Recaro invests in flexibility and speed

With the inauguration of the new punch/laser unit for sheet metal structures, the modification of the pre-production department is completed. “We invested roughly 1.5 million Euros in the punch/laser machine in order to further increase our competitiveness,” says Dr. Mark Hiller, Chief Executive Officer of Recaro Aircraft Seating. “We are not only ensuring speed and flexibility in the product development process but are also providing a clear signal for the Schwaebisch Hall location.”

Component production, which manufactures highly complex parts in metal and plastics, has continuously evolved into a “Center of Excellence” since 2008. Overall, Recaro Aircraft Seating has invested three million Euros in the development of the department over the past four years. “Through the expansion of our pre-production, we have made ourselves fit for the future,” explains Joachim Ley, Recaro Vice President Supply Chain. “Thanks to optimized material flows, we can produce parts faster and, for example, implement short-term change requests for clients more easily. This has a positive effect on lead times – and thus also on the delivery performance of Recaro.” With this new laser unit productivity is improving by up to 20 percent. Moreover, through the redesign of sheet metal production from individual machines to holistic process chains, Recaro was able to reduce the lead time by up to 50 percent.

The team, which consists of more than 70 employees, is currently producing components such as plastic panels and backrest inserts or structural metal parts such as seat bottom plates, electronic boxes, and all kinds of brackets and lugs for all current Recaro aircraft seat models. Roughly 39,000 different parts are currently available. The department’s customers are the four Recaro production sites in Schwaebisch Hall, Poland, the USA, and China. Production of spare parts for the Recaro Customer Service, especially in the area of plastic parts, is also part of the product portfolio.

“We specialize in small series production of a widely-varied series of complex parts and assemblies. This requires automated manufacturing along with in-depth product knowledge and careful workmanship. The high product quality combined with our fast lead times places us in a market position that is practically unrivaled in terms of flexibility – throughout the global production network of Recaro,” says Joachim Ley. “This makes our department the ideal partner for the Recaro engineering department in Schwaebisch Hall: In the development stage of new products, we can produce very small batches at short notice and cost-effectively. In this way, ourinnovative solutions can be tested and introduced to the market as quickly as possible.”