Logo Junker Group
x

Request of product information about:

Inquiry

Inquiry

Renault Portugal relies on RETROFiT

Conversion instead of new purchase – how used machines become good as new

JUNKER‘s RETROFiT service provides many benefits for the customer by modernizing used machines and bringing them up to the latest technical standards. Compared to purchasing a new machine, RETROFiT provides savings of up to 60%. Renault Portugal took advantage of this program and opted to retrofit two QUICKPOINT cylindrical grinding machines

The QUICKPOINT cylindrical grinding machines selected for RETROFiT had reliably produced gear shafts at Renault Portugal in three-shift operation for 19 years. The machines required no major maintenance during their nearly two decades of operation. Now, the machines are undergoing their retrofit at JUNKER. Renault re-installs the upgraded machines in their new production line of transmission shafts for cars requiring the Euro 6 emissions standard. The car manufacturer also purchased new QUICKPOINT machines for this project.

The machines must produce with high precision and top-notch surface quality at maximum capacity. Nuno Almeida, Project Manager for production lines at Renault Cacia S.A., appreciates the reliability of QUICKPOINT cylindrical grinding machines and continues to trust the machine model.

"We need top workpiece quality and very short cycle times. The QUICKPOINT has proven itself and is easy to operate."

The JUNKER retrofit service

During a RETROFiT, the JUNKER service team checks the machine directly at the customer site. All components are inspected and documented. The expert team of the JUNKER Group considers the customer requirements and takes the latest safety regulations and technological advances into account when performing a technical upgrade of a machine. The machine conversion can take place at the customer site or at one of JUNKER‘S production sites in Germany, the Czech Republic, or Brazil.

Individual modernization

Renault counts on JUNKER‘S RETROFiT service to modernize its QUICKPOINT machines at JUNKER‘S production site. Grinding and dressing spindles, as well as the workpiece spindle, receive new bearings, alignment, and balancing. The infeed spindles of the machine are completely renewed, and electrical, hydraulics and measuring system are upgraded. A control system upgrade ensures simplified operation and the required process reliability in the production line. JUNKER takes care of the entire RETROFiT process, considering transport, modernization, installation, and startup back in the production line.

Most customers undergoing a RETROFiT usually need to create a buffer of workpieces to keep their assembly running smoothly. At Renault, the planning was somewhat simpler: upon completion of the machine upgrades, the modified machines will be installed in a new production line currently under planning, while the newly purchased QUICKPOINT machines filled in the gaps in the old production line in the meantime.

Significant benefits

The Renault project shows that modernization is worthwhile for growing or restructuring companies. The JUNKER RETROFiT service offers numerous advantages: low investment costs, functional expansion through modern components, higher flexibility through new software, extended scope of application, and increased machining quality. Renault Portugal intends to continue modernizing its machinery with the RETROFiT service. According to Nuno Almeida, „in the next few years, the JUMAT grinding machines will also be overhauled. At the moment, these machines cannot yet work on the new gear shafts, but this can be changed with a RETROFiT.“

Back