Horn Technology Days event showcases company growth

More than 3,000 visitors toured Horn’s Tübingen, Germany, manufacturing facility during Technology Days.

Paul Horn GmbH in Tübingen, Germany, provided “A glimpse into the future”—the theme for Horn Technology Days 2017—to over 3,000 visitors from around the globe. Guests toured plants where Horn’s 120,000 standard products and its custom high-precision tools and cutting accessories are produced.

Eight application-specific technical presentations were offered in German, English, French, Italian, and Turkish. Topics included micromachining using lathes, high-feed milling cutters for cost-effective titanium machining, achieving perfect gear teeth, and trends in grooving and parting off (see the article “Part Ways With Grooving and Parting Problems” based on Horn Application/Sales Engineer Ken Hamming’s presentation in the June issue of Canadian Metalworking or on the CM website at www.canadianmetalworking.com).

Managing Director Lothar Horn said, “We don’t see our Technology Days as a promotional event. We want to engage with our customers in order to advance technology, innovate, and pool our knowledge. This is also why the presentations were application-specific rather than product-specific.”

Plant 2 on the Tübingen campus was completed in 2016, adding 20,000 sq. m of production space dedicated to toolholder production, the coating department, and highly automated logistics. A 4,500-sq.-m administration building was also added last year. The two additions represent an investment of over CDN$105 million. The additional space allows room for further expansion and will provide a home for the recently ordered 50 grinding machines that will join the 450 already in production in Horn’s Germany plants.

Educating the next-generation workforce is also a priority. Sixty apprentices currently work with the company to learn the skills they need to become industrial mechanics. Each year 15 young people complete the four-year program and 15 more begin. Along with the commitment to providing technical training, the company has dedicated 1,200 sq. m and machines with current technologies to the program.

Horn credited the company’s ability to develop products to increase production efficiency and continue its growth to the dedication, technical expertise, and continuing education of its employees. The company’s global workforce numbers 1,300 with 930 located in the Tübingen and Gomaringen, Germany, facilities. In addition to Germany, production plants are located in England, Italy, Czech Republic, and the U.S. In the last four years two new Horn companies have started operations in Mexico and China.

A recently purchased building in the U.S. will triple the size of Horn USA Inc. in Franklin, Tenn., where about 50 per cent of the tools sold in North America are currently manufactured.

Jason Farthing, technical sales and marketing for Horn USA, said, “The new facility will allow Horn USA to expand the range of Horn products manufactured in Franklin, reduce delivery times, and better serve our growing customer base with an expanded training center.”