Reference Herbert Kannegiesser GmbH - Product and Production Process Innovation
Sustainable Product and Production Process Development Yields Measurable Customer Benefits
Initial Situation and Project Objectives
The washer extractor “Favorit” is well-established in industrial laundry technology. The life cycle of the model is characterized by constantly growing demands on the machine. These are reflected in a number of variants and options, which the company must often implement in costly individual order fulfillment.
With its new generation of machines, the company is meeting the challenge of coping with the current and future demands of the market. At the same time, product development is aiming for improved variation and production capability in the new series. This could optimize the door-to-door time culminating in delivery of the machine. Ambitious goals, which the company undertook with the support of UNITY.
“With UNITY, we were able to make our washer extractor series more successful and to improve the efficiency of our development projects. We can now offer our customers leading global solutions in industrial laundry cleaning. We have made noticeable strides in the areas of resource protection, processing times and ergonomics. Our washer extractors currently achieve 25% more throughput per hour with half the material resources – that’s what we call sustainable product development and we are very proud of it.”
Wilhelm Bringewatt, Sector Management, Herbert Kannegiesser GmbH
Tasks of UNITY
The new generation of “Favorit” intends to integrate innovation and technology. Manufacturing costs must remain constant and throughput times must be reduced in order to survive on the market. Together with project management at Kannegiesser, UNITY took over responsibility for the comprehensive improvement of washer extractors.
This included:
Putting innovations into practice by optimizing the options program of the machines and consistently implementing it in mechanical and process control solutions
Setting up the control software of the machines with a new logic on the basis of a new hardware platform
And finally, achieving market entry on the distribution side and carrying out project stages from product definition to successful production
Benefits for the Client
The ratio of individual order design in overall order processing could be reduced by 80% in the new generation of machines. The meticulous structuring of the options program plays a part here that also affects the offerings made by sales and marketing. Control software that can be completely parameterized translates the customer’s requirements in a lean and flexible manner.
Today, the machines are better equipped and available at a stabilized selling price, providing the user with significantly more efficient production. The company uses this potential to equip its machines at a top-notch level, with considerably improved functionality and ergonomics at selling prices that for the most part remain steady.
Herbert Kannegiesser GmbH
The company was established in 1948 by Herbert Kannegiesser and consisted of only four employees. The garment presses for shirts were rapidly being delivered not only to the Eastern Westphalia clothing industry, but also throughout the world. Starting out from this market niche, the company dared to go a step further into laundries. Thanks to ongoing further improvement of the products and moderate internationalization, Kannegiesser became established as the leading provider of comprehensive system solutions for industrial laundering technology. Today, Herbert Kannegiesser GmbH is a world market leader. The company’s products are noted for being gentle on clothes as well as for their energy efficiency and conservation of resources, proving for the company’s consistent alignment with the needs of the future.
