Haas CNC machine tools specified by Soul-Kozak
September 28th, 2010 by 
admin Poland’s economy continues to grow, setting it apart from almost every other EU member-nation. Small, export-led firms like bicycle part manufacturer Soul-Kozak are playing an increasingly important role.
Lublin is about 100 miles from Warsaw and is at least a three-hour drive. It’s a worthwhile journey, though, if only to visit the antique and cobbled centre of Poland’s 9th largest city, rising above its greater-metropolitan surroundings like a French or Italian hill top town. The suburbs of Lublin may attract fewer visitors than its historic centre, but the architecture and urban planning of the city offer many reminders of what happened in the country after 1945, once the Nazis had been ejected and Russian forces began their long subjugation of the Polish people. In this Soviet modelled cityscape, hidden amongst clusters of wooden sheds and corrugated iron garages, there is a small start-up company run by a young married couple whose parents might never have imagined the country that Poland has become.
Mariusz Kozak began his business when he left Lublin University of Technology. He’s a keen mountain bike racer and though he studied aeronautical engineering (the region has a history of Soviet-era aeronautical engineering) he was determined he would find a way to make a living from his true passion. During his studies, he patented several new designs for helicopter landing gear. His technical ingenuity is proving to be transferable; he has already filed patents for a number of innovative, lightweight bicycle components, including a set of air-suspended downhill forks and a new design of bottom-bracket (the cylindrical bearing to which the pedal cranks are attached).
Combining lightness and stiffness is critical for competitive cycling. A racing mountain bike might already weigh as little as 8kg so shedding excess ’fat’ can be a very expensive undertaking. Soul-Kozak makes the parts that weight-obsessed customers buy to replace heavier, stock components, such as wheel-hubs, gear cassettes, handle bar stems and seat-clamps.
’We aren’t competing with the big names in bike parts’ says Kozack; ’In fact, our components are up to twice as expensive as similar products from Shimano (the market-leading Japanese manufacturer).’ The company is, rather, making and selling a premium product for customers who want and are prepared to pay for something that saves a few more grams and offers a little bit more performance.
Haas CNC machine tools are being used by Soul-Kozak to manufacture ultra-lightweight bicycle components
To make the many different parts, the company invested in two Haas CNC machine tools, bought from the local Haas Factory Outlet - A Division of Abplanalp. Michal Frodyma, the company’s only employee, operates the Haas TL-1 Toolroom Lathe, whilst Mariusz Kozak is busy running the Haas TM-1 Toolroom Mill. ’These are the only two metal-cutting machines we own; but we use them to make every component we currently offer. We no longer have to subcontract components, which means we can be self-sufficient and a lot more efficient.’
The rear gear-cassette is the most complex part the company makes. It starts out on the Haas lathe where it’s cut to length and then face-turned, before it’s transferred to the Haas mill. After each operation a cassette is checked for dimensional accuracy, which partly explains why it takes 5 hours to make a single unit. ’The tolerances for this part are critical; any inaccuracies would be obvious immediately the component is mounted on the bike. The gearshift has to be smooth and fast with no chance that the chain will slip or fall off the cogs.’ As with all the company’s parts, the final stages in the manufacturing process are anodising and engraving, both of which are also undertaken in-house.
Whilst Mariusz Kozak manages the workshop, his wife Izabela Kozak is responsible for marketing, which includes maintaining the company’s website. The company has distributors in several countries, but selling its products online is of key strategic importance. E-commerce is direct, low cost and, perhaps most importantly, payment is banked when, or even before product is shipped. ’The Internet is vital for our business’ says Izabela Kozak. ’We get most of our orders via our online shop. We sell to customers in 20 countries, as far away as Australia.’
With the Haas machines, Soul-Kozak is able to respond immediately to an email request for an out-of-stock component. Mariusz Kozak can call-up the program and begin machining a part in minutes. ’When we were looking for suitable CNC machine tools we prioritised reliability and precision.’ he says. ’The Haas machines offered the best value and performance for the money. There are plenty of machines out there that offer greater precision, but they are not affordable for a small business like ours.’
Of all the ex-communist European states Poland has made the transition to a market economy better than most. It’s a good place to make things, with relatively low living and employment costs (compared to the rest of the EU) and access to well-educated, technically qualified workers. As a result, Poland’s manufacturing entrepreneurs, like Mariusz and Izabela Kozak, are able to focus on designing and making high-quality, high-end products that people around the world want to buy.
http://www.theengineer.co.uk/mwp/news/haas-cnc-machine-tools-specified-by-soul-kozak/1005132.article
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