New ideas for the building trade: Start-ups show practical solutions

Munich/Cologne, 11 December 2025 – In Hall 9, trade visitors will find answers to key questions about the future: How could work processes be made more efficient? How could roofing companies simplify administration and organisation? What solutions would increase safety on the construction site? Founders and innovative companies will provide their solution approaches – from digital tools and connection technologies to safety solutions. The most convincing project will be decorated, when on Thursday, 26 February, a jury of experts will hand out the “Start-up & Innovations Award”.

Old carpentry techniques rediscovered

The family-run company X-fix wood connector GmbH from Austria is enabling the economic renaissance of old carpentry techniques with new processing techniques. The self-tensioning wood-to-wood connector system works according to the traditional double dovetail principle, which does not require any metal fasteners at all. Only two conically cut wooden elements are inserted into the designated milled recesses of the wooden components to be joined on the construction site and plugged in with a soft-face hammer. The sophisticated geometry of the X-fix connectors pulls the wooden components together as they are hammered in, without the need for any additional tools. Markus Schilcher, son of X-fix inventor Josef Schilcher, points out this smart techniques’ obvious advantages. ‘All you need on the construction site is a hammer, you don't need any screws at all. This new processing technology ensures that the structure can be dismantled and recycled. In addition, the high degree of prefabrication and ease of use save up to 30 per cent of assembly time and reduce tool and material costs.’

Help for young roofing companies focussin on the essential

Bastian Mayer and his team want to use their start-up “Handly” to support roofers in establishing their own businesses and smaller companies in their development. Mayer was inspired by his father: although he had the opportunity to take over the company where he trained as a master roofer, he shied away from the administrative work involved in addition to the day-to-day business. This experience gave Mayer, who himself runs a roofing company in Berlin, the idea of offering other companies support as an external service partner: Handly takes care of sales and advertising, customer and employee acquisition, organisational and administrative tasks, and even the automation and digitalisation of office work. The company remains to 100% in the hands of its owner. The Berlin-based team about their concept: ‘We support independent roofers as a partner in the background. In addition to combining human service and technical support, we are developing AI-supported software that every roofing company can use to increase its efficiency outside the construction site – from calculation to subcontractor declarations. Thanks to the optimised organisation, owners can fully concentrate on their expertise and competence in all aspects of roofing and business management.’ Further advantages such as financing for end customers and volume discounts from wholesalers are in the pipeline.

Safeway to the roof

You want to reach new heights? Safety is paramount! Master roofer Udo Heyl learned his lesson after plummeting off a ladder for the second time. Not wanting to risk a third fall, he began analysing the market for ladder safety devices. He was dissatisfied with all of them. His criticism: ‘It's absurd for a safety system to require me to climb the ladder first in order to secure it.’ So he developed his own system: his ladder head safety device – ‘LeiKoSi’ for short – is designed in a manner that it can be mounted on the ladder in just a few simple steps and then hooked into the gutter, the flat roof junction or the parapet. The clear advantage: the climbing aid is already secured when first attached. And if the ladder needs to be moved, it can simply be pushed along the ground without loosening the ladder head safety device – which also is DGUV-approved (the label of the German statutory accident insurance).

Automatic hook for greater safety

On construction sites or in workshops, attaching and detaching prefabricated components can be dangerous – especially when working at height. To avoid any hazards, ILS-tech has developed an automatic hook with a convenient closing and opening mechanism.  The ‘GREIF’ is a mechanically independent and fully functional mechanical, self-closing and locking load-bearing device with a specified load capacity. It can be used for lifting, carrying, moving and safely releasing components. It is opened by means of a rope pulled from safe distance from the hook. When releasing a load, it is no longer necessary for employees to be in the danger zone. Fall accidents can also be avoided by using the automatic hook as an alternative to a ladder.

Removing roofing membranes more efficiently

For more than 70 years, the Bonn-based family business Körner+Körner has stood for roofing expertise and high-quality craftsmanship. Ludger Körner is a master roofer with heart and soul. He has often wondered why removing bitumen roofing membranes during flat roof renovations has to be such a time-consuming and laborious task: the heavy membranes have to be laboriously cut up so that they can be removed by crane, rubbish skip or lift. This requires a lot of time, many cuts and several employees. Ludger Körner found the solution himself and developed his ‘roofing membrane grabber’. With this crane-liftable grabber, roofing membranes in container sizes of approx. 150 x 300 to 600 centimetres can be removed directly from the roof. The ease of use and the immense section sizes result in significant cost savings. Up to ten hours can be saved with just one or two employees working on a roof area of around 100 to 120 square metres, reducing the strain on employees and cutting equipment. The production-ready grabber, made of hot-dip galvanised steel with CE marking, will make its debut at DACH+HOLZ international in 2026.

