(MENAFN- Mid-East Info) Sariki Precision Center

Mitutoyo Japan's headquarters and its main distribution partners selected Sariki as one of their leading strategic partners in Europe. Around 65 visitors from Japan, including the senior management of Mitutoyo Corporation, visited Sariki Precision Center in Elgoibar (Guipúzcoa). This high-level event demonstrates the strategic importance of Grupo Unceta for Mitutoyo, a world leader in the metrology sector.

Sariki Precision Center is a solution centre that is unique in terms of its two-fold strategic role. It operates as a dimensional metrology outsourcing centre for companies in many different sectors. And at the same time it is a showroom where customers can validate Mitutoyo's solutions on their own parts before committing to investing in their own equipment.

Sariki and Mitutoyo: a strategic alliance in precision metrology
Since 1985, Sariki and Mitutoyo have engaged in one of the most important alliances in the Spanish industrial metrology sector. As part of Grupo Unceta and with more than 40 years of experience in the Spanish market, Sariki pinpointed a growth opportunity: demand for high-precision measurement services in industrial sectors where dimensional tolerances are critical, such as the motor industry, aeronautics, energy and precision component manufacturing.

This collaboration reached its zenith with the opening of the Sariki Precision Center in 2018: a 400 m2 facility equipped with Mitutoyo and other technologies. In 2017 and 2018, the original 60 m2 was converted into this facility almost 400 m2 in size. And the growth was not merely limited to floor space. The investment, valued at between €2 to 3 million, included fitting out the facility with precision air-conditioning systems demanded by sectors such as aeronautics and health.

Sariki's commitment to continuous improvement can be seen in its constant investments in cutting-edge technology. The most recent was in July 2024, with the addition of the Mitutoyo Strato Apex 7106 three-dimensional machine. Its precision formula brings the probing error below one micron per metre of length.

Available solutions
Sariki Precision Center is equipped with Mitutoyo technology. It covers all product families, from three-dimensional equipment to vision, shapes, roughness and roundness systems. Borja Garate (General Manager of Sariki) highlights two of the most representative machines:

“We have a very large machine to focus on parts up to three metres in length and a high-precision machine with a working volume of less than a micron.”

He is referring to the Mitutoyo Crysta Apex V 20.30.16 and the Mitutoyo Strato Apex 7106, both three-dimensional machines. The two of them are ENAC-certified and are assisted by an overhead crane and a forklift that can hold up to 5 tonnes, which enables them to safely handle large and heavy parts.

The lab also has shape, roughness, roundness, vision and measurement equipment for workshops. This makes it uniquely versatile: it can handle both micrometric components and multi-metre structures, always guaranteeing maximum precision and repeatability.

Benefits of outsourcing
The Sariki Precision Center model meets multiple needs in the industrial market. Borja Garate explains the main situations:

“There are customers out there who do not have three-dimensional means for quality control. So they outsource to us and don't have to make a heavy investment. Others have their own machine working full out and may need to outsource to handle a complaint or new project.”

This flexibility enables companies to avoid capital investment in equipment, handle demand peaks, and meet requirements for independent third-party measurement. The centre also provides something more valuable than a sale: verifiable proof of concept.

“You can no longer simply sell through a catalogue; you have to provide proof of what you say. Different companies come together and collaborate on a common goal: the end customer. In addition, our methodology and quality control enables us to hybridise our technology with other partners' solutions.”

Sectors: from the motor industry to space
Sariki Precision Center works across many different industries. The common denominator is not the sector, but the strict requirements: companies where dimensional precision determines the product's viability. As Mr Garate points out:

“We are a very cross-cutting company. In the end, we have a common denominator: precision. Clients come to us with very demanding quality control requirements in different fields: machine tools, the motor industry, aeronautics or health.”

As a share of business, the motor industry accounts for 60-70%, but other sectors such as aeronautics and health are growing considerably.

One differentiating asset for the centre is its aeronautical certification:

“The centre is accredited under the EN9100 standard to provide measurement and inspection services for aerospace parts.”

Process and customer experience
The centre has developed two different workflows depending on the type of service.

Borja Garate explains how it works for the outsourcing centre:

“We carry out a study to assess whether the part can be measured with the equipment available, as well as to provide an estimate of how long it will take and how much it will cost. The customer is kept informed at all times about when the part will be shipped to the centre, who will measure it, with which machine, the equipment's quality certificate, and when the work is expected to be completed.”

For demonstration projects:

“First there is shipment of parts, plans and ad hoc preparation. Then the customer is given the demonstration: they can directly observe how the part would be measured. If all goes well and the customer is satisfied, it could become a confirmed project.”

Looking to the future
In conclusion, Borja Garate summarises the philosophy that drives Sariki:

“We are a non-conformist company. We are a company that wants to tackle the challenges of the future. Clearly, we are very open to receiving project proposals from customers so we can study them carefully and carry them out.”

It is this non-conformism that keeps the 62-year-old alliance going. Mitutoyo made the right choice in 1963 and Sariki has proved, year after year, that it was correct.

For more information:
– Sariki
– Mitutoyo Europe

Photos:

Figure 1: SARIKI Precision Center in Elgoibar (Guipúzcoa).

Figure 2: View of the central testing area with Mitutoyo coordinate-measuring machines (CMM).

Figure 3: Crysta Apex V can measure parts up to three metres long with a volumetric precision of (4.5+8L/1000) μm

Figure 4: The high-precision STRATO Apex machine works at less than a micron.

Figure 5: Mitutoyo RA2200 is a high-precision shape measuring system for round geometries.

Figure 6: Mitutoyo FORMTRACER combines 2D profile measurement and surface condition.

Figure 7: Mitutoyo SJ-500P can test parts' surface condition (roughness and waviness).

Figure 8: Mitutoyo 3D MACH KO-GA-ME and MACH 3A measuring instruments.

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