Smack tours Flex-tools GmbH Germany!

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

Smack tours Flex-tools GmbH Germany!




Hey fellow Geekaroonies I wanted to share my tour with Flex tools with everyone here. Since living in Germany now my interest for German products has skyrocketed through the roof! I eat, sleep, and live German now. Also having the Autobahn right outside the front gate of the base and being able to drive as fast as you dare is quite an experience. Not to mention living within 45 miles of the infamous Nurburgring and driving the “Green Hell”. Anyways the Flex headquarters is located in the city of Steinheim about 30 kilometers north of Stuttgart. This is in the state of Baden-Württemberg Germany. This trip was roughly 200 miles from me which I made it in less than 3 hours. Sure is nice being able to maintain a high rate of speed legally during my trip.

Upon arrival of the facility there was a bit of construction on the roadways surrounding Flex and the streets were very busy. After finding the company and parking my car I proceeded inside and was greeted with a welcoming sign which you will see below. I walked over to the reception desk and told them who I was and a phone call was made to Mr. Bob Eichelberg and Herr Siegfried Suby. It was an incredible experience seeing Bob and Suby come down to greet me and pause for a few pictures before we started the tour. After we chatted for a bit Herr Suby led us through the manufacturing facility and explained what goes into making the machines. Everything is made precisely to spec or it does not make the cut and will be put into the recycle bin to be recycled into raw material and made again. After seeing the full process of how they make their tools from start to finish we walked upstairs for a coffee break and was greeted by Herr Andreas Ditsche. Andreas, Bob, and I walked to the local restaurant for lunch as Suby had things to take care of.

This trip was quite the experience and I can say that these gentlemen treated me with utmost respect and as if I were family.

BTW, I know there is a lot of controversy going on about the Chinese acquiring Flex tools and I can say from first had experience that I did not see one China man in the manufacturing plant. All the Flex polishers we know and love are made right here in Germany by Germans. Even the Flex coffee cup is made in Germany!


Mr Suby and I



Bob and I


Some of the Flex history


Some of the current offerings


A look inside the facility


Bare motors ready to be wrapped with copper


Wrapping the motors
































A look inside the Flex conference room






And the German made Flex coffee cup with a rubber foot to prevent sliding






In closing I would like to thank Mr. Mike Phillips for helping me make this trip possible. Andreas, Bob, and Suby, thank you for accommodating me and treating me with the utmost respect as if I were a Flex family member. This was an incredible experience and I thank you for what you gentlemen have done.

[rms64]

Mike - so cool!

Thanks for sharing. And now I need to order a Flex mug!

[Flash Gordon]

Nice to see you making your time useful whilst in Germany

[Angus]

Wow, thats so cool!

[281]

Awesome Mike! You lucky son of gun you

[JSou]

Jealous. Thanks for sharing Mike!

[David at LC Pads]

Thanks for sharing Mike! Sounds like it was a truly incredible tour!

[DARK HORSE]

Very cool Mike, looks like it was an awesome day for you!











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[VISITOR]

wow, very cool! can't wait to see what future polisher(s) they come out with, and one think i like is there QC is very high (better than Rupes IME). thanks for sharing...

[BrutalNoodle]

Thank you for taking us along on the tour.

I'm not at all surprised to see ladies on the assembly line. There was a piece I read a few years back regarding Ducati's assembly plant. One thing the director mentioned was that they favored women to men on engine assembly - that ladies tend to be more cautious/less aggressive, therefore less mistakes and more consistent with their work.