

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The HAHN Group is now making its virtual showroom available online. With the new version of the HAHN Group Virtual Showroom, customers and employees have another opportunity to exchange ideas on a personal level.

Regardless of whether the tool will serve as an alternative to visiting trade fairs or meetings on site: Interested parties can now find out more about various technologies, products and business areas, either independently or accompanied by a HAHN Group expert. For this, they can expect a comprehensive multimedia package of videos, interactive graphics and texts that cover the focus topics of the HAHN Group companies.

With the help of animated 3D models, viewers experience the automation systems and robot solutions of the HAHN Group at any time and from any place. This information source enables a completely new and targeted exchange of ideas with contacts in the company – regardless of whether it is about initiating a business or an interview on a specific topic.

Follow this link to discover the HAHN Group Virtual Showroom!

We are happy to provide you with a personal tour and explanation of the virtual showroom. Simply send a message to advancedautomation@hahn.group. We will contact you shortly!

HAHN Digital and Erium advance digital process optimization

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Synergy between top experts for manufacturing and specialists for process optimization in manufacturing with focus on artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics

HAHN Digital, digitalization expert for manufacturing companies, part of the HAHN Group, and Erium, technology leader in the field of process optimization through AI in combination with expert knowledge, bundle their competencies and generate a joint offer for analytics use cases in manufacturing processes. While it is initially aimed at the healthcare sector, it can later be expanded to include the automotive, electronics and consumer goods industries.

The approach of HAHN Digital and Erium is based on closed AI-based control loops for the calculation of recommendations for action in the areas of availability and productivity to improve overall system effectiveness (OEE). Since the algorithms describe not only the system but also the manufactured product, predictions about product quality are particularly possible. The Erium approach offers the advantage that even small amounts of data are sufficient to carry out analyses. Using HAHN Digital’s background and understanding of specialist knowledge of experts and engineers, it is integrated into a statistical model that depicts the physical process. In this way, companies receive targeted insights more quickly.

Opportunities for manufacturing companies

Thanks to this partnership, operators of automation solutions from the HAHN Group have the advantage that in future there will be fewer rejects in production, processes will be stabilized and cycle times reduced, as process parameters can be defined more precisely through data analysis. With the help of machine parameters and the detection of anomalies, maintenance activities are triggered at an early stage, which enables targeted maintenance as required in the long term and avoids longer downtimes due to repairs.

The healthcare sector, and later other served segments by the HAHN Group, benefits from the analysis of process and quality parameters, which means that the causes of errors in the injection molding process can be identified more quickly. Using systematic statistical test planning, the start-up time is optimized and the effort involved in setting up, for example, filling processes is reduced. Since closed AI-based control loops for existing processes make process recertification necessary in many cases, it is worth equipping production systems with sensors and analytics tools right from the start. In the long term, the system provides the operator with information about the causes of errors, optimization potential and settings that can be optimized. In cooperation with other HAHN Group subsidiaries, HAHN Digital and Erium are already implementing their first projects together.

“Process analysis and optimization are becoming increasingly important, especially for manufacturing companies. Translating, ‘Smart factory’ into competitive factor for our clients, becomes key to meet the increasing demands related to ‘time to market’ and ‘quality assurance’” explains Uziel Zontag, Managing Director of HAHN Digital. “The connection between our deep understanding in digital manufacturing and Erium’s deep knowledge in advanced analytics will allow us to support our customers on their path with powerful AI. We look forward to this important cooperation.”

Dr. Theo Steininger, founder and CEO of Erium, adds: “The partnership was a logical step for us. The systems of the HAHN Group are ideally suited for the use of machine learning due to the existing technical possibilities. At the same time, with HAHN Digital we have the ideal point of contact in the group, as HAHN Digital is at home in both worlds – both in digitization technology and in automation technology. These are ideal conditions for mutual growth.“

Robots as accelerators of inclusion: How technology can enable people with disabilities for more participation

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Gütersloh, Germany – The use of the latest robot technology enables people with disabilities for more participation in working life: That is the goal of a joint project between wertkreis Gütersloh gGmbH, Rethink Robotics GmbH and the University of Duisburg-Essen. For the start of the project, Rethink Robotics handed over two Sawyer cobots to the vocational training department of the wertkreis Gütersloh and the chair for manufacturing technology at the University of Duisburg-Essen.

