Positioned as a "weight watcher" in the automotive world, tailor-welded blanks specialist Andritz Soutec is ready to become a heavyweight in non-automotive applications. Soutec's welding systems significantly reduce a vehicle's weight by producing structural parts and tailor welded blanks using the patented Soutec gap closing system. The welded parts are proven to have superior crash performance. "Anybody who talks about tailor welded blanks knows Soutec," says CEO Domenico Iacovelli. "We will try to stay No 1 in providing systems for the production of tailor welded blanks and work on getting our technology into new markets." After joining the Andritz Group last year, Soutec gives the group access to the automotive sector, where it has more than 50 years of experience in producing machines and systems for laser and resistance welding. Soutec will extend its welding expertise into cutting and welding machines for steel coil manufacturing, which is dominated by Andritz Metals. Being part of Andritz Group allows Soutec to optimise its equipment before its commercial release. Soutec leverages the group's capacity to develop faster tube welding technology for construction. As innovation enables its expansion into other industries, Soutec continues to improve its products for existing clients. Its new Soupact machine, for instance, is compact and convenient for automakers with facilities in different locations. Soutec delivered its first Soupact in January this year to Chengdu on the mainland, where it has forged strong ties with industry leader Baosteel. It is with Baosteel that Soutec will install on the mainland this year its first fully automated laser welding production line for automotive heavy engineered tubes. Supporting its partners and clients is crucial for Soutec, which sees service as its core strength. "We are talking about seven-day, 24-hour production lines and car manufacturers that cannot afford 50 minutes of a machine breakdown," Iacovelli says. "We show the customer that we are always present." Andritz Soutec www.soutec.com/en/home/
