Insight

Founded around 50 years ago by Heinrich Kuhn-Weiss, omniTECHNIK is a market leader in pre-applied coatings for threadlocking, clamping and sealing, which satisfies a vast spectrum of technical requirements. Still today omniTECHNIK uses its patented microencapsulation process for adhesives in its reactive precote® products.

During the omniTECHNIK in-house microencapsulation process, droplets of a proven two component acrylate system are enveloped inside a thin polymer wall. These individual microencapsulated components are then integrated within a lacquer like, reactive binder system. The final reactive products are called precote® 30, precote® 80 and precote® 85. When applied the precote® system dries to create a dry non-tacky coating that is permanently attached to the threaded part.

Then during installation, pressure and/or shear stress rupture the microcapsules in the precote coating. The liquid components are released and the mixture cures in conjunction with the binder system to offer a combination of maximum locking effect and reliable sealing. Different requirements concerning strength, friction value and temperature stability can also be fulfilled by microencapsulated modified acrylates in combination with precote binders.

“precote is able to provide a pre-applied solution for all application fields where high security standards, easy handling and efficiency in mass production are required,” explains Dr–Ing Sebastian Thau, managing director at omniTECHNIK. “The big benefit of precote is that users can handle the coated screw in a normal way, they do not have to worry about a sticky substance on the part. Plus, precote coated parts can be installed via highly automated manufacturing lines using robots or simply by hand, making it suitable for a lot of applications.”

Picking the right partner
Initially omniTECHNIK coated the screws itself, before deciding to work with coating partners – firstly in Germany and then further afield in Europe and finally globally. “As a relatively small business it was clear from the beginning that we would need to work with coating partners in order to be present in the necessary markets,” mentions Sebastian. “Based on our partnerships, we now have a presence within all the main continents including North and South America, Asia – particularly China, Korea, India, Taiwan and Japan – as well as all over Europe.”

omniTECHNIK has several coating partners in each region it serves, to guarantee of supply. “We are not selling precote to the general market,” points out Sebastian. “We work with carefully selected coating partners, with whom we have grown a very strong partnership over decades. We develop and deliver the liquid adhesive, and our coating partners have their core competence in coating the fasteners. Together we serve the fastener distribution supply chain to the final customer or OEMs.”

A key part in picking coating partners for omniTECHNIK is the commitment to quality. “All our partners supply reliable and consistent quality. This is crucial because patching is a highly technical and specialised process,” states Sebastian.

Technical and R&D support
“We have two hearts driving us forward as a successful business and that is our technical service, as well as our R&D capabilities. Both of which are essential services if you are going to work closely with partners and end user customers,” comments Sebastian. “That is why we have spent a lot of time and invested a lot of money into our technical service, as it is key to our development.”

Sebastian continues: “We also look to create strong partnerships with our coating partners around the world and develop solutions for new applications in close teamwork.” However, omniTECHNIK works not only with the coating partners, but also with everyone involved in the projects, especially the engineers at the supplier and OEMs.

“For OEM engineers, the screw is mostly not the main part of their expertise and therefore the coating on the screw is going to be even less of their expertise. That is why we offer our knowledge, experience and advice so we can provide the best technical solution. This is our main goal,” explains Sebastian. “By getting involved we can find out more about the application requirements and avoid any potential issues.”

The biggest market for precote is the automotive sector, but the company also works alongside customers in other markets. “The automotive industry is good for us because there are billions of screws involved, but we also serve industries such as aerospace, mechanical engineering, wind power and electronics,” mentions Sebastian. “We are looking to become a little more independent from the automotive industry, but at the same time we cannot ignore the volumes.”

In addition to technical support, omniTECHNIK is also committed to R&D: “Over a third of our workforce is working in R&D,” states Sebastian. “We have invested a lot into our R&D capabilities because this helps us with innovation – through the processes we use in production, the products, as well as the applications. By doing this we can provide customers with optimal solutions that will meet their needs, and this helps us get the products specified, which is essential.”

Reliable delivery
Another important aspect of omniTECHNIK’s service is the reliability of its delivery. “We are committed to delivering our products on time around the world,” highlights Sebastian. “As a small company this is not easy, which is why we have invested a lot of money in our production and processes – so we can produce our products completely in-house. This helps us not only to ensure the quality of the products, but also the reliability when it comes to delivery.”

Recent examples of omniTECHNIK’s investment include the doubling of one of its production lines last year, as well as the investment in a special fire extinguishing system – placed over the production lines – which immediately shuts down production at the first sign of a fire. “These are big investments, but they were key steps in making our processes more efficient and guaranteeing supply,” mentions Sebastian. “The fire extinguishing system is a failsafe and ensures that if the worst was to happen, we would be able to stop any fire quickly via a ‘water mist fog’, which would reduce the damage on the lines.”

Another area omniTECHNIK has invested in to help it guarantee reliable delivery is the amount of raw material stock it keeps on-site. “Being part of a global supply chain in one of the core industries, means delivery reliability for us is a huge topic, so we took the decision to increase our stock so we could produce for three months without any problems,” points out Sebastian. “Little did we know this would come in to use with the outbreak of Covid-19.”

Thanks to the increase in safety stock, omniTECHNIK has been able to carry on with production during ‘lockdown’. “We have kept in constant contact with our suppliers to check how they are doing as a business and the approach they have taken to the current situation – so we can anticipate any potential problems. However, overall, we have not really been impacted and our safety stock has allied any fears of any potential shortages.”

Covid-19 and 2030 strategy
In 2018 omniTECHNIK created a 2030 strategy: “We planned for different scenarios within the market and our growth, which would lead to different investments plans. However, none of our scenarios included a pandemic,” mentions Sebastian.

He continues: “With the automotive industry being one of our main markets, of course the impact of Covid-19 on our business has been significant. Nevertheless, we decided not to slow down, thus no short-term (furlough) working was implemented.”

omniTECHNIK has used this time to renovate, carry out maintenance, and reorganise its production lines, as well as optimise its stock and invest in new machinery. “These are things that are not so easy to do when you are working normally, so it was a good opportunity to do them now and it has also meant our employees have been busy throughout the period,” explains Sebastian.

To make it safe for workers to be at work, the company also introduced several safety measures, such as screens between workplaces, masks for employees, as well as disinfection devices next to each and every door. “The key for us was to keep every employee informed on a regular basis regarding the pandemic and the steps we were taking. We have been working since the start of the outbreak and we have not had any cases of Covid-19 so far.”

Whilst the pandemic may have slowed down omniTECHNIK’s future plans, Sebastian is clear the company still wants to develop and grow. “We believe the current situation will not last forever and therefore we don’t want to endanger our strategy. We are still committed to continuing our R&D activities and our technical service,” concludes Sebastian. “With providing new solutions for the future, I believe we will continue to grow together with our coating partners.”

www.precote.com