Customized solutions
Knauf Industries is recognised worldwide for its ability to develop turnkey projects for its clients, from the design of a part or packaging to the construction of a production plant dedicated to the client
Development phases
Project management is one of the strongest assets of Knauf Industries We can support you at every stage of your projects development. From the initial design to prototype, and finally, to the serial production, we will implement innovative solutions based on our knowledge and experience. Discover the typical development phases of projects in cooperation with Knauf Appliances
In the requests for quotation we receive from our client or prospect we are often asked for support in design. Therefore, at the first stage we prepare together the initial design of parts or packaging for appliances. After the official project nomination by customer we elaborate the final design. The following project phase includes prototyping and its validation. At this point our tool development team comes to the stage to coordinate the construction of the most optimal tools for the project. As soon as the tool has been manufactures and properly launched we perform the pre-serial production in one of our 42 production facilities. The parts are delivered to the customer for testing and if required the tooling tuning follows. After the sample parts have been approved by the customer our team at the plant can launch the serial production.
What is also worth knowing is that at Knauf Appliances we perform 3 models of cooperation with our customers which involve:
- Full-scope cooperation: support in design + tooling coordination + serial production This is the most advanced cooperation model where we provide our customers with our expertise in the project design phase. Our engineering team is ready to support you in the most demanding expanded foam projects. Our local design teams as well as our R&D Centre Id Lab have been working on numerous projects in the appliances sector for the last decade. Check out our case study
- Design is delivered by customer, we step in the tooling phase and then also perform the manufacturing of the parts I this cooperation model we work on the ready designs delivered by our customers. We still prepare the DFM (design for manufacturing) to make sure that the designs can be manufactured. We guarantee the correct tool development by our international team and smooth serial production in one of our state-of-the-art production facilities. We always put special attention to the process optimization to maximize the benefits of the technologies we offer to our customers.
- The last model, where we can take over a ready tool and perform the production. This cooperation scheme is usually the case when the project cannot be executed properly by competitors and it is transferred to one of our plants to be carried out by our specialists. At Knauf Appliances we are always ready to support our customers with transfers and back them up with our expertise.
Knauf Industries
Innovation
In an era of constant change, it is vital to have a vision of the future. If you are looking for a supplier with the ability to create innovative solutions and with expertise in plastics, you are in the right place.
At Knauf Industries, we constantly test and develop new protective and technical part solutions in plastics moulding to provide our clients with access to fully proof-checked, cutting-edge solutions.
The spirit of innovation
One of our values as a company is entrepreneurship; that spirit of endless curiosity that enables us to constantly and rigorously develop new solutions. It is this spirit that has driven us to create an innovation department: IDLab. This laboratory of ideas, conceived under the premises of ‘Design thinking’, is comprised by a multidisciplinary team of professionals from areas as contradictory as marketing or materials, to offer you, from multiple points of view, the disruptive technical solution that your company requires.
Our way to innovation
Nowadays, our IDLab is focused on 5 main research areas. These 5 pillars of research and development are the result of strong collaboration between our team and our clients.
Listening and understanding your needs is vital for your company, but also for us. Innovation means not only conceiving new products but also improving processes or business models.
See below our 5 research areas:
INNOVATIVE MATERIALS
TIME TO MARKET REDUCTION
ADDED VALUE
EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENT
CIRCULAR ECONOMY
IDLab Innovator DNA
In our innovation process, we invite our clients and suppliers to cooperate with our team in a Design Thinking model. This approach enables us to customise and test assumptions in an agile way.
Quality Certification Systems
Our 42 manufacturing facilities are certified by a number of different bodies relating to Environment, Quality Management, and Health & Safety. By obtaining and maintaining these industry leading certifications, we can guarantee our clients that our products and processes are in full compliance with international and national regulations and standards.
ISO 9001-Quality Management Systems
What are the advantages of ISO 9001 for our clients?
The ISO 9001 is a guarantee for the continuous improvement of quality management systems (QMS) and processes in all our production sites. Owing to our certification we are able to meet the most rigorous quality requirements of our customers by following the 7 principles:
– QMP 1 – Client centric: Our primary focus is to meet client requirements and to strive to exceed their expectations.
– QMP 2 – Leadership: Our leaders at all levels establish unity of purpose and direction to create conditions in which people are engaged in achieving the quality objectives of the organization.
– QMP 3 – Engagement: Our co-workers at all levels across the organization are competent, empowered and engaged people focused on creating and delivering value.
– QMP 4 – Process approach: Our business activities are understood and managed as interrelated processes that function as a coherent system. This approach delivers consistent and predictable results ever effective and efficient.
– QMP 5 – Improvement: We focus on the improvement of process performance by means of root-cause investigation and determination followed by prevention and corrective actions. ISO 9001 guarantees the ability to anticipate and react to internal and external risks and opportunities. It also encourages the drive for innovation throughout the organization.
– QMP 6 – Evidence-based decision making: we understand perfectly the cause-and-effect relationships and potential unintended consequences in our business activities. Facts, evidence and data analysis lead us to greater objectivity and confidence in decision making.
– QMP 7 – Relationship management: Optimal relationship management with our supplier and partner networks is of outmost importance for us. It ensures a well-managed supply chain that translates into a stable flow of goods and services, and increases the capability to create value for all stakeholders, by sharing resources and competences.
ISO 14001-Environmental Management Systems
What are the benefits of ISO 14001 for our clients?
– Constant compliance with environmental legislation
– Minimisation of energy and resource usage reducing operating costs
– Constant improvement in environmental performance