The two collaborative robots (cobots) form the basis for the joint work in the area of “Inclusion 4.0 with collaborative systems”. The use of robot technology and cobots is intended to open up better opportunities for people with disabilities in inclusion, education and participation by means of adapted work processes and new types of applications.

The cobots’ areas of application include the implementation of quality controls directly at the assembly workstation as well as the automated processing of production peaks. The aim of the cooperation is to develop systems that enable people with disabilities or people without the ability to express themselves to carry out complex work assignments independently. A prerequisite for using these systems is that they must be easy to program. Cobot Sawyer fulfills these requirements with its intuitive operation and programming as well as its flexibility in use and friendly design.

“The areas of application for collaborative robotics are very diverse,” explains Daniel Bunse, CEO of Rethink Robotics. “Cobots can take on supporting activities in the company that are repeated very often. The cobot thus assists people in the workflow and relieves them physically. ”

Michael Buschsieweke, managing director of wertkreis Gütersloh gGmbH explains: “Exactly such digital forms of assistance are a future model for people with handicaps. Ideally, at some point they will be as natural as sight and walking aids. Simply a tool that enables people to participate in the labor market. We are pleased that with the Sawyer cobots we can introduce these techniques even better and strengthen competence and self-confidence in the context of use. ”

“Using workshops for people with disabilities as incubators for new systems is an approach with which we have had good experiences in the past,” says Holger Dander, project manager at the Department of Manufacturing Technology at the University of Duisburg-Essen. “In this environment, the focus must be placed on the human being so that the human-machine interaction works. Solutions that have proven themselves here can then be quickly and easily transferred to other areas of the working world.”

The Gütersloh social service provider wertkreis has been committed to a paradigm shift in dealing with digital assistance technology in integration assistance for several years. For the development of the DIAZ system, the East Westphalian inclusion specialists were nominated for the inclusion award of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia this year.

The scientists at the Department of Manufacturing Technology at the University of Duisburg-Essen have been working for several years on the question of how collaborative robotics can be integrated into work processes. In 2018 they were awarded the inclusion price of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Rethink Robotics establishes new company headquarters and production facility in Bochum and has a new shareholder in Siemens Technology Accelerator

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Bochum, Germany – At the Bochum location, Rethink Robotics will develop new robotics technologies with the support of Siemens Corporate Technology, creating highly qualified jobs

In summer 2020, Rethink Robotics, as a subsidiary of the HAHN Group, moved into its new company headquarters, where the production of collaborative robot systems takes place as well. It is located in the immediate vicinity of the learning factory of the chair for production systems at Ruhr Universität Bochum. Now the location has been officially inaugurated in the presence of Bochum’s Lord Mayor Thomas Eiskirch and Bernd Tönjes, CEO of the RAG-Stiftung, which holds a majority stake in the HAHN Group through its holding company RSBG SE.

The premises are part of the new HAHN Group Technology Center, a meeting point for customers, partners and interested parties to experience and further develop innovative technologies. In the immediate vicinity of universities and research institutions, this creates a central place for the exchange of information, skills and technological developments. The building itself was constructed by sister companies of the HAHN Group within the RAG-Stiftung, accounting for the short-term space requirements and promoting further growth.

“The opening of the new corporate headquarters and production facility of Rethink Robotics symbolizes the transformation of the mining region into a location for future technologies. We supported the settlement from the start and are sure that Rethink Robotics will find an ideal environment here in order to continue their growth,” states Bernd Tönjes.

Rethink Robotics has already created 30 highly qualified jobs in Bochum. Their collaborative robot systems, which will be produced on-site, are used in manufacturing companies, as well as in in service applications for laboratory environments. Further investments in the development of the technology and the ongoing expansion of the team are planned for the future.

