ICEM DDN Customer Testimonials
The Utescheny Group—Specialist in PlasticParts
Anyone who drives a VW, Audi, or Skoda is constantly in contact with products from theUtescheny group from Zaisenhausen near Stuttgart. Porsche and Volvo drivers alsooccasionally deal with their products.
Their range of products includes roof grips, door grips, sun visors, head restcomponents, and other plastic components for vehicle interiors such as cable leads. Bycontinually refining their processes and products, the mid-sized family firm has startedon a path of expansion, supported by the ICEM family of products.
The Utescheny group in Zaisenhausen of Kraichgau specializes in plastic parts forvehicle motors and interiors. The firm, founded in 1976, has grown from a subsupplier to adirect supplier for many automobile manufacturers and systems suppliers. This growth hasrequired the Utescheny group to open facilities in several locations. In addition to theadministrative and sales office, the headquarters in Zaisenhausen includes the researchand development center (completed in 1994), production and measuring technique as well astool and die design.
The group has been in Sachsen-Anhalt since 1991. In 1992, the group opened an office inBarcelona, Spain, and last year began producing door handles near Madrid. In all, withmore than 50 computer-driven injection molding machines at their facilities, the groupprocesses from 1,800 to 2,000 tons of plastic annually, mainly polypropylene (PP), formsof styrene (ABS), and polyamide (PA). About 3.5 million components leave the Uteschenyfactory each month.
The company has discovered a market niche in the form of its small sun visors, whichare placed between the usual visors at the level of the rear-view mirror. The Uteschenygroup is also an expert in making roof grips, having developed folding grips that can bemoved backwards quietly rather than folding noisily. The firm has earned many honors alongthe way. It received the Q-Award that Audi AG gives to its best supplier, and the Value tothe Customer Award as the Volkswagen group's supplier of the year. Both of these Uteschenyreceived for the third time in a row.
Full problem-solving capability makes short development timelines possible Economical,precise work is paramount for Utescheny and its associates. Product quality and workprocesses are constantly being improved and optimized by using the most up-to-datetechnologies available.
In the mid-80s, Utescheny's engineers and technicians were among the first users toadapt their knowledge of injection molding to the gas-injection technique (GIT). Thismethod enabled Utescheny to manufacture the first one-piece grip guards. During the gasinjection molding process, the mold is filled with molten plastic and a gas, usuallynitrogen. The gas is pressurized to create empty spaces. After the plastic hardens, thegas is allowed to escape. This process has far reaching possibilities for molding bymaking it possible to reduce the weight of products, and to make products harder withoutincreasing their weight. Today, the GIT process is used in manufacturing a wide range ofcomponents.
Because of the automobile industry's rising demand for "Class B" surfaces,notably on visible interior components, Utescheny places great value on high quality aswell as on cost-effective production. "The injection moldings are created with suchquality that no additional steps such as smoothing are necessary. We achieve this aboveall by using ICEM Surf when creating the digital model," states Uwe Luksch, of thedevelopment and construction division. "Manufacturing, which is mostly automated,removal, montage, and finishing on the work benches all place a high demand on the tools,on t |
