New managing director wants to further expand special plant engineering - DALEX takes over AUGENSTEIN

DALEX is a sought-after expert for highly complex manufacturing cells, automated systems and interlinked total solutions that are individually tailored to the requirements of the user. In addition to high-quality welding machines, with which DALEX has made a name for itself, the construction of special plants with a high degree of automation has also been part of the portfolio for several years and now accounts for the majority of production. In order to further strengthen this area, DALEX has taken over the former AUGENSTEIN Maschinenbau GmbH - now DALEX Maschinenbau GmbH - specialist in high-performance standard and special solutions for all aspects of process automation for a wide range of key industries.

 "DALEX is widely known for its high-quality welding technology - and this area remains an important pillar in our portfolio. But we can do much more!" says Dr Olaf Kopitetzki, DALEX's new Managing Director. With a deep understanding of the ramified interrelationships in manufacturing processes, DALEX develops and builds customised solutions with streamlined processes - perfectly integrated into the existing workflow. This ensures high product quality and productivity. In the meantime, the construction of special plants accounts for a large part of production. Dr. Olaf Kopitetzki: "In many cases, our welding machines have been the centre of the designed complex production cells up to now, but this is not mandatory. Increasingly, we are also developing and building special plants with a high degree of automation for a wide variety of applications and machining processes. In this context, we have also redesigned our logo and changed our company name to DALEX GmbH & Co KG to reflect the increased focus on special plant construction."

Competence in process automation expanded

"The future of DALEX is automated special plants. I am convinced of that. Here we want to strengthen and expand our competencies so that we can supply everything from a single source. The purchase of the former AUGENSTEIN Maschinenbau GmbH (current name: DALEX Maschinenbau GmbH) takes us further along this chosen path," says Kopitetzki. The company has been developing and producing highly efficient automation solutions for various key industries for more than 40 years - from special machines to conveyor technology and material flow, packaging and palletising systems as well as feeding technology to product labelling. The automation expert takes care of planning, design, production, assembly, commissioning and acceptance as well as maintenance and customer service.

Kopitetzki: "We have already worked with the experts from Günzburg on various projects, for example, feeding screws and nuts with the highest speed, throughput and precision for our welding systems. But the portfolio has so much more to offer: DALEX Maschinenbau develops and builds, for example, lift systems for automated stacking and destacking, handling systems for semi- or fully-automatic feeding, erecting, depositing and stacking, emptying systems for automated opening and emptying of containers, belt dryers for conveyor belt-guided products and automatic separation systems for solid or round materials made of a wide variety of materials. In addition to individual components for storing, sorting, conveying, packaging, palletising, distributing and handling unit loads, the experts also offer complete intralogistics solutions including sensors and controls. Anyone who wants to have products economically packed, palletised or depalletised with the highest throughput and availability will find a reliable partner in DALEX Maschinenbau. In addition, the company supports users both with the integration of labelling technology into their production systems and with stand-alone solutions for product identification and labelling. And this list of possibilities and applications could be continued indefinitely."

New markets and areas of application

In addition, DALEX Maschinenbau is opening up a whole new branch of industry: the food industry. Here, the expert has already implemented numerous automation projects, for example the automated transport of baked goods or emptying systems that dispose of the contents and packaging of beverage or milk cartons according to type or process the liquids. DALEX Maschinenbau GmbH (formerly AUGENSTEIN) also supplies solutions for direct labelling of food, for example, to decorate baked goods using hot and cold embossing or to label fruit and vegetables using lasers without contact (natural branding).

"Job order and contract manufacturing are also a completely new field for us. Whether milling, turning, grinding, water jet cutting or welding - today's DALEX Maschinenbau GmbH has already been producing customised individual parts and small series for almost 40 years. In addition, there are individual surface treatments, the mechanical and electrical design of assemblies and control cabinets, PLC and robot programming. This brings with it a wide range of new possibilities. DALEX has also always had a very high level of vertical integration and expertise in this area. Until now, however, these services were not offered externally," Kopitetzki adds.

On course for growth

With the acquisition, DALEX has increased the number of its employees to approximately 200. In terms of turnover, DALEX is well positioned. Kopitetzki: "Although the delivery bottlenecks have not left DALEX unscathed, the order books are very well filled and many plants are already well advanced in construction. We have the highest turnover in the company's history. Special plant construction in particular is booming. And with the new competences we have gained, we expect another increase.

Photo 1: DALEX Maschinenbau GmbH (formerly AUGENSTEIN) is a specialist in high-performance standard and special solutions for process automation in a wide range of key industries.

Photo 2: This also includes the food industry. Examples include presses for pizza bases with high throughput rates in hygienic design ...

Photo 3: ... or line distributors for baked goods.

Photo 4: Conveyor technology for a wide range of applications and ...

Photo 5: ... Packing and palletising systems are specialities of DALEX Maschinenbau GmbH (formerly AUGENSTEIN).