Zubiola, specialist for wood cutting tools

Zubiola is a cooperative company with a philosophy of ongoing reinvestment. Management (account with the gold Q granted by the Basque Government), their means of production, his philosophy of production show a clear interest for leading your market segment.

In its factory in Azkoitia, produces polycrystalline diamond and hard metal tools mainly for the wood sector, although long since a few years he decided to enter also in the area of tools for metal, which currently produces about 10% of its products.

About 25% of its production is exported, mainly to Europe and South America.

Juan Mari Zubizarreta explains that "one of the strengths of Zubiola is the management model, which we have been working in depth in the last ten years." After acquiring the certificates of quality and environmental we started with the management EFQM model, so that we are already managing business processes. "Our system is organized into ten processes, each of which has a responsible and in seeking the involvement of 46 people of our template".

In Zubiola have well thought out. In fact, they thought a few years ago. The factor design, the time and resources required by the design of each of the tools that should make, it was excessive. With the reduction in these resources as objective, together with the Ikerlan Technology Centre developed a parametric design system currently allows a significant savings in time and resources. "We have a such amount of references - continues Juan Mari Zubizarreta - that a system of conventional drawing much complicated our processes, especially because about 80% of our tools are special." The program we use parametrize all our catalog of tools and allows us to give our customers the same term for a special tool that for a standard. "Ultimately, minimize the factor design".

The program is subdivided a tool in its various parts, represented by different icons. When you receive a request, the technical Office, through this program, select parts of the tool, the necessary adjustments, and they are completing this sort of puzzle in which the tool until you get a final product is divided. Moreover, the same system carried out programmes of CN machining machines and makes control of the management of the warehouse, for the availability of the material required by this tool.

After the design has been the production. "We work by autonomous technological groups." There are groups of mountain ranges, start of swarf, EDM for the cutting of the Insert, welding, profiling for profiles and blades, as well as Assembly and expedition with automatic warehouse. There is also an autonomous section heated for everything related to diamond to meet geometric protocols of very low tolerance. "Nor we have spared in modern means of control and measurement".

Metalworking industry

A five year project to develop tools aimed at aviation and automotive, have left at Zubiola important knowledge on this sector. While still in an incipient moment, with approximately 10% of its business from this sector, such tools could represent around one-third of its activity in the medium term. Juan Mari Zubizarreta: "We are realistic and growths are not going to be spectacular." We are gradually expanding geographic and sectoral networks and do not produce spectacular growth.

Such flexibility and speed in the design of tools also allows a more rapid adaptation to developments which the market will determine. As the commercial director of Zubiola explains, "we have to know how to adapt our products to the developments in the sector." Wood solid, for example, right now, is losing ground for laminated wood, DM, compact materials or even aluminum, being applied much. "Precisely in the area of the DM we very introduced because we handle very well the cutting of boards and everything about around the Board, such as melamine furniture, everything that has to do with carpentry".

Another booming sector are the storied compact, that is being used much in baths, swimming pools, sports centres, external coatings of façades, etc.

The way of working of Zubiola has obvious advantages in a company that manufactures mainly on demand and which only has a stock of service to provide a rapid response if required by the customer. "Ours is the special manufacturing and the line of service and quality." The key is to be the fastest, while maintaining a high quality level. "In special tool we offer average seven-day deadlines".

Quality and service go, therefore, together. But not alone the pillars of Zubiola conform itself. One of its main strengths is the advice. With a network of trade, the key sale is, often, advice in certain situations, the identification of the client's needs and the response with the best solution for this application.

It is also important to provide complete solutions. "In addition to our own tools - J.M. Zubizarreta - also States we supply doors." In this respect we have always worked with Schunk because it opens many fields and customer gives quite a few possibilities. For example significant, to the fairs always we went with mango tools mounted on portas Schunk. Moreover, our confidence in Schunk is made clear in our workshop, where we are using portas Schunk for fixing tools in the process of sharpening and also for the installation of the tool with the porta. "In addition we provide clients with portas".