Fried as an Equal Partner for Solutions with the Highest Requirements

27.07.2021

Uster Technologies is a leading manufacturer of high-tech products, systems and solutions for quality control in the textile industry. The smallest fluctuations in the quality of a yarn over a longer period of time play an important role and determine profit or loss in the production. Therefore, all filament yarn measurement systems must meet the highest requirements: The components are manufactured at Fried with the highest quality, from the material to the injection moulding process and painting.

Fried wins Supplier Benchmark

In February 2014, Uster conducted a selection process among several internationally operating suppliers. After an extensive benchmarking process, the decision was made for Fried. Uster was impressed by the overall package of the Swabian family-owned company: Fried takes on responsibility for the toolmaking processes, has great skills in painting and manufacturing capacities for series production. “The size of the company is also perfect. As a customer you never feel “too small” and this was, among other things, a decisive criterion for us,”- says Mr. Markus Schenker, Head of Strategic Purchasing at Uster.

Function and Design from a Single Source

For a long time, the test devices were manufactured with polyurethane using the foam casting process. However, the polyurethane components of the previous model were too brittle and fragile over time, which was particularly evident in the drop tests that were carried out. Due to the high demands on strength and dimensional accuracy of the components, thermoplastic foam injection moulding was chosen as the manufacturing process for the current devices. The main function of a test device is a serious challenge: The vibrations of the tester components must not influence the measurement results. This was ensured with the TSG injection moulded parts.

TSG Injection Moulding is Cost-Effective Despite Low Quantities

The plastic housing of a yarn testing device Uster “Tester 6” contains 22 individual components from 12 different injection tools. Production of the parts in the TSG process is even economical for 100 units per year. The relatively high initial investments in injection moulding tools pay off quickly over the lifetime of the products. In addition, the consistent quality of the parts and reduced production steps allow perfect quality over many years.

The Mechanical Engineering Industry Requires a lot of Flexibility

A high degree of flexibility is extremely important in the mechanical engineering industry. Even during the Corona period, there were fluctuations in this sector. “Unfortunately, we had to deviate a lot from our forecast. There were months last year when Fried had to produce low quantities at very short notice and on demand. On the other hand, when the values quickly rose again, Fried was able to react immediately and supply us. This flexibility is very important to us,”- says Markus Schenker.

A Long-Term Partnership has Evolved

Fried was allowed to start in the early phases of the project and support Uster in the design and development. The communication between both parties was essential in project management. “Fast decisions under strong time pressure, clear communication, transparency and open exchange are the points, that we were able to master together on the way to a successful product”. – confirms Mr. Schenker. “All things considered, there have been no quality problems with the parts over the past seven years. This shows that we did everything right in the beginning.” Also the specially developed recirculating packaging has proven itself over the past years.

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