This news article was originally written in Spanish. It has been automatically translated for your convenience. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace a human translator. The original article in Spanish can be viewed at Entrevista a Antonio Minguell

Ver más artículos sobre: Two manufacturers of machine tools and an engineering company merged to create the giant Okuma Holding

Interview with Antonio Minguell

15/01/2006

Antoni Minguell, director of Machine Center, next to Junro Kashiwa, President and CEO of Okuma Holding, Inc.

Machine Center is the alter ego of Okuma in Spain. The representative of the Japanese firm, located in the Barcelona town of Rubí, distributed in addition other brands like Romi, Takamaz, Huron, DoAll, Maqsoft and FR.. It sells lathes, centres of machining, saws, grinders, food, tools and software systems.

Antoni Minguell, is the director of Machine Center. He took the helm in 2001, and among its achievements is one of most prestigious retailers and largest of the Japanese company. "Maqcenter as a distributor of Okuma, is the third country in terms of number of machines and volume of sales on the European market, behind Italy and Germany, whose market is much higher than the Spanish," says Minguell.

Dedicated to the marketing of machine tools, also offers tools of mooring of parts, tools, automatic devices of loading and unloading, control of life of the tools, balanced control systems and software CAD / CAM, everything covered by the offer of "Projects key in hand". Among its main premises the offer an integral service to the client, for what they say with a team highly qualified after-sales service.

During our stay in Japan, Antoni Minguell gave us a few strokes of the perception of Okuma in the Spanish market, as well as at the international level.

What results from Okuma in 2005?

Okuma hopes to obtain in the European market similar to the 2004 figures, while with regard to the turnover of machines they will be higher.

As far as Maqcenter is concerned, we will obtain a result better than the previous year, as we have a very important backlog for 2006.

Will influence the new merger of Okuma Group companies three good results?

The creation of the Group took place last October with the merger of the company address: Okuma Corporation, Okuma & Howa and Okuma Engineering. With the new Okuma Holding now, establishing a process that can last between six and twelve months for complete integration. However, it has carried out to increase the ability of Okuma group and to have a level of billing with figures that we would also much of our competitors.

As regards the range of products, both Okuma as of Okuma & Howa overlap, however, will be two complementary companies.

How will it affect change to machine Center?

It has affected us from the first moment of the announcement of the integration. We received the news with a bit of confusion because that Okuma & Howa is represented by another distributor in Spain. It is for this reason that conversations are being developed to reach an agreement that does not harm any of the parties involved and that is positive for both.

General view of the open in Oguchi day.

Success of assistance in the days of Okuma.

What kind of machinery includes Okuma portfolio?

Okuma has always been known and more than a hundred years to be in the market as a great specialist in lathes. For thirty years, he began to introduce in the market machining centres and already has a wide range of both horizontal and vertical machining centers.

What it should be noted are the centers of machining of double column have in Japan with 80 percent of market share. In Europe and specifically in Spain, there are also machines of this type. It is clear that, given its high price, you can enter in the market in companies where there are pieces of great size and precision. In the world of the double column, we can say that Okuma is the leader.

Another complementary range are the grinders of precision although the number of these machines on the market is lower compared with others already on the market.

What is the capacity of the Group?

Okuma Corporation currently manufactures in Japan around 4,600 annual machines, but this figure will exceed with the activity of a new factory which, as you have seen on our visit to the Kani plant is expected to begin its activity in July 2006. Obviously in Okuma & Howa this figure is exceeded.

The new group Okuma, spectacular perspective of the synergy of several centuries

Who could predict that the first machine to make Spaghetti developed by Eiichi Okuma in 1898 was going to result, more than a century later, in a company's success around the world. Precisely, October 2005 will be another remarkable day in the history of the company, a point of departure for the new phase of Okuma, marked by the merger of three large companies in the metal engineering industry, Okuma Corporation, Okuma & Howa Co. LTd and Okuma Engineering Co., LTd., and now converted into an industrial giant called Okuma group, under the direction of Okuma Holdings, Inc.

The new Japanese triumvirate makes the group a strong and consolidated manufacturer of machine tool which aims to offer an even more qualified product and provide exceptional service, through sound financial and general management of Okuma Holdings customer around the worldInc.

