Contact person:

Claudia Homburg
Phone: +49 (0) 77 20 / 39 03 - 762

The art of bringing a real benefit to one's customer. Kübler GmbH showed during its customer days how innovations bringing real benefits to the customers ensure the durability and the growth of a company.

Pulses for innovation was the slogan of the last Kübler customer days on October 10 and 11, 2008, during which the company, based in Villingen-Schwenningen, offered a varied programme including professional conferences, ceremonies, technology and entertainment. The subject, innovation, was the common theme all along this event which, with over 100 international guests, packed the house. New: the factory with an area of 2,500 square metres and its Development Centre, which was inaugurated within the framework of the costumer days. Another innovation: manufacturing in line with the Kaizen and One Piece Flow principles; Kübler is currently implementing a company-wide Kaizen culture.

This globally acting counter and sensor technology manufacturer understands innovation essentially as follows: it must begin- and also end - with the customer. Gebhard Kübler, company manager, describes the philosophy of the firm "We, as Kübler GmbH, endeavour to search for innovation on site, at our very customer's. And, for example, regarding reliable encoders, we showed what can be expected from us in the close future".

The inauguration of the factory. Innovations on a new 2,500 square metres production area.

By nature, this technology firm based in the South-West of Germany is not prone to pomp and show. Yet an event as exceptional as the inauguration of a state-of-the-art production building, with its high-tech manufacturing installations, had to be the opportunity of a suitable celebration. In the presence of 100 customers, 205 collaborators, the specialised press, Dr Rupert Kubonn, the mayor of Villingen-Schwenningen, as well as many guests of honour from industry and research - and in the presence of the wife of the founder of the company, Mrs Erika Kübler, the managers Gebhard and Lothar Kübler cut the bright red ribbon in front of the goods arrival ramps. 18 months elapsed since the first ideas and concepts of the building in the office of architect Vollack in Karlsruhe. They were followed, as from spring 2007, by a building phase of only 10 months. And two brand new factory floors appeared, which now accommodate the Research and Development department, the arrival of goods, several high-tech manufacturing lines, and the Dispatch department.

Space was created to allow for the extension and future growth of the company. Even though, during construction work, people had to cope with annoyances like dust and temporary arrangements, the result shows the validity of the whole project. Gebhard Kübler describes the general evolution: "It is impressive to see the fundamental change of our company in the last 10 years". A success which can easily be assessed: "We grew from a 7-million Euros to a 30- million Euros company. Nevertheless, the heart of our vision is and remains to exist as a family-owned company on the global market".

Kübler, culture, Kaizen. Innovation to the power of three thanks to a constantly experienced improvement.

Even though Kaizen - "small-step improvement" - and innovation - "the large completed novelty" - are often considered as contradictory, the contrary is true. This is the core of the message of the Kübler customer days. "When an innovation is supported by Kaizen, the innovation can not only be carried out reliably, but it can also, additionally, be improved further"; the company came to this essential conclusion after 5 years of continuous improvement. Kübler wants now to give a more efficient and wide foundation to its various improvement projects thanks to a "Kübler Kaizen culture". A "Kaizen-Office", with presently one person and an external coach, highlights the seriousness of this company-wide undertaking. The teamwork with many other employees thus allows the implementation of a lasting Kaizen culture at Kübler. "Kaizen is not itself a project" explains the manager Gebhard Kübler, but a long-term task, "only this way will we be able to maintain long-term employment in Germany".

A workshop about Kaizen, which took place during the afternoon with coach Jürgen Braun of ProComet, the Kaizen responsible Frank Schad and the Management of the company showed the results Kübler achieved in the 5 last years, and the objectives the company is determined to reach in the future.
So, in the meantime, the suppliers were included in the company optimisations by means of the electronic Kanban, a very advanced logistics system, which adapts itself flexibly according exclusively to the requirements. Mario Börner, of the company Börner Drehteile GmbH, presented the point of view of the suppliers, describing his experience with Kübler and E-Kanban.

At Kübler, stickers with red arrows indicate the sectors where improvements are planned in the next weeks: here a possible failures source on a device, there a place without marking on a shelf or undefined tooling storage. "We definitely still have a long way to go but, according to Kaizen the way is also the objective" conclude Gebhard and Lothar Kübler, who are firmly convinced of the "return on the considerable investment". So the workshop reflected a mix of successful and of problematic Kaizen examples. It was followed by an animated discussion among the attendance - still entirely based on the practical implementation.

Contact person:

Claudia Homburg
Phone: +49 (0) 77 20 / 39 03 - 762

DIGITRONIC Automationsanlagen GmbH, whose main business is the development and production
of cam controls with the corresponding accessories, and Fritz Kübler Zähl- und Sensortechnik GmbH, manufacturer of encoders and counters, have formed a strategic partnership.

Digitronic, a company in the field of industry automation processes, manufactures electronic controls for packaging machines, presses and printing machines. Furthermore, Digitronic is successfully working in the area of industry automation processes via Ethernet. Digitronic develops Web-based visualization systems with the corresponding universal web servers.

Kübler is one of the manufacturers with the biggest offer of encoder solutions on the market.
The core competence of the company includes miniature encoders, big ATEX encoders as well as incremental, absolute singleturn and multiturn encoders and fieldbus and Ethernet encoders. Kübler’s specialty is the realization of complete installation and connection solutions for encoders as well as customized solutions adapted to special needs. Recently, Kübler has launched a new technology platform for incremental and absolute encoders under the brand name "Sendix" to the market. The essential feature of the new generation is a robust, compact, quick, secure and varied design.

The wish to offer optimum solutions to the users has motivated these two medium-sized companies to form more than just a supplier-customer relationship. A close cooperation takes place both in the development and the realization of projects. Thus, the user receives perfectly harmonized solutions and competent advice by specialists from both areas.