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

Haas success story | SFT Ungarn Kft

SFT Ungarn Kft. manufactures CNC turned and milled fittings and metal structures to the satisfaction of domestic and foreign customers. Combining German quality with Hungarian infrastructure, they established their stable growth, which did not stop in 2020. SFT Ungarn, equipped with modern machinery, performs a complex set of tasks, and as part of their complex services, they also undertake the assembly, post-treatment, and machining of manufactured parts. At the company’s headquarters in Kerekegyház, we talked to the managing director, József Szabó, about the history of their foundation, the past, the present, and the possibilities for the future.

CNCMedia: I searched for you on the internet as SFT Spannsysteme, but I could hardly find any information about you. What is the reason for this, and how do customers find you?

József Szabó: The company name has just changed, we already operate under the name SFT Ungarn Kft. A new website has also been added, which provides a lot more information about us. Previously, we simply found the partner companies, we had just as many orders as we could handle, there was no need for the online presence of the company. Hungarian customers are often local, and they either have heard of us or we were recommended to them. There were also some who found us through Haas.

CNCMedia: Would you introduce the company in a few words? How did your story begin?

J.Sz.: As you mentioned, we were established in 2011 as SFT Spannsysteme Kft. The roots go back to Germany: my partner and I strengthened the team of SFT Spannsysteme GmbH, where we worked as a CNC milling machinist and CNC programmer. Commuting between the two countries was less and less tolerable, so we had to find a solution. This is how the idea came to be a company based in Hungary. We rented this workshop, got a machine from Germany, and started production. Later we got two more machines, but in practice, we financed our operation until we produced its value. This went on until 2013, that is, for two years, so we worked and produced with these 3 machines.

CNCMedia: How many machines do you currently work with?
J.Sz.: We are currently working with 12 machines, 8 of which are Haas, so we can say that the friendship with the company is great.

CNCMedia: When did you start working with Haas machines, and why did you choose them?

J.Sz.: The collaboration started in 2013. Then we received an order that required capacity expansion. We needed a machine that was both productive and affordable. That was when we purchased two Haas four-axis vertical milling machines. Then another two, so that we could produce the ordered quantity. The machines worked non-stop, in three shifts, also on Saturdays and Sundays, and we were very satisfied with the performance.

CNCMedia: And what is your experience since that time? Have you been satisfied with the machines ever since?

J.Sz.: We only have good experiences, we really like working with them. They are precise, and there is no problem with them, even though they are constantly in operation. Their stability and structural design are a bit different, but they can also work well from a technical point of view, and they are unbeatable in terms of value for money. If any problems arose, they were here within 24 hours to assess the options, immediately ordered the necessary parts, and fixed the problem as soon as possible. Machines purchased in 2013 worked virtually 24 hours a day in the first 3 years, but there were no particular problems with them that would have caused a longer downtime.

CNCMedia: How did you finance the machines?

J.Sz.: We bought them through a leasing company; we had a contact person through whom we made the purchases. We also closed the last financing last August, so we have virtually no loans now.

CNCMedia: As I see it, not only do you work with a milling machine, you also have several lathes. Why did you start expanding the plant?

J.Sz.: Initially, the two milling machines mentioned were enough, but we received more and more orders that would have required a lathe. We initially handed them out to a partner company, but there was always a problem. Either we weren’t happy with the result, or they weren’t ready in time. That’s when it came up to expand the plant. Since Haas milling machines have already proven themselves, it was obvious to take the lathes from them as well. We bought two driven tool Y-axis lathes, with which we were not disappointed.

CNCMedia: In general, what kind of work can you undertake, and what is your capacity?

