"Those who have visions should see a doctor," was the cynical judgment of the fifth German Chancellor. As a traditional company and innovative solution provider for players in the woodworking industry, KUPER focuses on developing machines and systems that best support our customers in meeting the challenges of their daily operations and continually improving their products. To meet this demand in the long-term, we keep our eyes and ears open to trends and developments, both technological and economic, and approach them with proactive determination.
Future Challenges shape Our Visions
In many areas, the economy and industry are already under growing pressure. In addition to competition shaped by global trade, issues such as sustainability and the shortage of skilled workers are already present and are also crucial for shaping the foreseeable future. In the long-term, only those companies in the woodworking industry that set the course for the future in their processes early on will be successful and prove to be resilient to known and future challenges.
Our vision for the future of the woodworking industry directly leads to our strategy for applying the principles of Industry 4.0 to the individual needs and requirements of the sector. At the heart of this strategy is the implementation of the technical and technological possibilities of digitization, especially in the field of networked production. The aim is to continuously optimize all processes in the value chain, both individually and in their interconnection, while consistently maintaining high quality. In addition to manufacturing, this also includes all associated processes, such as the entire complex of maintenance and upkeep.
The basis for every process optimization is the collection, processing, and analysis of all process-relevant data. Capturing these data during the process and making them available for further processing is the first and crucial step in realizing any vision for the future. KUPER is taking this step into the future with the Industry 4.0-ready basic module, a connected real-time data logger that is installed in all new machines and can be retrofitted to many older machines. It monitors operating data, performance data, and energy values, enabling the monitoring of individual machine productivity and the optimization of the entire interplay of complex systems.
Woodworking, as work with a versatile and at the same time heterogeneous and demanding natural material, presents industrial processes with challenges time and again. From material variations to environmental conditions, numerous factors in production make strictly following a set procedure almost impossible.
Today, primarily the experience of machine operators ensures consistent product quality regardless of temperature, humidity, and material properties. However, against the backdrop of the shortage of skilled workers and the often imminent generational change, this expertise is becoming increasingly scarce and is only limitedly compatible with the requirements of a modern, optimized, and accelerated production.
KUPER's vision for the future of the woodworking industry is already setting the course for new technologies that will not replace humans but support them based on objective data. The machine of the future will capture and interpret all relevant data to automatically adjust processes in real-time, thus ensuring consistently optimal quality even under demanding and spontaneously changing conditions. To achieve this, the KUPER machine of the future utilizes digitally captured operating and performance data and a variety of sensors, including the use of camera technology, to monitor production quality throughout the process.