TransForm Automotive: ARKU Maschinenbau GmbH
TransForm Automotive
- ARKU CompactFeed press feeding line goes zig-zag for lower material costs
Advanced metal forming
London, Ontario – With its headquarters in Sterling Heights, Michigan, TransForm Automotive (TFA) has its roots in the heart of the automobile capital of the world. TransForm is an advanced metal forming supplier, specializing in transmission components. »Today, you can find our products in nearly every transmission of Ford, General Motors or DaimlerChrysler,« Thomas Meier, Vice President Engineering stated proudly.
TFA offers its customers innovative solutions for the current requirements in the automotive industry. One example is the patented In-Die Spline Forming technology. By utilizing this new process, the specialists from TransForm are able to minimize the material requirements, additional processing and the capital requirements. »The In-Die Spline Forming technology offers our customers many advantages associated with the traditional spline-forming methods,« said Thomas Meier.
- Franck Hirschmann, Vice President Sales of ARKU Coil Systems and Thomas Meier, Vice President Engineering of TransForm Automotive
TransForm has been in business since 1997. Today, the metal forming specialist employs more than 200 people in North America. For TFA, the employees are an essential component in ensuring that companies remain competitive. Continuous improvement programs and Cellular Manufacturing are just two of the many ways that TransForm keeps employees involved to produce better products for better prices. In 2002, TransForm built a new plant in London, Ontario. In 2006, they installed the ARKU Zig-Zag CompactFeed press feeding line there. The line can handle sheet metal strips up to 6.5 mm thick and 15 tons coil weight. But more importantly, the Zig-Zag CompactFeed line saves material. The feeder straightener CompactFeed moves from side-to-side while feeding the material into the 2000 ton press which provides the advantage of nesting the parts. The result is an optimum utilization of the material. »The ARKU Zig-Zag CompactFeed line saves material costs,« explains Thomas Meier. »Especially in the production of round parts, like most of our products.«