The Kraft Group will be awarded the OWL Innovation Prize in the "Market Visions" category in 2024. The prize, awarded by OstWestfalenLippe GmbH, recognizes innovative solutions from regional companies. The Kraft Group presented a fully automated solution for individual product packaging that is efficient and sustainable.

Until now, the packaging of customized workpieces for furniture and kitchen manufacturers has been time-consuming and labour-intensive. The Kraft Group has automated this process through the use of patents and innovative technology. This enables a smooth packaging process for individual pieces, also known as batch size 1. The use of robots in conjunction with software systems significantly reduces the effort involved and enables the packaging of up to 30,000 workpieces per week.

The innovation not only has economic advantages, but also contributes to sustainability. By dispensing with plastic packaging materials and using corrugated cardboard made from sustainable raw materials, the CO2 footprint of the process is reduced by up to 48 percent.

Markus Hüllmann, CEO of the Kraft Group: "The customer demands high-quality packaged products, according to individual requirements, at the lowest prices - and all this within the shortest possible time and fully automated. The challenge of cost-effective and sustainable packaging can only be met by intelligent machine and logistics concepts with minimal changeover losses. The cardboard is not only used for outer packaging, but also for the production of a wide variety of product protection products, naturally also inline and fully automated."

"The jury and the experts from the OWL Innovation Award rate the automation of the complex process for batch size 1 as highly innovative. This not only significantly reduces effort and costs, but also cuts greenhouse gas emissions. The jury is convinced that the company will transfer the technology to other applications and significantly improve its market position. The solution demonstrates the innovative strength of special machine construction in OWL. Against the background of the increasing shortage of skilled workers and the legal requirements for sustainability, the Kraft Group is also making a contribution to improving the competitiveness of the kitchen and furniture industry in OWL and Germany," explains Petra Pigerl-Radtke.