A selection of the replacement parts supplied under the febi brand come from Ferdinand Bilstein’s own production facility in Ennepetal – bilstein group Engineering. Select products from the febi range are manufactured here using modern, CNC-controlled machines, including water pumps for commercial vehicles.
Every year, bilstein group Engineering produces more than 21,000 commercial vehicle water pumps. This equates to roughly 36 percent of all commercial vehicle water pumps offered by febi. The number of in-house manufactured components has more than doubled in recent years and will continue to rise. The investment in a fully automated production line for mechanical housing processing is a major contributing factor. But what exactly does the production of water pumps look like on-site in Ennepetal?
Water Pumps “Made in Ennepetal”
The raw material for the water pump housing is an aluminum, die-cast blank. The blank is first processed in a modern, 5-axis machining center. The parts are automatically fed into the machine by a robot arm. In order to guarantee the highest product quality, the water pumps are then tested for 100 percent tightness.
After the machining, the assembly follows. First the cover, type plate, and electromagnet are mounted. Afterwards, the water pump shaft and the mechanical seal are pressed one after the other by the OE manufacturer, KACO. A high-quality part is deliberately installed at this point, as the use of inferior mechanical seals often leads to premature failure. After the mechanical seal has been pressed in, the water pump is again tested for 100% tightness. In the last steps before packing, the impeller and drive flange are pressed on.
The result is a high-quality replacement part – “Made in Ennepetal”.
