Mintrachinger Olympic success runners provided a lot of precious metal

Created: 05/26/2022, 13:00

By: Manuel Eser

"A great guy": bobsleigh driver Johannes Lochner (in the sports jacket) even picked up his runners himself in Mintraching - to the enthusiasm of the employees of FK Präzisionstechnik GmbH.

© FK Precision Engineering GmbH

German bobsledders won a number of medals at the Olympics in Beijing.

Whether gold, silver or bronze - they cheered on runners from Mintraching.

Mintraching

- For their own gold mission, the employees of FK Präzisionstechnik GmbH put in night and Sunday shifts: The company from Mintraching developed the runners for several bobsleds that took part in the Olympic Games in Beijing - with outstanding success .

(By the way: everything from the region is now also available in our regular Freising newsletter.)

The company, which specializes in the manufacture of CNC milled parts and CNC turned parts, received the special order from the Munich-based company iXent Sports, which develops and designs bobsleds.

FK Präzisionstechnik had the task of manufacturing and polishing the runners.

"The special thing about it was that these runners were still on the milling machine three days before departure for Beijing and were finished at the last minute," reports Managing Director Michael Frey, and his employee Robert Riedmeir adds: "Of course we were happy to get such a great job.

On the other hand, the pressure to ensure that everything was right for the top Olympic athletes in such a short time was not without it.”

Up to the last minute we still polished diligently

But the Olympic challenge also showed how committed the workforce is.

"We even worked through the weekends and put in night shifts," reports Riedmeir.

Up to the last minute, the runners were busily polished before the runners, packed in crates, found their way from Mintraching to China and there into the sports history books.

The joy in the team was all the greater when, for example, Laura Nolte and her brakewoman Deborah Levi set one fastest time after the other and finally won gold for Germany.

"We set up a television and rooted for the athletes," reports Riedmeir.

The complete set of medals from Beijing was on the Mintrachinger milling machine

And the celebrations continued: gold for Kaillie Humphries from the USA in monobob, silver for Johannes Lochner's team in four-man bob, silver for Lochner with a partner in two-man and bronze for Christoph Hafer with partner in two-man bob.

"The complete set of medals from Beijing lay on the milling machine from FK Präzisionstechnik," Frey sums up.

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The “complete set of medals from Beijing” lay on the milling machine of FK Präzisionstechnik – much to the delight of Managing Director Michael Frey.

© FK Precision Engineering GmbH

We also got good feedback from the athletes, reports Riedmeir.

“They were very satisfied that they were on the road so quickly.

Of course you're proud of being a part of such great Olympic successes.” Johannes Lochner even visited the machine park of FK Präzisionstechnik GmbH before the games.

"He insisted on picking up his runners himself," reports Riedmeir.

Lochner had no airs and graces.

"He was totally approachable - a good guy, as they say in Bavaria."

The question of the secret of success

And what was the secret of success?

"On the one hand, that the design company tailored the material exactly to the Olympic track in Beijing and tested the runners and shape in the wind tunnel there," says Robert Riedmeir.

"On the other hand, we manufactured to hundredths of an inch and worked with templates and counter-moulds until everything fitted perfectly."