“Rethink Robotics made the right choice of location with Bochum,” says Mayor Thomas Eiskirch about the company’s decision to set up its new headquarters in Bochum and to create additional highly qualified jobs. “In Bochum, modern robot technology is already being developed and used in other areas to support people in everyday life. And in Bochum we like to rethink tasks that we face today and tomorrow. We like to think outside the box – with the aim of finding new, future-oriented answers.”

Another milestone for the development of the company at the Bochum location is the recently implemented cooperation between Rethink Robotics and Siemens Technology Accelerator (STA). STA acquired a minority of the shares in Rethink Robotics as part of a technology contribution. The contribution includes know-how, patents and designs in the field of innovative hardware solutions for lightweight robots and cobots. In addition, a development cooperation between Rethink Robotics and Siemens Corporate Technology was agreed upon, in which the Siemens Corporate Technology hardware solutions are to be further developed in a transition period so that their strengths are optimally combined with the Intera software from Rethink Robotics. The first studies on this are already running.

“With the technology from Siemens, we are getting closer to the start of a new series of robots very quickly and will be presenting a first prototype in spring 2021,” explains Daniel Bunse, CEO of Rethink Robotics GmbH, with pleasure.

Dr. Rudolf Freytag, CEO of Siemens Technology Accelerator GmbH, states: “We see great potential for success in this hardware technology developed by Siemens Corporate Technology and are pleased to be creating the best conditions for market success with Rethink Robotics. Siemens Digital Industries will of course continue to support the robotics sector with controls and innovative software solutions.”

 

About Siemens Corporate Technology

Corporate Technology (CT) is Siemens’ central research unit. In cooperation with the business units, CT advances the basic technologies that are important for the entire company. For more information visit https://new.siemens.com/global/en/company/innovation/research-development.html

 

About Siemens Technology Accelerator

Siemens Technology Accelerator GmbH is a subsidiary of Siemens AG and has been successfully commercializing innovative Siemens technologies in applications outside the strategic focus of the Siemens business units for almost 20 years. This happens either through the establishment of venture capital financed start-ups or through sale or licensing to established companies. For more information visit www.siemens.com/sta

 

Photography by Lina Nikelowski

HAHN Automation opens a new location in Villingen-Schwenningen, focusing on the healthcare industry

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HAHN Automation Süd in Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany, develops into a technology center for the healthcare industry

Since August 1, 2020, the original Invotec Deutschland GmbH has been operating under the new name HAHN Automation Süd GmbH. As a subsidiary of HAHN Automation with headquarters in Rheinböllen, Rhineland-Palatinate, the company will benefit even more of the synergies within the company network. On September 17, 2020, the location was opened with a small group of attendants at the Technologiepark-VS. Together with his guests, managing director Armin Doser looked back on the last 1.5 years as managing director of Invotec GmbH and gave an impressive outlook on the planned development of HAHN Automation Süd.

With a clear focus on the healthcare industry, HAHN Automation Süd will carry out projects relating to automation and testing in the production of medical devices and systems, as well as offering the validation of the relevant systems.

Big steps are planned for the future of the company. Frank Konrad as CEO and global managing director of HAHN Automation, looks confidently towards the future and strongly believes in the development of this site. Philipp Klaschka, CRO of HAHN Automation, presents the gradual development strategy of the location as follows: “With currently seven employees, HAHN Automation Süd is still one of the smallest sites within the HAHN Group, which should change quickly. As early as 2025 we want to employ 80 people in Villingen-Schwenningen and handle projects worth up to two million euros.”

“In the engineering sector in particular, skilled workers will be needed in the next few years,” explains Armin Doser, managing director of  HAHN Automation Süd. “This is why we would like to work closely with regional and national universities in order to promote the next generation of skilled workers.”

Keeping up with the technology of tomorrow, at the end of the event, guests had the opportunity to view production lines for the manufacturing of products in the healthcare sector, as well as to program the innovative SmartSolutions processing systems. These were presented to the market in August 2020 and represent an absolute innovation in the field of automation systems. Various solutions for the healthcare industry are also planned in the field of SmartSolutions, which will benefit greatly from the expertise of the team in Villingen-Schwenningen.