Kaiser's - Kaiser AG

More documents

Recommendations

Info

2 2013 – Kaiser’s centenary year, core competence: technology As an inventor and entrepreneur, he was attracted by the challenge of new technical developments when he took over the company from his father in 1953. He also saw the potential for successful trading in niche markets with just a small number of players. Internationalization. In view of the very limited size of Liechtenstein’s domestic market, Kaiser was quick to recognize the need for an international posture, although the various markets all have their specificities with regard to the style of working, the technologies used, and relations between buyers and sellers. On the other hand, the challenges presented by the markets in terms of varying environmental standards and market structures have continually stimulated the development of new and enhanced products. For an international service network, accurate technical documents are of great importance. Detailed drawings of a high standard are a prerequisite for efficient spare parts inventory management. That in turn is a precondition for building up and retaining an international customer base. Close customer relations. A business that involves limited sales of products for niche markets offers ideal conditions for close customer relations. In the case of the sewer cleaning vehicles, especially, where customized products are the order of the day, the company is basically operating in a project development market, and customer requirements and ideas Product development triggered by exhaust emission regulations in the construction plant industry Exhaust gas after-treatment phase 2012-2014 The origins of exhaust emissions legislation Experience gained in the field of automotive engineering has been transferred to industrial applications (non-road) with the aim of reducing nitrogen oxide emissions (NOx) and controlling pollutant emissions such as carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC) and particulate matter. The respective limit values are defined in the Tier 1-4 emission standards. For Europe, the EPA Environment Protection Agency has defined these limit values in Stages I, II, IIIA and IIIB, and IV. play a much greater role in design engineering and product development that in the case of series production. At the same time, the necessary degree of flexibility calls for a high standard of technical competence. Trends in technology The value of technology. For both product groups, Kaiser’s customers themselves have a high level of technological competence. We must therefore offer professional advisory services and an extensive service network with fast spare parts delivery in keeping with the needs of the capital goods market. In today’s markets, we are seeing a growing number of imitations of Kaiser products from both divisions. Of course, they do not necessarily offer the same standard in terms of quality, efficiency, innovation, experience and safety – convincing arguments as key factors in a technology-driven industry. Legislation. Over the last few decades there has been a continual increase in the number and scope of the mandatory provisions to be met, many of which significantly influence the design of our products, e.g. with regard to exhaust emissions, environmental impacts and the technical documents. Considerable resources have to be committed to the engineering and process adjustments required to comply with such regulations, which are binding on all companies regardless of their size. Although that can be a problem for very Exhaust gas after-treatment systems Today’s Stage IIIA diesel engines cannot meet the emission control requirements for Stages IIIB or IV. In addition to the measures introduced to date, such as electronic engine management, high-pressure fuel injection and particulate filters, exhaust gas after-treatment involving the injection of urea (AdBlue) is also required. The relevant development work on non-road engines has not yet reached the series production stage. small businesses, Kaiser has the size and organizational structure to respond quickly and efficiently to changes in legislation and industry codes without detriment to its flexibility and speed of reaction as an SME. Environmental engineering: a technology of the future. Environmental engineering is all about reducing environmental pollution, developing products and services that are more sparing of resources and the environment, and generally deploying strategies for the more efficient use of resources. In both product groups, the environmental footprint is becoming more and more critical for our customers as they make increasing use of ecological arguments in their communications with the industrial and municipal end users. Product innovation is increasingly targeted at sustainability. Environmental engineering has become a highly dynamic industry with shorter and shorter innovation cycles. The challenges are growing accordingly, with innovation becoming a critical factor in terms of differentiation from the competition, substitute products coming onto the market more quickly, innovation needed in response to individual customer requirements, and time to market becoming increasingly decisive, etc. As in the past, the success of a company will depend on a culture of innovation and a policy of involving customers in the innovation processes to ensure that it is they who benefit. KAISEr Austria, Nenzing KAISEr Liechtenstein, Schaanwald KAISEr Slovakia, Krakovany The challenge for Kaiser The diesel engine as the source of motive power is the central component in our vehicles and machines. Its characteristics, including available power, torque and engine speed, influence all connected consumers. The challenge for the design engineer is particularly great in the case of compact machines, as the exhaust gas after-treatment equipment increases the space requirement for the diesel engine by about 30-40%. The complexity of the product is also greater in terms of engine management and system stability.
