Timeline

Dr. Renate Albat and Dr. Bernd Wirsam, both physics lecturers at Giessen University, embarked on a mission to reduce flat glass waste by a minimum of 10% through cutting optimization. Their journey began when Henning Meier, a Langgöns, Germany glass processor, discussed cutting optimization challenges with Dr. Wirsam, who, despite limited expertise in the field, decided to find a solution. In April 1977, they co-founded ALBAT+WIRSAM Software GbR to realize their vision of waste reduction in the flat glass industry.

EDV in the seventies with enormous 126Kb RAM and 20Mb hard drive. This is the computer (NIXDORF 8870) used by Dr. Renate Albat and Dr. Bernd Wirsam for developing their first optimization programs and the first order processing software ALFAK for glass processors Wolff+Meier of Langgöns (Hessen).

In 1979/80, the first production planning software for the flat glass industry is launched on the market. A+W have launched the first ever order processing system for the glass industry, ALFAK. In 1980 there were already more than 100 successful installations of the glass cutting optimization TRAOPT and the order processing system ALFAK. The world-wide success of this system makes ALBAT+WIRSAM expand even further. Their business premises are moved from the office in the cellar of Wirsam’s family home to a spacious villa.

First integrated ERP system for glass and first combined cutting sequence optimization. A+W started the development of the first comprehensive ERP solution (ALCIB) for the glass industry at the end of the eighties. In the early nineties, this system conquered the world market; thanks to their innovative products, A+W quickly became market leader in this field.

After constant expansion during the eighties, the office bursts its seams. The owners of A+W therefore decided to build new headquarters. This has been planned with foresight so that it offers ample space for the 200 employees of A+W in Linden.

The first MS Windows-based window construction software package with a graphical user interface (GUI) is introduced by A+W. Six months after launch, contracts are signed for the installation of the CANTOR system in 12 large window factories and at 800 dealers.

For the first time, all processes from order entry, order processing, and production control up to dispatch are networked. In 1997, A+W develops a program which makes disks, labels, and paperwork on the shop floor dispensable: ALCIM. Production was revolutionized by ALCIM in 1997 because information was available right where it was required. Order processing data are available online at the cutting lines, benders, sealing robots, and applicators. Monitors on the shop floor are a complete novelty. A+W still revolutionize production with similar systems. Needless to say that the cooperation with machinery manufacturers is as close as ever.

Schüco is the first CANTOR customer whose window production is equipped with monitors. With the production control system CANTOR CIM, the workers are provided with digital production papers right at their terminal, showing all information on the element on hand. This guarantees that the data are always up to date. Carrying stacks of papers around the shop floor is a thing of the past since the installation of 160 digital terminals at Schüco.

Wolff+Meier and A+W continue their close cooperation in the new millennium. The pilot project for controlling the dynamic glass cutting optimization by A+W’s software system DynOpt and the Hegla SortJet proves an unqualified success. Visitors from all over the world go on a pilgrimage to Langgöns (Hessen) to see the solution for themselves. With this dynamic optimization system, Wolff+Meier achieve a constant flow of glass which results in optimum yield.

In July 2007, ALBAT+WIRSAM Software AG becomes a part of the Finnish Glaston Group. Glaston integrates A+W as their business area “Software Solutions”, thus ensuring a high degree of independence for A+W. A+W develops the first model of a holistic production and machine control system.

After 16 years in the windows and door industry, every third window in Germany is produced by a CANTOR user in 2010. CANTOR has become the established product on the German-speaking market in the last two decades.

‘DRAGONFLY‘ is the name of a fascinating project which has heralded in the start of a completely new product generation at A+W. The first pilot installations have turned ‘DRAGONFLY‘ into the product ‘A+W Business’, the new ERP solution for medium-sized flat glass processors and IG producers.

At 5 February 2013, the final contracts for the acquisition of A+W by Constellation’s Friedman Operating Group were signed. A+W will operate as an independent division of Friedman, and will continue to develop, enhance, and market their glass and fenestration industry software solutions world-wide. With this acquisition, Friedman Corporation will extend its product range of ERP and PPS solutions for producers and retailers considerably and strengthen its presence in the glass-, window-, and construction element industries. In this context, the ALBAT+WIRSAM Software GmbH has been renamed in A+W Software GmbH.

After nearly a quarter century of intensive use, the company headquarters in Linden are in urgent need of renovation. Conversions are required partially due to building law, but also ‘upgrades’, for example in the field of heat protection in summer. This would have required huge investment. The management therefore decides for the third move in the company’s history. The new company headquarters in Pohlheim are just a few kilometers away from Linden. Visitors will find modern and appealing office buildings with excellent conditions for meetings, trainings, etc. After extensive renovation, a friendly, light-flooded office center in the middle of the charming park-like landscape has been created that integrates workstations for intensive mental work with comfortable communication zones. The new buildings offer space for more than 150 employees.

In 2018, A+W took another big step in our digital transformation by introducing our first smartphone apps (A+W iShape & A+W Smart Companion). These apps were specifically designed to improve and speed up order entry and tracking. By using the latest technology, our customers were now able to enter orders directly from their mobile devices and track them in real time.

2023 was an important year for A+W, as we relocated our headquarters to Fernwald. The new location in Fernwald not only offers us more modern office space, but also the opportunity to make our services even more efficient and further expand our market presence. The decision to move to Fernwald was carefully planned and implemented to ensure that our employees can benefit from the many advantages. With the move, A+W have set the course for a successful future and look forward to realizing our visions and goals at the new location.