HOW COMPANIES IN YOUR COUNTRY USE HAAS MACHINES TO IMPROVE THEIR EFFECTIVENESS

GK Kontakt where motorsport lovers manufacture for the automotive industry - interview with Gábor Kéri

GK Kontakt Kft. works with metalworking and component production in its nearly 500 m2 factory facility in Budapest, where they work exclusively with Haas machines. The interesting thing about the company is that it delivers parts to the automotive industry exclusively, which is not a coincidence, as the founder and owner Gábor Kéri also enjoys spending his free time in this field. The company managed to maintain a family atmosphere even within the highest quality device manufacturing environment. Gábor and his wife are business associates, and have been working together since the beginning, and their little daughter is almost born into the joint venture.

CNCMedia: Before we get into anything, let me ask you something. What is a racing car doing in the factory?

Gábor Kéri: This is one of my hobbies. I am a big fan of motor racing, I am interested in the Hungarian rally. I go to races, and there is a team where I also take part in the development of the car. We manufacture a lot of parts for them, improve the chassis, the drive, etc.

CNCMedia: Then we can say that you are a happy person, because your job is also your hobby?

G.K.: Yes, that’s exactly right. Perhaps this could even be enhanced by making motor racing engine control tools, but I can still say that I am very happy to work in the automotive industry.

CNCMedia: Which started earlier? Commitment to cars or to work?

G.K.: Actually, both date back to my childhood. My father was a lathe operator, I loved to walk into his workplace, and that’s when my experience with metalworking began. Of course, I also loved cars as a child.

CNCMedia: What industries do you supply to, and what exactly are you engaged in?

G.K.: We manufacture for the automotive industry exclusively. The backbone of our production portfolio is provided by the tools needed to manufacture the engine controllers of internal combustion engines. So we manufacture the tools and devices used to manufacture the engine control electronics. In addition we satisfy the demand for spare and wear parts generated during production. This is our main product range, but obviously, we also manufacture other products related to car electronics, such as shunting control, but we manufacture practically everything that may be needed in a car: windows, ventilation, windscreen wipers, etc. We also manufacture components for the electronics of these functions.

CNCMedia: What materials do you process?

G.K.: In terms of material, we use aluminum, stainless steel, and regular carbon steel. There is nothing special about this. Perhaps what may be interesting here is that we use either the simplest, cheapest, and most regular steel for our products, the S235, or a nickel alloy that is hard to get and very expensive, practically these two extremes.

CNCMedia: As I see it, you work almost exclusively with Haas machines. Can you tell us why they were chosen?

G.K.: Usually there is a consensus that Haas machines are good value for money, but I think that’s an oversimplification and inadequate explanation. It’s a bit like saying “it’s good for so much money,” although I don’t think that it is so. The dealer at the time helped a lot in buying the first machine, and it was very good to work with them later. Over the years, we have been in contact with two salespeople, both of whom were previously service personnel. So I can say that they are completely honest with me, we always understood each other, we could talk about the details, the specification. This has always been very important in our communication.

We bought the first Haas machine in 2010; later, it became one more, and this clearly set the tone for further improvements. When buying any additional machines, the main consideration was to have everything uniform and homogeneous, to stay with this brand. I could best illustrate the reason for this with a car analogy: when I drive my own car, I know everything in it, how it works, but even though I can drive, when I drive my wife’s car, everything is a little different, not so smooth. Somehow, it is the same with the machines we work with. We use the same software for each, the softwares are also ready. If something needs to be transferred from one machine to another, it can be handled seamlessly if the machines are the same. Our associates can also switch between machines more easily, if they all work the same way. Ergonomic considerations were paramount when buying all the machines. In fact, I now have an idea that in addition to sticking to the brand, it would be good to only work with VF-3s, even though we also have a VF-4 machine.

CNCMedia: What machines are you working with exactly, and when was the latest purchase?

G.K.: We currently have 8 Haas machines, 6 of which are VF-3, one is VF-2, and one is VF-4. The last investment was in March 2020.

CNCMedia: Not many companies can say of themselves that they made such a value investment in March 2020.

G.K.: It is true that we put the machine to work in March, but the funding had already been prepared earlier. Aside from that, indeed, when it was taken, I had an idea that it was not certain that the timing was best. We didn’t know what the economic consequences of the virus situation would be, but luckily, I saw that our activities had no significant impact.

CNCMedia: What is your experience with the machines?

G.K: We have had Haas machines for 10 years, but that doesn’t mean we've only worked with these 8 machines over the years, as you can see here. We also buy and sell machines continuously, so we have bought about 12 to 14 machines in total in the last 10 years. We treat it like cars: we replace them every 4 to 5 years, even without any particular reason. We have 4-year leasing contracts, and during this 4 years, we will use the machine for about 4,000-6,000 operating hours, which in my experience they take without any problem. It is my own decision that we are constantly renewing our fleet, not because of any breakdowns.

CNCMedia: Do you service the machines yourself, or do you use Haas?

G.K.: We only call the Haas factory service when any problems arise, and only they service the machines. We have a very good relationship; they always work very fast, and they are flexible. It is true that this includes the fact that we also try to assist their work with accurate information. When they arrive, we communicate exactly what we learned about the defect, or if a machine is in high demand due to futures production, or if we can do without the defective machine for a few days, so they always optimize the repair according to the situation.

CNCMedia: This new site is very nice, what ideas guided the design? What impression did you want to make on someone who enters the plant?

G.K.: On the one hand, I wanted to set a good example of how a business environment can be beautifully designed and maintained. I also consider it important for customers and suppliers that when they come to us, they see what they see; that a company that can be taken seriously as it appears to them. And for internal employees, it is important to provide them with nice working conditions.

CNCMedia: We hear from many places that it is difficult to plan ahead in the current situation, what are your plans for the future?

G.K.: After the investment in March last year, we can already see that we have outgrown this place, so we are definitely planning to expand the factory area. Cooperation with Haas is stable, and we plan to stay with them in the long run. Now we want to move in the direction of 5-axis machining; we have already taken concrete steps in this direction, so I can say that the development plans for 2021 are in progress.

About GK Kontakt Kft

✔ Haas machine tools:

VM-2, VF-3, VF-3SS (5 pcs), VF-4SS

✔ Products made on Haas machines: Automotive parts, Chemical parts, Pharmaceutical parts

✔ Location: Budapest, Hungary

Find out more about GK Kontakt Kft: www.gkkontakt.hu