What convinced them to turn to KNUTH?
Offer: broad machine portfolio for single part and series production, short delivery time
Machines: high reliability, low operating cost
Service: quick support in case of technical questions, minimal waiting times for additional equipment
“Good customer service is very important to me,” said Matome Manenzhe, Managing Director at Ndoukhulu in South Africa. This applies both to his customers as well as to his cooperation with suppliers and service providers. Ndoukhulu Hydraulic and Mining Supplier specializes in reverse engineering, repair and maintenance of hydraulic cylinders and mining machinery. The company is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa’s industrial and innovation center. Here, the company has been manufacturing complete turnkey projects in the field of hydraulics and pneumatics for over 40 years. Ndoukhulu develops custom solutions according to customer specifications and manufactures them based on their engineering expertise and know-how for customers at home and abroad.
“In order to guarantee our customers excellent quality and short delivery times, we wanted to modernize our production, replace old machines and expand the machine fleet,” explained Manenzhe. All workpieces should be manufactured with optimum precision in-house. Furthermore, processes are to be optimized and production capacity increased. For this extensive investment, Manenzhe was looking for an efficient and trusted supplier of machine tools. “Among the suppliers KNUTH stood out for their fast delivery, practical and relevant machine options and excellent price/performance ratio,” he explains.
Since 2020 the workshops of Ndoukhulu utilize nine KNUTH machine tools. Among other things, the company opted for a X.Mill 700 T CNC Vertical Machining Center. Thanks to its CNC control, extensive accessories and many automation possibilities, this machine is ideally suited for a streamlined and cost effective series production. The Plasma Air Pro Plasma Cutting System, which was also selected, impressed with high cutting quality, low operating cost and maximum reliability. “The cutting system was specifically developed for the cost-effective production of single parts and small batches. It has a compact design and is easy to operate,” said Fariseni Ndlovu, Sales Manager at KNUTH Machine Tools South Africa. The CNC box-way lathe NUMTURN 550/1000 is also suitable for a cost-effective flexible single-part and batch production of larger workpieces. This machine features an automatic 8-station tool turret, a standard hydraulic power chuck and the unique Fagor 8055i control for intuitive workshop programming.
Matome Manenzhe is satisfied with his choice, not only in regards to the reliability and high-precision of these machines. “With KNUTH, all I have to do is call and say: ”Hey, I have a problem,” and they send competent people to help us,” he says, praising their complete service offer and excellent customer service. Technical problems are handled effectively and promptly, and waiting times for additional equipment are minimal.
Investing in their own Specialists
In addition, Manenzhe plans to expand their training program in cooperation with KNUTH. The company, which currently employs 22 employees, is committed to technical training and continuing education of skilled workers in the region. “Over time, know-how in the field of engineering has been lost in our country,” said Manenzhe. “We want to change this and are training young people in my hometown on machine tools to rebuild the necessary knowledge and skills. This could significantly reduce the unemployment in this country and develop the local industry in the long term. To achieve this, Manenzhe is planning to build his own shop floor with various KNUTH training machines.
KNUTH Machines in Ndoukhulu’s production processes
• NUMTURN 320 ECO - CNC Lathe
• NUMTURN 550/1000 - CNC Lathe
• UWF 1.1 - Universal Milling Machine
• KSB 32 A - Column Drill Press
• X.Mill 700 T - CNC Vertical Machining Center
• RSM 1500 C - Cylindrical Grinding Machine
• Plasma Air Pro - Plasma Cutting System
• Sinus 330/3000 - Conventional Lathe
• HB 280 B - Semi-Automatic Band Saw
Compact all-in-one solution for complex solutions and powerful 3-axis machining
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