Leveraging Intelligent Automation

MR Components, a medium-sized company from Grigno, Italy, specializes in the production of parts for differential and planetary gears. By introducing intelligent automation with EMAG machines, it has significantly enhanced its production capacity and the quality of its offerings.

Alessandro Reguzzo, Founder and Managing Director, of MR Components, started out in 1995 with just one CNC lathe in a garage. Since the business grew quickly, Reguzzo invested in additional machines and moved to a larger production hall. In 2006, the company built its first production hall with 2,500 sq mt. By January 2024, the company moved into its new, modern 6,000 sq mt headquarters, embodying Reguzzo’s vision of a modern, highly automated production site.

“Our two main business areas are the manufacture of components for differential gears and planetary gears. The differential gear parts are supplied complete and ready for installation to our customers,” he explains. The other product line, which is mainly manufactured on EMAG machines, is planetary gear parts. These are supplied to various Italian customers and abroad, with German customers being the company’s important customers.

“We have around 50 employees, ten of whom work in the office in the quality department and in technology. The others work in production. We produce around 80,000 components per month,” says Reguzzo while sharing the composition of the team.

Intelligent automation is the key to success

After working with conventional machines, especially horizontal lathes, MR Components began automated production with simple Taiwanese vertical lathes, which were within its financial means at the time. “The use of automated machines was the key to speeding up production,” he explains. With automation, the company’s machines run unmanned, allowing it to produce in the evening hours without having to introduce a night shift.

MR Components is now able to produce batches of 100 to 30,000 components per month. “Our batches vary greatly as we have equipped our company to serve different customers with different requirements. We are flexible enough to handle both small and large orders efficiently and on time,” he adds further.

EMAG machines guarantee quality and efficiency

MR Components relies on EMAG machines that are equipped with integrated measuring probes. “The stable design and high quality of the machine components are essential in batch production in order to stand out from the competition,” explains Reguzzo.

“Today, all our EMAG machines are equipped with measuring probes so that we can check all components 100 percent. In addition to in-process control, we carry out further quality controls with various measuring devices. We also have a measuring room equipped with two Zeiss and other measuring machines, so that we can always supply our customers with an optimum product. As you can see, quality is our top priority! We currently have a reject rate of just 0.2 percent for 80,000 components, which shows that we are well positioned,” he adds.

The company uses various manufacturing systems from EMAG to meet the different production requirements of its customers. “In one of our production lines, we work with VL 7 machines, where the operator manually places the workpieces on the automation belt,” he shares. This process has proven to be particularly effective for very simple workpieces or more complex workpieces with small quantities.

A robot at work on a production system from MR Components. Automation allows additional operations, such as marking, to be carried out flexibly and easily.

“In other production lines, we work with VL 4 machines equipped with TrackMotion automation. Here, the automation is very fast and we have greater autonomy, so we can also run the machines in an unmanned mode,” he reveals. The company works in two shifts and the machines continue to run autonomously for 2 to 4 hours in the evening, depending on the storage capacity of the raw and finished parts.

There are also other manufacturing systems, including VL 4 and VL 6, which are automated with robots. The decision was made to use a system with robots, as many components have to undergo other operations in addition to turning, such as marking, which can be carried out easily and flexibly with the robot.

MR Components' modern and highly automated machinery. The company continuously invests in the latest technologies in order to offer customers the best possible quality.

Future investments and growth plans

Looking ahead, MR Components is poised for growth and innovation. The company plans to install two new VL 8 machines with robotic support to handle larger components with diameters up to 450 mm. “This will enable us to produce fully finished parts for our customers and continue expanding our technological expertise in gear cutting and assembly,” Reguzzo shares.

Source: EMAG GmbH & Co KG

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