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Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) is one of the world leaders in railway equipment and systems. CAF has modernized its Bogie Division with the acquisition of two Zayer gantry milling centers to increase output and flexibility. The Bogie Division has grown from producing 400 units per year to 1400 in just four years. CAF provides integrated solutions for its customers across the railway business, including trains, maintenance, and infrastructure. It has become a major global supplier through expanding its product range and international presence.
Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) is one of the world leaders in railway equipment and systems. CAF has modernized its Bogie Division with the acquisition of two Zayer gantry milling centers to increase output and flexibility. The Bogie Division has grown from producing 400 units per year to 1400 in just four years. CAF provides integrated solutions for its customers across the railway business, including trains, maintenance, and infrastructure. It has become a major global supplier through expanding its product range and international presence.
Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) is one of the world leaders in railway equipment and systems. CAF has modernized its Bogie Division with the acquisition of two Zayer gantry milling centers to increase output and flexibility. The Bogie Division has grown from producing 400 units per year to 1400 in just four years. CAF provides integrated solutions for its customers across the railway business, including trains, maintenance, and infrastructure. It has become a major global supplier through expanding its product range and international presence.
Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) modernises its Bogie Division with two Zayer GPCU 14000‐AR Gantry milling centres
Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF), S.A. is one of
CAF’s order book as at 30 September the world leaders in designing, building, maintaining and supplying
2008 stood at a total of 4,010 million equipment and systems for railway networks. From the very outset, CAF has distinguished itself as being versatile, flexible and Euro, a figure that represents a 21% capable of adapting continuously to customer requirements in all growth on the orders on hand at the fields. same date the year before. A little history Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles came into business in Of current orders, about 50% are headed the mid‐1800s. In 1906, the workshops that were used for for foreign markets. It is clear that the repairing and assembling railcars were reconverted. In 1917, the offices at Beasain were set up with a workforce of 1600 company is steaming full speed ahead. employees whose main mission was to manufacture goods Indeed, in just four years, the Bogie wagons. Between 1927 and 1929, the business was expanded to Division has grown from producing 400 include forging and machining wields and forging axles. In 1954, the company acquired the “Material Móvil y units a year to the present 1400, with Construcciones” plant in Saragossa with its experience in further growth to follow thanks to the manufacturing passenger‐carrying railcars, mainly for acquisition of two Zayer gantry milling metropolitan underground systems. The Beasain factory was expanded between 1958 and 1962 and its equipment updated and units, which provide both increased modernised. output and greater working flexibility. In 1969, a research division was created within CAF. Two years later, in 1971, CAF was merged with the factory acquired in Saragossa. Between 1971 and 1973, the land where the Saragossa plant stood was sold and the business moved out of the city. Between 1980 and 1996, the company achieved several significant milestones.
These were times of crisis and up to then the company’s only customer was RENFE, who stopped investment as a result of economic difficulties, whereupon CAF underwent several years of hardship with temporary suspensions of employment. But the silver lining of this situation was that the company started to look abroad and in 1991 won its first foreign contract in Mexico. After that, other international orders arrived from Hong Kong, Amsterdam, Great Britain … so that the company was revitalised and between 1990 and 1996, several projects were implemented to modernise installations and equipment. Between 1996 and 2000, the On top of that, we add overall company’s international presence was Birth of an Industrial responsibility for the product because, finally consolidated and today CAF is the Holding although we are basically integrators, fifth largest manufacturer of worldwide. With over a century of history and we provide our customers with a In 2004, the first high‐speed train (up confirmed experience, CAF has taken guarantee for the complete unit”. to 250 kph) was delivered, which included significant steps in recent years to become In line with the strategy, the a significant innovation for the domestic a giant in integrated customer service. company holds permanently updated market, namely motorised variable width In fact, since 2005, CAF has been formed certification for its Quality Assurance to enable the car to adapt to different into an industrial holding of over 30 system under ISO 9001 and for its track widths almost instantly. In recent companies that handle all different Environmental Management System years, more high‐speed trains have been aspects of the railway business. “The main under ISO 14,001, as well as certification sold, low‐deck trams have been idea that has guided the CAF management based on European and American developed, high‐speed trains of up to 320 is to gain access to the entire product welding standards. kph are beginning to be developed, as is value chain. At the beginning, we only an in‐house electric engine and a train manufactured the mechanical part of a From 400 to 1400 bogies control system … all of which undoubtedly train; now we produce the electric parts, in 4 years indicates a company with a brilliant future control devices, we provide maintenance Beasain is the only CAF plant wholly ahead of it. … and even run the line