INTERVIEW WITH ALTENDORF GROUP

Altendorf Group, headquartered in Minden, Germany, is the world market leader in the manufacture of premium sliding table saws and is one of the hidden champions of the German SME sector. Founded in 1906, Altendorf has now been combining the values of traditional craftsmanship with technical innovations in its corporate philosophy for more than 100 years.

Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the company?

ALTENDORF: The most successful product is the F45 sliding table saw, also known as “The Altendorf”. It is internationally synonymous with the sliding table saw product category. Since 2018, the Hebrock company with its high-quality edge banding machines has also been part of the Altendorf Group.

E.E: What’s the news about new products?

ALTENDORF: The latest innovation is the HAND GUARD sliding table saw. A worldwide unique early detection system with two cameras protects man, machine and material. Injuries to fingers and hands are a thing of the past, and there is no damage to the machine itself. Once the safety system has been triggered, the circular saw is immediately ready for use again in the usual quality. In short: The HAND GUARD guarantees maximum safety at the workplace.

E.E: What are the ranges of products?

ALTENDORF: The Altendorf Group specializes in sliding table saws and has included edge banding machines in its portfolio since 2018.

E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?

ALTENDORF: Traditional crafts continue to be an important pillar of our society and a major economic factor. Accordingly, customer demand remains very high and even the Corona pandemic has not diminished the order situation. Innovations in this sector are currently meeting with a consistently positive response. All in all, a wide variety of craft service providers have enjoyed a major boom over the past few years.

E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?

ALTENDORF: In the skilled trades, as in all other areas of life, the progress of digitalization can be observed. The desire to make the processes on the machines even more efficient is also present in small businesses. This is where our new myALTENDORFGROUP app comes in, for example, which supports carpenters in their everyday work.

E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?

ALTENDORF: The most innovative product that we will be marketing in the next few months is the HAND GUARD sliding table saw mentioned earlier. We expect that in a few years a large part of the joinery businesses globally will have such a machine. With more than 6 accidents per day involving a circular saw in German workshops, we at the Altendorf Group believe there is a definite need for this.

E.E: What estimations do you have for 2022?

ALTENDORF: External factors of influence do not stop at our company, of course. The Altendorf Group has come through the Corona crisis resilient. The war in Ukraine is also unlikely to result in any significant losses, even though we have almost completely discontinued business in Russia. As this is not a central sales market, we dare to be optimistic about the further course of 2022.