Top Prize as “Factory of the Year”

At the German “Factory of the Year” competition, Faulhaber claimed the top prize in the “Excellent Small Series Assembly”” category for 2018. The jury was convinced above all by the continuous quest to improve processes, the strong automation and the synchronisation across all production locations.

by Elena Magistretti

At the “Factory of the Year” competition, manufacturing companies from all industries in Germany that have at least one factory and one business division as well as over 100 employees can compete.
For 2018 Faulhaber was awarded the first prize in the “Excellent Small Series Assembly”” category. The jury was convinced above all by the continuous quest to improve processes, the strong automation and the
synchronisation across all production locations. For the German company, specialized in micro drives, the category win is confirmation of the special production capability with respect to the complexity and wide variety of customer orders and the corresponding necessary volume flexibility in production. The awards ceremony will take place on 21 March 2019 during the 27th “Factory of the Year” conference in the Forum am Schlosspark in Ludwigsburg.

Ten to twelve new products daily
Faulhaber designs and manufacturers drive solutions in the smallest spaces moving as far as the edge of what is “micromechanically possible”. Products are designed on a customer-specific basis with a batch size as small as 1. For the optimum drive solution comprising motor, gearhead, encoder, electronics and accessories, customers have more than 25 million possible variations available.
Ten to twelve new products that have never been produced in their given form are created every day and all orders are handled with the goal of shipping within two weeks: a goal reached by adopting a site-synchronous production method in which the drive components are manufactured for specific orders in parallel at five different locations in Germany, Hungary, Romania and Switzerland and then mounted.

Production capability and innovative strength
In addition, nearly all employees are involved in the continuous improvement process: more than 2,000 improvement suggestions made by staff are implemented every year
In the competition audit, A.T. Kearney thus certified that the drive specialists have a commendable process-oriented organisation structure in which the synchronisation and automation are operative value drivers of the plant. This also impressed the jury of experts. This verified production capability combines with a great innovative strength, which is reflected not least of all by again being named a “TOP 100 Innovator.” The Faulhaber headquarters in Schönaich nearby Stuttgart can, for the third time, again count itself among the innovative elite of small and mid-size German enterprises.