A SYMBIOSIS BETWEEN MAN AND MACHINE
IT ALL BEGAN HERE 100 YEARS AGO: AT THE ABUS HEADQUARTERS IN WETTER ON THE RIVER RUHR.
Although everyday working life here has changed over the past century, one thing remains the same. Every lock that leaves this production facility first passes through the careful hands of our employees. This is where modern technology and proven craftsmanship come together to combine the best of both worlds.
In conversation with Christian Gluschak, Toolmaking Team Leader, and Heike Masuhr, a member of the tool design team, we find out how products "Made in Germany" are created at our production facility in Hege.
Which ABUS products are manufactured in the production facility in Hege today as they were then?
Christian Gluschak: "These are mainly the traditional locks, the Diskus - our original - in different sizes and laminated padlocks, but also hasps. The LoTo area is also located here, i.e. ABUS products for occupational safety. The products that come from Hege have now been distributed worldwide for 100 years. That's really impressive."
Most of the machines and tools that are operated by human hands here were also manufactured in Hegestraße. Why does ABUS rely on in-house machine and tool construction?
Heike Masuhr: "First and foremost, to produce independently and autonomously. Our machines, for example the Diskus welding machines and the automatic ironing machines, contain decades of knowledge that we want to preserve. In-house toolmaking and mechanical engineering ensure that manual work is not only used to correct errors, it enables us to have the production process in our own hands right from the start and gives us planning security - especially in uncertain times."
What role do humans play as specialists in conservation?
Christian Gluschak: "The expertise of our employees is indispensable. During the final inspection of the locks, some of the people here are able to immediately identify where a possible fault could be just from a single noise. The value of manual labor is not so easy to quantify. We know and value the expertise of our employees, who often have strong ties to the company, and use it in a deliberate manner.
Another aspect is that we respond very individually to customer wishes and even produce Diskus locks with our the customer’s own embossing. These are quantities in very different order sizes, for which automation would only be conceivable in the future."
How is it ensured that not only the production, but further steps along the value chain as well are "Made in Germany"?
Heike Masuhr: Here, locally sourced raw materials are punched, assembled, welded, and checked using tools built in-house - it's hard to get more "Made in Germany" than that. Another thing that should not be forgotten is the fact that products like the Diskus were created here in people's minds.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
