16.07.2024
International
LOrch Starting future with new management
“It’s the perfect combination that we were hoping for,” Wolfgang Grüb, former managing partner of Lorch Schweißtechnik, summarises after Japanese Daihen Group joined the company. Joint projects including implementation of a new compact welding cell and strengthening of the systems business together with Daihen subsidiary Femitec have already been implemented. The official handover to the new managing directors Jens Gauder and Norihito Takahashi, who has been on board at management level since January, was at Lorch's summer party on 12 July. Wolfgang Grüb, the company’s manager of more than four decades, is going to remain associated with the company in an advisory capacity.
“I am more than happy with how things have turned out. We have already achieved a great deal in just a few months and there is enormous potential for the future.” Wolfgang Grüb is very positive about the nine months that have passed since Daihen first joined Lorch Schweißtechnik. As already suggested at the press conference in September 2023, the joint working rounds proved that the two companies’ DNA is an excellent match. “Customer proximity is a top priority for both companies; the two sides complement each other with technical expertise to meet future requirements in the welding industry and both parties show equal appreciation of their employees, teams, customers and the best customer solution,” says Grüb.
The first joint compact welding cell that comprises a Daihen robot cell and a Lorch power source was presented in the automation area. Commitment to specific customer solutions in the cobot sector has been expanded as well. In cooperation with Femitec – the company based in Neusäß near Augsburg, Germany, was incorporated into the Daihen Group in 2022 – the product range is going to be expanded to include customised system integration solutions in the future as well. The two companies will also benefit from each other’s technical expertise in developing new welding systems and welding processes.
Wolfgang Grüb passed the baton to the new managing directors Jens Gauder and Norihito Takahashi at the Lorch summer party in Auenwald on July 12 after more than four decades. The two of them will be supported by a young, dynamic team. Wolfgang Grüb says: “I believe in the new team and am delighted about their passion for the subject. I trust they will work together to foster an excellent team culture and maintain a down-to-earth attitude, without growing vain in the light of great successes or hiding as soon as the going gets rough.” Norihito Takahasi, who took over as managing director of Lorch Schweißtechnik on January 15, 2024, emphasises: “We are more than happy with our cooperation to date. We are highly confident in Lorch welding technology as a brand.” The first joint results in development, production, and sales were achieved very quickly. The company is certain that it will be able to further expand the position of both companies in Asia and Europe thanks to Lorch’s technical expertise and Europe-wide sales network.
Jens Gauder, who has been with the company since 2017 and most recently worked as Sales Director at Lorch, is going to steer the company’s fortunes together with Norihito Takahashi in the future. “I am happily taking on this new task, but I respect its challenges. The merger with Daihen is opening up many new organisational opportunities for Lorch. We must figure out exactly what the market truly needs and what is going to best help our customers in the field of welding technology. The severe shortage of skilled labour means that automation, i.e., development of welding systems that can weld even more productively while being easy to operate, will be a key focus.”
(Source: Lorch Schweißtechnik Press Release)
Schlagworte
AutomationCobotsDigitalisationManagementRobotsWelding
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