Geographically, Weinig hasn’t strayed far from its roots. It started out making farm equipment and still has its headquarters in the depths of the countryside, secluded among the forest and vineyard-clad hills of Germany’s Tauber valley.
But the idyllic rural setting belies the fact that, in the intervening 96 years, Weinig has become a truly global player in solid wood machinery. Just how global is apparent from the guests’ dining room. When TTJ dropped in, there were visitors from North and South America, South-east Asia, east and west Europe and north Africa. It was a typically cosmopolitan day at Tauberbischofsheim.
The statistics reinforce Weinig’s international credentials. It sells to more than 100 countries, with exports accounting for 86% of its DM600m-plus annual turnover. It has 1,000 sales representatives and agents worldwide, plus a touring sales and technical team, seven sales and support subsidiaries, including the UK and a moulder factory in China.
And underlining the scale of this operation, the tools, spare parts and accessories division alone has 50,000 accounts and ships 15 tonnes of products a week.
According to managing director Wolfgang Wilmsen, the secret of Weinig’s success is simple: ‘Throughout our history we’ve been driven by our customers’ requirements, both in terms of machines and service.’
General sales manager Dieter Kura stressed, however, that this did not mean making different machines for each specific niche.
‘We’ve stuck with solid wood processing and focused on making a comprehensive selection of standard or series models. That means efficient production, quality control and competitive pricing.’
This ‘standard’ production, he added, can then be cost-effectively adapted to individual needs. One example he highlighted was a high-speed moulder with a horizontal saw added to cut lengths into two thin sections.
‘We also do occasional one-offs,’ said Mr Kura. ‘Recently, for instance, we developed a barrel production line that does the job of 22 people. But, like prototypes at car shows, we mainly regard such projects as brainstorming new concepts for our series machines.’
Of course, when Weinig refers to its machines as ‘standard’, it doesn’t mean ordinary. Take two of its latest moulders, the Unimats 3000 and 2000. The former, branded Brillant, uses a CasLogo Com computer system to set up for different profiles and instruct the operator which cutterblocks to select. The latter use Weinig’s ‘Power Lock’ system which fixes the cutters to the drive mechanism rather than a spindle. This, said Mr Kura, is the first ‘breakthrough technology in moulding since the introduction of the Weinig hydro-locking head’. ‘It marks a major advance in productivity.’
Once the knives are in place, all the Brillant’s other moving parts adjust automatically to the new profile. The result is a set-up change in five minutes.
The Unimat 2000 Speed is effectively a pared down Brillant, aimed at companies with smaller budgets, but it features the same computer controls, Power Lock cutter blocks and rapid cutting speeds (12,000rpm) to ensure a fine finish at high feed rates.
While clearly proud of the technical achievements of these machines, Mr Wilmsen emphasises that being ‘driven by customer requirements’ means Weinig continues to develop less automated, and lower priced equipment.
‘The 700,000-800,000 solid wood processing businesses worldwide are arranged in a pyramid structure – there are a few big operators, but most of the industry comprises small- to medium-sized enterprises,’ he said. ‘The most automated advanced systems appeal mainly to 5-10% of companies. So machines like the Unimat series moulder, of which we’ve sold 50,000, still have huge sales and development potential.’
Besides the machines, an interesting area of development for Weinig in recent years has been mechanical handling equipment. With all types of wood processor aiming to cut labour costs and raise efficiency, it is finding a ready market for feed and stacking systems.
Tying in with this business, demand is also growing at Weinig’s turnkey operation which constructs complete production lines or plants.
Window-making machines and lines are showing promise too. ‘Timber has only 35% of the 85 million unit a year European window market, but there are positive signs,’ said Mr Wilmsen. ‘Longer guarantees on timber windows are increasing customer confidence and there’s a growing tendency to market the window as a piece of furniture, not just part of the house structure.’
The past few years have also seen Weinig buying into new areas of wood processing. First it acquired optimising cross-cut and finger-jointing systems specialist GreCon Dimter, then this year added optimising rip saw producer Raimann.
‘We have taken a long time to build Weinig into a group of companies,’ said Mr Kura. ‘That’s because we will only buy solid wood machinery companies that are or have the potential to be number one in their market.’
Both companies, he added, have benefited from Weinig’s international sales network. Raimann, for instance, sold its first optimising rip saw in America only three years ago. This year it forecasts US sales at US$10m.
Mr Wilmsen acknowledged that the international economic picture will make the rest of this year tough, but the addition of Raimann to the equation will keep group turnover above DM600m. In the meantime, Weinig’s global outreach continues to grow, regardless. ‘There’s always somebody buying, whatever the economic conditions,’ he said.
China, in particular, is proving buoyant.
‘In recent years the Chinese moulder market has been around 1,200 machines a year. That’s probably slowing now, but demand is still strong and our factory there is making strong progress in quality and productivity – current output is 200 moulders a year.’
Weinig also continues to make headway in Russia. ‘Our sales have grown from US$5m a year a decade ago to between US$40-50m,’ said Mr Wilmsen. ‘It isn’t an easy market, but we have 40 agents across the country and a lot of very good, honourable business partners.’
Mr Kura also picked out the UK as a market with potential. ‘In the past, the small- to medium-sized guys didn’t invest in capital equipment to the level of their counterparts in Germany, but they’re catching up,’ he said. ‘Of course, there’s been consolidation in the industry and very big players have emerged, but that seems to have left room and opportunities for smaller businesses to offer products and services the big companies can’t.’
Weinig is expecting a general market improvement next year and sees particularly good prospects for its finger jointing systems, ripsaws and optimising cross-cuts.
To strengthen its international corporate image and marketing further, the redesigned Weinig logo will feature more prominently on all its machines, including the Raimann, GreCon and Waco planer moulders.
Weinig may also expand its range through further acquisitions, feeling that end-matching, boring and tenoning equipment would add most to its portfolio. But any decision to move into new areas will be driven by the availability of a number one player in the field and, as with all else at Weinig, the needs of its growing global customer base.
