ProCom Automation gathers new momentum for the future

Mr. Göttgens, you once said “Proven things form the secure basis of ProCom Automation”. What did you mean by that?   

Well, essentially it means that we remain true to our values, structures and brands. We continue to offer the expertise for which we are known. All employees of the Automation division will transfer to ProCom Automation GmbH and all knowledge will remain in the company. Thus, we start with a strong team of 30 people, some of whom have known each other for many years and work together in perfect harmony.

The hierarchies are flat – agile working, joint decision-making and mutual support have long been common practices in our company. This way of working has proven itself for years and we are sticking to it, which does not mean that we will stand still…

…it sounds like things are on the move in your company. What will change?

Digitalization and globalization are just two of very many topics that we have increasingly been preparing for in recent years. We come across new technologies almost every day, products are being developed at breakneck speed, and processes are becoming more agile and flexible. In recent months, we have already filled a number of new positions and are now strategically positioned to meet these market challenges with concentrated expertise. With this secure basis, nothing stands in the way of new, forward-looking innovations – and puts our customers on the road to success.

Will the focus remain on the cutting industry or do you have further plans?

We will continue to focus on the cutting industry. That’s where our expertise comes into its own best. Whether it’s knife, laser, waterjet or plasma cutting – cutting processes are where all our skills lie. And this is where our products convince cutting machine operators every day with outstanding cutting quality and higher productivity. This know-how was also the basis for our more recent innovations such as Cutting During Bitefeed (CDB), an additional function for even greater profitability.

You mentioned plans for expansion – where do you see your most important markets, where do you want to expand?

Most of our customers are in Europe and Asia, with Asia accounting for more than 50 percent of our sales. We continue to see attractive growth opportunities in these regions. Of course, we don’t turn down customers from other continents either (laughs). On the contrary, we are happy to reach out to other regions of the world, to make our brands visible globally and to take advantage of new opportunities.

What technical trends are you observing in your business and what can your customers look forward to in the near future?

With our latest product, the IoT production monitoring platform Clouver, we have responded to the trend of digitalization. With it, we are helping many machine manufacturers and machine operators to implement the topic of IoT in practice. All existing machines in a machine park can be integrated into the Clouver platform within minutes using our Clouver SmartKit. This works across manufacturers and it doesn’t matter whether the machine is old or new. Thus, the complete process chain becomes transparent and production data is provided in real-time. Also worth mentioning is our touch terminal solution, which eliminates the need for manual paper slips. As a result, not only production but also logistics can be made much more efficient. As far as the next few years are concerned, I expect to see a further expansion of the digital portfolio. Cloud solutions for networking will no longer be “add-ons”, but an integral part of a control system and thus state of the art for machines. To drive innovation in this area, we are investing a large part of our profit in development and in the further training of our employees.

Speaking of profit: How is ProCom Automation positioned financially?

At an optimum. We are well-positioned and are starting out on our own with a solid equity ratio and secure liquidity. The order books for the coming months are already well filled. We can therefore definitely speak of a successful business year for 2021 in our over 40-year success story.