Each of the three companies will continue with its production independently and providing their services at the same time will benefit from the synergies of the new consortium.

I also think the enlargement of the group that we come closer to the annual figure of seven thousand machines, thanks to the creation of the new plant of Kani and the integration of Okuma & Howa.

I commented during the trip, Okuma has great hope in the multifunción… lathes

So it is. Contrary to the opinion of many people who believe that it is a concept created now, Okuma takes between fifteen and twenty years manufacturing centres multitasking, they can do functions of milling and turning at the same time.

Specifically, it is in later models, the family Multus, in which all our hopes are focused. It has already come on the market the B300 and soon we will be launching to the market the B400, a machine that we have seen during the exhibition that has been carried out at Headquarters.

Do what differentiating element Okuma machines to others in the market?

Okuma machines, and thus have corroborated it the clients that we have invited to view the facilities at Japan, is the oversized are, above all in what are guides, the husillos… And it is precisely this is one of the great features of Okuma. All machines used the best materials, they overstate to offer greater value added in the future.

Okuma machines are characterised by their precision.

We have also seen how Okuma produces nearly 80 percent of all its production which allows no doubt a guarantee of quality...

Without a doubt. Another of the values is also that Okuma manufactures both the mechanical and the electrical part with which the symbiosis between the two sides is one of the great added values of Okuma. We can say that their major characteristics are stiffness, precision and durability.

It manufactures all the mechanical part except the spindles of ball that buy them. In this connection, a client has told me the high quality of this spindle in particular. It is true, 80 per cent of the production is own - casting non-: manufactures the benches and it rectifies them, the engines, the spindles, and even controls are also designed and manufactured by Okuma.

Picture of Group of clients of Machine Center and part of the team of the Catalan company.

Companies like electrocution on the trip to Japan to learn about Okuma production plants and attend the open days were: Mipesa machining, S.L., Iberprecis, Auxim S.L., S.A., machining North Bravo, S.L.Brakes and sets, S.A., CIE C. Vilanova, Tallers Franqués, S.L., Experimental Centre of metallurgical transformations, S.L. and Mecanitzats Parés, S.L.

How it ensures the quality of the machines?

The machines have at least a continuous test. In fact, a customer who has been with us has told me that it has appeared some chips on your new machine: are cutting tests that are made as a sample.

All are controlled. Perform them the appropriate tests and then, randomly, perform a sampling to check that everything works correctly.

How many machines and of what kind are sold in Europe?

More and more machines are sold in Europe. Four years ago the lathes represented 70 per cent of the total of the product sold while 30 percent were machining centers. On the other hand, both in 2004 as in 2005 the proportion is 50 - 50 percent and this was one of Okuma goals, achieve balance the number of sold lathes and machining centres.

In Europe it depends on each country; for example, in the Nordic countries of high performance, very sophisticated and big dimension machines are sold at the same time as Italian customer together with the German, it is the best consumer of European machine tool. There they traded from turnkey projects to individual machine.

Curiously, the country where it has most sold Series multifunction MacTurn, has been in Denmark, a country of six million inhabitants; It is something unbelievable. Luckily, the winch has also come to Spain and Portugal, where we already have with machines in operation.

What is the main competition for Okuma?

Basically the direct competition are Asian countries, neighbouring countries.

It must be borne in mind that Japan is number one in machine tool.

Okuma is intended to strengthen the aviation industry, is it?

It is one of the sectors to which is also addressed because we offer high quality and precision. The main market of Okuma is automotive, a hard market that increasingly has more competition and price pressure.

There are markets that isn't saturated such as aeronautics that has been a boom and will remain with the Airbus project; also the medicine which is a niche market in Spain. Another area is that of the gas and oil, but which corresponds more to the Nordic countries. Another market which addresses Okuma is transport, a sector that you want to segment.

And in conclusion, what assessment do journey to Japan to see the facilities of its represented?

The experience has been positive. We have actually seen some very interesting things. This is the first time that machine Center organizes a trip so large (25 people). In fact, we have been the largest group of all retailers internationally.

Lead customers to Japan is a high cost but I think it is worthwhile to ensure that our customers can confirm the power of Okuma in Japan, what is behind the Maqcenter machine and see the latest operation. I hope that you liked and they are as happy as we.