Besides the large conglomerates of Greek industry and, in a way, in the background of their own activities, there are several medium-sized enterprises that in recent years have evolved into valuable supporters of domestic industrial production and have managed to excel with their specialized and quality services both within and outside the borders.

Four companies that stand out at this level are Kampakas Group, SuperAlloys Engineering, SVPS Engineering (Seretoulis – Prokopidis) and N. & G. Tsirikos, each with its own path and its particular contribution to the Greek industry.

Kampakas Group
From the domestic industries to CERN

Kampakas Group or Kampakas ABEE is a pioneering company specializing in the design and production of spare parts and components for industrial and defense use.

Headed by Antonis Kampakas, former mayor of Kaisariani in 2011-2014, Kampakas Group is the main supplier of metal parts for the majority of industries, as well as for the Ministry of National Defence, and a significant percentage of its production is exported. Significantly, it is also a supplier to CERN, Europe’s largest nuclear and particle physics research laboratory located west of Geneva, on the border of Switzerland and France.

Since its establishment, the production facilities of Kampaka SA have been among the most modern in the Southeastern European region. After 1988, when it passed into its current ownership, considerable capital was invested to make it one of the best European companies in this industrial sector today.

It has two production plants in Xanthi and Volos, additional warehouses in Xanthi and Piraeus and headquarters in Athens. The total covered production space amounts to 28,500 sq.m. and is developed on 100,000 sq.m. of land.

Kambakas ABEE is a leader in the production of anti-friction alloys for use in the mining, cement, energy and defence sectors, with exports to 24 countries. Furthermore, it is one of the main producers of large castings in Europe (with two wrapping lines and the capacity to produce castings with a maximum weight of 29,000 kg), as it supplies components for critical applications with the help of advanced simulation techniques, modern engineering equipment and its long accumulated know-how.

The production of cast objects up to 250 kg is carried out using automatic machines that ensure high production rates, while special furnaces are used for homogeneous heat treatment of the objects.

At the same time, optimized production planning and resource availability allow the company to offer short delivery times (7 days a week, 24 hours a day) to any part of the world, which is particularly important for sectors such as shipping and especially for cases of sudden failure of critical structural components on ships.

The big challenge

Specifically for the European Organization for Nuclear Research, Kabakas was commissioned to design and produce the cast shells of its beam detectors for the northern targeting zone. This was preceded by detailed discussions, inspection and certification of its facilities by representatives of the renowned research center.

The contract involved the production of four different objects (three in ferrous and one in aluminium alloy) in various quantities, starting from drawings and simple 3D files, and the schedule was tight as everything had to be finished within a few months.

Thus, in a very short period of time, Kampakas ABEE had to perform design, prototyping, casting, heat treatment, machining, surface protection and final quality control of all components in order to be able to deliver them on time.

The first step was to develop valid 3D files of the parts. These 3D files were used for FEM analysis, optimization of the casting process, construction of the prototypes required for casting and calibration. Immediately after the design was completed, FEM analysis showed that the solidification pattern of the parts presented significant difficulties due to the complex shape and thin walls of the objects.

Extensive analysis and numerous simulation tests resulted in the final determination of a reliable casting layout that would meet all requirements regarding proper feeding and stress concentrations in certain areas. Prototypes were fabricated and test castings were produced to validate the casting processes.

From that time the study gave way to actual production, which used two lines: one for ferrous and one for non-ferrous (aluminum) alloys. The cast products were produced, cleaned, heat treated, inspected in detail and finally transported to the machine shop. The machining steps for each item had already been defined at the design stage. After the final dimensional inspection and completion of the required certification, the objects underwent surface protection and were ready for acceptance by the CERN inspectors.

Thus, this demanding project was completed with complete success.

SuperAlloys Engineering
The master of in situ installations

Engineering and metallurgical company SuperAlloys Engineering has been innovating for over 40 years in the production of specialized machined products, precision machinery and devices to support the heavy power generation, refineries, cement, mining, metallurgy, defense, medical equipment, shipbuilding, ship repair, and food and packaging industries.

Due to the specialization and know-how it has developed, after having conquered the Greek market, it has expanded internationally, having a strong outward-looking activity in the wider Balkan region, North Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia.

