Industrial Talk is onsite at FABTECH 23 and talking to Gurinder Singh and Chris McMahon, Sales Managers at Schuler North America about "The incredible impact of industrial press and automation in manufacturing". Here are some of the key takeaways from our conversation:
Scott MacKenzie introduces the podcast and welcomes listeners to Fabtech in Chicago, Illinois.
Scott interviews Chris McMahon and Gurinder of Schuler about their experiences in the industry and upcoming conferences.
Schuler presses and their applications in various industries.2:33
Scott MacKenzie and Speaker 3 discuss Schuler, a company that has been in the sheet metal forming industry for 183 years, with Gurinder sharing their 13-year experience working with the company.
Schuler is a large corporation with a global presence, known for manufacturing presses used in coin minting and automotive seating.
Press technology and solutions at Fabtech show.6:11
Gurinder discussed the changes in the industry over the past 13 years, including the shift from labor-intensive manufacturing to automation, with 60% of presses worldwide now being automated.
Chris also highlighted the improvement in steel quality, with the use of nodular cast iron in some presses, resulting in better tolerances and precision machining.
Schuler provides hydroforming solutions for various industries, including automotive and non-automotive.
Schuler's hydroforming process involves using a liquid mandrel to shape and strengthen tubular materials.
Schuler and other companies are constantly innovating to meet market demands, investing in research and development to improve products and processes.
Speakers discussed the importance of user communities in driving innovation, sharing knowledge and solutions to improve products and processes.
Gurinder Singh highlights the importance of innovation in the automotive industry, particularly in the use of lighter materials for increased mileage.
Scott MacKenzie expresses amazement at the complexity of the industry and encourages young people to learn more about it.
Chris McMahon and Scott MacKenzie discuss the importance of connecting with industry professionals at FABTECH.
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Welcome to the industrial talk podcast with Scott Mackenzie. Scott is a passionate industry professional dedicated to transferring cutting-edge industry focused innovations and trends while highlighting the men and women who keep the world moving. So put on your hard hat, grab your work boots, and let's go Alright,
01:14
events that are coming up in:
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Good. How are you?
02:34
No, no complain? I don't want to complain. I don't think Grinda real want to hear me complain. Nope. Whatever. Yeah. You guys having a good conference? We are. We are?
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Yes, indeed.
02:48
What makes it good? What what do you think makes it good? Because I've got my idea, but I'm not going to sit there and feed you. That's
02:55
a great question. I put traffic but traffic leads. I mean, the question of a trade show. Are you conspicuous by your absence? Did you get the business because you were there? Would you have the business anyway? So I would say for traffic for me i Ababa, Uganda. What's a good show? Oh, for
03:12
me, it's like exchanging technology. Knowledge. Yeah, there's a lot of things to learn about people.
03:22
Yeah. It changes so rapidly. You know, it's just one of those things where we were here last year. We're not here. Yeah, it was in Atlanta last year. And just in one year, it's one of those things where you go, wow, they're they're doing that now. Oh, that's, that's cool. That's a neat little technology. Anyway, that's what I've seen. Before we get into this conversation about Schuler, give us a little background go into your first.
03:48
Okay, so I've been working with Schuler for around 13 years.
03:57
Let's I started at five.
04:01
Oh, that's, that's really right. So but as compared to Sure, I'm just 13 years old, and it is 183 years old. So that's, that's a lot. And they have been in to the sheet metal forming. Supplying presses automation to the automotive tier ones, 14 companies worldwide.
04:23
I'm always I'm always dumbfounded. It happens every time I come to an event like this. And what it is, is that you see sort of in a very consolidated, it's a big, it's Don't get me it's a big venue. But all together you see the amount of economy that just it's just buzzing and people doing some great things and you just don't know until you walk up and down you go. Really? Somebody's doing that. Yep, that's important. I didn't know that. And it is so important. Chris, give us background.
04:57
Chris, just joined Schuler coming up on a year. Before that, and my background was in metal stamping wireform seating automotive seating, calling on the magnet at seating seating. Really? Yeah, yeah, seat frame seat cushions, seat backs. Exactly. There it is. And I bet you didn't know that 20 million head restraints are made in North America alone. For head restraint restraints. Yeah, CNC bent tubes, CNC bent tubes and chrome tubes. So with the company I was with, we were 20% market share in that and that that segment would have thunk it. No.
