Founded in 1987 by Emma Weber, Alpine Precision Components GmbH (APC) has grown from a small machine shop in Bavaria’s high tech heartland into one of Germany’s most respected manufacturers of custom drive shafts, precision couplings, and specialized mechanical transmission components. What began as Emma’s vision to combine traditional German craftsmanship with modern manufacturing capabilities has evolved into a thriving €20+ million enterprise that serves customers across Europe and beyond.
Located in Bavaria, Alpine operates from a state-of-the-art facility where nearly 100 skilled employees bring decades of collective expertise to every project. APC’s team represents the perfect blend of seasoned craftsmen who learned their trade through traditional German apprenticeships and younger engineers who bring fresh perspectives on digital manufacturing and precision engineering.
Alpine specializes in high-mix, low-volume manufacturing, producing everything from single prototype components to specialized production runs for demanding industrial applications. Core capabilities include:
The components manufactured by Alpine Precision power critical applications across diverse sectors:
Alpine’s success stems from their unique combination of flexibility, precision, and reliability. Unlike larger manufacturers focused on high-volume production, Alpine excels at the complex, custom work that others find challenging or unprofitable. Their make-to-order approach means every component is manufactured specifically for each customer’s requirements, ensuring perfect fit and optimal performance.
Alpine has built their reputation on solving problems others can’t—or won’t—tackle. When a customer needs a custom coupling designed, manufactured, and delivered within tight deadlines, they call Alpine. When standard off-the-shelf components won’t work, they call Alpine. When precision and reliability are non-negotiable, they call Alpine.
Quality isn’t just a buzzword at Alpine—it’s embedded in everything they do. Many of their components operate in critical applications where failure means production line shutdowns, equipment damage, or safety risks. This reality shapes their approach to every project, from initial design consultation through final delivery and beyond.
Their customer relationships often span decades, built on consistent delivery of exceptional products and responsive service. APS doesn’t just manufacture components; they become trusted partners in their customers’ success, providing engineering expertise, rapid prototyping, and the kind of personal attention that larger competitors simply can’t match.
While respecting traditional manufacturing values, Alpine embraces modern technology to enhance their capabilities. Their recent implementation of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central has streamlined operations from order management through financial reporting. They are continuously investing in advanced manufacturing equipment, quality systems, and digital tools that help them deliver better products faster.
As Alpine approaches four decades of operation, their commitment to customers, employees, and the local community remains unchanged. Under Emma Weber’s continued leadership, they are positioned for sustained growth while maintaining the family-business culture that makes Alpine special.
Whether customers need a single prototype or a complete production run, Alpine Precision Components brings Bavarian precision, German reliability, and personal service to every project. They don’t just manufacture components—they engineer solutions that help their customers succeed.
Emma Weber, fresh from her engineering studies, launches Alpine Precision Components in a rented 200-square-meter workshop with a single used milling machine and boundless determination. Her first customer: a local agricultural equipment manufacturer needing custom coupling solutions. Annual revenue: €45,000.
Lands exclusive contract with regional automotive supplier after delivering “impossible” precision tolerances on short notice. Workforce grows to 8 employees. Weber reinvests every Euro back into better equipment and skilled craftsmen.
Launches formal apprenticeship program in partnership with local technical college, establishing the foundation for Alpine’s legendary skilled workforce. First CNC machine arrives, marking transition from purely manual machining to computer-controlled precision.
While other companies panic about millennium bugs, Alpine quietly passes €2 million in annual revenue. Although precision and advanced technology reign supreme on the shop floor, most of the work in the indirect area is still done manually. Weber’s pragmatic approach to technology adoption—”If it works, use it; if it doesn’t, fix it”—becomes company philosophy.
Opens first international partnerships with marine equipment manufacturers in Netherlands and Denmark. Workforce reaches 35 employees. Quality certification ISO 9001 achieved after rigorous 18-month process.
Global financial crisis hits, but Alpine’s diverse customer base and reputation for reliability shields them from worst effects. While competitors struggle, Alpine actually gains market share as customers consolidate suppliers around most reliable partners.
Implements first comprehensive ERP system—a homegrown solution developed with local IT partner. System handles basic order processing and inventory management, but requires constant manual intervention. Revenue hits €5 million.
