The Mexican automotive supplier, the BOCAR Group, presented the BOCAR Supplier Award for the second time in its history and once again honored GROB with this award. The event, which is very important to BOCAR, was attended by the two owners Marcus and Michael Baur, CEO Karl Schary and the respective purchasing departments of the BOCAR Group.
High mutual esteem
"It is very important for us to establish strong and reliable partnerships with our suppliers," explained Ezequiel Vivas, Purchasing Group Manager, and Tobias Bechtel, Managing Director of Bocar's purchasing organization in Europe, added: "Strong partners in challenging times are a difference maker and necessary to master future challenges together. We are therefore proud that we have been able to rely on GROB for over 18 years. We are confident that the excellent relationship between the two companies will continue to be extremely successful." The main arguments in favor of GROB for the award were the consistently on-time deliveries in complex projects, such as for Rivian Automotive, at its plant in Auma SLP and for the Fugra plant in Lerma with the delivery of the Ford frame structure parts, as well as the excellent and competent on-site service provided by GROB Mexico. Remarkable: The largest CNC machine to date, a G720F, was installed at the Fugra plant.
Nineteen years of trusting collaboration
GROB and BOCAR have much more in common than just a long-standing business relationship. Both companies are characterized by a very similar set of values and both family businesses share an identical DNA, which has enabled them to build up an extremely good business relationship with fair cooperation and cooperation over almost twenty years. "Both companies have the same roots," explained GROB Supervisory Board Chairman Christian Grob in his acceptance speech at the award ceremony. "Their family development in the company structure from senior to junior also shows great parallels. GROB and BOCAR are simply a good match."
Excellent cooperation
How well the two companies work together is reflected in their daily collaboration. A cooperation that is characterized above all by constructive approaches to solutions on both sides and which always strives to achieve the best technical and most competitive solution. The high level of technical expertise of both the technical project staff from Germany and the teams on site in Mexico, under the leadership of Jörg Wagner, make all the difference. The motor spindle repair workshop in Mexico enables local customers to take advantage of services that are unparalleled on the market. The local supply of spare parts, training expertise and the ability to carry out repairs, preventive maintenance and service calls at short notice are further advantages.
BOCAR - a Mexican company with German DNA
BOCAR has always seen itself as a Mexican manufacturing company with German DNA and as an innovative supplier to the automotive industry with high quality standards. It is therefore not surprising that BOCAR generally has its processes tested in its German subsidiary (primarily casting processes) before they are then delivered to Mexico. From a technological point of view, BOCAR covers several steps of the value chain (casting - conventional machining - assembly) in-house.
Largest universal machine customer for GROB
What began in 2006 with the first "Rocker Shaft Bridge" project made BOCAR GROB's largest universal machine customer. To date, GROB has sold 268 machines to BOCAR, 266 of which have been delivered. 84 percent of deliveries are universal machines, which is reflected in BOCAR's manufacturing strategy and the parts it produces. For around five years, BOCAR has been investing more in system machines (double-spindle machines) due to the larger and heavier workpiece properties required for machining parts for electromobility (3in1 housings or stator housings). In addition, BOCAR has succeeded in significantly improving its level of automation at the BOCAR plant in Alabama (USA) with GROB system machines. "GROB is still BOCAR's strong partner for CNC machines in the 5-axis range and, for some years now, also for double-spindle systems with full automation," says Jörg Wagner, long-standing branch manager of GROB Mexico. All the more so as the focus in the coming years will continue to be on components such as structural or chassis parts for the combustion engine.
