Germany-based Siempelkamp and Hexion have decided to end their collaboration on artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for the wood-based panel industry as of August 2026.
The partnership, which began in March 2022 between Siempelkamp and Smartech, aimed to integrate expertise in industrial engineering and AI within the sector.
After Hexion acquired Smartech in December 2024, Hexion continued the cooperative work with Siempelkamp.
During their collaboration, the companies launched the Prod-IQ · SmartPress product, which received positive feedback in the market for its application in the wood-based panel industry.
Following the conclusion of the partnership, Siempelkamp plans to continue developing digital concepts and AI solutions independently.
According to the company, these technologies are used to optimise press lines in real time and improve manufacturing processes, with a longer-term goal of implementing fully autonomous production environments.
Siempelkamp said it would maintain a strategy of close engagement with wood-based panel manufacturers to develop solutions tailored to the industry’s specific needs.
The group intends to further expand digital and AI-supported production under its own direction, based on the single-source principle.
Siempelkamp is a systems supplier of press lines and complete plants for the wood-based panel, metal-forming, composites and rubber industries, and also operates in the casting and nuclear technology sectors.
