Vertical Turning Machines Machining Forged Parts Reliably Around the Clock

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Penn GmbH in Austria holds its ground in the international metal processing market through high manufacturing depth and automation. Emag's vertical turning machines are essential to meet the demands in high-wage countries.

Founded in 1965, Penn GmbH has evolved from a small forging shop into a high-tech supplier with over 700 employees. A milestone in the company's history was the 2007 investment in a Hatebur forging system at the Stratzdorf site, which produces rotationally symmetrical forgings at a cycle rate of up to 70 parts per minute. This corresponds to an annual volume of up to 10 million forged parts.

The high production volume requires equally powerful machining technology. This is where Emag's machines come into play.

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A large portion of our forged parts is subsequently machined in-house. For this, we use our linked Emag VL manufacturing systems, which operate practically around the clock.

Gernot Penn, Managing Director Penn GmbH

Tailor-Made Machine Concepts for Mass Production

The collaboration between Penn and Emag began in 2010. The first systems—two linked VL 5i machines—were commissioned in 2011 and used for machining rotationally symmetrical forged parts for the automotive industry. In 2014, the first VL 2 machines for gear blanks, also for the automotive industry, followed. Over the years, the machine portfolio has been systematically expanded and now includes more than 30 Emag VL 2 machines for machining small to medium-sized rotationally symmetrical parts, VL 2 DUO line machines with TrackMotion systems for automated linking, VL 3 DUO machines for larger workpieces, and VL 5i systems for machining complex geometries.

Technical Features of the Emag VL Series at Penn

The VL series from Emag is characterized by its vertical design, allowing for an especially compact footprint. The vertical turning machines offer several technical advantages crucial for Penn's production requirements. Foremost is the vertical pick-up spindle, where the workpieces are directly picked up by the working spindle from integrated transport belts, eliminating the need for additional handling systems and minimizing idle times. With the TrackMotion system, multiple machines can be linked into a flexible production line, ensuring an automated workpiece flow.

The powerful Emag turret with turning and driven tools also enables the complete machining of complex parts in a single setup. Last but not least, the machine body made of mineral cast and the vertical design offer high thermal stability, which is especially important in 20-shift operation.

Maximum Machine Availability

For a company like Penn, which must compete against international competitors in the high-wage country of Austria, system availability is a crucial economic factor.

We operate most of the year in 20 shifts. At this production volume, machine availability and reliability are absolutely critical.

Gernot Penn, Managing Director Penn GmbH

The Emag systems at Penn achieve exceptionally high availability. This is enabled by several factors: the robust machine design with high rigidity forms the foundation. Additionally, preventive maintenance concepts minimize downtime, and Emag's rapid service support ensures quick resolutions. Lastly, Penn's well-trained maintenance personnel also contribute to the high availability.

As for service: cheaper is always an option, cheaper machines are available everywhere. But the service makes the decisive difference. You have to consider the machines in terms of lifecycle costs.

Gernot Penn, Managing Director Penn GmbH

The close collaboration between the Emag service team and the Penn maintenance technicians is a key success factor.

Automation as a Competitive Factor

To remain competitive despite the higher wages and ancillary wage costs in Austria, Penn consistently relies on automation.

To stay competitive internationally, especially against low-wage countries, we need to implement smart automation solutions.

Gernot Penn, Managing Director Penn GmbH

"In Europe, there are countries with only 30 percent of the labor costs of Austria or Germany. We must compensate for this difference through intelligent automation and high system availability."

The Emag machines support this approach with their advanced automation concepts. The integrated workpiece loading and unloading significantly reduce manual effort. At the same time, the automated measuring technology ensures continuous process monitoring. The linking capabilities provided by the TrackMotion system enable a seamless material flow without manual intervention.

These automation solutions enable Penn to primarily deploy employees for quality monitoring: "We expect our employees to have a high sense of quality. The actual work should be done by the machine. The employee must be able to focus on monitoring the produced quality."

Complete Process Chain Under One Roof

A particular advantage of Penn GmbH lies in its extensive manufacturing depth. All process steps, from forged part production to machining, assembly, and final inspection, are carried out in-house. The Emag machines are a central element in the value chain.

Future Prospects and Development

Penn GmbH plans to consolidate all three Austrian locations at the Stratzdorf site by 2028, which will result in significant streamlining. The Emag machines will play an important role in this, as their compact design enables high space productivity.

Penn is positioning itself broadly in terms of market development.

We are not focusing exclusively on internal combustion engines or electromobility but are keeping our eyes open in all directions.

Gernot Penn, Managing Director Penn GmbH

This flexibility is also reflected in the versatility of Emag machines, which can be used for a wide variety of workpieces and materials.

Cost-Efficient Manufacturing Through Optimized Machine Systems

The long-standing collaboration between Penn and Emag demonstrates how modern machining technology can help maintain competitiveness even in high-wage countries. By combining high-performance forging systems, highly automated vertical turning machines, and comprehensive manufacturing depth, Penn has created a production system that combines maximum efficiency with utmost flexibility.

The 43 Emag spindles of the VL series, some of which operate around the clock, form the backbone of machining technology at Penn and underscore the importance of reliable machine systems for economic success in metalworking.

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