Global Markets, Local Solutions

In his guest article for FUTUR, Dr. Jens König describes how his company, CHIRON, is responding to this change.

The current economic environment for machine and plant manufacturers is characterized by volatile and increasingly fragmented markets, protectionism, quality and traceability requirements, and a shortage of skilled workers. As a specialist in milling and milling-turning machining centers headquartered in Tuttlingen, the CHIRON Group is responding to these challenges with an international structure. We have seven production plants in Europe, the United States, and China. This requires a highly structured approach with systemic support. The key is to align the strategic orientation with company processes. I am responsible for global, partially localized component development, from the initial idea through production launch and service support during product usage and discontinuation phases.

Within the framework of the guidelines set by the management direction, this involves regular coordination with internal stakeholders, such as the sales, product management, purchasing, service, and prototype building teams. It also involves making operational adjustments, especially in the event of an unexpected occurrence. For my team and me, this means continuously learning through input from customers, suppliers, and colleagues worldwide. This ensures that our product developments are constantly benchmarked and tested according to international standards. For example: The intended use of our machines and systems at an ambient temperature of 23 °C ± 2 K cannot be maintained in many regions. We have learned that the extreme values are -5 °C and 50 °C. Added to this are humidity and exceptional altitudes, such as in Mexico. Therefore, our complex mechatronic systems are often subject to conditions that force us to redefine the robustness and reliability of our products for future production sites.

With a product development system geared towards this, we have established European and Asian suppliers as double-source alternatives to traditional suppliers. This has allowed us to enhance our products, learn about new requirements, and significantly boost the technological and economic competitiveness of our customers. On this basis, the efficient and sustainable development of new products is also possible. It has helped us to establish a new class of micro-machining systems for the medical, precision engineering, electronics, and tool and mold making industries. With an extremely low ecological footprint, our customers can use these machines to produce high-precision components in varying batch sizes. We are proud to have received recognition for this through many orders, high customer satisfaction ratings, and numerous awards. 

started as a student and later became a research assistant at the IWF at TU Berlin, most recently serving as head of department in the field of machine tools and manufacturing technology at the IWF and in the production systems division at Fraunhofer IPK. After completing his doctorate, he held management positions at DMG MORI beginning in 2012. Since 2017, he has been responsible for mechatronics and component development at the CHIRON Group. In addition to managing strategic and international projects, he is responsible for the product-side integration of the subsidiaries in the USA and China. His current focus areas include defining global product compliance, localization, and supplier diversification, as well as supporting strategic environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG).