Marklin -Trix factory tour video

[maico]

It's clear the company have made recent investments in automation in their German plant in Goppingen. The Mk.1 human hand is also still in evidence with paint brush and file on zinc diecast body parts...

 

 

[JeremyC]

Very interesting. The amount of capital that must be tied up in tooling and machinery perhaps illustrates why models cost what they do. It seemed to me that much of the machinery was more sophisticated than that seen in videos of the Chinese factories, but that presumably is the necessity of compensating for higher wage levels in Europe.

Edited August 28, 2019 by JeremyC

[maico]

For cheaper plastic bodies they have 3D printing machines. Not shown in the video, so I assume they are at their plant in Györ / Hungary where around 500 people are employed.

 

The German company Piko, known for good value models at Hornby type pricing, have their own plant in China. This video is well worth watching

 

 

 

 

 

[Allegheny1600]

Both videos are very interesting, thanks for posting.

I didn't realise the Piko factory is actually their own, I always thought it would be a shared facility, like many others.

I have to say though, if I had the choice, I would far rather work in the German factory! Not that the Chinese factory is too bad, it has a decent looking cafeteria and pleasant surroundings, it's just that it does appear much more like a 'sweat shop' than the Märklin facility. I do hope that is a phrase I can use, apologies if not.

It looked like the Piko N gauge locos were all getting an individual check too, I certainly have no complaints about the H0 scale models. However, I do still prefer Trix personally, despite the extra cost!

Cheers,

John.

[martin_wynne]

 

[Guest JiLo]

When you see the amount of work that goes into the production, assembly and decoration of each model, and the staff required, you can understand the costs involved, and the continuing rise in demands for finer detail will only see those costs rise. 

 

My own thinking is that the sometimes high prices charged for older models that have long paid their design and tooling costs are helping keep the costs down for higher detailed recent releases.

Edited August 28, 2019 by JiLo

[Marly51]

Some fascinating videos! Having progressed in professional life using a traditional drawing board with parallel motion rule in the 1970s to using the early computers in the late 1980s, I am amazed to see how CAD has made our models even more sophisticated. Folk here in the Forum also have the skills to draw up their own models in CAD for 3D printing! I have just acquired my first ROCO HOe locomotives and rolling stock and found this video of  ROCO production!

 

 

[maico]

It's interesting that in all 3 factories painting the banding on top of the base livery is sprayed on by hand.

[readingtype]

On 28/08/2019 at 21:14, martin_wynne said:

(Snipped Märklin ad)

 

Off-topic, sorry: I hadn't considered trying to create Märklin M-Gleis templates in Templot, but the presence of @martin_wynne's post tempts me to consider the possibility. Was Templot a hitherto uncredited R&D tool in the Märklin factory back in the day?

 

I did have a go at the standard German Reichsbahnweiche (moderately detailed official information on the prototype reproduced here) with a 1:9 crossing angle in H0 (to NEM standards, nothing too ambitious) and this truly taxed my limited understanding of Templot. Got the angle in, but then I tripped up on the timbering :-)

[maico]

There is some close up footage of Marklin-Trix CNC  body machining and CAD in this presentation.

 

Not sure about the deliberate  'sand paper' paint finish though ?

 

 

[Vinedusk]

Hi and thanks.

 

But I didn't watch any of the videos.

 

Different countries have widely varying and legislated definitions of the term "made in".  "Made in West Germany" might have meant something thirty or forty years ago; it is totally meaningless now.  Does anyone remember the J-car from the early 1980s?  Some parts made here; some parts made there.  All put together in different locations and sold with different badges. Same car.

 

My own personal opinion is that a factory that specialises in making MRR products will meet with its customers and plan what product will provide the greatest profitability for all of them.

 

Marklin and Brawa are both issuing a new Rheingold and loco at much the same time, just in different marketing formats.

My GUESS is that all the major componentry will come from the same places.  The nice people in Goyr or where ever, will make it look different to the other bloke's model.

 

 

 

 

[maico]

On 07/01/2020 at 02:56, Vinedusk said:

Hi and thanks.

 

But I didn't watch any of the videos.

 

Different countries have widely varying and legislated definitions of the term "made in".  "Made in West Germany" might have meant something thirty or forty years ago; it is totally meaningless now.  Does anyone remember the J-car from the early 1980s?  Some parts made here; some parts made there.  All put together in different locations and sold with different badges. Same car.

 

My own personal opinion is that a factory that specialises in making MRR products will meet with its customers and plan what product will provide the greatest profitability for all of them.

 

Marklin and Brawa are both issuing a new Rheingold and loco at much the same time, just in different marketing formats.

My GUESS is that all the major componentry will come from the same places.  The nice people in Goyr or where ever, will make it look different to the other bloke's model.

 

 

 

 

 

Watch the Roco video above. You can see all sort of things being made in-house including motors and windings.

[Vinedusk]

On 29/08/2019 at 06:21, Guest JiLo said:

<snip>

My own thinking is that the sometimes high prices charged for older models that have long paid their design and tooling costs are helping keep the costs down for higher detailed recent releases.

 

How extraordinarily generous of you.