Editorial / Interview page 3-5 Orbital welding page 6 Customer report page 8 SERTO Inside
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Editorial / Interview page 3-5
Orbital welding page 6
Customer report page 8
SERTO Inside page 10
No49
SERTO Products
SERTO Selection
page 2 SERTO Uptodate, No 49 – May 2021
Editorial
Customer proximity, flexibility and a focus on
quality have shaped the progress of the SERTO
Group in recent years. A result of this develop-
ment are the new, high-quality products for de-
manding applications such as SERTO Selection.
The SERTO Group has developed greatly At the same time, SERTO Selection cor-
and strengthened its international presence responds to how we view ourselves as a
in the last 15 years. Issues such as quality full-service provider: We not only sell unions
assurance and manufacturing expertise are of the highest quality, we also carry out the
also of much greater importance nowadays. prefabrication of complete «ready to fit»
This is evidence that we as a company have pipeline kits for our customers, right up to
matured in all areas. punctual delivery. A service that we also
offer with Selection, both for the pure
More international HP (High Purity) and for the high-purity UHP
and closer to our customers (Ultra High Purity) pipe connections.
In addition to our existing companies in
Europe, we have in the past few years found- Our employees are a factor
ed subsidiaries in China, India and most re- in our success
cently in the USA. This development towards Our approximately 250 employees also
internationality can be easily explained: We play a considerable role in the develop-
want to be close to our customers. This will ment of the SERTO Group. A company of
enable us to better understand their needs our size does not develop upon command.
and provide them with the best possible sup- Rather, it is important to ensure that every-
port. At the same time, proximity to the cus- one involved, whether in production, logistics
tomer is a driver of innovation – our custom- or IT, is brought along on the journey. We
ers motivate us to continually improve and therefore make great efforts to ensure that all
develop, and this is reflected in our products. SERTO employees have a desire for positive
changes and are willing to support and help
shape these changes.
On this basis, we will continue with the ex-
pansion of our overseas subsidiaries, there-
SERTO Selection − developed by increasing proximity to our customers. At
with customers for customers the same time, we will expand our manufac-
At the product range level, SERTO Selection turing options and manufacturing depth in
is a good example of this development to- an expedient manner. In particular, we will
wards a greater level of customer proximi- have to concentrate on the subject of digital-
ty and more demanding applications. As isation in the upcoming years. It is our objec-
a special range of unions for the semicon- tive to be more efficient and more successful
ductor and laser industry, SERTO Selection than our competitors in the future.
fulfils the highest requirements with regards
to purity and tightness. It’s no coincidence
that the Selection products are the result of
many years of close collaboration with our
customers and that they are suitable for high-
ly specific applications. Andreas Mühlthaler
CEO SERTO Group
SERTO Uptodate, No 49 – May 2021 page 3
Interview
Mr Albrecht, with Selection, SERTO input came from the customers. We noticed
has developed a product range that many years ago that individual customers are
is tailor-made to the requirements of interested in lubricant-free connections.
specific industries, in particular in the
We were able to obtain a more accurate pic-
high-tech sector. How did your team
ture of the potential of a newly developed prod-
obtain knowledge of the market re-
uct by asking additional customers in the target
quirements that are needed for such
markets. During product development, we then
new developments?
worked closely together with key customers
Stephan Albrecht: The answer to that is easy: and, during the course
thanks to the active collaboration with our cus- of this, additional re-
tomers and potential new customers. We ap- quirements became
proach them and listen to them before we get clear.
to work. Later on during development, we allow
How important is
the feedback that they provide to be continually
it to observe the
incorporated into the subsequent steps.
competition when
Of course, there is a strategy needed to make making new de-
this procedure successful. In addition, we never velopments?
start from scratch − we boast a wide range of
S.A.: Of course we are
industrial experience and we know the market.
always following what
We therefore know that there are always mar-
our competitors are
ket participants who are searching for a specif-
doing. And not just
ic product that has similarities with our ideas.
on a technical level.
Our many years of experience are also cen- We also look at which
tral here. Today, we can assess our customers’ points they use to promote their products. In Stephan Albrecht,
wishes very well. It is important for us to see principle, however, basically all new develop- Business Development Manager
whether there are similarities for several differ- ments that we deal with are built upon our own
systems. For us, the question is therefore not
only whether a product is new for the market,
but also whether it is new for us. When seen
like this, SERTO Selection has grown organical-
ly with the support of our customers.
