Inside Horn: Technology Days 2013 [Photo Gallery]

In Tubingen, Germany, just outside Stuttgart, Horn USA’s parent company plants, Paul Horn GmbH and Horn Hartstoffe GmbH (literally, ‘Horn Hard Materials”) operate state-of-the-art cutting tool and custom tooling facilities that are rarely seen by outsiders.

On June 5 to 7, however, visitors to Horn Technology Days enjoyed a look at the operation during the event.

Technology Days offered eight seminars on subjects from high feed rate machining to customized tool solutions, timed to allow attendees the opportunity to take in multiple talks, as well as plant floor demonstrations on unique applications and a broad range of Horn products.

Over 2,000 visitors from around the world attended the three day event. Many visitors commented on their surprise at the number and variety of products manufactured at the Horn facilities.

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Insert making is a major part of the operations, but tool holding solutions were prominent; Horn uses a major in-house machining department with 5-axis equipment as well as EDM capability. Both production and custom tool holding options are produced in the Tubingen operations.

The overall impression on the Horn operations is one of order.

Work stations are carefully planned and the work flow moves smoothly with little evidence of rework or scrap materials.  Floor space is used efficiently, with wide aisles for movement  of goods and people.

The in-house training facility uses modern equipment and includes some conventional machine tools, consistent with the German philosophy of training a sound background in the basics and the development of “feel” before moving to software-controlled operations.

Company chairman Lothar Horn spoke to journalists at the event, offering a frank discussion of industry challenges, such as raw material costs.

RELATED: Horn Technology Days kick off in Tubingen

“The automotive, medical and hydraulic industries have many possibilities”, declared Horn, who notes that the current industry crisis around spiralling carbide raw material costs has a positive aspect: “carbide prices going up is a good thing. It’s a sign that business is working at a high level.”

Horn noted that exports to the USA are up 10 per cent year over year, and in China, exports are up 25 per cent, “Which is not so bad,” Horn states modestly.

Paul Horn the company is equally pleased, enjoying continuous growth since the company’s founding in 1969. In 2012 the firm launched subsidiaries in Brazil, the Czech Republic, and China.

Horn is represented in 70 countries globally. The company employs 1,150 globally and plans to move to a new building on 2016, doubling the floor area to accommodate higher production levels and new processes.

Horn USA similarly intends to triple production capacity. The US market is the highest growth zone at present for Horn operations.

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Finding skilled workers is as much a problem in Germany as here, and to address it, Horn has partnered with government industrial authorities which resulted in the a pilot project that graduated 14 apprentices in May with a special certificate in cutting tools.

“The project will take five or six years to compete”, says Horn, adding “but it’s worth it for the future. The firm is also developing a university co-op program with eight students, developed with the regional high school’s university training authority. Horn currently lists 20,000 products, “but we can equal this in special tools”, declared Horn.

“Special tools are 50 per cent of our turnover ... we make them on production machines, here in Germany and also in major markets like the US and the UK.”

And the threat of low-cost competition from China?

Lothar Horn states unequivocally, “the quality’s not at the same level today, but they can produce a copy in two weeks to two month’s time... but with 100,000 drawings, it’s not in their interest to copy our products. But when we produce in China it’s a different situation.”