autoregion international - 02/2022

28 set environmental, sustainability and climate protection targets. Retooling and retrofit measures can easily extend the useful life of existing production equipment by an additional 20 - 30 years. Another aspect that is becoming more and more important for GRG and its customers is the increasing automation of production. From the experience of the pandemic and the vulnerability of global supply chains, a growing trend towards localization of production has emerged in many industries. The result is an enormous need for investment in and thus a growing market for the automation of machinery and equipment, aimed on the one hand at making companies competitive in the future vis-à-vis low-wage countries and at the same time at counteracting the shortage of skilled workers. Summary In order to react to such a turbulent environment, it is not only necessary to flexibly meet changing conditions and requirements of the market and in one’s own company, but also to understand the crisis as an opportunity and to actively shape the change. GRG has already adopted this approach at an early stage. As an international mechanical engineering group, GRG, with its headquarters in Lebach/Saarland, has for many years stood for comprehensive and technically complex rebuild solutions with its core competencies of retooling and retrofitting. With its subsidiaries SVQ GmbH and WEMA VOGTLAND Technology GmbH as well as the brands Siepmann, Spicher, SATEG and LaserplusS, GRG has a broad technology portfolio in the areas of machine tools, manufacturing automation and Industry 4.0 as well as welding and laser systems. The Group is thus optimally positioned to break new ground together with its customers and to make existing production systems fit for the challenges of the future. Retooling involves rebuilding existing manufacturing systems to perform new machining tasks or new machining processes. As part of a retrofit, a system is adapted, for example, to new electrical and control technology, or energy or ergonomic requirements. In the last two years, GRG has increasingly focused on converting machine tools previously used in the automotive industry and by its suppliers for the production of combustion engines such that in future they can manufacture components as for example drives, battery housings, etc. for electric and hybrid vehicles. In this way, the Group is making an important contribution to the transition to sustainable and intelligent mobility. At the same time, by reusing and recycling machinery and equipment - instead of energy-intensive new production - GRG enables large quantities of steel and energy to be saved and thus contributes to achieving the Ready to face transformation by retooling of production facilities By Global Retool Group (GRG) There have hardly ever been more turbulent times for the mechanical engineering industry. The transformation in the automotive industry, away from the combustion engine, growing environmental and sustainability requirements, the Corona pandemic with travel restrictions, lockdown and worldwide supply bottlenecks, now the Ukraine war with rapidly rising energy prices and, last but not least, the ongoing shortage of skilled workers. Howmachine building companies can provide positive impetus in these times is demonstrated by the Lebach-based Global Retool Group (GRG). Image: © Global Retool Group Global Retool Group www.global-retool-group.com Share Retrofit of a machining system by GRG sprecialists.

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