From One-Man Business to Mass Production
Interview with Günter Peters, Managing Director of Peters Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG
A shortage of skilled workers, increasing demands on sustainability, and the trend toward automation pose new challenges for industrial manufacturing. Peters Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG responds to these challenges with a high level of manufacturing depth, digital processes, and a clear focus on customer orientation. As a specialist in welded assemblies and laser-edged parts, the company now supplies customers from the machinery and vehicle manufacturing sectors.
When Günter Peters took the step towards self-employment in May 2003, he wanted to work independently and make his own decisions. The trained locksmith started with a welding machine and a saw in a 400 m2 hall. By the summer, the first employees were on board. Soon after, the first new hall was built, followed by continuous expansions. Today, Peters Maschinenbau operates seven halls with over 10,000 m2 of production space. The focus is on series production of welded assemblies - efficient and automated. In 2006, the first welding robot was deployed, and today there are 17, operating in continuous shift work. 'In this size, we are unique in the region,' says Günter Peters.
Manufacturing Depth as a Success Factor
Supply bottlenecks with sheet metal parts led to the founding of Peters Lasertechnik GmbH in 2007. Since then, laser parts, edges, and cuts have been produced in-house. Five laser cutting machines, automatic storage logistics, and bending robots ensure short throughput times and flexibility. About 250 employees now work in both companies, 70 of them in laser technology. The customers are mainly from Germany, some from the Netherlands. A private fleet of six trucks ensures timely delivery. 'We also start driving at night if necessary,' says Günter Peters.
Training instead of Dependence
The shortage of skilled workers is one of the biggest challenges. Peters Maschinenbau addresses it with active training, presence at job fairs, and practical incentives - such as company-provided scooters or covering the costs of driving licenses. 'Mobility is a key factor here,' says Günter Peters. In parallel, the company continues to drive digitization forward: All workplaces are digitally networked, and drawings and orders are processed paperlessly. The next step is automated part feeding, to achieve more with the same staff. Günter Peters also takes his own approach to sustainability: Photovoltaics cover most of the electricity needs, and CO2-reduced steel is already being tested. For the coming years, the course is clear: Automate where it makes sense - not as an end in itself, but to remain independent. Quality, speed, and reliability should also be the basis in the future. For Günter Peters, it is clear: 'We don't invest to appear modern, but because it makes us strong.'