How “Made In Germany” Gains Importance In Times of Corona-virus and Supply Shortage
Published: 5/5, 2020
The pandemic is a proof of the value of varity in the supply chain.
As the coronavirus has spread worldwide in early, 2020, many entrepreneurs in all industries are becoming more and more aware of the problems of potential dependencies on suppliers from China or elsewhere. The problem has become more acute when supply chains are suddenly and unexpectedly interrupted and urgently needed orders can no longer be delivered, many entrepreneurs quickly reach their limits.
“Use different sources for supply”
That is why, the label “Made In Germany” is gaining importance worldwide and across all industries. All of a sudden, it is more important than ever to use different sources for supply, maybe even from your own country.
This trend is particularly noticeable at Kern-Deudiam from Germany, which has been developing and manufacturing diamond tools and machines such as floor saws or diamond drilling systems with more than 60 employees since 1977. Since almost everything from the diamond segment to the chassis of the floor cutter is manufactured in-house and on site, the company has succeeded in minimizing dependencies on suppliers to the greatest extent and avoiding supply shortage so far. But how can a mid-size company succeed like this on the international market? Is it due to in-house production only? What else is behind it?
Two departments for R&D
Thanks to two own departments for research and development at the headquarters in Hövelhof, KERN-DEUDIAM is able to consistently develop and manufacture innovative features according to the highest quality standards. Their products ‘are highly valued internationally and shipped to more than 70 countries every year.
At a time when many companies in the industry are looking for production alternatives abroad, KERN-DEUDIAM points up a commitment to Germany as its production location, and proves that this decision is reasonable and more than timely – despite the challenges involved.
“The own product development has many advantages, especially for a medium-sized company like ours,” says Alexander Peters, product developer at Kern-Deudiam. “Our special solutions for the most diverse customers from all over the world require constant adaptation to the used machines, the materials processed, and of course to individual customer requirements such as higher speed or cost reduction.
Peters adds that in-house development enables Kern-Deudiam to react better and faster to wishes and the need for optimization, especially for small series, to realize the “little bit extra” in performance for the customer.
“New trends, such as the increasing use of dry core drills, can be implemented just as better and faster,” he says.
In this product field the family-owned company is currently presenting the more economical BETO line in addition to the premium version UNIX?. Both are universally applicable in reinforced concrete.
New unique segments series
With the new X2-Segments and the UNIX2-Series KERN-DEUDIAM was able to launch a convincing product last year which was especially developed for clean dry drilling in reinforced concrete with soft percussion and dust suction.
“The market constantly demands new ideas in the field of diamond segments in order to carry out projects more conveniently, efficiently, and cleanly,” Peters says. “Building materials are changing. In some countries concrete is becoming harder and harder, or sand-lime brick is becoming denser.”
New regulations or areas of application are also often added, such as the use of dry core bits for renovation or repair work where water damage is to be avoided
More comfort is also offered by the latest segment development of Kern-Deudiam, the single segment type KBU-B. With its special bridge geometry, it can be used for almost all types of concrete, offers a long service life, and runs particularly smoothly on iron. This universal segment type makes working noticeably more comfortable as it minimizes the vibration of the drill bits on iron – a development which was mainly implemented thanks to direct customer contact and user feedback.
Another new product line, the EXPRESS2 for cutting extremely hard materials, includes a pre-cutting blade as well as ring saw blades for various models of well-known manufacturers.
However, Kern-Deudiam does not only focus on the technical development of diamond tools and machines (such as the electric floor saws KDF800-E and KDF1200-E). With the most modern production methods such as laser welding, with the implementation of individual customer requirements such as lacquering or engraving, or with continuous expansion of service offers KERN-DEUDIAM completes a versatile portfolio for its customers around the world.