AP&T 60 years with an eye on what lies ahead

AP&T 60周年，始终着眼未来

Take equal parts engineering, entrepreneurship and business acumen. Then add a rare ability to anticipate market needs, and you have a recipe for long-term success. For AP&T, which is an expert in metal and fiber forming production solutions and a preferred supplier to many leading manufacturers in the global automotive industry, this recipe has been working for 60 years. It transformed three small workshops in the Swedish countryside into a global actor.

工程设计、创业精神和商业头脑并重，再加上市场预测能力，你就拥有了长期成功的秘诀。作为金属和纤维成形的生产解决方案专家，及全球汽车行业许多领先制造商的首选供应商，AP&T 已用此秘诀工作了60年。这使我们从瑞典乡村的三个小作坊变为了一个全球知名的企业。

When AP&T unveiled its production solution for cost-effective manufacturing of large, complex press-hardened parts earlier this year, it was, in a way, no surprise. Time and again, the company has demonstrated that it is a pioneer in the development of technological solutions that meet the challenges facing its customers, both in terms of productivity and sustainability. AP&T's exceptionally energy-efficient servohydraulic press is one of many shining examples of what can be created in an innovative environment. The company's solution for forming high-strength aluminum is another. Both have been added over the past ten years. During this period, AP&T has also renewed and expanded its automation program with a new generation of SpeedFeeders® for efficient sheet metal handling in various process steps—front of line, press to press, transfer, and end of line— and launched new generations of its Multi-Layer Furnaces. Innovation has gone hand in hand with continuous improvement, and the business has expanded with a range of services that all focus on providing customers with worry-free, profitable production over the lifetime of their equipment.

今年年初，当 AP&T 推出其生产解决方案，以经济高效的方式制造大型、复杂的热成形零件时，在某种程度上，这并不令人惊讶。该公司一次又一次地证明，它是开发技术解决方案的先驱，这些解决方案可以应对客户在生产力和可持续性方面面临的挑战。极具节能效果的 AP&T 伺服液压机是在众多创新中非常出类拔萃例子之一，另一个是 AP&T 高强度铝热成形解决方案，两者都是在过去十年中开发的。在此期间，AP&T 还更新并扩展了自动化产品，推出了新一代 SpeedFeeders®，用于在各种工艺步骤中高效处理金属板材（包括线首、压力机到压力机、搬送和线尾），并推出了新一代的多层箱式加热炉。创新与持续改进齐头并进，业务也随着一系列服务的升级而不断扩展。AP&T服务致力于在设备的整个生命周期内为客户提供无忧、盈利的生产。

Looking back, we see that the inauguration of AP&T's facility and headquarters in Ulricehamn in 2014 became the symbolic starting point for the successful ten-year journey that followed. But, in reality, it all started much earlier.

回顾过去， AP&T 于 2014 年在 Ulricehamn 开设工厂和总部的举措历历在目，成为此后十年成功之旅的象征性起点。但事实上，这一切都始于更早之前。

Presses past and present. On the left, a real heavyweight from Lagan Press, one of the three companies that eventually formed AP&T. On the right, a state-of-the-art AP&T press from 2024.

压机的过去及现在。左边是 Lagan 压机公司的重量级产品，该公司是最终成立 AP&T 的三家公司之一。右边是2024年最先进的 AP&T 液压机

Global leader in press hardening

热成形领域的全球领导者

The tool manufacturer VIBAB was founded in Blidsberg in 1964, Lagan Press began to manufacture presses in Lagan the same year, and Tranemo Hydraulmaskiner was formed in 1970. In 1989, these three companies merged under the name AP&T (Automation, Presses & Tooling) and set their sights on the international market. This is also when AP&T laid the groundwork for its One Responsible Partner® concept, which has set the tone for the customer offer ever since. This concept manifests itself, for example, in AP&T’s willingness and ability to act as a fully responsible line integrator, regardless of whether the job entails a turnkey customer-optimized line from AP&T or the integration of new equipment from AP&T with existing or new machines from other manufacturers.

模具设备生产公司 VIBAB 于1964年在 Blidsberg 成立；同年，Lagan 压机公司开始在Lagan 生产液压机；Tranemo Hydraulmaskiner 公司于1970年成立。在1989年，这三家公司合并为 AP&T (即自动化、液压机和模具)，并将目光投向国际市场。这为AP&T的“一个可靠的合作伙伴®” 理念奠定了基础，自此，这一概念为客户服务奠定了基调。例如，这一理念体现在AP&T愿意并且有能力作为一个完全负责的集成生产线供应商，无论这项工作是为AP&T交钥匙客户优化生产线，还是将AP&T的新设备与其他制造商的现有或新机器集成。

In the 1990s, the push to become a global actor began to pay off. Demand for AP&T's production solutions increased rapidly, sales tripled, and AP&T established itself in several European countries and the USA. But it took until the early 2000s for development to really take off. That was when AP&T became a global leader in press hardening and a knowledge partner to be reckoned with in the global automotive industry.

在20世纪90年代，AP&T 在成为全球性企业的努力开始取得成效。对 AP&T 生产解决方案的需求迅速增加，销售额也增长了两倍，使AP&T在几个欧洲国家和美国建立了自己的地位。而直到21世纪初，AP&T 的发展才真正腾飞。此时，AP&T 已成为热成形领域的全球领军企业，并成为全球汽车行业不容忽视的技术合作伙伴。

AP&T has purposefully worked to strengthen this position in recent years, but it has also continuously developed its offering within both established niches, such as heat exchanger plates, and new niches, such as fiber forming.

近年来，AP&T 一直致力于加强这一地位，同时也在已建立的利基市场（如热交换器板）和新的利基市场（如纤维成型）中不断开发其产品。

Naturally, it is impossible to predict what will happen in the next 60 years. Development is a continuous process, and needs and challenges are changing all the time. Only one thing is certain: strong fundamental values will endure. But it is also always wise to peek ahead from time to time.

当然，我们无法预测未来60年会发生什么。发展是一个持续的过程，需求和挑战一直在变化。只有一件事是肯定的：强大的基本价值观将经久不衰。只有高瞻远瞩，方可制胜未来。