Awards

ProMoClean, the linear, modular concept of a new Cleaning Machine Generation received the Industry’s Innovation Award.

For the development of ProMoClean (Productive, Modular Cleaning Technology) the issues Flexibility and Productivity were in the foreground. In the automotive industry and for its component suppliers the issues precision cleaning, high pressure deburring as well as absolute dryness of the components gain ever-increasing importance.

Irrespective of turbulent environmental influences our customers are compelled to take long-term and only hardly reversible allocation decisions. The conditions involved are often changing abruptly. The new situation requires quick and low-cost actions. Scenarios for changing requirements can be the following examples: 

• Higher demands on cleanness by the end user
• Products are subject to chip buildup due to other (low cost) suppliers
• Products are not free of burrs due to different premachining
• Parts do not become sufficiently dry
• Production site is relocated

The modular concept allows within the shortest retooling times (approx. one week) the integration of additional modules at the requested position in the cleaning process. For higher cleanness an additional rinsing module with an own media tank and additional filter technology can be integrated. Freedom from burrs is also achieved with a high pressure module and the requested dryness is obtained with a vacuum module (< 10mbar).

Additionally, the high mobility of these machines allows easy and cost favourable relocations.

The linear machine concept ensures the simple integration of ProMoClean into the production complex. The FiFo Principle (First-in First-out) can easily be realized. Buffers become unnecessary, the mixing of batches is avoided.

Looking at the machine’s capability is always possible at the test station of Strama-MPS in Straubing.

Also this year (after 2005 for the second time) Strama-MPS has been listed among the 500 fastest growing companies in Europe.

This year the festive awards ceremony took place in the Hofburg in Vienna, Austria. Martin Bartenstein, Austrian Federal Minister of Economics and Labour as well as the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Danuta Hübner presented the awards and pointed out to the outstanding performance of the company which even in economically difficult times could achieve a clear growth in the last three years.

The management of Strama-MPS, Helmut Petzko, Werner Schmidbauer and Herbert Wittl, considers this award as recognition of their employees’ performance and at the same time it is an incentive to increase our future sales and further job creation in our region. The corporate policy of Strama-MPS, tells the management, is particularly to achieve sustained corporate success and not the short-term profit maximization.

This aspect was also considered during the presentation of the “Best Business Award for effective management”. Also at this award ceremony, which took place on November 7, 2006 in Linz, Austria, Strama-MPS was among the finalists.

On November 19, 2005 the well-established company based in Straubing, the Strama-MPS Maschinenbaugesellschaft GmbH & Co. KG, received for their growth strategy in the last 4 years the award “Europe’s 500” in Barcelona. Spain. This award sponsored by Microsoft and KPMG, is given every year to the 500 fastest growing companies in Europe. Besides the sales growth the continuous job creation has top priority for the evaluation.

As this is the case with all awarded companies, also Strama-MPS focuses the long-term development of the company and not the short-term profit optimization. At this year’s award the companies in the EDP and logistics sector were dominating. This makes clear that also other European companies in the manufacturing sector do not have the growth rates of former years any more.

The management regards this award as recognition of the flexibility and high performance of all Strama-MPS employees what is only possible with the right motivation.

About 285 employees – all of them engineers, technicians or skilled workers – are currently employed. One fifth of them have been built-up in the last 5 years. Sales could be increased to more than 33 million Euros in 2005, more than 30% over the value of 2001. 

On June 15, 2005 the well-established company based in Straubing, the Strama-MPS Maschinenbaugesellschaft GmbH & Co. KG, received for their growth strategy in the last 5 years the award "Bavaria’s Best 50". The award was handed over to the management by Dr. Otto Wiesheu, Bavarian Minister for Economic Affairs, in a festive ceremony in the Munich Residenz. "Bavaria’s Best 50" is a Bavarian economy prize already awarded for the fourth time in this year. From 2,000 middle-sized companies with at least 50 employees 50 companies were chosen which took the top positions in Bavaria for growth as to sales and employees in the last 5 years. Requirement was, of course, a high degree of reliability.

