Autodesk // Franken-Schotter GmbH & Co. KG

The natural stone industry has changed significantly over the last 20 years, moving from manually operated and manually controlled machines to CNC-controlled machines. The decision for robotics was driven by economic reasons, as robots can deliver high performance with relatively few personnel.

Communication with our customers is naturally very much shaped by digitalization. We can now run visualizations, renderings, and simulations that we previously had to handle in other ways. We can move all of that into the digital world, which reduces travel costs and also shortens project lead times until a decision is made on which stone to use. When we generate a digital mockup from a digital zoom, we also create a real mockup where the customer can select individual stones for their project right here at our factory.

The stone industry is not very easy. To survive and achieve reasonably good results, it is essential to have access to raw materials and to be able to process the products all the way to the end. The greatest benefit for us in the area of BIM is the diverse data that customers currently provide us — very different, like a colorful bouquet containing various elements and sometimes missing others. For Franken-Schotter, it is important that we create a unified platform, and that very much helps us run structured and standardized processes through the various departments. This can be supported both by experienced employees and by technically skilled and IT-savvy employees, so that we can generate a very good product in the digital world.

We are able to process waste down to the very last crumb, and that is not the case at all firms.

My work itself is enjoyable. I believe if your work isn't fun, you should look for something else, because you have to do it for many, many years of your life.