How Kuchenmeister GmbH cut costs by without sacrificing quality

The Manufacturing trilemma

In high-volume manufacturing, leaders often face the “Manufacturing trilemma”: the perceived difficulty of balancing speed, cost and quality at the same time. Lower costs usually mean longer lead times. Short lead times usually increase prices. For Andreas Kreis, Head of Packaging Technology at Kuchenmeister, this wasn’t just a theory. It shaped daily decisions.

Based in Soest, Germany, Andreas Kreis has worked in packaging technology for 25 years. He supports automated packing lines for a global bakery producer. These lines must run with precision. Shelf life, food safety and regulatory compliance depend on it.

CNC components play a key role. Yet custom part prices kept rising. Andreas Kreis looked for a different solution for his company, Kuchenmeister. He chose meviy’s International Economy line, a MISUMI product line, to test whether a change in procurement logic could resolve this three-way tension.

Why “International Economy” line

International Economy is a separate, cost-optimized product line specifically designed for batch production. By leveraging offshore sourcing partners and sophisticated feasibility logic, the meviy platform can offer savings of up to 75% on batches of 3 to 100 units while maintaining identical tolerances.

The strategic insight here isn’t just about speed. It’s about predictable cost-optimization.

Industry press has highlighted the International Economy as a structured approach to cost control in repeat and batch manufacturing. To read more, follow the links below:

• DE: “meviy bringt neue Produktlinie in Deutschland auf den Markt – Antwort auf steigenden Kostendruck in der europäischen Industrie” (CAD NEWS – Das unabhängige Magazin für professionelle CAD-Anwender)
• ES: “Meviy expande su presencia en España con una nueva línea de productos” (Interempresas)
• PL: “meviy wprowadza do Polski nową linię produktową odpowiadając na rosnącą presję kosztową w europejskim przemyśle” (Główny Mechanik)
• IT: “meviy lancia una nuova linea di prodotto in Italia in risposta alla crescente pressione sui costi dell’industria europea” (il Corriere della Sicurezza, giornale on line)
• FR: “meviy lance une nouvelle gamme de produits en France pour répondre à la pression croissante sur les coûts dans l’industrie européenne” (CAO.fr, Le portail de la CAO et du PLM)

What a 75% price reduction really means?

In industrial maintenance and repair, total cost of ownership often increases due to urgent orders. By opting for longer lead times through the International Economy line, Kuchenmeister achieved a price reduction of up to 75% on mid-to-large quantity orders.

This wasn’t just about saving pennies on simple components. For a packaging expert, the ability to forecast equipment wear and plan orders ahead of time transforms a logistical wait into a financial competitive advantage. It turns procurement from a cost center into a value driver.

A new blueprint for procurement

Kuchenmeister’s integration of the “International Economy” line illustrates that mature supply chain planning can unlock cost efficiencies without eroding technical standards. By utilizing a separate product line specifically engineered for batch production through trusted offshore partners, Kuchenmeister maintains the high-durability requirements of food-grade packaging technology while significantly lowering the cost per unit. This model succeeds because the company operates with a mature planning horizon. The result is a more resilient, cost-optimized manufacturing environment that remains fully compliant with the regulations of the global food industry.