Creating Matter from Spirit
Interview with Michael Hümmeler, founder of LMD Innovator GmbH and André Hümmeler, Managing Director of LMD GmbH
LMD GmbH, based in Lennestadt in the Sauerland, celebrated 20 years of innovation and pioneering spirit this year. The specialists for digital manufacturing see themselves as problem solvers for their customers when it comes to automated manufacturing processes. Particularly in the food sector, their components for robotic systems are in demand. This is because these can safely and hygienically handle even the most delicate goods.
Actually, master toolmaker Michael Hümmeler and his brother Ludger wanted to become rich as software developers with their patented invention. "We had developed an application in our own basement, which had many different functions integrated and came out finished from the machine. But becoming rich didn't work out," says Michael Hümmeler. However, the first orders came in. Thus, in 2004, the brothers, along with graduate engineer Dieter Ronsdorf, founded the company LMD in the gatehouse of a decommissioned barracks. Here they began to manufacture parts out of plastic for the Robotic-Pack-Line. "We built components with functional integration from food-grade plastic and created something unique: the world's first food-safe gripper for hamburger patties. Gradually, we then learned what the market needs," says Michael Hümmeler.
Thus, LMD has become a problem solver for its customers. The founders have since handed over the field to the next generation: LMD, with its 22 employees, has been led by André Hümmeler, the nephew of Michael Hümmeler, and Tobias Wagner as managing directors since the beginning of 2024.
Sustainable Response to the Skills Shortage
Michael Hümmeler describes what makes LMD special: "We look at the application at the customer's site and then search for the path to the ideal. Here, we do not have to be restricted by the standard components available on the market, but can build exactly what the customer needs. The previously thought-out and designed 'ideal' can then be directly 3D printed with our individual production line. This is the shortest way to materialize the ideas."
In the field of baking, for example, automated processes are becoming increasingly important, as André Hümmeler states: 'There is a shortage of skilled workers. Robotics is part of the solution. The closer you get to a product, the more customized the solution becomes, especially when manual skill is required.' Thus, LMD also builds gripping hands that can handle soft, oily antipasti. In the bakery departments of discount stores, processes from baking frozen goods to stocking shelves can be automated.
'This reduces stress for the employees. At the EuroShop trade fair, we presented a system together with partner companies that does this controlled by AI. Normally, a lot is produced that is thrown away. The AI captures buying behavior, making the system very efficient and 'green',' says André Hümmeler.
Even compared to the alternative of outsourcing production abroad due to the shortage of skilled labor, automated facilities are the more sustainable solution. Since a low weight, often only 300 g, needs to be handled, LMD produces correspondingly lightweight solutions with low energy consumption.
Michael Hümmeler is convinced: "The possibilities are only limited by one's own creativity. But the German economy needs to get out of its comfort zone."
Boundless Possibilities
Michael Hümmeler has always dreamed of having his own technology. "Innovations excite me. I love creating matter from the mind," he says. André Hümmeler points to the boundless possibilities: "Our approach allows us to serve almost any industry – from mechanical engineering to orthopedic technology to applications in the food industry." He sees LMD as a leader in problem-solving. "In additive manufacturing, the limits have not yet been reached, there's endless potential," he emphasizes. Michael Hümmeler also sees a "huge growth potential": "We are still early with our approach." The company also plans to increasingly rely on AI-driven automation in the future. The company also plans to increasingly rely on AI-driven automation in the future.