When August Lapple founded his company in a small mechanic's workshop in Weinsberg in 1919, little did he know that his children would nurture the undertaking into a global conglomerate. The Lapple group of companies still earns half of its revenues from its original business of fabricating ultrafine metal bodyshell parts for premium cars such as Porsche, Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Lapple's legacy, however, went beyond cars. In 1974, the company acquired FIBRO, a specialist in standardised machining tool parts, rotary tables used in cutting metal sheets and automation machines. The collaboration ushered Lapple into the global scene. Further growth has also delivered Lapple its third and fourth business areas - smart-factory technology using robotics and education. "Our vast experience and know-how give us a major advantage," says Dr Peter Spahn, Lapple president and CEO. "We're the No 1 supplier in our segments because of innovation, quality, logistics and service. For example, we can serve anybody anywhere in the whole world with FIBRO standard parts within 24 hours." Lapple has shared these advantages with assembly lines in Asia, especially in China. Its FIBRO subsidiaries in Shanghai, Singapore and South Korea give Asian clients access to more than 1 million types of standard tooling parts such as die sets and peripheral equipment for presses and tools. "Asia accounts for about 10 per cent of our group's overall sales, and we see this share growing fivefold through 2020," Spahn says. "We're planning to have more manufacturing sites for special products, at least in China." Lapple is particularly promoting its smart-factory technologies in Asia. An international leader in the development, manufacturing and marketing of automation solutions, subsidiary FIBRO Lapple Technology (FLT) is optimising assembly lines in Asia for products such as vehicles, household appliances and solar-power systems. FLT will be using internet-of-things technology to connect every production segment with the rest of the company's operations such as logistics, delivery, sales and technical support. Using dedicated software, Lapple can also simulate the proposed automated production and assembly line in advance to pinpoint critical issues and save clients on development costs. Lapple's research and development department is similarly looking at applying its technologies to aerospace and using new materials such as carbon fibre. "We aim for a sustainable and profitable growth that puts a premium on customer service," Spahn says. "In Asia, business hubs in China, Singapore, India and South Korea should work to cover this part of the world." Läpple http://www.laepple.de