34 Interview 360° Joining Techno- logy in dialogue Unternehmen & Trends interviewing Frank Wotawa, Global Sales Director with the Böllhoff Group Hello and welcome to our Editorial Department, Mr Wotawa. We are looking forward to talking to you as well as to exciting information about the 360° Joining Technology by Böllhoff. Would you like to briefly introduce yourself? Of course. My name is Frank Wotawa, I am 55 years old and married with two children. For 20 years I have been working at the Böllhoff company. I am in charge of the Sales Department. As the Global Sales Director I am responsible for the project management, after-sales and inside sales. In your article you write about the cooperation with KUKA and a new joint product: ready2_rivet. What is ready2_rivet? Ready2_rivet is the intelligent combination of two technologies in one product. In close cooperation with KUKA, we have developed an automated and flexible turnkey solution. The result: harmonised, pre-configured systems which require only little preparation and are easy to operate. That sounds interesting. How was the idea to ready2_rivet born? For some time, Böllhoff had been working on the topic of product differentiation. Within this context, we had specifically examined the Blue Ocean Strategy. It basically describes the fusion of two ideas (functions) in one product as well as the resulting differentiation (USP). What made you choose KUKA as a partner? We chose KUKA because they had been and still are a German and internationally oriented project partner and because we had had positive experience with conventional cooperation/project work. For quite some time, KUKA had been working on further ready2_projects for the bonding and painting sector. The foundation stone as well as a concerted philosophy therefore already existed. What are the advantages of ready2_rivet for the customer? That is really simple: apart from the matching self-pierce riveting technology, the customer benefits from easy installation and commissioning, from optimised planning processes and an improved energy balance (green production). Furthermore, the ready2_rivet package contributes to an improved availability and performance of the overall system. What are the primary markets and customers for you to consider? The focus is on customers with a great interest in complete offers and services. Those are to be found rather among start-ups and in the EV mobility industry, particularly in module manufacturing. Due to shorter project durations, ready2_install is definitely number 1. However, also established OEM's are increasingly recognising the benefit of the ready2-product family. What are the challenges to face? The complexity of machinery operation in the market is still rapidly growing. We consider the biggest challenges to be found in the electronics, software and HMI systems sectors. It is becoming ever more difficult and expensive for the global service team to keep up with most recent developments. Through our Böllhoff VR Service Support we strive to professionally support worldwide networks and offer product- and customer-related training as required. Mr Wotawa, thank you very much for this interesting exchange. To finish this interview, I would like you to complete the following sentence: Ready2_rivet for the self-pierce riveting joining technology intends to ... ... lay the foundation for further ready2_rivet products. With a look toward the future, we also assess the use in the automated setting of blind rivets as well as in clinching. It goes without saying that energy-efficient e-drives also play or will play an important part. Video “What is ready2_rivet”? https://www.boellhoff.com/ video/ready2_rivet Frank Wotawa Image: © Frank Wotawa
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