Its main innovation lies in its in situ engineering and metallurgical activity. That is, the in situ and direct machining, fabrication and/or shaping of components, with the aim of improving production efficiency, repairing extensive wear and tear, and engineering maintenance, while adhering to strict schedules and safety rules.

Driven by research and technological development, the company applies innovative methods offering significant advantages to businesses, such as reducing maintenance costs and mechanical failures that slow down the production line, increasing/maximizing the life and reliability of machinery, increasing productivity and efficiency by remanufacturing mechanical components both preventively and during scheduled maintenance.

SuperAlloys Engineering has two privately owned industrial facilities at VIPETH in Sindos and Kalochori, Thessaloniki.

The starting point and the people

It started as a family business, the machine shop Kechagias – Limniotis, specializing in ship repairs. Vassilis Kechagias entered it in the mid-1990s and later, in 2003, together with his brother Loizos Kechagias, founded Kechagias V.& L. – SuperAlloys Engineering.

In recent years the company has participated in numerous R&D projects with collaborative research groups of universities and institutes in Greece and abroad, registering proprietary devices and new materials.

Thus, with the development, manufacturing and application of smart and customized portable precision machine tools, difficult and challenging maintenance and surface improvement problems can be solved in situ and in real time.

It should be noted that SuperAlloys Engineering has partnerships with major foreign groups such as Germany’s Vautid and the Netherlands’ Wive.

SVPS Engineering
Its clients are the largest industrial groups in the country

SVPS Engineering (Seretoulis V. – Prokopidis S.) is a technical company specializing in the design and construction of bulk material processing and handling systems (minerals, ores, feed, etc.).
In particular, it is an innovative supplier and manufacturer of feeding and transport equipment for bulk materials and products, addressed to cement, gypsum, magnesium, lime, steel, power plants, biomass, pellets, recycling, mines and quarries.

With an international sales network and reliable partners, its name has over the years become synonymous with industrial expertise and well-designed technology for industrial weighing, feeding, conveyor belt, storage, chain conveyor, belt conveyor, belt conveyor and chain conveyor, belt conveyors, air conveyors (air presses), air conveyor distributors, screw conveyors, oscillating bucket conveyors, chain conveyors of all kinds, chain conveyors, hydraulically driven floors, rotary air conveyor screens and many others.

Its machine shop is located in Giannitsa, specifically at the 2nd km of the National Road of Giannitsa – Edessa.

SVPS Engineering provides its customers with services of integrated industrial solutions, i.e. from the conception of the production unit, its design, construction, installation and operation. At the same time, it offers a plethora of options and solutions to already established industries.

It should also be noted that its consumables and spare parts department is fully updated and at the disposal of its customers and partners for any need even during the holiday season.

The company additionally provides complete lift solutions at the level of research and development consultant to lift system industries, and manufactures lift components such as chassis, bases and supports, as well as several metal parts.

Its clientele includes the largest industrial and construction groups in the country, while it cooperates as a subcontractor with foreign companies (Metso Minerals, Tomra, etc.).

N. & C. Tsirikos
The experts in gears

N. & C. continues to write its own long history. Tsirikos SA, which completes 60 years in the market this year, with a machine shop specializing in the manufacture of gears of special specifications – and not only.

The company, based in Agios Ioannis Rentis, was founded in 1965 by brothers Nikos and Giorgos Tsirikos and is known in Greece and abroad for its high quality and strict specifications in the manufacture and repair of all kinds of mechanical components. Continuous investments in special machinery for any kind of construction, the import from abroad of various types of steel of special composition and the selection of experienced personnel trained abroad by the manufacturers of the machinery have gradually made the company a pioneer in this sector.

In its privately owned 12,000 sq.m. factory, it produces a variety of products in different sizes and shapes based on the specifications of each customer.

Its main product categories include gears, shafts, crowns, bolts, coils, pulleys, reducers, axial gears, coblers, rollers, gears, gears, oil pressure pumps, cargo pumps, turbine gears, etc.

Since 1985 the company has also been engaged in the manufacture and repair of plastic machine parts, screws, single and double cannons, extruders and injections.