Carl Mertens (cutlery factory)
| Carl Mertens International GmbH
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|---|---|
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| legal form | GmbH |
| founding | 1919 |
| Seat | Solingen , Germany |
| management | Curt Mertens |
| Number of employees | 25th |
| Branch | Cutlery |
| Website | [1] https://www.carl-mertens-shop.com |
The Carl Mertens International GmbH is part of the cutlery industry , based in Solingen . It produces high-quality chef's and kitchen knives as well as designer cutlery and table culture accessories.
history
Carl Mertens founded the company in Solingen in 1919 as a small supplier, sharpening pocket knife blades and producing booklets for table and kitchen knives. In 1932 a factory for table cutlery was set up. In 1934, Curt Mertens, the founder's son, took over management of the company. Production was idle during the Second World War and was only resumed in 1946/47. During this time, production was gradually relocated from Beckmannstrasse to Krahenhöher Weg, which was completed in 1953.
Quite typical for medium-sized cutlery manufacturers in the Bergisches Land , a handcrafted beginning led to an industrial company with an increasing workforce, which grew to 100 employees in the 1960s. In the 1970s, due to the economic crisis and a sharp decline in US business, the number of employees fell to 25. In 1978 Curt Mertens jun. succeeded his father and from then on concentrated on design-oriented products. In 1981 the word mark "Grasoli" (Grah in Solingen) was integrated into the company along with an assortment of gifts for the table. In 2007, CMS Grasoli GmbH & Co. KG, which was insolvent in 2006, became today's Carl Mertens Besteckfabrik GmbH . In 2008, Detlev Stocke from the Coburg porcelain factory W. Goebel joined the company as a partner . In 2010 the family company employed around 30 people.
In April 2014, the insolvency proceedings had to be reopened. A Chinese investor took over the company without further ado, which was transferred to Carl Mertens International GmbH on May 1, 2015. The production site in Solingen is to be enlarged and the company's products are to be placed on the Asian market. The Made in Solingen designation of origin is intended to contribute to the success of the products in Asia.
Curt Mertens is Germany's only cutlery expert appointed and sworn by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
Some products found their way into the collections of various museums such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Württemberg State Museum in Stuttgart, the Museum of Applied Art in Frankfurt am Main and the German Blade Museum in Solingen.
literature
- Peer Clahsen, Roger Pfund: Creation begins with the spoon. Mertens, Solingen 1994, ISBN 3-9804134-0-3 (anniversary publication 75 years of Carl Mertens Solingen).
- Deutscher Designer Club eV (Ed.): Gute Gestaltung 07. = Good Design 07. Birkhäuser, Basel et al. 2007, ISBN 978-3-7643-8383-1 .
- Manfred Krause, Jochen Putsch: Cutlery industry in Europe. Trips to the workshops of an old trade (= Landschaftsverband Rheinland. Rheinisches Industriemuseum. Schriften. Vol. 9). Rheinland-Verlag, Cologne 1994, ISBN 3-7927-1471-X .
- Jochen Putsch: From craft to factory. A reading and work book on Solingen's industrial history (= anchor and sword. Vol. 6, ISSN 0517-838X ). City archive, Solingen 1985.
- Regionale 2006 Agency (Ed.): Lively corporate culture in the Bergisches Städtedreieck - a documentation. P. 29 (A documentation on the Regionale 2006 , PDF; 5.92 MB ).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Nicole Scheda (Red.): Strong brands. An exhibition in two places. LVR et al., Solingen 2006, p. 36 f. (Brochure for the exhibition of the same name by the German Blade Museum and the Rhenish Industrial Museum ).
- ↑ Nicole Scheda (Red.): Strong brands. An exhibition in two places. LVR et al., Solingen 2006, p. 36 f.
- ↑ Archive version of the report in Rheinische Post Online from February 6, 2008, accessed on September 15, 2010
- ↑ Solinger Morgenpost dated May 6, 2015, accessed on November 3, 2015
- ^ Exhibit at MoMA New York