Dr. Katharina Gamillscheg, Managing Director of The German Association of Wood and Plastics, in an exclusive interview with Wood & Panel at Holz Handwerk, highlighted Germany’s success in international carpentry and furniture competitions. She attributed this achievement to a robust training culture, a dual education system, and comprehensive support from the TSD association. Through structured training programs, industry partnerships, and intense preparation, German participants excel under pressure. The cooperation with companies like KLEIBERIT ensures high-quality materials and technical expertise, making a significant difference in the competitors’ performance. This dedication fosters excellence in the carpentry sector globally.
WPE: The TSD is very successful with German participants at international skills competitions in the field of furniture and construction carpentry. What kind of support does the association provide to the participants, and how can this success be explained in comparison to other international competitors?
Dr. Katharina Gamillscheg: Thank you very much for the question.
It is true — the German participants in the disciplines of furniture carpentry and construction carpentry have been remarkably successful in international skills competitions for many years. And whenever we talk about this success, we always underline one thing very clearly: it is never the result of one single factor. It is the combination of a very solid training culture in Germany, excellent companies, strong vocational schools, and a support system that is designed to prepare young people not only for competition, but also for their professional future. But above all, it takes an extraordinary amount of passion, hard work, and talent from the participants themselves — supported by highly dedicated coaches, and technical experts who invest countless hours to help the competitors reach international excellence.
As TSD, the national association of carpenters and joiners, our role begins long before the competitions take place. We run a very structured national selection process to identify the most talented young craftspeople. Once selected, they enter an intensive preparation program that usually goes on for many months. We organise specialised training camps, where they work with highly experienced coaches and with former competitors. These training camps include traditional hand skills, modern CNC technologies, digital planning tools, ergonomics, material science, and mental preparation. For example, one of the training units is taking place here at the HolzHandwerk, where participants must work under significant distraction — loud noise, continuous public attention, and various disturbances from the environment. The purpose of this setting is to train them to maintain focus, stay calm under pressure, and not let their concentration be disrupted, even when conditions are far from ideal.
WPE: Because in international competitions, the pressure is extremely high, and the tasks require both precision and speed.
Dr. Katharina Gamillscheg: Another central element is the dual training system in Germany, which is internationally recognised. Young people learn in real workshops, in real companies, with real customer expectations, and at the same time they benefit from structured theoretical education in vocational schools. This combination creates a level of maturity and practical competence that is very visible on the international stage.
Compared to some international competitors, Germany still benefits from a very strong culture of craftsmanship. Many companies invest heavily in training, not just because they have to, but because they want to. Carpentry and joinery in Germany remain professions with a high level of pride and identity — and that has a direct impact on performance.
And finally, we always emphasise that success is a team effort. The participants receive support from their companies, their families, their coaches, and from us as the association. We coordinate the training programme, provide organisational support, secure cooperation with suppliers, and ensure that the competitors have access to modern materials, tools, machines, and professional advice.
So if you ask why Germany performs so well: it is the combination of a strong training culture, a professional preparation system, and a deep commitment from everyone involved – — and some of the best examples of this support in practice are our long‑standing cooperation with KLEIBERIT and the Holzfachschule Bad Wildungen, whose expertise, resources, and dedication significantly contribute to preparing our competitors at an international level.
And to be fair, other nations also send exceptionally strong and highly trained participants, which means that every international competition is a truly demanding and fair contest among the best young craftspeople in the world.
WPE: How many craft companies in Germany are organized within the TSD, and what are the main tasks of the association and the benefits for the individual companies?
Dr. Katharina Gamillscheg: TSD represents the carpentry and joinery sector in Germany at the national level, but not through direct company membership. TSD is the umbrella organisation whose members are the regional state associations; within these state associations, the local guilds are organised, and the companies are direct members of those guilds.These are about 14.000 companies. At the same time, TSD speaks and acts on behalf of the entire sector — representing all carpentry and joinery businesses in Germany, not only those that are formally organised within the association structure. Therefore we act for about 35.000 companies. This is an important and unique challenge for us: the political and regulatory achievements we secure benefit every company in the sector, while the organisational and financial foundation of our work is carried by only about one third of all businesses.
Our tasks are quite broad, because crafts enterprises face a wide range of challenges. One of our most important responsibilities is political representation. We engage in dialogue with government institutions, ministries, industry partners, and social insurance bodies, ensuring that the interests of our member companies are heard whenever regulations or funding programmes are developed.
Another central task is securing and developing the quality of vocational training. We help define training standards, participate in the development of examination guidelines, and support the professional development of trainers and examiners. The excellence of German participants in international competitions is also a direct outcome of this systemic work.
For individual companies, the benefits of membership are very tangible. They receive access to legal advice, support with labour law and social insurance questions, information on technical regulations and building requirements, templates for contracts, and guidance on sustainability and digitalisation.
Especially small companies appreciate having a competent partner that helps them navigate regulatory complexity — because they do not have dedicated legal or HR departments.
We also offer networking opportunities, industry events, specialist conferences, and best‑practice formats. Many companies use our platforms for knowledge exchange and for finding reliable suppliers or cooperation partners.
And finally, our association strengthens the public image of the profession. We run national campaigns for recruiting apprentices, we highlight innovation in the crafts sector, and we emphasise the social and economic relevance of carpentry and joinery.
WPE: The TSD offers supplier companies so-called brand partnerships, or future partnerships, for example for several years now with KLEIBERIT as a traditional partner of the crafts sector in the field of glues, adhesives, and consulting. How is this cooperation structured as support for the participants in international skills competitions and for your association?
Dr. Katharina Gamillscheg: Our association has always maintained very close relationships with partner companies from the supply industry — because in a craft like carpentry, you can only work at a high level if you work with high‑quality materials and reliable technologies. We therefore offer what we call ‘brand partnerships’ or ‘future partnerships’, and companies like KLEIBERIT have been among our most trusted partners for many years.
The cooperation with KLEIBERIT is a very good example of how such partnerships are beneficial for everyone involved. KLEIBERIT is a traditional and highly innovative company in the field of adhesives and bonding technologies. They support our sector not only financially, but also with technical expertise, product knowledge, and continuing education formats.
For the international and european skills competitions, this support becomes even more important. Participants work under extreme time pressure, with complex materials, and with very strict quality requirements. Having access to professional adhesives, bonding systems, and expert advice on how to use them correctly can make a decisive difference.
The partnership works on several levels.
Firstly, it provides material support. Our competitors receive high‑quality products for training and for the competition itself.
Secondly, KLEIBERIT’s specialists offer technical guidance, helping the participants understand modern application techniques and the performance of different adhesive systems.
And finally, these partnerships help strengthen the entire sector. When companies like KLEIBERIT invest in the next generation of craftspeople, they also invest in the future of the profession. This demonstrates a deep commitment to the culture of craftsmanship, and it is exactly this commitment that allows us to send well‑prepared, confident, and highly skilled competitors to international stages.
So for us, the partnership with KLEIBERIT is not only a sponsorship — it is a long-term, trustful cooperation that supports training, competition, and the strategic development of our sector.
