ITR Industries Korea, the heart of USCO ITR supply chain

ITR Industries' Korean sites include an overall area of 63,000 m² and benefit from a strategic position for reaching and supplying Modena and all the other ITR branches. They are mainly located in Jinju, close to Busan, one of the largest ports in the world. 

ITR Industries Korea is a consolidated and constantly expanding industrial manufacturer striving for progressive evolution of its sites through constant improvement, as testified by the new site dedicated to roller production opened in 2021.

The Jinju factory is closely focused on the production of undercarriage chains, shoes, sprocket segments, and rollers. The main production processes include forging lines, machining, heat treatments, and full control of chain assembly.

Forging

In the production of chains, sprocket segments, and rollers, ITR standards can only be ensured with high quality forged components.

Our dedicated forging site is in Sacheon, a few kilometres from Jinju. Links, bushings, sprocket segments, and semi-rollers are forged here: all strategic components to ensure both production autonomy for the company and high quality processing.

The process starts with steel alloy billets. They are cut to size and then induction heated, forged, and heat treated. 

In recent years we have made substantial investments in our forging lines, aiming for automation using articulated robots, and reorganizing the processes according to product flow. Quality and efficiency are the linchpins of this production process. It is no accident that ITR Industries has always strived for waste reduction: all superfluous elements must be eliminated, and the sole objective must always be added value for customers.

Machining and heat treatment

Once the raw components have been manufactured, all parts are returned to Jinju. Here they are machined on CNC lines and undergo heat treatments. Our installed machinery guarantees constant supply of all components, which are automatically conveyed towards the assembly lines or dispatch stations (in the case of spare parts).

Not only our links, pins, and bushings, but also our shoes are produced internally. In this case the starting point is a profile section that is cut and heat treated to create finished shoes, all on a single production line.

Full chain assembly controls

Just like the Chinese Yantai site, great care is taken in Korea during the assembly stage. Cleanliness and consistency are fundamental requirements, and the components move along dedicated flow lines differentiated by type and size.

Each line is designed to optimize each individual operation. All products are also tested in-line to ensure the correct assembly procedure. Once assembled, they move towards the painting section and then on to the dispatch area.

ITR quality standards specify destructive and non-destructive test procedures. These include:

• Dimensional testing
• Hardness and microstructural testing
• Ultrasonic and magnetic particle testing
• IR
• Mechanical properties testing
• Simulation of heavy operating conditions using FEM analysis software.

Using a series of specially designed machines capable of replicating the heaviest working conditions, we can also develop and test new product ranges for after market and OEMs.

Automotive standards at the service of the undercarriage: the new factory for roller production

As anticipated at the start of this article, 2021 brought an important novelty for ITR Industries: the start up of a new roller factory at the Korean ITR site. This is a state-of-art production facility that applies the best practices of the automotive sector, where quality, on-time delivery, and efficiency represent the operative yardsticks.

The Group is striving to increasingly diversify its supply base, in order to ensure maximum quality standards in an agile supply chain that can handle all market conditions.

The top priority for the new site is process continuity. The layout was designed entirely for a product flow that ensures flexibility and minimum use of human resources. In this way, automation means not only efficiency, but also repeatability under the most varied working conditions and maximum reactivity to market fluctuations.

The rollers produced here are made from forged steel alloys. These are machined, welded, and heat treated to achieve the designed characteristics of mechanical wear resistance and durability.

All the rollers are tested 100% in-line, with maximum sensitivity to the smallest deviations from the standards. Once manufactured and tested, ITR Industries Korea's finished products are ready for dispatch to the various ITR branches around the world, and then directly on to final customers.

Feel free to contact us for more information about the USCO Group and the products in the ITR range, our staff are ready to answer all queries and satisfy all your requirements.