Boehlerit: Specialist tool manufacturer from Styria
Their tools are used to stamp the edges of the euro coins, make underground rails ready for service in cities such as Paris or London using precision-grinding and, with their deep-drawing rings, manufacture some 600 million Red Bull cans every year. The products in question are manufactured by Boehlerit, a company headquartered in the small, traditional Upper Styrian “steel” town of Kapfenberg.
As a EuroSkills 2020 supplier, Boehlerit supplies high-quality tooling sets for the CNC milling skill in line with the company’s expertise. As a veritable specialist in tool manufacturing and carbide processing, Boehlerit products can be found in many different industries. “Boehlerit is involved in a wide range of sectors from dentist’s surgeries to aviation”, explains Gerhard Melcher, Sales Director, as he showed us around the extensive company premises during working hours so that we could also talk to staff members or have them show us the various machines briefly.
Boehlerit as a “training ground for the metal trades”
As one of the largest employers in Upper Styria, Boehlerit employs around 500 staff members, including 24 apprentices who are being trained there in their skills and trades as metal cutters, tool makers, mechanical engineering technicians and electrical engineering technicians. “High-quality training is very important to us. For example, only this spring three of our apprentices in metal cutting passed their final apprenticeship examination with distinction”, comments Gerhard Melcher, proudly. During the tour, it soon becomes evident that Boehlerit also employs a noticeably high number of technology-minded women in all company departments. This means that more than half of Boehlerit’s apprentices are now female.
Another remarkable fact is that many of our staff members used to work as cabinetmakers or woodturners but then decided to retrain”, says Melcher. This was confirmed in our brief chats with several staff members, who above all were keen to emphasise the friendly working atmosphere at Boehlerit. As well as benefiting from training and further education, thanks to the company’s international orientation (Boehlerit’s export share is around 85 percent), employees also have the opportunity to go abroad and work at one of Boehlerit’s other sites.
Spring events
The company has plenty in store not only for its staff members, but also for its customers. For example, this spring a roadshow will be touring the three Austrian provinces of Lower Austria, Upper Austria, and Styria, with the latest information and expert advice on using Boehlerit products and tools. An insight into Boehlerit’s wide-ranging activities will also be provided during the Tooling Days in Kapfenberg in May. The main topics this year will include industrial digitalisation and the future of manufacturing technology.
We got interesting insights into the company during a factory tour and also had the opportunity to talk to some of the employees and get to know the products and the company better.