itself”. devoted to manufacturing bogies. “In fact, we produce 95% of all orders while the Other interesting facts Full range of products Irun plant produces the remaining 5% as a CAF’s main business lines are: building integrating our own in- way of balancing workloads”. Thus, in just rolling stock; after‐sales service house technology. four years, from 2003 to 2007, output has (maintenance, and spare parts, repairs); Unlike other suppliers in the sector, increased by 350% from 400 to 1400 manufacture of subsystems (traction CAF offers a full range of products with its bogies a year. components and equipment); R+D own in‐house technology: metropolitan The plant is divided into three areas: engineering services, viability studies, underground trains, trams, InterCity and the boilermaking section, the structure at train driving simulators); project high‐speed trains. “Furthermore, we manufacturing section, and the finishing management and financing (metro line provide flexibility and the ability to add section which encompasses machining, renting …) and civil building works out to our customers' requirements a painting and bogie assembly. (initiated in Mexico). cause we can make two trains for any one 30% of the company’s stock capital is client and up to 400 metres for another. in the hands of its employees while 17.7% belongs to several public savings banks in Spain. At present, the CAF group has a workforce of 4891 employees. 2000 employees work at the Beasain plant and 400 people in the Bogie Division.
Committed to horizontal
machine
“One of the first questions to decide,” José Luis explains, “was whether to gear work to a horizontal or vertical machine. Historically at the plant we had always worked with horizontal machines and so a type of culture existed in its favour. Besides, as far as worker ergonomics are concerned, we feel that working on a The two ZAYER GPCU 14000‐AR Gantry milling units have been set up at the CAF Bogie horizontal machine is better”. Division’s machining area the percentage of subcontracting is quite Similarly, during the visits we made to “ high because it is relatively simple work for different leading companies, both which it is easy to control the quality of the manufacturers and users, we discovered The machining and painting sub‐sections finished job.” that many were of the same opinion: they have recently been transferred to this also had decided on a horizontal machine. Division as part of an internal C h o i c e o f n e w m a c h i n e r y So, in principle, the balance was tipped reorganisation programme aimed at When the decision to reorganise bogie towards this option. optimising resources. To create a solid production by transferring all process base, a new workshop has been built and stages to the 03 Division was taken, the Fixed table supplied with new equipment”. inherited technology at the time was not The Bogie Division generally works on The production process commences in the most appropriate. “Machining was 20 different projects, each one with its the boilermaking section where taking place on equipment that was about own rate and requirements. On average, workpieces are cut and machined. 20 years old on bed‐plates that had really to mill a bogie, the machine needs to work Subsequently, they are welded in the become obsolete in terms of speed, between 5 and 10 hours, with a structure section before being machined, performance, and capacity … so it was changeover half way through the process painted and assembled into the final decided to set up a new plant and to and with two ties per workpiece.” So they product. purchase two machines with the latest needed a machine that would provide technology. working flexibility. “The machines the The selection process started about Division was withdrawing had mobile two years ago and involved CAF tables. This meant we were forced to Full mastering of t h e technicians making numerous visits and carry out a series of operations without entire process gathering as much information and data as any added value and which simply CAF is one of the international leaders in possible on which to base their final consumed a lot of valuable time. In order designing, manufacturing, maintaining and decision. As Gorka Gomez, head of Bogie to change over from one work series to supplying equipment and components for Finishing, states: “We considered it was another, we had to stop the machine, railroad networks. And as such, it fully fundamental to gather information from remove the tooling from the table, set up masters its production processes. The leading companies in our sector and other the tooling for the new series and start the Bogie Division performs 50% of all top enterprises that could serve as a process again”. Nowadays, they work machining to maintain process know‐how. reference for us. For this reason, we three shifts in order for machines to “We have an advantage in the visited several production plants both operate the maximum length of time Boilermaking section over possible sub locally and abroad”. possible. A priori, preference was for contracts because we are specialists in our fixed‐table machines. own products. This is special machining Critical factors and other companies that perform a range At CAF, capital expenditure on machinery of tasks are not as competitive as we are. is designed to cover a lengthy time span. In the Structure Manufacturing section, we “We were looking for equipment that was handle all welding because, apart from productive today but also sufficiently being fully up‐to‐date with the know‐how, robust to provide guaranteed performance it is a critical process for the Bogie. in the future at constant production rates,” Reliability rates have to be 100% because if explained Patxi Razquin. “So the capital the train seating is wrong, the mistake expenditure was seen as an internal produces discomfort but if the same project in which, before getting in touch problem arises in the Bogie, it is sure to with possible suppliers, each and every produce an accident. In final assembly, critical factor for the machine and the process had to be defined and stipulated. With his knowledge and expertise, José Luis Ceberio was the person chosen to lead such analysis”.