Precise connections thanks to digital workflow

Stexon has taken the process of precise prefabrication in timber house construction to the construction site and combined its quick-connect technology with a digital workflow consisting of precise measuring and assembly technology. An important addition are the user-friendly balancers, which enable the prefabricated components to be moved with millimetre precision and safety. When the precisely aligned elements are erected, the quick-connect connectors snap into place with a perfect fit; no readjustment is necessary. The result: greater precision, high static safety and significantly faster processes. In view of the increasing demands in timber construction, Stexon has consistently further developed its connection technology. Today, the range comprises twelve different connectors and offers a suitable solution for every typical application – from panel construction and CLT to multi-storey residential construction. New connectors, approved from January 2026, will be presented at DACH+HOLZ International.

Lightweight and powerful

With its lightweight aluminium load beams, Wacker Bauprodukte is opening up completely new perspectives on how prefabricated timber walls and modules can be lifted and assembled more easily. The ultra-lightweight and robust load beams are ideal for lifting loads on modern construction sites where two or four attachment points need to be distributed over a certain length and width. The crossbars can be adjusted to different lengths. The required width folds out automatically under load. This increases speed on construction sites. The significantly lower weight compared to steel frame crossbars or H-crossbars makes the products lightweight, precise, reliable and sustainable aids for positioning and connecting prefabricated timber construction elements. Wacker aluminium lightweight load crossbars complement the balancer from Stexon perfectly.

Networked master craftsmanship as a digital solution

For four generations, the name Schuchardt has been synonymous with the roofing trade. This tradition has given rise to a completely new approach: Dachmusketier – master roofers advise other master roofers from A to Z in a cooperative team. Everyday life on the construction site has changed: more documentation, more coordination, more office work, more digital requirements – and at the same time, less and less time. This is where Dachmusketier comes in: the focus is on a practical system that combines digital work processes with genuine master craftsman experience. Dachmusketier builds on what the trade really needs: clear processes, quick solutions, understandable communication and a structure that takes the pressure off master craftsmen in their everyday work. A specialised platform bundles work processes, videos, checklists, specialist knowledge and experience in such a way that they can be used directly on the construction site or in the office. Der Musketier provides support where it is most needed in day-to-day business: with tenders, addenda, customer enquiries, quotations, documentation and administrative work that would otherwise be left undone. At the same time, a new trade community is emerging in which master craftsmen support each other. The system will be presented for the first time at DACH+HOLZ International 2026.

Simple pipe connections in timber construction

An innovative connecting element for prefabricated timber construction has been developed in Switzerland: timber construction expert Sascha Müller has developed Fixpod, a quick (fix) sleeve (pod) enabling installation pipe transitions between prefabricated timber construction elements without the need for revision. The patented connecting element not only makes construction projects faster and more cost-effective, but also safer. There is no need for additional inspection openings, laborious threading and assembly of cable glands with the associated risks. Time-consuming rework and jammed or crushed installation pipes are also a thing of the past. The funnel shape allows cables to be pulled in easily and compensates for tolerances at the transitions (up to eight millimetres). Compatible with all standard electrical installation pipes, the connecting element is easy to install without tools and can be recycled after use. Fixpod can achieve process and cost optimisation of around 80 per cent across the entire process.

The expanded “Start-up & Innovations Area” impressively proves DACH+HOLZ International's commitment to presenting innovations as well as providing young companies with a powerful platform. In quick pitches, founders show their solutions to a broad audience of industry professionals and establish new contacts with partners, customers and investors. The diversity of these approaches ranging – from digital platforms and connection technology to security solutions – impressively demonstrates how dynamically the trade is developing.

DACH+HOLZ International, the trade fair for green building: building envelope & structural timber construction, will take place from 24 to 27 February 2026 at the Cologne Exhibition Centre. Further information available at https://www.dach-holz.com/en