EMAG developed a message of joining precision part manufacturing and maximizing flexibility for high-value parts manufacturing -- one that should resonate with the IMTS 2014 visitors seeking to grab more opportunities from global manufacturing concerns. Among several machines demonstrating that combination, the VL 8 vertical turning machine with an integral part serving and indexing function, hit all the targets for precision and flexibility. It handles workpieces up to 400 mm diameter with a high-efficiency approach to finishing large-dimension castings for commercial vehicle components.

Production of commercial vehicles has been expanding steadily in recent years, with manufacturers in emerging economies needing new capital equipment and new production technologies to address the rising demand for semi-trucks and agricultural machinery, supplying the expanding construction and agricultural sectors in their regions. The competition to supply that demand is growing too, as new manufacturers (notably in China) establish the necessity of producing parts at affordable cost.

For suppliers to the commercial vehicle market, production planners are under pressure to deliver quality parts at low cost. The future of commercial vehicle production lies in being faster, more energy efficient and increasingly flexible.