At 2.45 a.m., the journey started with two heavy goods vehicles from the manufacturer in Münsterland in the direction of Bergisches Land, and by 5.30 a.m. the convoy had arrived in Kobeshofen. One truck had positioned itself in the Aldi car park opposite so that it only had to reverse across the road to the Recknagel haulage company's roller shutter door, while the other was waiting in the car park of the meat market. To the left and right of the gate were a crane lorry from the Dutch company and one from Wuppertal.

At 9.52 a.m., the first, 31-tonne half - the so-called machine bed with the tool magazines, the guides and drives as well as the travelling column with the processing spindle - starts to move. Centimetre by centimetre, the two cranes lift the huge part into the air. Five minutes later, it floats so high that the heavy goods transporter with the long trailer can drive towards the Aldi car park.

Now the real precision work begins, because somehow the 13 metre long machine half has to get inside. First, thanks to the two cranes, it floats two metres into the dispatch hall and is set down on two heavy-duty rollers at the front. The steel chains with which it was suspended from the Dutch crane are released. Now the Wuppertal crane, whose chains are attached to the rear third of the machine, can push the 30 tonnes in piece by piece until the chains reach the door frame.

Meanwhile, a Rensink employee has brought out a special ‘toy’: using a remote control, he moves a heavy-duty roller measuring a good 1.50 by 1.50 metres from a flat ‘garage’ into the hall - this is of great importance for the onward transport of the two halves into the neighbouring production hall.

Once the second half has been transported to its future location in the same way, preparations can begin for the installation of the new state-of-the-art CNC machining centre. In the afternoon, the two parts are bolted together and initially brought into their prepared position with the help of hydraulic lifters and the heavy-duty rollers. The fitters now mark the points for the holes in the hall foundation, then the CNC machine is moved aside again. Today and after the long weekend, the largest single investment in the company's history, at a good one million euros, will not only be fixed to the hall floor with screws by the end of next week, but will also be prepared for subsequent operation.

Precision machine parts ‘made by Recknagel’ can then be manufactured on it from around mid-May. These are primarily steel guide rails that are ordered by mechanical engineering companies and over which the moving parts in their machines travel. The products from Kobeshofen are primarily used in grinding or milling machines and presses, as well as in toolmaking and by automotive suppliers. For example, Recknagel supplies customers from Audi, VW and Mercedes - ‘but only in small volumes’. As a rule, it is German SMEs that order the products; one company is Klingelnberg from Hückeswagen.

‘With the new machining centre, we now have a modern machine with a more powerful drive that can handle all drilling and milling work,’ explains Recknagel. Fewer work steps are also necessary. Thanks to the rotating machining spindle, holes and threads can now also be drilled and milled from the side. Previously, this was only possible at the sister company in Thuringia.

Source: https://rp-online.de/nrw/staedte/hueckeswagen/hueckeswagen-50-tonnen-maschine-schwebt-in-recknagel-halle_aid-126641819  (Translated with Deepl)