Precision, reliability and efficiency

Since its establishment in 1950, Maschinenfabrik FRÖMAG (FRÖMAG), located in Fröndenberg, has been developing and producing keyseating, slotting, profiling and broaching machines to exacting standards and specifications. Approximately 50 employees supply individual solutions to the company’s target industries, including drive and conveying technology, pump and valve manufacturing and wind energy.

Over the years, the company has become a full-range supplier, supplementing its machines with integrated handling systems and automated workpiece feeding. With the acquisition of the American company Mitts & Merill in 1990, FRÖMAG attained a leading position in the world market for keyseating and slotting machines. Today, customers on every continent trust FRÖMAG solutions and value them because of their precision, reliability and efficiency.

The company’s largely modular and structured product portfolio covers comprehensive customer requirements for inner contour machining – from the individual standby machine for a few slots, to equipment for larger plants for series production, to complex special designs. Due to continuous technological development, FRÖMAG stays at the cutting edge in its domain. In addition, the company has tapped new target groups, for example, the automotive and supplier industries. Its standard offering has been supplemented by the first keyseating machine series for engine block machining, which fits optimally into transfer lines (shop floor transportation system between the manufacturing stations).

Mid-sized company must-haves

Retaining a leadership position requires a high level of performance across operations and product delivery, which can only be achieved with effective tools for design and development. The company introduced a 2D computer-aided design (CAD) system as early as 1991 in order to be able to fulfill all customer requests fast and in accordance with the highest quality standards. The step-up to a 3D-based environment took place in 2005. “Apart from a meaningful price-performance ratio, it is the reliability, long-term vision and commitment to delivery of the technology partner that is important to FRÖMAG,” says Hannelore Mroszynski, CAD manager at FRÖMAG.

In 2011, it became unclear whether the FRÖMAG’s CAD software vendor would continue to support its design solution in its current form, which was well-suited for use by mid-sized companies. Mroszynski would not accept any abandonment of the software’s mid-sized orientation. When she did not receive a binding promise that the system would be continued, she explored alternatives. She quickly found an attractive solution in Solid Edge® software from Siemens Digital Industries Software.

Mroszynski explains, “Solid Edge is in every way competitive with our old system in terms of functionality. However, in Siemens Digital Industries Software, we have found a vendor that understands the needs of mid-size mechanical engineering companies and assures the sustainability of its software.” That includes, first and foremost, a proven approach for converting from the existing system to Solid Edge, taking into account the stocks of legacy data. FRÖMAG’s machines are known for their longevity and can easily have a lifecycle of 50 to 60 years. Moreover, the company guarantees its customers the deliverability of the necessary spare parts over this period. Thanks to Siemens Digital Industries Software partner WorksLine GmbH (WorksLine), it was possible to completely adapt, convert and integrate the legacy PDM (product data management) database of FRÖMAG‘s design data to be compatible with Solid Edge. The existing 75,000 data records are now completely accessible within Solid Edge.

In addition, Solid Edge had a real technological edge – synchronous technology.