WESTTECH Maschinenbau GmbH – Innovation from tradition
WESTTECH Maschinenbau GmbH, based in Prambachkirchen, Austria, is a leading manufacturer of robust and innovative attachments for excavators and tractors. The company specializes in the development and production of special machines for the forestry and timber industry, landscape maintenance and agriculture. With a clear focus on quality, efficiency and customer-oriented solutions, WESTTECH has established itself as a reliable partner in its industry. In order to live up to this claim in its internal process landscape, the company decided to introduce a professional e-Kanban system.
From Excel list to strategic tool
Even before the cooperation with manufactus, the Kanban idea was firmly anchored at WESTTECH.
“Yes, we were using a ‘home-made’ system based on Excel,” explains Mr. Benedikt Kreuzhuber, Head of Development.
The basic introduction of Kanban in production therefore took place around a year before the switch to a digital solution.
This first phase was crucial, as it proved the immense potential of the method for the company. Mr. Kreuzhuber remembers:
“After introducing our ‘self-made’ card system, we were convinced of the future viability of Kanban at WESTTECH after just a short time.”
However, the success of the manual system quickly awakened the desire to further professionalize, expand and digitally support the processes. The search for a powerful e-Kanban system began.
The decision for IKS and a smooth implementation
The choice fell on the Integrated Kanban System (IKS) from manufactus.
“manufactus was the only provider that could offer us a suitable solution,” says Mr. Kreuzhuber.
A decisive advantage for a quick and successful implementation was that the Kanban processes and procedures were already established in the company and familiar to the employees.
“As the Kanban system was already in use, we ‘only’ had to replace the software in the background.”
explains Mr. Kreuzhuber. This enabled an impressively short implementation phase: it took just three months from the first workshop to full commissioning of the IKS.
People at the center of change
When introducing a new system, technical aspects are only one side of the coin. For Mr. Kreuzhuber, the key to success lies above all with the employees and the corporate culture.
“You have to take people with you and question established processes,” he emphasizes.
The introduction of Kanban was more than just a new tool for WESTTECH – it was a “total change in the way of thinking and production”.
Two factors were decisive here:
- the unrestricted support of the management and
- the professional preparatory work as part of a diploma thesis that accompanied the original launch.
The later conversion to the e-Kanban system IKS finally professionalized this change and raised it to a new level.
The successful introduction of Kanban at WESTTECH also depended heavily on the active involvement of colleagues. Ultimately, they are the ones who work with the processes on a daily basis and bring the system to life. For this reason, they were involved at an early stage, which led to a better understanding of the objectives and benefits, reduced resistance and significantly increased acceptance. In addition, the employees contribute valuable practical knowledge in order to adapt Kanban rules to reality. The result is not just a technical system, but a living culture of continuous improvement that ensures long-term stability and efficiency.
Efficiency, flexibility and a clear competitive advantage
The benefits of using Kanban and IKS are clearly noticeable in day-to-day operations.
“Thanks to the fact that we don’t need to keep stock and have a large number of identical parts, we can produce a large number of different machine types with a small inventory and very little organizational effort.”
Mr. Kreuzhuber summarizes the key improvements.
IKS in daily use: One system for all areas
Today, the IKS is deeply anchored in WESTTECH’s operational processes and controls the entire material supply.
The system is used extensively for:
- Supplier Kanban: for the automated connection and control of external suppliers.
- Warehouse Kanban: for intelligent management of internal warehouse stocks.
- Production Kanban: for demand-oriented material supply directly to the assembly lines
The dimensions of the system illustrate its central role in the company: Currently, 1,027 control loops with a total of 4,571 Kanbans are controlled via IKS.
Future outlook: Deep integration and continuous optimization
Standing still is not an option for WESTTECH. The e-Kanban system is being continuously developed and integrated even more deeply into the IT system landscape.
“We have just introduced an ERP system and linked it to IKS, and our CAD system is also linked to IKS”,
reports Mr. Kreuzhuber. This advanced and cost-reducing integration shows that IKS is not just a stand-alone system, but a central building block in WESTTECH’s digital enterprise architecture.
The refinement of these links will continue to be driven forward in the future.
As a result, WESTTECH has successfully switched to a highly efficient production method that enables a wide range of variants with low stock levels and minimal organizational effort. Even if no concrete savings figures were collected, the conclusion is clear:
“You could say that a not inconsiderable proportion of our company’s success is based on this production method.”
This trust in the system is also reflected in a concise statement that has become a guiding principle within the company:
“If a part is in KANBAN, then no problems.”
This sentence illustrates how reliable and process-safe the material supply at WESTTECH is today.