Schmoll Keeping an Eye on the Future--and on LDI

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Kunz: In general, yes. Specifically in drilling, I'm not so sure because automation is used in the Western market mainly to go overnight, and not to save idle times and such. In that case automation is just calculated against the manpower cost, and I'm not so sure this will be interesting in China—that's number one.

There's a second reason why this is questionable, which is that China's market works with adapter plates. They turn their own reference onto the machine, which is only possible manually, and if they want to go for automation they would have to change that. They would have to go for pinned and stacked panels, and this may be some kind of engineering job that some of the companies don't want to do and don't want to risk.

Matties: Now that you have the LDI coming in, what's next for you? Where do you take the company?

Kunz: It’s enough for now. The optical product range has some further developments that are enough for us for the next 3–4 years, so I think we would like to accomplish that first. We don't want to push too aggressively into that market. We look for the customers that fit with us. We have references already in the European market, and now we will start to make references in the other areas.

The optical product range is a strategic project and we would like to be good partner for our customers rather than exploit all worldwide chances that the market offers.

Matties: Are you doing any of your manufacturing in China?

Kunz: No, all manufacturing is still in Germany.

Matties: Do you see a point where you're going to need to?

Kunz: Not excluded, but we have this discussion every year on Christmas, for the past 12 years, and every time we have answered the question 'no.' But it doesn't mean that the same answer will be given next year.

Matties: What are the criteria for you to say yes?

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