The distance from Trossingen to Beuron in the Danube Valley is around 40 kilometres. It is a beautiful route, not only when travelling by motorcycle. In Beuron stands the Archabbey of St. Martin, a popular excursion destination that I have known since my youth. But what does all this have to do with Le Bourget, the world’s largest air and space show?

One of the rules of Saint Benedict of Nursia states: “Do not complain.” In Swabian terms, one would say “id maula”. Especially in economically challenging times, I believe we should take this rule to heart more often. Instead of constantly lamenting how bad everything is, we should approach the situation with optimism, constructive thinking and a positive mindset.

And this brings us to Le Bourget. We deliberately decided to attend this important trade fair because we want to engage directly with our customers and potential prospects. Just outside Paris, we are seeking dialogue with users and, together with companies from the aerospace industry, working on grinding processes that help to further improve workpieces while keeping unit costs competitive.

We have been demonstrating this live since last Monday and will continue to do so until next Sunday. On a Multigrind® CB, we grind all geometries of a turbine blade from solid material and in a single setup. This includes the aerodynamic freeform surfaces of the blade, the root and the interface geometry used to mount the blade on the turbine disk.

Our conclusion after four days at the trade fair is clear. The effort has paid off. Visitors to our stand are impressed, and we are having many interesting and constructive discussions. After the show, we plan to produce an application video on the topic of turbine grinding, which will be available on our website. Please write to me if you are interested in this film. And feel free to write to me as well if you prefer constructive thinking over complaining.