It can be concluded that SERTO’s prox-
imity to the customer plays an impor-
tant role in product development.
S.A.: Certainly. Proximity to our customers is
very clearly one of our strengths. We are active
in a niche in the market and, as a full-service
provider, we can incorporate our customers
ent customers or if they are unusual specialised much more strongly than a large company
cases. Special custom products for individual could. With us, you as a customer can for ex-
customers can also be developed, but only with ample talk personally with the head of the tech-
appropriate volumes. nical department. No large corporation can of-
fer you this. Our delivery reliability is also very
How did this process take place with
high because we have complete control over
SERTO Selection?
all processes.
S.A.: With SERTO Selection, we determined
the obvious similarities between the customer
requirements and our ideas whereby the initial
page 4 SERTO Uptodate, No 49 – May 2021
Mr Westermann, you have developed Furthermore, Selection actually comprises of two
SERTO Selection together with your sub-ranges: HP unions based on compression
team. What properties make this ferrule systems and UHP connections based on
range of products suitable for the high weld-on nipples and bodies. We can thus serve
market requirements for HP/UHP con- the needs of different sectors. The spectrum of
nections? possible applications is further extended by the
fact that both types of union are often used with-
Pirmin Westermann: A key feature of Selection is
in an industry sector, and sometimes even within
that no lubrication is required for the unions. As a
one machine.
result, they are ideally suited for High Purity (HP)
and Ultra High Purity (UHP) applications, for ex- What is the differ-
ample in the semiconductor, clean gas and laser ence between the
industries, and also in the pharmaceutical, chem- two sub-ranges?
ical and cosmetics sectors. The precision require-
P.W.: The main techni-
ments here are often very high, and lubricant-free
cal difference between
unions reduce the risk of impurities considerably.
the two types of union
With regards to processing, the higher surface is in their respective
qualities (in comparison with traditional unions) dead space. The HP
and the deeper roughness of the Selection un- unions in the Selection
ions must be mentioned. They are manufactured range have a very low
from stainless steel alloys with no cold welding. dead space, that is the
standard nowadays.
The high requirements of our customers in terms
The UHP unions in the
of purity also mean that we clean all components
Selection range go one Pirmin Westermann,
as standard before delivery and vacuum and
step further: Because the base bodies are orbit- Head of R&D
double-pack them in the class ISO 8 clean room.
ally welded on to the tube, they are completely
dead space free. This also reduces any possible
interference factors in a process and decreases
the amount of cleaning needed.
Did you have to fall back on any exter-
nal expertise during the development
of Selection?
P.W.: SERTO has very greatly expanded its own
manufacturing expertise and depth of produc-
tion in the past few years and we therefore have
most of the technologies available in house now-
adays. If required, we of course rely on external
The target markets that you mentioned expertise, this also increases our level of flexibil-
are somewhat heterogeneous. How ity. During the development of Selection, we did
did your team ensure that the Selection this for the rolling of threads and surfaces. Input
product range meets the different re- from key customers was very important here.
quirements? They showed us where we could procure the ex-
pertise required. In principle, though, Selection is
P.W.: We worked very closely together with key
based on the proven SERTO compression ferrule
customers in the development of Selection, that
union and we know our way around that very
was very important. The unions are therefore op-
well of course.
timally adjusted to meet the specific requirements
of the target markets and customers.
SERTO Uptodate, No 49 – May 2021 page 5
SERTO Products
Engineering and
We have our own in-house orbital welding
department in order to be able to produce
supplementary welded products and assemblies.
Our UHP components are welded with
internally electropolished stainless
steel tubes.
page 6 SERTO Uptodate, No 49 – May 2021
production from a single source
Providing solutions for complex technical tasks is one of
SERTO’s core competencies. We start by precisely clarifying
customer requirements and then match these with our own
capabilities. The products in the new Selection product range
in combination with our own in-house manufacturing proce-
dures play an important role in implementation.