Interview: "Volksblatt", 24 December 2009 In the lead with high tech Kaiser AG: Record year with sewer cleaning vehicles SCHAANWALD – Kaiser AG is one of the companies that have grown in spite of the economic crisis. But this is no time to relax. “We have significantly upgraded our engineer - ing and development activities,” says CEO Markus Kaiser. Kornelia Pfeiffer, “Volksblatt”: Mr Kaiser, what do you think of the pursuit scenes in Vienna’s sewers in “The Third Man”? Markus Kaiser: I guess I saw the film the same way as you. What I am more interested in is the technology we use for sewer cleaning today. Until well into the 1950s, cleaning the sewers – a city’s "intestines" – was very hard work for the cleaning crews ... ... and in some places it still is. Take India: The way they clean the sewers there is inhuman and there are often fatalities. There are huge differences from country to country. Modern sewer cleaning methods are only considered an option when a country has reached a certain level of development. So the market must have great potential? Basically, yes, but simply taking the Swiss market and extrapolating on the basis of the population figures for India does not make much sense; it will take decades to reach the kind of sales figures we have in Europe. How many competitors do you have? They are many and varied; we have different competitors in every country. The methods employed for sewer cleaning vary widely from one region to another, and so the role of technology and progress varies, too. But Kaiser is one of the biggest players and one of the few who have built up an international presence. One way of moving into new markets is via the big sewer cleaning companies, and they are already in our customer base. How was business in 2009? We achieved record sales with our sewer cleaning vehicles. That made it a very good year for Kaiser in total, with sales up by more than ten percent. Our traditional markets – France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria – continued to develop well. Sales were stable in Poland, the Czech republic and Slovakia, but the markets collapsed completely in romania, Bulgaria and russia. Fortunately, we were able to compensate the downturn there with good results in other regions like South Africa and the Arab countries. Even though sales of walking excavators were 20 to 25 percent down, total sales were in line with the previous year’s results. And we managed without any job losses or short-time working; we were able to switch employees who were surplus to requirements for the walking excavators to our cleaning vehicle production department. A case of fortune favoring the brave, if you like, that developments were so positive and dynamic in the field in which the company was first established. Markus Kaiser: Slump in russia and the USA compensated by sales in South Africa and the Arab countries And you are still gaining market shares? Sewer cleaning with water recycling technology, that is our speciality. Ninety percent of the vehicles we sell are equipped that way. And wherever this high technological standard is called for, we are the market leaders worldwide and we were able to increase our market shares, even in such a difficult business year. What did the economic crisis do to Kaiser? It was a mixture of good and bad. Even with our sewer cleaning vehicles, we did not do so well in south-east Europe and the Asian countries, but that was compensated by growth elsewhere. Conversely, we were very stable and successful with sales of walking excavators in Switzerland and Austria, whereas sales collapsed in other regions like russia and, once again, the USA. You also assemble vehicles locally in Asia and Russia. How is your systems selling business doing? It’s more or less stable or slightly down on the previous year. After all, unlike us, the international sewer industry is not growing at present, and many of our competitors are having a hard time. Have you got the skilled labor you need? In 2009 we invested heavily in our Engineering and Development departments, and we were able to recruit engineers who would probably have looked for work with the big corporations before. It looks as if we, as an SME with 200 employees, are now more attractive for qualified personnel who appreciate our values, strategy, corporate culture and products. Clean water is becoming increasingly scarce. Every drop counts. How are you reacting at the level of R&D? Ecological thinking – that is about more than the fact that the Kaiser recycling system permits sewers to be cleaned without using clean water. Of course it’s a big thing, FACTS & NEWS especially where there is a shortage of water. We have the only system in the world that still works where the sewer system has not been cleaned for years and the level of soiling is extremely high. Our vehicles make it possible to save water, and also time and fuel, i.e. raw materials and money. In addition to the commercial aspects, ecology is also important today. In France, for example, we are now the market leader in the field of recycling. That was of no interest there only five or six years ago, and for a long time people said that the high standard we provided in Switzerland would never catch on. But they were wrong. Take Poland, where we first had customers entering the market with simpler sewer cleaning vehicles. Ten years later they are investing in vehicles that are no different from what we sell in Switzerland. And the same applies to other countries. But we cannot rest on our technological laurels; others will try to jump on the bandwagon. That is why we have upgraded our r&D department, with two specific objectives: On the one hand we want to improve the efficiency of our water recycling system wherever possible, and on the other hand we are aiming to leave the competition behind with regard to the efficiency of the match between the truck, the high-pressure pump and the filter system, and also with regard to user-friendly operation. The electronics are a critical factor here. But the high-tech sewer cleaning vehicles are not sexy like the walking excavators! I disagree. The walking excavator is a product that appeals to the boy in every man and attracts attention with spectacular operations. That is part of the picture in our region. But if you go to Poland, you will find that the sewer cleaning vehicles have a similar image. And I am often surprised to see how emotional grown men can be when they come to Schaanwald to collect a vehicle. 3
Page 1: FACTS & NEWS Kaiser AG’s customer
Page 5 and 6: KAISER Hurricane A top-performance
Page 7 and 8: 2009 Excavator Olympics On 17 Octob

Kaiser's - Kaiser AG

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?