Siempelkamp announces a strategic agreement with the pioneering company SMARTECH to jointly commercialize their AI-based Prod-IQ · SmartPress solution to bring autonomy to press lines in the wood-based panel industry

Krefeld, October 12th 2022: Siempelkamp, a leading technology provider of machinery and equipment for the wood-based panel industry, announced today the signing of a partnership agreement with the pioneering Israeli hi-tech company SMARTECH. The agreement calls for a technology and commercial collaboration to bring breakthrough autonomous process control to engineered wood panel manufacturing plants.

The two parties will jointly offer the closed-loop Prod-IQ · SmartPress solution for engineered wood panel presses. The Prod-IQ · SmartPress solution utilizes AI and machine learning algorithms and real-time data to directly increase press throughput and quality while lowering manufacturing costs. 

The Prod-IQ · SmartPress architecture aggregates real time production parameters along with contextual input from various press operators, and then generates a new operational base-line for higher performance levels across the mill’s shifts. Autonomous process decision-making has conventionally resided with the machinery operator, Prod-IQ · SmartPress now shifts autonomous decision-making to the plant itself.

Siempelkamp and SMARTECH have validated the unprecedented capabilities of Prod-IQ · SmartPress on a full-scale wood panel production line with a leading global engineered wood panel manufacturer. Hanoch Magid, CEO of SMARTECH said: “We are delighted to offer this unique AI-based solution to the wood- based panel sector, and we expect it will quickly become the North Star for Industrial Autonomy in the industry. We are extremely proud to partner with Siempelkamp on Prod-IQ · SmartPress.”

Mr Hansjoerg Prettner, SMARTECH’s VP Europe and Asia and a wood-panel industry veteran with almost twenty-years’ experience, said: “The capabilities of Prod-IQ · SmartPress have shown that innovative AI technologies can bring unprecedented benefits to manufacturers by unleashing the potential of data and increasing productivity. SMARTECH and Siempelkamp are revolutionizing the wood panel sector with their AI-based solution that it is far beyond industry 4.0”.

Mr. Gregor Bernardy, Head of MES and Industrial IT Solutions at Siempelkamp, added: “We are enthusiastic to offer the AI-based Prod-IQ · SmartPress closed-loop solution together with SMARTECH to help wood-based panel manufacturers extract even more value from their presses, and ultimately improve their bottom-line. This software tool will equip manufacturers with leading-edge technology to successfully face their operational challenges.”

Marc Müller, Head of Sales at Siempelkamp, underlined: "For many years we have been pursuing our strategy of a self-optimizing plant. With our Prod-IQ · SmartPress solution, we have now developed the final building block for this in our Prod-IQ® software family with a strong partner. This enables our customers to achieve operational excellence at the highest level.”