05:33
So again, like the chairs were sitting on and going, Okay, I've seen people bend these things, you know, it's just happened and informative. All right, let's get into the conversation. And we're going to start with you gurvinder. Tell us a little bit about just Schuler in general, from a company perspective.
05:50
I would say it's, it's a really large corporation, we are as good as the largest manufacturer of the presses worldwide, present in around 40 countries. Oh, the good part is all the coins that we are using in our pockets, they are minted on Schuler presses,
06:06
see, sees things like that. I didn't know that just true. Do you need need the press? Oh, gosh. How did Chris How do you we there's a lot of press people in this room? And, and for me? How do I tell the difference between? That's a pretty cool looking press, because it's all cool looking. Right? Versus that's a cool look and press it? How do you how do you differentiate that? That that product?
06:36
I'm still learning myself? It's a great question in that, like I said, just joined Schuler about a year ago. So I'd have to divert a Gryffindor I mean, more the the elder person with the company. So I'm gonna, I'm still learning I'd like to know, I'd like to know myself. So,
06:49
Joe, over to you. How do you how do you differentiate? I mean, there's press, you've seen the presses? You've walked by the presses? Big, small in between? The how, how does one? I don't know how, oh, there are a lot
07:03
of parameters when you consider and you walk into a shop floor when you see these presses. So it all depends what exactly the customer or the client intends to manufacture. Based on that, then you have the parameters, like looking at the the tolerances that you can achieve the stamping, that you're going to do the material, the operational people, whether you're going to do it manually? Or are you going to use any automation anywhere? So there are a lot of parameters which come into the plate when you're looking at a press.
07:34
See. But But then again, it's because I'm a professional, you know, manufacturing, I would know these things. Yes. But in your 13 years, you must have seen some massive changes that have been taking place within your industry. Oh, yes. Give me Give us an example of some of the changes that that are just one of
07:58
the major things what I foresee or have seen in the last 13 years. That was earlier, it was completely labor intensive. So people had to put in whatever manufacturing you're doing. So for example, take a sheet metal forming, you used to the workers used to put the sheet metal from into a blank form into the press, take it out again, now, which is almost more than 60% of the presses worldwide are being automated. So there are robots all around, they are doing the job what it's much more faster now, you can get better productivity from your presses, which was indeed very less as compared to what we are today
08:37
is Zerah an improved quality. And yeah, Cindy, because it has to your tighter tolerances to tolerances yet
08:47
the steel has changed. So earlier, I mean people used to manufacture it through the cast iron route. Most of the large breasts equipments like the bed or the crown, if you see they were costed. So now people are also moving to nodular cast iron for a few of the presses. So which gives you better steel quality, better tolerances. So, if you are machining these presses out with precise machining, then you have got got much more or less tolerances to achieve on these presses. See,
09:19
Chris, as a relatively new individual to Schuler what, what has been some of that that impactful? You're saying? Oh my gosh, that's, that's pretty cool. Oh my gosh, I didn't know what to share with us a little bit of your insights. And then
09:32
people with the company for:
09:57
Yeah, I what what Other solutions, does Shuler provide other than just press is there other solutions that Schuler provides automation.
10:09
One of the other things go ahead automation and one of the things that may know my role was Schuler as hydroforming. So we provide hydroforming process called render but if you don't want to buy for us, we can provide you with hydraform parts so hitches roof rails a pillars B pillars, structural members of the automotive and non automotive industry.
10:31
Explain for the listeners out there when you say hydrofluoric give us that specifically
10:35
tubular hydroforming. So you have a to be loaded into a dye, you seal the ends and you fill it with water using a liquid, effectively a liquid mandrel. So, a lot of your if your oven handles your side by side refrigerator handles many years ago, we're done with hydroforming you can have some amount of expansion on the ends typically, unfortunately, that a lot of that's gone the way of roll formers and we see a lot of that here today at Fabtech. But a lot of your hitches your trailer hitches are hydraform. So you loaded the press back not know that you can press bin, you can add shape, you can add strength, pierce a couple holes, so it's more of a mole process, but it is goes into stamping, a stamping for us. So that's one of the unique solutions. We're niche at Schuler in Canton, Michigan, in the Detroit area, we offer hydroponic production. And that's fine. I didn't I didn't know that. That's thank you for asking that a lot of people do know
11:28
that. That is something else. I really appreciate the explanation. gurvinder Where do you see some of the, I mean, sure has to be in the world of innovation, you can't, especially today, he can't let rest on your laurels. We got a great name. And we're you know, you have to constantly look at other ways of responding to the market and what the market demands. What are some of the things that are taking place with ensure that they're sort of looking down the road a little bit, Schuler
12:02
multiplied by:
12:48
That's a great question. And this is going to be going to Ukraine did Is there a sort of a user community, because based off of what Grinda was saying, which is pretty cool, hey, we're gonna take what what the user who's out there in the field doing what the user does, and be able to sort of put that into there's got to be this sort of process of evaluating? Yeah, that's good. That that, that that? Is that does that exist? Oh, absolutely.
