THE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT has contributed significantly to MAPAL's success since the early days of the company.
The basis of MAPAL's success: Research and Development
1925-2025
MAPAL's research and development department makes a significant contribution to the company's success. Not only because it produces constant improvements and innovations. But also because it quickly and convincingly implements customer requirements in practice - as early as during the sales phase.
“NOT POSSIBLE” DOES NOT EXIST
Practical test trials have played a prominent role at MAPAL since the company was founded. The initial difficulties in turning the patent, acquired in 1952, for the single-edged reamer into a functional and marketable fine machining tool leaves the young company with no other choice. Even later, it takes countless attempts to improve this very special MAPAL product and make it suitable for ever new applications.
Since 1958, there is a small attachment between administration and production where tests are carried out. However, an independent, well-organised testing and development department is only set up in 1972 and, under the dedicated management of Frieder Häberle, is subsequently expanded to become a key component of MAPAL's success. In view of the exclusive focus on the single-edged reamer from 1975 onwards, the testing and development department plays a decisive role. Not only do numerous product optimisations succeed there, such as CVD coatings for the carbide indexable inserts or PCD guide pads. Rather, the testing department becomes an extension of the sales department, so to speak: special customer requests are promptly passed on to the testing and development department. The team realises individual solutions at short notice, which also includes test processing. In his memoirs, Dr Dieter Kress later writes that these rapid responses helped MAPAL to grow into a larger company.
In general, both Dr Dieter Kress and Dr Jochen Kress make the research and development department “a matter for the boss”, so to speak: the father devotes his diploma thesis and dissertation to improvements to the single-edge reamer, while the son works there for a while after joining the family business. The importance of the department is also made clear by the fact that it is housed in modern and spacious premises in the newly built test centre in 2000.
Today, innovation does not only take place in R&D, but also in product automation and in the engineering teams in customer service. The development costs as MAPAL Group amount to approx. 6 %. Approx. 65 employees work in R&D teams (Aalen, Pforzheim, Altenstadt, Nantes, Coimbatore), approx. 20 in Product Automation.
