Automotive industry is constantly facing difficult challenges. Whereas the previous years were mainly spent improving the safety of vehicles, time is now ripe for ecology. People demand environmentally friendly cars, as they are one of the biggest polluters making the already unhealthy living conditions even worse. And since more than a billion people in the East are waiting for their automobiles, it is evident that the already bad environmental conditions will be getting even worse if no radical changes are taken.

The European commission responded by requiring all new cars to emit only 120 g of carbon dioxide per kilometre until 2012, causing additional costs in the automotive industry (expected price increase in middle class cars is 25%, in smaller cars less and in bigger cars substantially more). German automotive industry, currently producing the most high-PS cars (consequently having the largest emission of greenhouse gases) will have to submit to demanding environmental standards.

The key to success is innovation. In addition to environmental demands, the intense competition in this branch of industry is also stimulated by the increasing prices of oil, raw materials, other energy carriers and also work force. Various hybrid and gas-powered vehicles are becoming a part of everyday life, but the real revolution is yet to come. Even water-powered vehicles are closer than we think…

We have to be aware that automotive manufacturers are making more than three quarters of value added from the products of their suppliers, so they have to be one of the key factors in the process of designing new solutions. In this issue of IRT3000, you can read a number of articles from the conference on the actual challenges of automotive industry, organised for the sixth time by the Automotive Cluster of Slovenia (ACS).

We are well aware that many domestic companies are able to cooperate in the development and innovation of automotive industry, but we are also very proud of our younger generation. Namely, the students of Faculty of mechanical engineering in Ljubljana have presented their Student Roadster project, the fruit of university knowledge and industrial experience. The automobile was selected by the International federation of automotive engineering FISITA to be among five project of excellence. Congratulations!

Darko Švetak
IRT3000 Editor-In-Chief

From the content

Interview: Marijan Stele

This year, the world’s leading event in the field of sheet metal working in Hannover will take place from October 21. – 25. Five months before the opening, the exhibiting space has been booked by 1,350 exhibitors from 37 countries. The exhibiting companies will present their products and systems for various phases of sheet metal working in eight fair halls with 85.000 m2 net surface. The share of visitors directly or indirectly involved in decision making has increased by 20 % in 2006 (to 43,500 visitors). Almost half of the visitors came to the fair with concrete investment plans, mainly looking for consulting and demonstrations of machine operation. A 6 % increase in the share of visitors was attributed to non-German visitors. In addition to visitors from the EU, experts from other Eastern and Western European countries, Asia and North America were well represented in the structure of visitors.


Thematic unit:

Six months after opening the first seven buildings of new Technology Park Ljubljana complex, the buildings are already completely full with 124 companies acting in the field of information technology, industrial automation, new materials, biotechnology and environmental. The construction of three or four additional buildings is planned.

Sonja Sara Lunder, photo: Blaž Košak

Last October, company LAMA Automation, assembly systems, toolshop, d.o.o., from Dekani separated from the parent company Lama, d.d., Dekani. Nevertheless, the company remains 100 % owned by Lama, a member of well-known international group Titus+Lama+Huwil. According to the words of Samo Prodan, director of LAMA Automation, the separation follows from the wish of owners to exclude the automation unit from the basic activity of the group, which is specialised for furniture hardware. “Although our company is important to the group, as much of its equipment is the result of our knowledge and work, the new owner decided for the core activity to be the manufacturing of furniture hardware, removing automation and toolmaking activity to make the relations in the company more transparent,” explains Prodan, adding that company reorganisation presents no change for the customers, except for a slight change in the name.

A team of students at the Faculty of mechanical engineering in Ljubljana, led by Uroš Rosa, early stage researcher and assistant at the Chair of machine elements and development evaluation, used their own knowledge and help from some Slovenian companies to convert a Peugeot 406 into a roadster. The students executed the Student Roadster project in the same way as new cars are developed by automotive manufacturers. The team has proven that they have mastered the latest technologies for the development of new cars. Rosa claims the most difficult part is transferring the individual components from computer screens into production.


Lama Automation, assembly systems, toolshop, d. o. o.

Gorenje Orodjarna have concluded the strategic investment into new production facilities and infrastructural technologic equipment. The production facility area was approximately doubled by moving into former production facilities of Gorenje Indop, which has been relocated to Šoštanj in last October. The investment into the renewal of production hall amounted to more than half a million Euro and the investment into new technologies and computer equipment is approximately 2 million Euro strong.

Zoran Jereb, photo: Blaž Košak

We spoke about innovation, supporting measures and exploitation of innovation capital with Marijan Stele, technical manager of Active Slovenian Innovators (ASI) Innovation Centre. As a former state undersecretary at the Ministry of the Economy, he was involved in supporting innovation for years. He is both an expert and a severe critic of Slovenian innovation supporting environment.

Automation and informatisation:

Iztok Blaževič

Efficiency, productivity and quality are the key indicators, determining the business success of a company. Companies having product assembly lines and systems in their production facilities wish to improve their performance indicators by automation and informatisation of assembly, thereby gaining competitive advantage on the market.


Non-metals:

Mini-Spike and Transofix are products manufactured by medical product supplier B. Braun from Melsungen. They are equipped with precision-made protective caps that are manufactured in million batches. Hot-runner technology must be able to comply with all the requirements for uninterrupted production. More than 70 million protective caps are integrated into Mini-Spike and Transofix products every year. The first product is an additive dispensing pin for preparing and dispensing liquids, and the second one is used for transferring sterile liquids.


Advanced technologies:

Esad Jakupović