Opening of the new Precitor: a milestone that marks the increase in production rate
CMZ, European manufacturer of CNC lathes, has taken a step forward in its growth strategy: setting up the new Precitor. With the target of manufacturing 850 machines a year in the future, the company has invested around 8 million euros in extending its current machining plant in Elorrio.
New Precitor
The new Precitor plant started up in late February this year, but it will be operational working at 100% capacity by the second half of 2023. The extension of the plant will help the group to increase the manufacture of cylindrical parts by 55% compared to the current plant. At the same time, the closure of the current plant at Elorrio is planned for mid-2023.
Initially, the new Precitor plant, together with Neoprec and Mecaninor, has sufficient capacity for CMZ to manufacture 650 CNC lathes a year, although the company is planning to invest in machinery to increase its annual production up to 850 machines. The building has sufficient space to tackle projects of such calibre because it has tripled the surface area of the current facilities.
2.000 m2 with strict temperature control
This new turning and cylindrical grinding centre has 2,000 m2 of air-conditioned surface area and it has been designed like a clean room; with no columns, and a traversable roof from which to distribute the necessary supplies for the machines and with a 500 mm thick concrete floor. The floor means that the temperature does not vary by more than 1º in 24 hours throughout the plant.
Most cutting-edge production resources on the market
To make this project a success, CMZ has invested in the most cutting-edge production resources on the market. As regards turning, CNC lathes will be manufactured in-house. The facilities have ten CNC lathes with one and two turrets, fitted with Gantry Robots to automate the production process. All of the above comes from the company’s product portfolio.
In addition, for cylindrical grinding there are two Studers S40 machines and two Studers S33 for grinding to tolerances of just a few microns. To control part size, CMZ has chosen two Zeiss three-dimensional machines. The Zeiss Prismo model will be used to measure grinding work, due to its high precision and the second model Zeiss Accura will be used for turned parts.
At year end 2022, CMZ again registered a new historical maximum in the order book. The company has a clear aim: to achieve a turnover of €100 M and in the last financial year it was almost there. In its commitment to European products, CMZ has taken on the manufacture of more than 80% of the parts for its CNC lathes and the setting up the new Precitor bears testimony to that commitment.