An illustrative example of a complex chal- able to fulfil high qualitative requirements on
lenge that SERTO is regularly confronted an industrial scale. The high quality begins,
with is the housing of a cooling line for high however, during pipeline processing: For the
purity gas in a restricted area in a stainless orbital welding procedure with no welding
steel assembly (see picture). In accordance filler, the pipeline has to be cut to length
with the requirements of the customer, the at exactly 90 degrees and must be free of
connector must be dead space and lubricant burrs and with a sharp edge. SERTO uses
free and as small as possible. A clean sur- a special saw for this that fulfils all of these
face free from residues was also desired. requirements in one working step.
Selection components Uncompromising purity
for every case In order to fulfil the high purity requirements
The solution developed by SERTO is a spiral of the customer, the UHP and HP compo-
coil that takes on the function of the cooling nents are cleaned before delivery in the in-
line. In the T piece of the assembly, the me- house cleaning system in accordance with
dium is divided into two partial streams and ASTM G93 Level B and vacuum packed in
further transported horizontally in opposite double packaging. Internal cleaning of the
directions. For the upper and the left pipe stainless steel tubes takes place in a special,
connection, a dead space free connection multi-layer cleaning system that has been
was selected from the ultra high purity (UHP) specially developed for this purpose.
sub-range of Selection, as this area forms the
main path for the medium. In the final instal- As a result of the manufacturing procedure
lation, an outflow is guided through a parti- described and the Selection components, to-
tion wall after the spiral coil. A prior welded day the assembly fulfils the demands placed
connection with a fitting is thus ruled out. The upon it and it demonstrates this in daily use
connection is thus subsequently made with with our customers.
high purity (HP) compression ferrule unions
from the Selection product range.
Complex geometry
and sophisticated processing
Some particular features of this project were
the complex geometries and the different
dimensions that also influenced each other.
The endpoint to endpoint distance between
the inlet and outlet had to be correct and
there were also clear specifications for the di-
ameter and inclination of the spiral coil. The
use of UHP weld-on unions also required the
use of the orbital welding procedure. SERTO
possesses appropriate systems for this and is
SERTO Uptodate, No 49 – May 2021 page 7
SERTO Costumer report
Perfect dosing
page 8 SERTO Uptodate, No 49 – May 2021
orbital and precise
bdtronic GmbH with its headquarters in Weikersheim in
Germany is a world-leading manufacturer of plant systems and
process solutions in the areas of dosing systems, impregna-
tion technology, hot riveting and plasma pre-treatment. With
its wide range of products, the company serves well-known
customers in a very wide range of industry sectors, including
the automotive industry, the electrical and electronics industry
and filter and medical technology.
In 2019, bdtronic was once again awarded SERTO GmbH, the German subsidiary of the
a major contract from the automotive industry. SERTO Group supplies the stainless steel dos-
It included the delivery of extensive facilities ing needles for the impregnation machines
for the production of electric motors for the ordered. In the drizzle procedure that was se-
Premium Platform Electric (PPE) for Audi, the lected for the dosing, an impregnation resin is
German automotive manufacturer. The back- applied through the needle to the inside and
ground to this is that the German automotive outside of the rotating stator and this subse-
manufacturers have launched several new quently spreads into the windings. A smooth
models with electric or hybrid motors in the flow is achieved thanks to the turned and or-
past year. This development has been acceler- bitally welded needles and the fine drill hole
ated due to the diesel scandal, the emergence at the needle tip also enables extremely pre-
of new competitors and due to the pressure of cise dosing of the medium. The stainless steel
the CO2 legislation. tip welded with a seamless pipe is provided
with a laser inscription so that the diameter
bdtronic constructed the first impregnation of the borehole in the machine can be deter-
systems for automotive manufacturers and mined at any time. It enables simple orienta-
suppliers for the European and Asian markets tion with regards to sizes and thus supports
in 2008. Since then, between ten and fifteen tight time management.
impregnation systems are supplied annually.
At the same time, bdtronic has continually de- As a supplier of many years, we would like to
veloped and improved the process steps. say thank you for the excellent collaboration
with the bdtronic team and we look forward
The company is able to fully utilise its wide to many more high-tech projects where we
range of experience in dosing and impregna- can shape the future of mobility, in both the
tion systems while carrying out the order for area of electric mobility and in autonomous
Audi. This combination of expertise is unique vehicle operation.
on the market and it enables bdtronic to con-
struct a machine that meets the highest level
of quality requirements and that ensures high
production volumes. bdtronic CEO Patrick
Vandenrhijn was very pleased with the order.