13:17
:
13:43
Yeah, one of the things that always dazzles me is also the speed of that innovation, the speed of the how things change and the demands of the market, saying hey, hey, we want an even tighter tolerances. We want this and the other thing and and and Schuler and others, you're competing for that, that. That innovation, you're just gonna you're listening, you got to I think that that's there's a lot of energy there. Go into where do you see going? Like if you were a future, what do you think the next next, you know, shoe to drop from a from a technology innovation component? Where do you see it going? Outside of the automation, which is, you know, it's gonna continue to be that way?
14:26
Oh, yes. A couple of things. You know that most of the pie is bigger than I talk about the passenger cars. So, EVs are coming in. Yeah. So the engine completely is going off, but it is it is going to take time some decades or some centuries, I would say. But answering your question, it's like I mean, we are looking for more mileage. So that means lighter weight materials that come again. So you have to work with earlier say a couple of years back we were only working with steel A different type of Steel's now it's aluminum. Some of the people are also experimenting with magnesium. Okay. Oh, yeah, it's much lighter than aluminum. So people are doing it, though they're finding I mean, oh, yes, then the lighter the Wakil, they're more mileage you can get onto your car.
15:20
There's just so much going on out there. I just, I'm so amazed that I think it would be important for young people to come and see what goes on, and just just sort of soak it up just to recognize that pretty much everything is made by somebody. And and requires that that ability to be able to do it. I don't know, you guys. You guys are rock rock stars. And my point, how does how do they get a hold of you? Kirinda? If they say, Hey, I want to know more. How does somebody get a hold of you? So
15:57
they ask they get interested first? And then they ask you? Oh, okay, tell us more. Tell us more about what exactly shooter is doing. And then they indeed get you into it. And then you have to explain more. Yeah. How
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do they get ahold of you? What would be the best way? Are you out on LinkedIn? Oh,
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yes, I am search free on LinkedIn by the name Grinda. Singh.
16:18
And how many? How many Grinda things are out there. Oh, you can search
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me by going there saying Schuler Incorporated.
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Yeah. I was gonna say I'm sure there's a few out there. Oh, yes. And you Chris, how do I get a hold of you
16:32
on LinkedIn? Chris McMahon just like anything. Remember, Sunday night show and I always check us out at jeweler group.com Very good,
16:39
man. All right. We're gonna have all the contact information for these two gents out on industrial talk. So fear not, you need to reach out to these two and connect because they're doing some great things that Shuler. Alright, we are broadcasting once again from Fabtech here in Chicago, Illinois, a great event put that on your calendar for next year. It's gonna be in Orlando here in the United States. October 15. Through the 17th. All there? Yes. Make it happen, Captain. All right, we're gonna wrap it up on the other side. Thank you for joining industrial talk, we will be right back.
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You're listening to the industrial talk Podcast Network.
17:20
Isn't it amazing? It's an amazing what services and solutions exist out there in the world of industry. Never. I never get bored. Schuler is a great company presses. And of course team Gurinder. And Chris absolutely nailed it in this conversation. Now all of a sudden, I just look around and I think of all of the, the items we have that we just take for granted that are produced by pressing machines like everything is just so much it goes on and, and I love Fabtech just because of the reason for just seeing all of this stuff in action go out to Fabtech it's a must although all the contact information for these two jets will be out in industrial talk.com All right. Again, it is a platform industrial talk is a platform that is dedicated to industrial professionals and your voice needs to be heard. Go out to industrial talk.com And up at the top. You could say subscribe, but then you'll get in touch with me or you want to collaborate. Let's make it happen. Make it happen because your voice needs to be heard. We're gonna have another great conversation shortly.
