Nordhausen - When the truck with the two new showpieces for the production of plant engineering arrived on April 19, the employees of the plant engineering business unit were delighted. The production team had to wait a long time for the new technology, the acquisition of which represents an enormous step forward for the production of plant engineering. With the T-Drill TEC-220 necking machine and the F-400 flanging machine, Schachtbau's plant engineers can now produce a large proportion of the molded parts themselves, as well as flanging the pipe ends. This investment in plant technology will henceforth make the production of pipelines much more flexible and raise the performance level. Apart from Schachtbau Nordhausen, there are only a few other suppliers in Germany who can offer these new possibilities for the in-house production of pipelines for plants such as pumping stations, water treatment plants and sewage treatment plants. Kay Exel, head of plant engineering, expects this to give the company a respectable lead over its competitors.

The necking machine now enables shaft builders to independently produce molded parts such as T-pieces or distribution beams. As a result, it is no longer necessary to buy in the vast majority of molded parts. In addition to the purchasing costs, the self-drawn fittings also reduce the working time and material costs that were previously incurred for welding the fittings to the pipes. Of course, producing these fittings in-house also makes the company less dependent on supply chains and delivery times. This should save an average of around 30% in material costs per project in the future.

It took a good two weeks to assemble the two innovative machines, for which space first had to be created even in the spacious production hall. Afterwards, four employees will be instructed in the operation of the machines, because even these ultra-modern devices cannot function entirely without human intervention. From June, the first molded parts and piping components for the Mörfelden-Walldorf wastewater treatment plant project will be manufactured in the production shop.