«We are proud that Audi has decided upon
the large-batch machines from bdtronic for the
impregnation of electric motors.»
SERTO Uptodate, No 49 – May 2021 page 9
SERTO Inside
Love of dogs connects
Bailey
ny & Mar ween
So
page 10 SERTO Uptodate, No 49 – May 2021the Czech and the Swiss
In this issue, we would like to introduce two employees from
the Procurement department of SERTO AG in Switzerland and
the Production Manager from SERTO CZ in the Czech town of
Klatovy. Along with their daily preoccupation with delivery
volumes and production lots, the three are also connected by
their love for their four-legged friends.
Sandra Keck and Sereina Fröhlich in the pro- company, Sereina Fröhlich was able to learn
curement team deal with operational procure- and apply an efficient working manner right
ment for the SERTO products − they monitor from the start. In Procurement, she took on
deadlines and negotiate conditions and are responsibility for different shopping baskets,
in close contact with suppliers. Outside their for example commercial goods, packaging,
daily work, however, they have forged a hoses, springs and couplings. In her free time,
friendship via the walks they take with their she enjoys long walks in the countryside and
dogs Sony and Marween. On long walks likes to take part in military training with her
with his dog Bailey, a Swiss shepherd dog, dog Marween.
Co-Production Manager Radek Förster al-
ways finds inspiration for new ideas about Radek Förster
how to make processes and CNC processing Radek Förster has been employed at
even more efficient. SERTO CZ since 2007, the most important
supplier of stainless steel CNC turned parts,
Sandra Keck made either from bars or forged blanks. In ad-
After more than ten years in the SERTO dition to this, SERTO CZ was established for
Procurement team, procurement specialist and specialises in the production of stainless
Sandra Keck has a great deal of experience steel braided PTFE hoses (Jacoflon). Along-
and corresponding technical expertise. She is side his role as a Co-Production Manager,
familiar with almost every item in the SERTO Radek Förster is also responsible for person-
product range, as she has dealt with a very nel management and occupational safety.
large range of shopping baskets. Thanks to He values in particular the wide variety of
her systematic and efficient working methods, work and the opportunity to make decisions.
she is always able to keep track of things, Radek Förster spends his free time with his
even in hectic situations. Her colleagues also family, but he also enjoys barbecuing with
value her helpful and competent manner. friends. And we cannot forget the one-year-
It is no surprise that Sandra Keck is always old white Swiss shepherd dog Bailey. The pair
happy to pass on her broad knowledge and are already training hard together to make
expertise to younger employees as a commit- their dream of participating in a dog agility
ted instructor. In her private life, Sandra Keck competition reality.
spends a lot of time outdoors. Her constant
companion is her dog Sony. True to the mot- We would like to thank the three highly moti-
to: «Mountaineering is more than sport. It is a vated SERTO employees for their dedication
passion», the duo conquers many mountain and wish them continued success and enjoy-
paths. ment in their jobs and free time.
Sereina Fröhlich
Sereina Fröhlich completed her commercial
apprenticeship successfully at SERTO AG and
has since then been a member of the procure-
ment team. Thanks to the good training sup-
port provided by the vocational trainers in the
SERTO Uptodate, No 49 – May 2021 page 11Publication details
Visual concept, layout, design: Editorial assistance: Picture credits: Contact details for Germany: Contact details for Switzerland
Hochformat GmbH, Winterthur Stephan Albrecht, Michael Busch, Page 5 (top): SERTO GmbH, 34123 Kassel, (headquarters):
Sybille Hatt, Michael Heusser, iStockphoto.com/MediaProduction info-de@serto.com SERTO AG, 8500 Frauenfeld,
Norbert Kern, Andreas Mühlthaler, Page 8: bdtronic, Germany www.serto.com info-ch@serto.com
Bernd Schreck, Carsten Trachte, www.serto.com
Pirmin Westermann
page 12 SERTO Uptodate, No 49 – May 2021You can also read
