Even more dynamic and exact, even stronger and more efficient – since yesterday, seven new and efficient high-precision machines have been officially in operation in Audi’s Toolmaking department. Dr. Frank Dreves, Board of Management Member for Production at AUDI AG, Peter Mosch, Chairman of Audi’s Group Labor Council, and Michael Breme, Head of Toolmaking, inaugurated the new presses and milling machines. The new machines will help to keep toolmaking fit for the future at the site in Ingolstadt.
As the model portfolio of the brand with the four rings is rapidly growing, the Toolmaking department is steadily expanding its capacities. Audi has now invested once again in ultra-modern machinery. Two servo-mechanical testing presses and two hydraulic presses as well as three milling machines are already in use in the Toolmaking department in Ingolstadt. Board of Management Member for Production Dr. Frank Dreves emphasized: “Audi’s goal is to be the number one premium brand. That includes having the best toolmaking in the world. Thanks to its flexibility and precision, its productivity and innovative strengths, our toolmaking occupies a leading position worldwide already today.”
“The new machines are an important investment in the Ingolstadt site and will make a valuable contribution towards safeguarding employment. We have created many ergonomic jobs here. Audi’s toolmaking is an important foundation of our company and of the entire Volkswagen Group,” stated Audi’s Labor Council Chairman, Peter Mosch.
Michael Breme, Head of Toolmaking at Audi, confirmed: “Toolmaking is a core competence of the four rings and is constantly developing further. With the new machines, we will increase our capacities and the quality of our operating resources. In this way, we will be able to realize even more projects in the future – with our own resources – quickly and efficiently.”
The two new servo-mechanical testing presses are particularly impressive. Driven by four motors, they create a pressing force of 2,100 tons, which is equivalent to the weight of more than 1,700 Audi A3 cars. The modern servo drive can simulate the ram curves of all the presses used in series production, and therefore guarantees tool testing under realistic conditions. In this way, the new machines save time and energy.
The new equipment in Audi’s Toolmaking department is completed by three additional milling machines – two large center machines and one large-scale milling machine. The latter can process components up to 4.5 x 2.5 meters in size. Their foundations are made of polymer concrete and are supported on springs. This prevents vibrations nearby from affecting the surface quality of the tools being processed. All three machines process the tools with speeds of up to 24,000 revolutions per minute – extremely dynamically and precisely. With the new machines, the Toolmaking department places great importance on efficiency and resource conservation. Compared to the previous machines, the CO2 emissions of the new ones are reduced by 25 percent.
Audi’s toolmaking occupies a leading position amongst the international competition. This is confirmed by awards such as multiple overall victories in the renowned competition “Excellence in Production” as “Toolmaker of the Year” and the double victory in the Bavarian Quality Prize. Toolmaking has a key position also within the group: It covers the entire chain of sheet-metal production and thus plays a major part in securing the high quality of the car bodies. Furthermore, Audi Toolmaking also supplies other brands of the Volkswagen Group with forming tools and body assemblies.
At the Ingolstadt site alone, Audi Toolmaking currently employs nearly 1,000 people. Another 1,000 Audi employees are at work in the area of toolmaking at the sites in Neckarsulm, Barcelona (Spain), Győr (Hungary) und Beijing (China).