Esteve SA's relationship with CMZ began more than 15 years ago. Based in Toulouse, the heart of the French aerospace sector, the company has nine CMZ lathes on site, from both the single-turret and multi-turret ranges. In 2011, when the company looked to modernise its machinery, it decided to switch from Japanese lathes and milling machines to European manufacture, choosing CMZ. The results? High repeatability, high accuracy, and operators quickly adapted to the new machine.
Historically we worked with Japanese machines and the operators were reluctant about the arrival of a new brand. However, after 9 CMZ lathes, the results are clear: great repeatability, accuracy and ease of use.
NAME: ESTEVE, SA
LOCATION: Toulouse, France.
ACTIVITY: precision machining.
SECTORS: aeronautical, space, defence, medical.
CMZ MACHINES:
Founded more than 50 years ago, ESTEVE SA has established itself as a benchmark in precision machining in France. Specialising in small parts "that fit in the hand", the company is located in Toulouse, the epicentre of the country's aerospace sector, for which it works alongside the space, defence and medical sectors. Its processes range from prototype to series production, with precision requirements often below a hundredth of a millimetre, and in volumes ranging from 50 to 10,000 parts per year.
In 2011, ESTEVE SA sought to modernise its machinery fleet, made up largely of Japanese brands. It needed a partner that was more responsive in after-sales service, offering close and transparent support. Thus, it opted to switch to a European solution with CMZ.
The challenge was twofold. Firstly, despite the good performance of the Asian machines up to that point, the fleet had become obsolete and needed renewing. The company had been working with Japanese brands since 1985, which created a certain inertia among its operators and processes. At first, users showed some reluctance at the arrival of a new lathe: Will it be as easy to operate as the previous one? Will the precision be up to the mark? Will it be reliable in such a demanding environment?
Secondly, ESTEVE SA needed to ensure that the new partner met the levels of precision and durability demanded by its markets. The issue was not so much a specific technical process, but a general need for machine replacement and integration, with guaranteed performance and rapid adaptation.
But the results were not long in coming: robust, powerful and reliable machines that proved very easy for users to operate. So much so that the company decided to continue investing in CMZ, completing its fleet with nine lathes from the European brand.
To tackle this challenge, commercial support was essential from the outset. ESTEVE SA defined its real needs and found tailored technical solutions. The process included a visit to CMZ's facilities in northern Spain, about three and a half hours from Toulouse, which fostered transparency and trust in the relationship. During their visit, they discovered the over 40,000 m2 devoted entirely to the manufacture of high-quality CNC lathes.
The collaboration was based on a philosophy of mutual trust from the start, sharing manufacturing processes, production capacity and the after-sales service structure. For over 15 years CMZ has supported the development of ESTEVE SA, which has evolved from two-axis lathes towards more complex multi-turret solutions.
ESTEVE SA currently has nine CMZ lathes:
Among the technical features that stand out most is the machines' excellent repeatability. "The technical innovations of the TTL-66 model are very interesting to us. The X3 and Z3 axes on the sub-spindle, 70-bar high-pressure coolant, and the ability to work with a centre on the sub-spindle without stopping production ensure a high level of versatility and robustness. Ideal specifications for the highly demanding parts we machine".
A business relationship of more than 15 years speaks for itself when it comes to customer satisfaction. Thanks to CMZ machines, the company has equipment that delivers reliability in continuous production environments (three 8-hour shifts), and operators have adopted it seamlessly. They have had no difficulty adapting to the new brand and appreciate the ease of use and maintenance straight away.
The value for money of European machines enables ESTEVE SA to meet the required standards without compromising the precision demanded by sectors such as aerospace. The trust between customer, distributor and manufacturer lays the foundations for long-lasting collaboration and ongoing development in a highly competitive environment.
LMC opens its doors to tell us about his experience with CMZ cnc lathes. For them, CMZ is not only a machinery supplier, it is a first-class technological partner.
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