„A partnership between equals“

Wörgartner: Manufacturing complex stamped and formed parts in a material-saving and ready-to-use way

Listening to one another, learning from one another, cooperating in joint projects – together we are stronger. This is the principle that Bihler brings to a range of strategic partnerships. Including with Wörgartner, a company that has its headquarters in Oberndorf in Tirol. It is an approach that has advantages for both sides, as founder and Managing Director, Peter Wörgartner, knows.

“We can make high-performance tools for Bihler machines and also manufacture high-precision stamped and formed parts in volumes running into the millions on our 27 Bihler machines,” explains Peter Wörgartner. “This makes us a valuable partner when it comes to setting up and preparing machines for use at customers’ premises. However, we are also ideally positioned as a contract manufacturer of complex parts in large batch sizes.” Wörgartner, which consists of the two companies WP-Wörgartner Produktions-GmbH and Werkzeugbau Wörgartner GmbH, operates an end-to-end process chain. In providing its products and services, which range from tool design and construction right through to production, the company can call on almost 40 years of experience with Bihler technologies. Its wide-ranging expertise coupled with its committed corporate culture, which combines a spirit of innovation, entrepreneurship and reliability, have, for the last ten years or so, made Wörgartner the right partner for a special type of collaboration. Mathias Bihler describes it as follows: “We work on joint projects together with our strategic partners. What is important is dealing fairly with one another, being reliable and discussing things as equals. In this way, we can work together to generate capacities and keep to delivery times that would be difficult on our own. Wörgartner is a prime example of what we mean by a strategic partner.” Markus Schnöll, Vice President Sales at Bihler explains: “We are committed to the same culture and have similar approaches. Transparency and ongoing communication create the shared basis for constructive cooperation.”

Technology as a tool for differentiation

“Precision is the source of reliability” is the watchword at Wörgartner. The company considers itself under an obligation to ensure that its processes function efficiently, free from malfunctions and on-schedule in accordance with both economic and environmental criteria. For his part, Peter Wörgartner and his team at the company’s headquarters in Oberndorf in Tirol primarily concentrate on toolmaking. The majority of the production operations are performed at the plant in Fieberbrunn. To perform his tasks, he uses a machine pool that includes 27 Bihler machines such as, for example, the GRM 80E and GRM 80P, as well as Multicenters with two processing faces, for example in the form of the MC 82. The team also uses FMS assembly machines. “Compared to progressive manufacturing techniques, Bihler’s technology allows us to produce finished complex stamped and formed parts in a material-efficient process. What is more, we are able to machine multiple materials simultaneously, involving welding, thread-tapping and even packaging. This means we enjoy a very high level of automation that ensures we are well-positioned compared to our competitors,” explains Wörgartner.

Bihler right from the start

Bihler technology has been part of this experienced toolmaker’s life right from the very outset. When Peter Wörgartner took his first step toward independence as a one-man operation in 1985, his first machine was a GRM 50 automatic stamping and forming system, which he used – as is only fitting given the winter sports region in which his company is located – to manufacture locking clips for ski bindings. Other parts soon joined the portfolio and the company grew. However, the business has always been characterized by this combination of production and toolmaking. “The knowledge that you gather in one area can always be beneficial for new projects in the other,” confirms Wörgartner. Factory 1 in Oberndorf was followed by an on-site warehouse and then, in 2013, by a new site in nearby Fieberbrunn, where the production area was extended to 6,000 square meters in 2019. “Because space in Fieberbrunn is limited, we have built upwards. One prerequisite was that it must be possible to install all types of Bihler machine on all three floors.”

Sustainable business activities

“The key to long-term success is to hold on to what works and to dare to try new things. It means creating lasting value. And in the long term, you’re better positioned to do that when you have partners,” says Wörgartner with conviction. The sustainability that he strives for in his business activities is another vitally important factor. The company has its own solar power installation which covers up to 25 percent of its annual energy requirements. The rest is generated hydroelectrically and is therefore also “green”. Wörgartner uses groundwater wells to cool his machines and warms the premises by means of district heating. He explains: “On the one hand, it is important for us to protect the environment and, on the other, a small ecological footprint is becoming an increasingly important criterion influencing customers’ choice of suppliers.” However, at Wörgartner, sustainability goes beyond environmental protection. To create lasting value, it is essential to involve the up-and-coming generation. That is why the company is full of youthful faces and Wörgartner himself is passing on his experience to his son, Johannes, a mechatronics engineer and works supervisor who assists his father as future Managing Director. His sister, Sarah, studied economics and languages and is responsible for customer support and sales. Wörgartner: “As a family-run company, this means that we can be optimistic about the future.”