Hans Brückl is a textbook master carpenter. The Upper Austrian started his apprenticeship as carpenter in 1989, soon became a foreman, finished the building trade school in Hallein and the master school in Ried and started his own business in 2003. What started as a weekend project 18 years ago quickly established itself as a sound company which needed Brückl’s full professional attention. Today, the carpentry company Zimmerei Brückl of Tumeltsham has twelve employees and offers renovations in addition to building classic roof trusses, entire wooden houses and industrial halls.
In 2020, Brückl acquired 5000 m² of commercial land in the nearby community of Aurolzmünster and fired the starting shot for the company’s biggest investment to date: new company headquarters including a production hall, office building, EV charging stations and a joinery machine for a total of around €3 million.
Advantages outweigh disadvantages
Up until recently, Brückl was convinced that the trade will eventually be lost as a result of the increasing use of CNC joinery machines. However, in light of the good order situation and the increasingly difficult search for staff, he gave the topic careful thought until eventually, the arguments in favor of a joinery machine clearly outweighed those against it. Today, a few months after starting it up, the carpenter would not want to work without his Hundegger machine: “Peter now needs one day for work which used to take four people three days to complete.” Peter Pimmingstorfer started his apprenticeship at Zimmerei Brückl 14 years ago and is now responsible for the joinery machine.
Good as new
Brückl bought a used K2-Industry built in 2003, which had previously been in use in Salzburg and in the Mühlviertel in Upper Austria. “It was clear right from the start that it would be a machine from Hundegger. With the used machine, we also have the option of entering CNC joining in a cost-saving manner,” says Brückl, explaining the purchase decision. Hundegger representative Arno Gaggl sees the used machine business as a win-win situation: “Existing customers who plan to invest in a replacement can use it to better calculate costs, and new customers will find it easier to enter mechanical joining.”
Hundegger offers existing customers the opportunity to return used machines, for example as part of an investment in new ones. For this purpose, a technician estimates the value of the machine and submits a binding offer. Next, Hundegger organizes the disassembly of the machine and its transport to the production site in Hawangen. There, the machine is fully overhauled with original spare parts and undergoes testing to determine whether it works properly. The safety equipment is also brought up to date according to the type of machine in question.
With a micro-fine dry ice particle jet, employees remove oil, rust, dirt and old paint particles from the surface and paint the machine, which then looks like new again. Hundegger also updates the software used.
With the Hundegger Club for used machines, the company also offers second owners the same services as operators of new machines. Gaggl lists automatic software updates or access to the 24-hour hotline as examples.
Good partnership
The K2 used by Brückl is equipped with a 5-axis universal mill, four drilling units, an under-table cross-cut saw, an end mill and two marking devices. It is suitable for timber elements with a length of up to 13 meters. “With these, Brückl has the ideal equipment for all the challenges that a timber construction company of this size faces,” says Gaggl, assessing the machine equipment.
Brückl and Gaggl highlight the particularly good cooperation on this project. “We were already involved in the project when the hall was planned and worked closely with the architect. This is by no means a matter of course, but it saves everyone involved money and nerves,” explains Gaggl. The sophisticated disposal system under the machine is a good example for this. If the shaft had not been taken into account in the planning phase, there would have been problems with the underfloor heating set in concrete afterwards.
Despite the joinery machine, the company is still looking for additional employees. “We currently have twelve employees, but even though the K2 takes a considerable load off us, we would have enough work for 20 employees,” Brückl sums up. In order to make the best possible use of his new premises and joinery machine in the future, Brückl plans to focus increasingly on house and element construction in the coming years and work more closely with other timber construction companies as well: “With the Hundegger joinery machine, we can also support other carpenters with perfectly joined timber in the future.”
