The trends in timber construction

When Hundegger managers walk through the production halls in Hawangen when the Innovation Days are on, they know virtually every visitor and customer personally. "For us it is particularly important to get feedback from our customers. That way we learn first hand what is going on in the market", says managing director Hans Hundegger as he points out a significant advantage of his in-house exhibition. And he adds: "The personal contact with our customers is valuable in more than one way." For not only is there ample room for discussion on technical details of the machines in Hawangen, but it is there that buying interests mature into actual orders.
When looking at the licence plates on the cars outside the workshops, the favorable location of the company in the Lower Allgaeu becomes apparent: Germans, Austrians and Swiss are the majority among the 500 visitors, but also French, Italians and even Romanians come to Hawangen during the three days. Last year they had even 1,000 visitors. "Some entrepreneurs surely would have liked to attend personally again. However, the timber construction companies are snowed under with work these days", explains marketing manager Dietmar Widmann.

More space and time than on trade fairs

What was the reason for Hundegger to launch the Innovation Days in 2011? "It was simply the fact that we can deal with our customers much more intensively than on one of those large fairs where also time and space factors play a role. Here we show the prospective customers how we work and point out latest machinery trends in timber construction", says Hundegger as he gives reasons for staging an own in-house exhibition.


Software creates the virtual frame

The value of the software for the success of the joining machinery is not to be underestimated. Hundegger’s presentation of its Cambium system at the 2013-event already garnered remarkable resonance among the visitors, and this year the interest in it was even greater. Cambium controls the complete range of Hundegger’s equipment: Apart from the joining and cutting units, this includes the mechanization solutions as well as the solid-wood wall-manufacturing and profiled wood elements lines. Instead of having to maintain eight machine and numerous file types, the developers can focus on Cambium. What is more, Hundegger maintains good contact with leading timber construction software manufacturers in the German speaking world and gave them the opportunity to also present themselves on the fair.

From the drawing board to the warehouse

Guided tours through Hundegger’s premises are certainly a highlight of the Innovation Days. The “guide” Hans Schillmeier has been with the company since 1990 as a mechanical engineer. As technical director he is now one of the key figures in the development of machinery at Hundegger. He begins the tour with presenting some impressive figures: In 1985, the company delivered its first joining unit. To this day, some 4,600 installations have been completed. Last year, Hundegger was able to deliver 181 machinery units to their new owners worldwide. "Once machine parameters are clarified, we can build a joining unit in 23 business days", Schillmeier says proudly.
In the old days, ideas for innovations first took the form of a scetch on the drawing board. "In this area, lots of things have changed here over the years. Meanwhile our creative department has more than 20 software engineers working for it", he adds. Despite the large number of machinery items, Hundegger is also known for a remarkable manufacturing depth in production. Hundegger guarantees this also for customized units which execute work steps as specified by the customer. How this works out can be seen in a joining unit destined for a Japanese customer. Producers in the Far East require high-precision machining up to the millimeter. But they also asked for additional features to be added to the machine as Japanese timber measurement differs from European standards.

Good service is key

Hundegger is known to be responding quickly in case of a disruption. "A standstill always costs money and this usually happens exactly at a time when a job should be done as quickly as possible", Schillmeier knows from experience. Thanks to the training provided regularly, customer staff know their units quite well, and in most cases calling the emergency service number does the trick. Yet if a spare part is not at hand or the issue can not be solved, the Hundegger service team gets going to see to the problem themselves. For Central Europe, important spare parts arrive at the customer’s location within 24 hours.
Hundegger places great emphasis on communicating with their customers in their mother tongue when dealing with a service issue. The French example shows how beneficial a national representation can be. In Soufflenheim/FR, the team around Jean Claude Schimpf takes care of 700 installations in the country. "This is crucial in the event of incidents. But it goes without saying that also in the process of purchasing and in the general servicing business, people feel much more at ease when they can communicate in their own language", Schillmeier says. 26 national representations worldwide put Hundegger in a good position there.

High-profile presentations

Six enlightening lectures on timber construction (on the issues of building biology and on the solid wood wall as an alternative to stone and concrete systems, among other things) wrapped things up at the event. For those interested in renewing their existing machinery, possible subsidies available to them were explicitly laid out.


Italy: 2014 looks brighter

At the end of the event, CEO Walter Fahrenschon took the time to chat about timber construction on national markets. "According to what our customers tell us, timber construction is booming Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Order books are full there and in certain regions several projects have to wait until 2015 for implementation."Also in Italy, positive trends can be seen in timber construction. "You know, I am really pleased to see Italian customers among you here, even though the Xylexpo trade fair willtake place in Milan in a week from now, where we will also be exhibiting." And this was clearly intended as a compliment.

Hundegger Facts & Figures

Founded: 1978
Location: Hawangen/DE, 26 branche offices and representations worldwide
Managing directors: Hans Hundegger, Otto Nothelfer, Hans Schillmeier, Walter Fahrenschon
Employees: 400, including 300 in Hawangen
Products: joining plants, cutting and gantry machining equipment, panel cutting machines, planers, solid wood wall lines, profiled wood element lines