Manufacture of lightweight composite and wood components for caravan interior fittings as well as custom contract furnishing
Holzbearbeitung Kraus GmbH
ZusamzellNew on Amplifa
About Holzbearbeitung Kraus
Holzbearbeitung Kraus GmbH is a family business founded in 1954, now in its third generation, headquartered in Zusamzell (Bavaria) with around 140 employees. The company manufactures furniture components with a focus on lightweight composite and wood components for the interior fittings of leading European (motor) caravan manufacturers as well as custom contract furnishings for banks, administrations, public institutions, medical practices, office fittings and private customers. Production includes panel cutting on beam saws in the panel storage system, laminating, CNC machining on 14 CNC milling machines and 2 CNC drilling machines, edge banding, painting on an in-house painting line, and the assembly of carcases, doors, fronts and fittings. In the lightweight construction area, frame parts, reinforcement material and face layers are joined into composite components; caravan components are produced modularly on demand. Design, costing, production planning and manufacturing are integrated through a modern ERP system; for contract furnishings, Kraus also handles transport and final on-site assembly. On more than 9000 m² of covered production area, supplemented by an own photovoltaic share and a heating system fuelled with wood waste, the company works for regular customers from the caravan and contract business.
- Site
- Zusamzell
- Processes
- CNC milling, CNC drilling, Panel cutting (panel storage with beam saws), Laminating, Painting (painting line), Surface finishing, Lightweight composite manufacturing (frame parts, reinforcement material, face layers), Edge banding
- Materials
- Wood, Lightweight composite, Painting
- Certificates
- QuB (Quality Association of Environmentally Conscious Companies) management, QuB (Quality Association of Environmentally Conscious Companies), ISO 9001
- Founded
- 1954
- Employees
- 140
- Industries
- Caravan and motorhome manufacturing, Contract furnishings (banks, administrations, public institutions), Residential parks, Office fittings, Medical practices, Interior design
- 01
Planning, design and costing
- 02
Production planning (ERP)
- 03
Panel cutting in the panel storage system (beam saws)
- 04
Laminating / pressing
- 05
CNC machining (milling, drilling)
- 06
Edge banding
- 07
Lightweight composite manufacturing or joinery assembly
- 08
Painting (painting line)
- 09
Quality control
- 10
Packaging, shipping, on-site assembly
Materials and Processes
Wood
Base material for furniture components, contract furnishings and caravan interior fittings, sourced independently of manufacturers.
Lightweight composite
Composite of frame parts, reinforcement material and face layers for weight-optimised caravan components.
Painting
Surface finishing on an in-house painting line for a high-quality appearance and protected component surfaces.
Location
Zusamzell
DEHeadquarters, production and administration
- Lot size
- Series production (caravan, modular on demand) as well as custom one-offs and
- Materials
- Wood, lightweight composite
- Panel storage-saw combination
- Beam saws
- Through-feed presses
- Stationary presses
- Edge banding machines
- 14 CNC milling machines
- 2 CNC drilling machines
- CNC machining centres (IMA/Homag)
- Painting line
- Robots
Components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNC millingMachining | – | – | – | – | Wood, Lightweight composite |
| CNC drillingMachining | – | – | – | – | Wood, Lightweight composite |
| Panel cutting (panel storage with beam saws)Machining | – | – | – | – | Wood, Lightweight composite |
| LaminatingSurface | – | – | – | – | Lightweight composite, Wood |
| Painting (painting line)Surface | – | – | – | – | Wood |
| Surface finishingSurface | – | – | – | – | Wood |
| Lightweight composite manufacturing (frame parts, reinforcement material, face layers)Forming | – | – | – | – | Lightweight composite |
| Edge bandingJoining | – | – | – | – | Wood |
| Assembly of furniture components (carcase, doors, fronts, fittings)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Wood |
| Assembly of fittings and purchased partsAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Final assembly / on-site installation (contract furnishings)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Quality controls / QA (dimensional accuracy, appearance, workmanship, documentation)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Planning, design, costing, production planning (ERP)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
11 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNC milling machine | – | 14 | – | – | Zusamzell |
| CNC drilling machine | – | 2 | – | – | Zusamzell |
| Panel storage-saw combination | – | – | – | 2016 | Zusamzell |
| Beam saws (in panel storage) | – | – | – | – | Zusamzell |
| Through-feed presses | – | – | – | – | Zusamzell |
| Stationary presses | – | – | – | – | Zusamzell |
| Edge banding machines | – | – | – | – | Zusamzell |
| Painting line | – | – | – | – | Zusamzell |
| CNC machining centres | IMA and Homag | – | – | 2012/15 | Zusamzell |
| Robots | – | – | – | – | Zusamzell |
| Vacuum pumps (vacuum station) | – | 8 | – | – | Zusamzell |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality
Quality controls include inspection of components for dimensional accuracy, appearance and workmanship with documented test results; coordination takes place closely with production, design and shipping. The integrated management system under QuB (state-recognised, first audit in 2007 by LGA-Intercert, since 2018 by ZDH-ZERT) covers quality, environmental protection as well as occupational health and safety.
| Evidence | Zusamzell |
|---|---|
| QuB (Quality Association of Environmentally Conscious Companies) | |
| ISO 9001 |
History
- 1954
Company founded by master carpenter Karl Kraus; first workshop in his parents' cowshed
- 1957
Construction of the first production hall
- 1960
Approx. 10 employees, production only of windows and doors
- 1962
Start of production of furniture for shop fitting and residential use
- 1965
Start of supply in the caravan sector
- 1967
Start of series production of furniture parts for caravans
- 1978
Karl Fritz Kraus (2nd generation) joins the company
- 1983
Start of production of contract furnishings for banks
- 1986
Extension and addition enlarge the hall area by approx. 1200 m²
- 1987/93
Expansion of production capacity
- 1998
Acquisition of the fourth CNC milling machine
- 1999
Construction of the new administration building
- 2004
50th anniversary
- 2006
Death of the founder Karl Kraus
- 2008
Economic crisis – drop in revenue
- 2009
Manuel Kraus (3rd generation) joins; construction of a new production and storage hall (2000 m²)
- 2011
Expansion of production capacity to over 9000 m² of covered area
- 2012/15
Expansion of the machine fleet, among others with several CNC machining centres
- 2016
Commissioning of a panel storage-saw combination
- 2019
Commissioning of a photovoltaic system, CO2 reduction in 2019 of 61 t