| "Multitasking is going beyond just turning, milling, and drilling . . . with the goal of eliminating most post-machine operations," says Rich Curless (right). MAG's strategy: "Refocus more on systems and new markets," says Mark Logan (left). |
The underlying reason, says Curless, is the growing prevalence of lean strategies.
Curless says the challenge is in managing the unintended lean effects from economic cycles.
"That can be an opportunity for machine tool suppliers to extend aftersales services," adds Logan. He says that role is part of the strategy for the MAG Industrial Maintenance Group. "That support role creates an opportunity to be a stronger partner with customers."
Becoming a global machine tool provider has impacted the design of the company's products. The operative description is modular design, a strategy intended to meet site-specific requirements, says Curless. For example, a German customer may be happy to buy the base machine, but require a locally made chip conveyor to assure local support. Morgan says the right strategy is to be able to configure-to-order as opposed to design-to-order. He describes the practice as being globally local.
Other design accommodations to global customization include special communications features to enable the factory to assess operation regardless of where the customer is located.
In addition to the modular design trend, Curless sees multitasking evolving. "It's going beyond just turning, milling and drilling. Today, the trend is broader, toward a multifunctional capability with the goal of eliminating most post-machining operations."
See Also
