As part of my trip to Interzum, I was invited to spend the day at Hettich’s facilities in Germany prior to attending the show. It was an incredibly special experience to be given such a behind-the-scenes look into the company.
Our day with Hettich started with a short bus trip to the company’s headquarters in Kilchlengern. In this small town, Hettich employs close to 3000 people and is the town’s major employer.
We started with an introduction to Hettich with Oliver Finke who shared his passion for the business in which he has worked for 22 years. We then split into two groups and started with a tour of the AvanTech You and ArciTech factories which allowed us a glimpse into the technology and electronic prowess of the assembly plants. We also saw the large logistics centre which manages and tracks all shipments in and out of the facility.
Next, we swapped with the first group and toured the InnoTech Altira and Quadro factories.
The first thing we noticed was how amazingly clean all the factories and assembly plants are. For a business that works primarily with steel, it would be easy to assume the factories would be dusty and dirty but the reality is very far from this idea. Surprisingly quiet, the factories run with German precision – the workers are calm and focussed and the rate of manufacture is a sight to behold.
As a family-owned business, Hettich has the ability to filter profits back into the business and this investment in the company is clear to be seen with new buildings and new facilities currently in progress. Constant innovation is at the forefront of most business decisions, with investment in technology to keep the process as efficient as possible and maintain production levels and standards.
After a lovely lunch in the Hettich canteen, we boarded the bus for a trip to the Sensys hinge production facilities in an adjacent town. Again, we broke into smaller groups for our tour through this factory which was as clean and well-organised as the morning’s two factories. The rate of production here is around 1 hinge per second so there is a huge behind-the-scenes functionality built into the process to deliver the componentry – via large air ducts – to each production line so there is a constant flow of production.
Following this tour, we had a short bus trip to the showroom and factory of German kitchen manufacturer Nolte. Nolte is one of Hettich’s largest customers and we enjoyed free time to wander through the very impressive showroom and marvel at the designs.
This evening’s dinner was held at a fantastic private brewery, complete with a museum showcasing the history of beer production set out in a number of smaller halls off the main dining area. We enjoyed sampling the local beer and a lovely meal, all in great company. Happy, tired and replenished, we returned to the hotel for a good night’s rest before our trip to Cologne the next day.
Interzum – here we come!
For more information visit hettich.com/en-au/home