J.Sz.: We can undertake almost anything – even custom production. We had a one-piece order, and we also produced an injection molding machine, which is not quite central to our main profile. We basically make parts, and we don’t always see the end result. We have a partner in Germany who manufactures business equipment and supplies it to well-known multinational food chains, for which they need parts. These are orders of tens of thousands of pieces, but there are some that are 1000 pieces, and some that are only 400 pieces. We also manufacture for several companies, but 80% for German partners. We have customers that we have been manufacturing for since the beginning, and since 2013, we provide them continually. We started from 80,000 pieces a year, which later became 300,000 pieces a year. Now we deliver less to them, but in the meantime, we started providing to others as well. So we can solve essentially anything, in any quantity. We have no limits.

We code in SolidCAM and save the completed codes to SOLIDWORKS. If we have to manufacture the same part on another machine, we just select the other machine, we create an editing program, which we put on the new machine, so that the production can continue. We have been using SolidCAM since the beginning, we brought it with us from Germany. It has happened that when there was no capacity for production, they just sent the software and all the materials and we took over the production here. This allowed us to organize production flexibly.

CNCMedia: Digitization has come up more and more often in recent years. Do you think it is a good idea to network machines, and manage and control production through a central server?

J.Sz.: I don’t feel the need for that yet. This can also be due to the amount of work, but now I see we can see the orders anyway, and we can work well, so I don't see the need to connect the machines. All Haas machines work by uploading the program to the machine via a USB port. For us, this is optimal for the time being. We have also thought about purchasing 5-axis machines, but for the time being, we do not have any kind of work that would justify buying it.

CNCMedia: How many workers do you have now? And is it easy to recruit new workers?

J.Sz.: We employ 14 workers currently, in two shifts. If the amount of work requires it, we work 3 shifts. Fortunately, there are new staff as well, there are three young people who have recently completed their studies. They come in from nearby to work, and it seems like they are interested in what
they are doing. We are constantly trying to train the colleagues. Complex knowledge is worth a lot, some people can write a program on a lathe machine and at the same time, they also manufacture the part and know the tools well.

CNCMedia: As an owner, how involved are you in everyday work processes?

J.Sz.: Of course, our partner in Germany cannot be here, but with my partner from Hungary, we are actively present. We don’t usually work in one shift, but we alternate shifts, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. For example, I like this part much more, when I can stand by the machine as opposed to do office work.

CNCMedia: How do you see your last year? What impact has 2020 had on you?

J.Sz.: We have long-term assignments, a framework for an annual time interval. In this case, it is guaranteed that the ordered parts will be received. The order is broken down into smaller items, e.g., 2-3 thousand pieces at a time, so they give continuous work.

Ups and downs occurred nonetheless, but operation remained relatively predictable, with no major fluctuations. There was a surge in September and October, we had lots of orders, and the end of the year is typically such that everyone suddenly appears in December. In general, there are many more ad-hoc inquiries arriving lately, typically smaller batch orders. Fortunately, these are not usually a problem either, we can handle the changing amount of work flexibly.

CNCMedia: What are your plans for the future? Where else can you improve?

J.Sz.: A site development has been planned for years. We have been renting this workshop since 2011, but we have outgrown it by now. Now I feel like we can move on and develop if we buy or build a bigger one. We are thinking of a greenfield investment, as there is a great location nearby. We want our own facility where we can set up a separate workshop, office, locker room, dining room, meeting room, etc. We have a family-like atmosphere, but we feel cramped sometimes.

CNCMedia: So are you looking positively to the future? After such a year, few companies are optimistic.

J.Sz.: We have orders, and luckily we didn’t have to let anyone go from the staff.
 There are other types of tasks to be solved than before, we adapt flexibly. Compared to previous years, when we had so many orders, the challenge was to assure production on time, we now strive to arrange work and production for every day. As long as we have orders, we can build.

About SFT Ungarn Kft

✔ Haas machine tools:

✔ Products made on Haas machines: food industry components, SFT workpiece gripping components (parts), small, medium, and large series parts for several areas

✔ Location: Kerekegyház, Hungary

Find out more about SFT Ungarn Kft:  www.sft-ungarn.hu   

SFT Ungarn Kft. CNC lathe hall