GERMANY - In 2014 the German kitchen manufacturer Häcker for the first time surpassed the mark of € 400 million in sales.

To ensure this growth, the company regularly invests in expanding its production capacity. Last year, two new plants for manufacturing carcases for the Systemat product line went into operation in Factory 2. Investments were also made in picking technology for small parts so as to reduce the error rate to a minimum.

For the period 2015/2016 Häcker has an investment budget of approximately € 20 million. "When it comes to expanding our capacities and automating production, the continuous, qualitative improvement and controllability of our processes is our top priority," emphasises Dirk Krupka, Managing Director Technology and Administration. Almost 12 million euros are being invested in the automation of Factory 3, where the classic product line is made. This will result in increased production capacities for the fronts and carcass.

A further 8.5 million euros have been invested in machinery from IMA Klessmann. Based in the neighboring town of Lübbecke, the company will supply and install three fully automated batch size 1 production cells for the production of furniture parts such as carcass sides, top panels, end panels and splashbacks over the next 15 months.

Häcker is a family business founded in 1965 and located in Rödinghausen, East Westphalia - the epicenter of the German kitchen industry. In 2014, with more than 1,200 employees the company generated a turnover of 406 million euros. Currently Häcker exports to more than 60 international markets that represent about 38 percent of sales. The kitchen manufacturer has two product lines available for the various market segments: classic and ClassicART for the entry level and Systemat and SystematART for the middle and upper price segments.