If you want to deliver quality, you have to invest

Gauß & Gärtner GmbH relies on Schröder-folding machine MAKU

User

Small and medium-sized companies are the mainstay of han-dicraft businesses. Quite a few of them are family businesses. Since 2019, the Gauß & Gärtner GmbH has also been part of this traditional group. For the new workshop equipment, the experts for plumbing and roofing relied on machines from Schröder Group in the area of cutting and folding. The motorized MAKU sheet metal folding machine with its powerful POS 2000 Professional software control plays the main role in the day-to-day work http://www.gauss-gaertner.de/.

Success

„We were visiting the exhibition Dach+Holz in Stuttgart in 2020, saw the MAKU and were immediately enthusiastic,“ says Ma-naging Director Steffen Gauß, a master roofer with 33 years of professional experience. „The machine is a universal all-rounder and a worthwhile investment, especially for small tinsmith shops like ours,“ adds co-owner Dominik Gärtner, who as a master roofer and tinsmith combines two master craftsman titles. Uncle and nephew are particularly impressed by the automatic conical bending function. Connectable profiles can be produced quickly, cleanly and extremely precisely.

Time saved. Quality increased.

„Thanks to the MAKU, the work now takes place much more in the workshop, and what used to take a whole morning is now done within 1.5 hours with the machine. With the current shortage of skilled workers, this is a component that should not be neglected. After all, it‘s as if we had one more man in the company,“ says Gauss happily. Quality is another important fact that should not be undere-stimated. With manual production, for example, it is extremely difficult to always produce a wall coping at exactly the same angle. With the MAKU, this is very easy. You reliably get perfect edges. And concial bends are a common occurrence the plumbing industry – be it for attica coverings, wall coverages, roof edge profiles or panels with a slope. “We are craftsmen with heart and passion and always want to deliver optimum quality to our customers. If we can increase quality by making an investment, then we do it,“ Gärtner elaborates. „That‘s also about craftsmen‘s honor.“

Those who do not move, stand.

Another reason for the acquisition of the MAKU from Schröder and the associated entry into automation and digitization was its equipment with the software control POS 2000 Professional. „We don‘t usually produce large batches for commercial properties, but are fully occupied with building renovation and the construction of individual homes, yet we are moving with the times and made a conscious decision to take this step toward automation,“ Gauss relates. „All the work goes faster and easier. We have stored frequently used parts, and the support and guidance provided by the software also makes drawing a pleasant activity. We change angle and leg dimen-sions simply by tapping the touch screen. The software also takes care of the calculations. In the past, we had to calculate the blank cuts beforehand, but now the machine predetermines the cut. Really convenient,“ continues Gauss.

A huge reduction in workload.

„Speaking of convenience,“ Gärtner continues. The display shows all the work steps, such as turning, reversing, etc., for each individual folding process. Mo-reover, the several days of instruction by an expert from the Schröder Group was also excellent. It was then that we first became aware of the full potential of the machine and its software control. From the possibility of simulation and external programming to working out of the CAD data. We are certainly not using all of the machine‘s capacities at the moment, but as of today, the investment has already more than paid off,“ Gärtner concludes before turning his attention to the produc-tion of four connectable profiles with the MAKU together with his uncle. In a few minutes, the carpenter arrives to pick them up. The well-coordinated team carries out its work with routine, the MAKU as the third man also performs outstandingly, the job is completed on time in top quality. This is the custom at Gauss & Gärtner. And this is how it should continue to be in the future.

Machine in operation

MAKU
  •  Folding machine up to 1.5 mm sheet thickness
  • Working length 3200 mm
  • Graphic control POS 2000 Professional
  • Clamping beam stroke 150 mm
  •  Gauge for conical bending
  • Radius function
  • Remote maintenance