NUMALLIANCE has successfully integrated new companies over the past 10 years to expand its capabilities in cold forming solutions for wire and tube. It recently merged with its competitor SILFAX, bringing increased tube expertise. While the companies previously competed in automotive and aerospace, they take different approaches that are now complementary within NUMALLIANCE. For example, SILFAX focuses on longer tube production while NUMALLIANCE develops solutions for other parts. The key to a successful merger is identifying the right competitors to combine capabilities while allowing team members to enhance operations rather than causing redundancy.

1. Mergers & Acquisitions
— The Essence of Complementarity
When two competitors finally join their forces,
the relationship usually rhymes with redun-
dancy. Since its foundation over 10 years ago,
the French manufacturer of cold forming solu-
tion for wire and tube, NUMALLIANCE, has
managed to integrate smoothly and adequately
new strings to its bow.
After integrating LATOUR, the manufacturer
of ROBOMAC to MACSOFT, and the pioneer
of CNC wire bending machines, with SATIME
a key partner for press tooling and end forming
operations, SILFAX joined the team, bringing
increased tube expertise to the group.
Competitors Now Working Together
Both NUMALLIANCE and SILFAX companies
have been competing for years in the automo-
tive, air and space sector, though each came
up with drastically different solutions to serve
the customers in these industries. One of the
most striking examples is the exhaust line.
While SILFAX all electric benders focused on
the longer tube, connecting the different parts
of the line, NUMALLIANCE developed a top
notch solution for producing the “belly straps”
out of flat stock or cold headed muffler hanger
xx Wire Forming Technology International/Winter 2014
Thekeyispickingtherightcompetitorsto
make a smooth transition enabling team
members to enhance their operations.
from wire or tube.
Additionally NUMALLIANCE gave the final
touch on the NUMATUBE80, a machine capable
of zero-distance compound bends to the delight
of manifold manufacturers.
The same synergies exist for “under the hood”
parts and components. While SILFAX’s SE Line
excels with speed and consistency in produc-
ing high-volumes of gas or brake fluid lines,
NUMALLIANCE positions its ultra-flexible
ST8 right by the car manufacturing assembly
line in order to supply on a Just-In-Time basis
the entire set of different tubes, thus reducing
transportation costs.
Walk a Mile...
NUMALLIANCE strives to walk in its cus-
tomer’s shoes in trying to find the most cost-
effective way to produce a part. While SILFAX
concentrated on purely tube benders, NUMAL-
LIANCE developed two lines of machines capa-
ble of running either wire or tube, from coiled
material or cut-to-length bars.
Last but not least of these examples would be
in the seating arena. While both companies’
machines have proven their abilities to produce
headrests, the turnkey work cell NUMACELL
can use either a SILFAX or NUMALLIANCE
bender. And secondary operations, beyond
bending, can be added in a plug-and-play
fashion.
And although the seat frame made out of tube
falls mostly into SILFAX expertise, SATIME
tooling excellence has allowed the creation of
seat reclining systems that can be assembled
without a weld. Additionally all springs and
lumbar support and other towel bars can be
produced on the wide range of equipment
from NUMALLIANCE depending on volume
and shape.
by:
Ludovic Vallet, COO
Advanced Technology Center
1361 Howard St.
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007 USA
www.numalliance.com
Exhaust line where SILFAX electric benders produce the
longer tube connecting the different parts and where
NUMALLIANCE produces the “Belly Straps” (not seen).

2. Winter 2014/Wire Forming Technology International xx
Company Profile:
NUMALLIANCE prizes itself in delivering val-
ue-added solutions for stand-alone or integrated
work cells to bend, shape and form wire, tube and
flat stock. The ISO 9001-certified company has
developed knowledge beyond bending including
press operations, notching, coining, chamfering,
welding, threading, stress relief and 3D control.
NUMALLIANCE is able to reach out to all sec-
tors on all continents. Automotive, aeronautics,
point-of-purchase, furniture, lawn and garden
and home appliances as well as the medical field—
all industries rely on the powerful capabilities of
the company. The NUMALLIANCE Group is
constituted on three “European Pillars” of the
wire and tube cold forming expert companies
that can trace their roots to some 140 years ago.
Years of knowledge in innovation have brought
NUMALLIANCE to an unrivalled level of excel-
lence. NUMALLIANCE is never short of inno-
vation and shares this innovation through tight
partnerships with its valuable customers.
www.numalliance.com
WFTI
There could be more examples of the com-
plementarity between SILFAX and NUMAL-
LIANCE. All of these examples illustrates
how in merger and acquisition operations,
the key to success is to identify the right com-
petitors in order to make a smooth transition
into the merger and then to enable the team
members of both companies to stay on par
with the job rather than dreading the redun-
dancy and affecting the productivity.
www.numalliance.com
Seat frame made by
SILFAX using SATIME
tooling results in a
seat reclining system
that can be assembled
without a weld.
Image credit: Faurecia