Machining assessment With these considerations under their wings and with the data gathered from the different visits, CAF decided to ask potential suppliers for a study of machining times. “We chose two types of bogies and all candidates had to present their time assessment studies. The results served as a further criterion on which to base our final choice”. Obviously, the other factor which they took into consideration was the price One of the Zayer milling machines working on a CAF bogie
of the machine. They can all be selected from the control provide a machining time study. Our basic At this stage of the process, ZAYER panel”. guideline is a 70/30 ratio between appeared as the most solid option but at Furthermore, ZAYER developed a machining speed and tooling; depending CAF they wanted to be even surer of their fourth automatic spindle head applicable on the proposals we receive, we choose decision and they asked the Basque for the pendulum for the CAF customised the best option for each project”. manufacturer to perform a machining trial machines and which places Zayer among In this way, CAF is gaining knowledge on three bogies on a production machine the leading companies in the sector on the about different brand names as well as at their plant. “In such a real‐life situation, technological and production level. “On building up loyalty with several suppliers we were able to see the machine's true this line, we also decided to build in because they allocate them the production capacity. The times it achieved were very hydraulic clamps to improve flexibility in of all the trains in a project. It is a win‐win interesting even though there was still tool handling. These clamps are also situation from which both parties benefit. room for improvement, because the controlled by the CNC”. Now, an operation machine was not specifically for the changeover takes 15 minutes, compared to application they had proposed to us”.
the numerous hours we had to spend with A clear future the previous machines. Heavy pressure for environmental Mutual collaboration Another improvement they included respect exerted by society at large At the end of their deliberation process, was a centralised installation to collect and throughout the developed world has led to CAF opted for the proposal made by ZAYER remove shavings. “Although in our a boom in the use of public transport and purchased two GPCU 14000‐AR gantry business we don't generate a large volume generally and especially of the so‐called milling centres. of shavings, the operator does have to ‘clean’ means of transport (railways). “Our “And thanks to Jose Luis’ work with remove them manually and this is a non‐ prospects for growth are very good.” regard to machining strategies, we productive time that we cannot afford. “We have ongoing projects for proposed a series of improvements to the Furthermore, the machines can work with customers throughout the world. machine which Zayer carried out for us,” inner and outer air, taladrine and micro Therefore, we understand that in the more Patxi Razquin remarks. lubrication cooling, all of which is selected or less near future, we need to renew the ”We decided to work with a fixed from the CNC”. boilermaking section, probably to include a pendulum table,” José Luis explains. “so couple of machines. In the machining that when the machine is working on one Same policy for tool section, when we have further data about side, the operator can set up the tooling for another reference on the other side, selection the performance of the two machines Once the machinery had been already acquired, we shall study the i.e. he so that the machine can work updated, it needed to be fitted with possibility of purchasing a third one. And independently of the operator. As a suitable tooling. “In general terms, about to continue with our business policy of novelty, we introduced a system of tooling 15% of the value of a machine has to be mastering the entire process, given that at setup on tables outside the machine. The invested in its equipment (tooling and present all rocking sleeper machining is pendulum has five different positions: full tools). The strategy we follow in this subcontracted, we are analysing the 15 metre table, three working positions, respect is similar. When we are faced with possibility of doing part of the production two working positions, a double table and a new project, we contact the main brand internally ourselves”. a single table on either side i.e. two plus one and one plus two. suppliers on the market and ask them to