Precote: Full reliability when it counts
Founded nearly 50 years ago by Heinrich Kuhn-Weiss, omniTECHNIK is the market leader in pre-applied micro-encapsulated adhesives and sealants for screws through its patented precote® microencapsulation process.
In omniTECHNIK’s microencapsulation process, droplets of a bi.component acrylate system are wrapped inside a thin polymer wall. These individual microencapsulated components are then integrated into a reactive lacquer-like binding system. The final reactive products are called precote 30, precote 80 and precote 85. When applied, the precote® system dries to create a non-sticky dry coating that is permanently attached to the threaded part.
So during installation, pressure and/or shear stress breaks the microcapsules in the precote® coating. Liquid components are released and the mixture cures together with the binder system to provide a combination of maximum locking effect and reliable hold.
Various requirements for strength, friction value and temperature stability can also be achieved by these microencapsulated acrylates in combination with Precote binders.
“Precote can provide a pre-applied solution for all application fields where high safety standards, ease of handling and efficiency in mass production are required,” explains Dr.-Ing. Sebastian Thau, managing director of omniTECHNIK. “The big advantage of Precote is that users can handle the coated screw normally; they do not have to worry about a sticky substance on the part. In addition, pre-coated parts can be installed through highly automated production lines using robots or simply by hand, making them suitable for many types of applications.”
Choosing the right partner
Initially, omniTECHNIK coated the screws themselves in-house, before deciding to work with different applicator partners, first in Germany, then further afield in Europe and finally globally. “Being a relatively small company, it was clear from the beginning that we would have to work with local applicators to be present in the necessary markets,” Sebastian says. “Based on our partnerships, we now have a presence on all continents, including North and South America, Asia, particularly China, Korea, India, Taiwan and Japan, as well as throughout Europe.” We have been working with Mascherpa in Italy for almost forty years because of their reliability and technical knowledge.”
omniTECHNIK has several local partners in each region it serves to ensure supply assurance. “We do not sell Precote to the general market,” Sebastian stressed. “We work with carefully selected applicators, with whom we have developed a very strong partnership over the past decades. oT develops and supplies the liquid adhesive, our partners coat the fasteners with our products. Together we help supply the components coated with our product to the end customer or OEMs. “.
A key part of choosing coating partners for omniTECHNIK is a commitment to quality.
“All of our partners provide reliable and consistent quality. This is critical because patching is a highly technical and specialized process,” says Sebastian.
Technical support and research and development
“We have two hearts that drive us as a successful business, and that is our technical service, as well as our research and development capabilities. Both are essential services if you intend to work closely with partners and end users, ” Sebastian comments. “This is why we have spent a lot of time and invested a lot of money in our technical service as it is a key to our development.”
Sebastian continues, “We also seek to create strong partnerships with our applicator partners around the world and develop new solutions in close teamwork.” But omniTECHNIK works not only with partners, but also with all the people involved in the projects, especially engineers from the automakers.
“Engineers from car manufacturers have little direct experience with the screw and even less on the coating on the screw. That’s why we offer our knowledge, experience, and advice so that we can provide the best technical solution-that’s our main goal,” Sebastian explains. “By getting involved we can find out more about the application requirements and avoid potential problems.
Precote’s largest market is the automotive sector, but the company also works alongside clients in other markets. “The automotive industry is good for us because billions of screws are involved, but we also serve industries such as aerospace, mechanical engineering, wind power and electronics,” Sebastian says. “We are trying to become a little more independent from the automotive industry, but at the same time we cannot ignore its volumes.”
In addition to technical support, omniTECHNIK is also engaged in research and development: “More than one-third of our workforce works in research and development,” says Sebastian. “We have invested heavily in our research and development capabilities because this helps us with innovation, through the processes we use in production, products and applications. In this way we can provide customers with optimal solutions that will meet their needs, and this helps us get the specified products, which is essential.”
Reliable delivery
Another important aspect of omniTECHNIK’s service is reliable delivery. “We are committed to delivering our products on time all over the world,” Sebastian emphasizes. “As a small company, this is not easy, which is why we have invested heavily in our production and processes so that we can produce our products completely in-house. This helps us not only ensure product quality, but also reliability when it comes to delivery.”
Recent examples of omniTECHNIK’s investment include doubling one of its production lines last year, as well as investing in a special fire-fighting system-placed above the production lines-that immediately stops production at the first sign of fire. “These are big investments, but they have been key steps in making our processes more efficient and ensuring delivery,” Sebastian says. “The fire suppression system is a safety system and ensures that if the worst were to happen, we would be able to quickly stop any fire by reducing damage on the lines.”
Another area in which omniTECHNIK has invested to ensure reliable deliveries is the amount of raw material stock it has maintained on site. “Being part of a global supply chain in one of the major industries, delivery reliability is a key issue for us, so we decided to increase our inventory so that we could produce for three months without any problems,” Sebastian points out. “We did not know that this would come into use with the Covid-19 outbreak.”
Thanks to the increased safety stock, omniTECHNIK was able to continue production during the “lockout.” “We keep in constant contact with our suppliers to check how they are producing and their approach to the current situation so that we can anticipate any problems. However, overall, we have not really been affected and our safety stocks have allied fears of potential shortages.”
Covid-19 and 2030 Strategy
In 2018 omniTECHNIK had created a 2030 strategy: “In the strategy we planned for different market scenarios and our relative growth, which would lead to different investment plans. However, none of our scenarios included a pandemic, ” Sebastian says.
He continued, “Since the automotive industry is one of our major markets, obviously the impact of Covid-19 on our business has been significant. However, we decided not to slow down, so no short-term (licensed) work was implemented.”
OmniTECHNIK used this time to renovate, maintain, and reorganize its production lines, as well as to optimize inventory and invest in new machinery. “These are things that are not so easy to do when you are normally working at full capacity, so it was a good opportunity to do them now and it also engaged our employees throughout,” Sebastian explains.
To ensure the safety of hardworking workers, the company has introduced various safety measures, such as screens between workplaces, masks for employees, and disinfection devices next to each door. “The key for us was to keep every employee regularly informed about the pandemic and the steps we were taking. We have been working since the beginning of the outbreak, and so far we have had no cases of Covid-19.”
Although the pandemic may have slowed the company’s future plans. Sebastian is clear that the company still plans to develop and grow. “We believe that the current situation will not last forever, so we do not want to jeopardize our strategy. We are still committed to continuing our research and development activities and our technical service,” Sebastian concludes. “By providing new solutions for the future, I believe we will continue to grow together with our applicator partners. And Asia will probably continue to grow faster than other regions “
