Boules is a popular sport in France, and since 1955 the company
Obut has been producing the steel balls (weighing around 700 grammes) and enjoying a veritable cult status there. They will soon be produced at the company’s headquarters in Saint-Bonnet-Le-Château, near Lyon, on a 1,300-tonne forging press from Farina, which is a member of the
Schuler Group.
Romain Souvignet, president of La Boule Obut, whose grandfather joined the company in 1958, said: “Schuler and Farina have been great in helping us find the equipment to meet our needs. The new forging press impressed us not only with its high productivity, but also with the low energy requirements and high connectivity that our manufacturing needs.”
The starting material for the boule balls, which have a diameter of just over 7cm, are steel rods sawn into sections, which a press first forms into discs and then into half shells that are then welded together, machined, and polished to a mirror finish.
On Obut’s website, visitors can not only choose between different models made of stainless or carbon steel but also mark them individually. Once the customer has clicked on ‘Order’ the job goes straight into production.
The 1,300-tonne Farina forging press will replace two lines with a press force of 600 and 800 tonnes respectively, which are becoming obsolete. The future line, which also includes a transfer and a furnace, will form a half shell every two seconds (every month, 200,000 balls leave the factory).
The Farina facility will be the first in France to be equipped with the KERS kinetic energy recovery system. This will not only enable Obut to significantly reduce power consumption, but also benefit from a government subsidy. The system also improves working conditions for the operators, thanks to the associated lower vibrations as well as noise emissions.