Fast and precise: Parker Hannifin relies on state-of-the-art Online Manufacturing of turned and milled parts

In today’s world, a high level of precision and fast delivery times are crucial to the production of individual components. Online Manufacturer FACTUREE is meeting these new requirements with its wide range of manufacturing services, quick response times and on-time delivery. To benefit from this cutting-edge procurement process, leading engineering company Parker Hannifin commissioned FACTUREE to produce special turned and milled parts for mounting devices in their engineering department. The move enables the company to efficiently drive its own digital transformation without being affected by capacity bottlenecks and disproportionate personnel involvement.

In many companies, the procurement of turned and milled parts is a very complex process due to operational structures and special requirements. Material, processing, execution and delivery time are essential and time- and cost-intensive factors that must be well planned and usually involve many different resources such as personnel and costs.

Parker Hannifin opts for efficient purchasing of components

As a leading supplier in its industry, Parker Hannifin relies on short procurement times and precision workmanship for the components it needs.
The engineering company, founded in 1917 with headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, is considered a global leader in the manufacture of motion and control technologies. Parker Hannifin, which has been operating in Germany since 1962, specialises in hydraulics, pneumatics, electromechanics, filtration, connection technology, refrigeration/air conditioning, sealing technology, aerospace and EMI shielding.

Daniel Scharnowski, test bench engineer at Parker Hannifin, explains: “Until November 2019, these components were still being manufactured in Germany at our prototype department. Up to 80% of our trainees were involved in the process, which the company felt was a problem. That’s why we decided to outsource the production of the parts to an online manufacturer. We hope that the end-to-end digitisation and automation of the ordering process resulting from this advanced approach to procuring turned and milled parts via an online network will lead to greater efficiency. When combined with high quality, this should give us a competitive advantage”.

After an evaluation phase, Parker Hannifin chose FACTUREE, a brand of Berlin- based company cwmk GmbH. “We obviously wanted to avoid the often time- consuming search for new manufacturers, different contacts when concluding contracts, missed delivery deadlines, etc. Online manufacturer FACTUREE won us over with a quick quote and a relatively short delivery time. Ultimately, their fast response time and wide range of manufacturing services were the deciding factors”, explains Scharnowski.

Components for mounting devices produced in a complex process

Parker Hannifin first commissioned FACTUREE in November 2019 to produce special components for mounting devices in their engineering department. FACTUREE proved the perfect choice, with its extensive production network of over 500 manufacturing partners in the fields of CNC machining and surface technology. It has over 6,000 CNC machines at its disposal at any given time. All partners comply with the requirements of an ISO 9001-certified, data-driven quality management system.

The components were manufactured using sophisticated turning and milling methods, with extremely narrow tolerances and, in some cases, additional fits. The complex manufacturing process also involved special surface treatments. The surfaces were first copper-plated, then nickel-plated in a subsequent step, before being partially polished and laser engraved.

Delivery earlier than expected

Daniel Scharnowski sums up: “Despite the complex manufacturing process involving high quantities and tight delivery deadlines, FACTUREE was actually able to deliver the components before the agreed delivery date. The speed at which orders were processed and the personal customer service also impressed us. We therefore look forward to strengthening our working relationship with FACTUREE”.