Variety helps save money

Kitchen manufacturer confident: more extras than a car

Anyone buying a car has to make a lot of decisions when it comes to equipment. There are even more options when it comes to the kitchen, says Hirsch.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/EPA, Markus Wenzel)

"With a car, you think you have lots of extras to choose from when it comes to equipment, but with a kitchen there are many more options," says ewe kitchen boss Andreas Hirsch. The variety of equipment helps customers to control costs. How the Wels-based company keeps track.

"In the medium term, increased costs have to be factored into the calculation. At the same time, we ourselves are constantly challenged to exploit productivity potential." This is ewe CEO Andreas Hirsch's answer to the question of how the kitchen manufacturer from Wels, which he manages, is dealing with the price increases.

And how are customers reacting? Hirsch points to the enormous scope: "With a car, you think you have a lot of extras to choose from in terms of equipment, but with a kitchen there are many more options."

We get in touch with customers who have had their kitchen for 25 or 30 years and need a replacement part. We are happy to send them. You can't expect much more from a car after such a long time.

Andreas Hirsch, Geschäftsführer ewe Küchen

Bild: Markus Wenzel

From the shape to the materials, the worktop to the appliances - "a good planner has an insane number of options to find clever and cheaper solutions," emphasizes the 51-year-old.

"Complexity is challenging"
Hirsch speaks of a "complexity that is challenging" and reveals: "We don't keep anything in stock, no prefabricated parts. Every single kitchen is produced individually to order."

In an average year, 15,000 models are delivered. How does the company and its 320 employees manage these many equipment details? Nothing works without digitalization and automation: "Every part is provided with a barcode so that it is always clear in production where it belongs in the end."