Gehring 2017 Honing Conference & Workshops…Big Success

New technologies in honing, coatings, coolants, 3D measurement and digital factory solutions were presented by panel of industry experts; attracted 80 attendees

Gehring held its 2017 Honing Conference and Workshops event on May 10-11, 2017 at the Inn of St. John’s in Plymouth, Michigan.  The conference and workshops brought together experts from the global industry to discuss and propose solutions to advanced manufacturing challenges in surface finish technology applications.  A total of 80 attendees, most from the automotive primes and Tier One suppliers, were treated to two days of learning, networking and fun.

President of Gehring in the USA, Roger Cope, gave the opening remarks to kick off the event.  He noted this was the 91-year anniversary of Gehring in Germany and that the company has had a manufacturing footprint in the USA for 41 years.  An R&D facility in Livonia, Michigan was established several years ago to meet the demand for specialized honing process development, consulting and the rapid rise in demand for Gehring contract and prototype honing services.  He further mentioned that Gehring has diversified its market focus in the last several years to include the defense sector and, in that arena, Livonia serves as an ITAR-compliant facility.  The “One Gehring” theme codifies the global focus of the company, as it seeks to serve a global customer base, Cope said.

Dr. Wolfram Lohse, CTO of the Gehring Group then took the floor and observed, “Part of our new business mission and focus globally is our desire to enhance customer and industry knowledge through the Gehring Academy for honing education, training, consulting and support in helping manufacturers implement and use our advanced honing technologies to their advantage, specifically to meet impending CAFE emissions regulations.  We seek a partnership focus with key clients while retaining the highest level of integrity in handling confidential projects.”  He discussed the drive to sustainability – another Gehring focus for the future.  Partnerships with other key market specialists at this event, such as Oerlikon Metco AG, Nanofocus and Siemens, have been developed to produce a comprehensive resource for the market, with multiple sources of expertise relevant to surface finish technology.

Cope concluded his remarks by noting that Gehring is now a “one-stop shop” for all elements of the honing process – machines, tools, gauging, automation, rework, abrasives, R&D – with global support for global production platforms.

Gehring’s Director of R&D, Michael Schaefer, commented, “Gehring was honored to host this first unique conference, dedicated to Advanced Honing and Surface Finish technology, in the USA and to provide a high level technical and networking platform for professionals in this field with the leading manufacturers in the automotive and other industry sectors.”

• During the conference, these presentations and workshops were conducted by industry experts:  Gehring L.P. and Gehring Technologies GmbH, Michael Schaefer and Dr. Wolfram Lohse, “Advanced Honing Technologies Presentations”
• Oerlikon Metco AG, Wohlen, Dr. Peter Ernst, “Surface Enhancement with Thermal Spray Coatings”
• NanoFocus, Dr. Christian M. Wichern, “3D Surface Measurement of Cylinder Bore and Liners – Advantages and Challenges”
• Quaker Chemical, Frank A. Robinson Jr., “Chemistry and Functions of Honing and Coolant Applications”
• Gehring Technologies GmbH, Marcell Wardin, “Form Honing Cylinder Bores – from Development to Mass Production”
• Gehring Technologies GmbH, Dr. Wolfram Lohse, “Digital Solutions at Gehring”
• Siemens Digital Factory, Dr. Stephan Ihmels, “Mindsphere Application in Large Scale Automotive Production Scenarios”

80 process and manufacturing engineering personnel responsible for surface finishing in automotive, hydraulics, aerospace & defense part applications, including plant managers, production managers and R&D specialists attended this Gehring conference.

The technical program was supplemented by  networking events such as the pre-conference “Infinity “chartered dinner cruise with entertainment on the Detroit River and  post conference golf, all of which were enjoyed by the attendees.

For more information on this event, please contact:

Rita Conroy-Martin
Director of Marketing
GEHRING L.P.
24800 Drake Road
Farmington Hill, MI 48335
734-926-7538
rconroy@gehringlp.com
www.gehring.de/en