Rapid expansion brings Alpine to 75 employees and €10 million revenue, but homegrown ERP system begins showing strain. Weber starts to recognize need for professional-grade business systems.
Comprehensive business systems review launched. Alpine evaluates everything from accounting software to manufacturing execution systems. General decision made to implement a world-class ERP solution that can scale with continued growth while maintaining operational flexibility.
COVID-19 disrupts global supply chains, but Alpine’s local supplier network and essential industry status (agricultural and industrial equipment) provides stability. Remote work capabilities hastily implemented using cloud-based collaboration tools.
After extensive vendor evaluation, Alpine selects Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central for comprehensive business management. Decision driven by cloud-native architecture, manufacturing capabilities, and integration with existing Microsoft productivity tools. Workshops planned for H2 2023, and go-live targeted for H2 2024.
Business Central officially launches across all Alpine operations. Financial management, order processing, inventory control, and production planning migrate from legacy systems. Initial weeks challenging as users adapt to new workflows, but benefits quickly apparent.
This is what this book is all about. Transforming a manufacturer to go beyond the whiteboard and implement an adequate production scheduling software
The following article was published in a renowned German business newspaper on 15 February 2025:
The Bavarian Manufacturer That’s Quietly Revolutionizing Precision Manufacturing
How a family-owned machine shop became a €20 million powerhouse by doing what Silicon Valley can’t: making things
Tucked away in Bavaria’s industrial landscape, Emma Weber is running the kind of business that Silicon Valley founders dream about—one that’s been profitable for 37 consecutive years. Alpine Precision Components GmbH doesn’t have a ping-pong table or offer cryptocurrency as payment, but it has something increasingly rare: the ability to create physical products that actually work.
The Anti-Startup Story
While tech companies burn through billions chasing “unicorn” valuations, Weber has built Alpine from a one-woman machine shop into a €20+ million precision manufacturing operation. No venture capital, no explosive growth followed by dramatic layoffs—just steady expansion driven by an almost boringly simple formula: deliver exactly what customers need, exactly when they need it.
“We’re not trying to disrupt anything,” Weber says with characteristic directness. “We’re trying to solve actual problems for actual customers.”
The Real MVPs: Machines and Craftsmen
Alpine’s 100-employee workforce represents something increasingly rare—people who make things with their hands and advanced machinery. Eight CNC machines that can hold tolerances measured in microns, operated by craftsmen trained through Germany’s legendary apprenticeship system alongside younger engineers who bring digital manufacturing expertise.
This isn’t your grandfather’s machine shop, though. Alpine has embraced modern ERP systems and data-driven quality control. But unlike many companies that implement technology for technology’s sake, every digital tool serves a concrete purpose: making better products faster.
The High-Mix, Low-Volume Sweet Spot
While Tesla makes headlines manufacturing thousands of identical cars, Alpine has mastered something arguably more difficult: profitable small-batch manufacturing. Their sweet spot is the complex, custom work that larger manufacturers find economically unviable—specialized drive shafts for agricultural equipment, prototype transmission components for automotive suppliers.
“We’re basically the opposite of mass production,” explains Production Scheduler Sarah Martinez. “Every job is different, every customer has unique requirements, and somehow we have to make it all work profitably.”
The Customers Nobody Talks About
Alpine’s client roster includes automotive suppliers whose components end up in vehicles across the continent, agricultural equipment manufacturers, and marine applications where failure isn’t an option. These aren’t sexy B2C brands, but they’re the companies that keep the physical world functioning.
“Our components might never appear in a tech blog,” Weber notes, “but they’re probably in the machinery that made whatever device you’re reading this on.”
What’s Next
As Alpine approaches its 40th anniversary, they face challenges confronting manufacturers everywhere: skilled worker shortages, supply chain complexity, increasing customer expectations. But their track record suggests they’ll navigate these challenges through practical innovation, customer focus, and operational excellence.
In an economy dominated by companies that move fast and break things, Alpine Precision Components proves there’s still enormous value in moving thoughtfully and fixing things instead.
Because sometimes the most revolutionary thing you can do is simply make stuff that works.