The management regards this award as recognition of the flexibility and high performance of all Strama-MPS employees what is only possible with the right motivation. Everybody can also be a little bit proud of it. At the same time this award is an incentive to achieve new goals as well as the obligation not to stagnate, but to meet the big challenges of globalization.

Strama-MPS, resulting from a merger of the Strama Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG and the MPS Montage- und Prüfsysteme GmbH approx. 5 years ago, is engaged in special machine design for the automotive industry and their component suppliers. Complete solutions are offered, i.e. Strama-MPS provides everything from design to manufacturing and assembly up to the installation of the machine worldwide and the after sales service for the machines from Strama-MPS.

Special machines made by Strama-MPS are assembly and welding systems for car bodies, are systems for automatic assembling and testing of large series in the automotive sector, like for instance gear pumps, spark plugs or steering columns as well as special machine tools.

Key accounts are the car manufacturers BMW, Audi and VW as well as the companies Bosch and ThyssenKrupp Presta. For many years already, these reputable companies rely on the high quality of Strama-MPS products and the very good cooperation characterized by flexibility and business relationship on a basis of mutual trust. As to technology all key accounts have an excellent position in their respective market segment and consequently, Strama-MPS may also profit from their growth.

In the last two years Strama-MPS was able to achieve sales of more than 30 million Euros. For the coming years all signs point to growth in spite of the economic weaknesses on the home market. In particular the international markets must show growth. We are well prepared for it; in the last months, machines and systems could be delivered to China, Korea, India, Turkey and Brazil, all markets that indicate a high growth. About one year ago a platform was established in the USA with Strama-MPS U.S. to perform the indispensable service and the hope for further orders.

This is of course only possible in well-developed business environments. The management of the mechanical engineering company therefore calls for the urgently needed reforms and the cooperation of politics, economy and associations. This is the only way for producing companies to be going strong against the competition from low-wage countries from the East.

About 285 employees – all of them engineers, technicians or skilled workers – are currently employed. One fourth of them have been built-up in the last 5 years, further engagement of personnel – of course depending of the growth and availability of qualified skilled workers – is planned.

Strama-MPS provides intensive training and apprenticeships for the past 50 years. Currently 40 young people do an apprenticeship as mechanical engineer, electrician, mechatronician, technical drafter or office clerk and will take part in the continuous growth for the coming years.

The Strama-MPS management was surprised to meet Mr. Schüller from the “Bruder Straubinger Gebäudereinigung GmbH” in Munich. Only about 2 weeks ago Strama-MPS assured themselves of the performance of this company and entrusted Mr. Schüller with a part of the industrial cleaning. So another contribution to future growth was made for this customer-friendly service provider.

For their outstanding performance Strama-MPS Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG received the "Great award for medium-sized companies" on October 4, 2003. This prize was awarded the ninth time. Not the successes lasting for only a short period were the criteria, but the long-time positive and solid development of a company, their regional commitment and the creation of apprenticeship places and jobs were given special attention at the appraisal of the 2000 nominated companies. Before the 500 guests Dr. Georgi, the Minister for Economic Affairs of the Saarland, praised in particular the high apprenticeship rate at Strama-MPS. Our Management considers this prize as recognition of the efficiency of all Strama-MPS employees and as an incentive to achieve new goals.

Strama-MPS received the Supplier Award in the category Machines and Systems from the Management of the Robert Bosch GmbH at Boxberg on June 20, 2001 thus honouring the outstanding performance of Strama-MPS in the period 1999/2000 for a consistently high quality of their products and services, fairness of prices and reliability with respect to deliveries. This prize “For Quality and Outstanding Performance as Supplier of the Bosch Group” is awarded every two years since 1987. The selection was made among all suppliers worldwide. The decisive factors were the cooperation characterized by partnership and flexibility.