Okuma: From Noodles to High-Tech
Interview with Ralf Christian Tränkle, CEO (CSO) of OKUMA GERMANY GmbH
What started in 1898 in Japan with noodle machines is today a global leader in machine tools: Okuma GmbH offers the German market a broad portfolio of lathes, milling and grinding machines with integrated hardware and software solutions. CEO Ralf Tränkle discusses current challenges and the role of automation and digitization.
Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Tränkle, Okuma has a long history. Can you tell us something about the history of the company?
Ralf Christian Tränkle: A fun fact about our company is that we were established as a manufacturer of noodle machines. Okuma was founded in 1898 in Nagoya, Japan, and our first product was a noodle machine, which still stands and operates in our museum today. Historically, Okuma was very focused on Japan. Before World War II, we were already the largest machine tool manufacturer in the Japanese market. A distinctive feature of Okuma is our high degree of vertical integration—we produce a lot ourselves, from machine beds and motors to encoders. Also, our own control system, which we launched in 1963, is a central part of our DNA.
Wirtschaftsforum: How is Okuma positioned in Germany?
Ralf Christian Tränkle: The European headquarters was established in Krefeld in 1988, and since 2019 OKUMA GERMANY has been part of the Okuma Group through the acquisition of the dealer Hommel CNC Technik. In Germany, we have about 150 employees, including 50 service technicians, and operate four technology centers nationwide.
Wirtschaftsforum: What distinguishes your machine tools?
Ralf Christian Tränkle: Okuma has a very broad product portfolio of machining centers. We offer lathes, machining centers, turn-mill centers, grinding machines, automation solutions, and diverse software solutions for machine and PC – all with high value creation depth. Currently, our turn-mill centers, which optimally serve customer needs for higher flexibility with smaller batch sizes, are particularly in demand. These combined machines allow for the complete production of parts on a single machine, which is especially important in light of the skilled labor shortage. Additionally, there is the topic of automation, which we partly offer ourselves and partly realize with strong partners.
Wirtschaftsforum: Who are your typical customers?
Ralf Christian Tränkle: Our main clientele are SMEs and contract manufacturers who need high flexibility, as they often have to respond to new orders at short notice. Mass production and large-scale series production, such as in the automotive industry, are less in focus. Especially for smaller companies, our own Okuma control offers benefits: It combines hardware and software into an optimally coordinated system – ideal for flexible manufacturing requirements.
Wirtschaftsforum: What speaks in favor of Okuma machines compared to competitors?
Ralf Christian Tränkle: Due to our high vertical integration, we offer perfectly coordinated systems of hardware and software that simply work. When you assemble a system from various components from different suppliers, the risk of problems is higher. Our machines are sourced from a single provider; this offers the advantage of having only one contact for both the machine and its control. Secondly, our machines are characterized by their precision and durability. Thirdly, we provide an excellent service network, as we know our system very well and can find solutions quickly. Additionally, our customers appreciate the low total cost of ownership and the high availability of the machines – Okuma machines run incredibly stable.
Wirtschaftsforum: How have recent crises affected your business?
Ralf Christian Tränkle: The situation in Germany is not easy. Cost pressures, skilled labor shortages, and high bureaucracy pose significant challenges. However, thanks to our loyal customer base and wide range of offerings, we have been able to navigate through these crises relatively well.
Wirtschaftsforum: What role do digitization and artificial intelligence play for you and your customers?
Ralf Christian Tränkle: The topic of automation is currently a major focus for us. The demands on digitization for optimizing production processes are continuously increasing. Our customers, mainly smaller companies, are not as advanced on this path as the large corporations, but we notice that machine data capture with OPC UA or MT-connect is becoming increasingly important for our customers too. With our own control system, we have the capability to access deep data from the machine, positioning us well. Japan is significantly more advanced in the Internet of Things area than Europe. The Windows-based interface of our control system also allows for easy data connection and customer-specific evaluations via API interfaces.
Wirtschaftsforum: What is the future direction for Okuma?
Ralf Christian Tränkle: Our current focus is on automation, where we already offer many products. The next step will be the expansion of digitalization for further process optimization – whether it be through reducing scrap and downtime or through predictive maintenance. We are already working with selected lighthouse customers to shape this future.