Kästle (company)
| Kästle GmbH
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|---|---|
 |
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| legal form | GmbH |
| founding | 1924 |
| Seat | Hohenems , Austria |
| management | Majority owner: ConsilSport sro |
| sales | EUR 9 million (2019) |
| Branch | Sporting goods manufacturer |
| Website | www.kaestle-ski.com |
The Kästle GmbH is an Austrian ski manufacturer . As one of the most traditional companies in the industry, Kästle has been producing winter sports articles since 1924. The first pair of Kästle skis were made in 1924 by master wagon master Anton Kästle in Hohenems in Vorarlberg. The brand experienced its heyday with racers like Toni Sailer in the 1950s and Pirmin Zurbriggen in the 1980s. After it disappeared from the market in 1999/2000, the brand was revived by new owners in 2007 in Wels. The largest markets for the Austrian ski manufacturer are the USA and Austria, followed by France, Switzerland and Norway.
history
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In 1924, the Vorarlberg Anton Kästle produced in his father's wheelwright in Hohenems the first skis from full ash . Five years later he started producing the first small series. At the end of the 1930s, Kästle introduced the Arlberg ski , a high-quality ski that quickly found favor with top skiers. In the war years, production had to be stopped due to a lack of raw materials. In 1946 the company was confiscated by the Allies and in 1947 all branches of production were resumed.
1950 / 60s - International fame
Kästle became internationally known in the 1950s when Trude Jochum-Beiser won the first gold medal on Kästle skis at the Alpine World Championships in Aspen in 1950 . At the Olympic Winter Games in Oslo in 1952 , Kästle athletes were able to collect three more gold medals. The games in Cortina brought another 20 medals for Kästle - including three gold medals from Toni Sailer .
At that time, Kästle also set standards in the ski industry in terms of development. For example, a new ski construction principle was developed in the 1960s, which became known under the abbreviation CPM (Compound Plastic Metal).
In 1968 the Vorarlberg ski factory Anton Kästle , as the company was called at the time, was acquired by Pepi Fischer and his sister Selma Sturmberger, the owners of the Austrian ski factory Fischer .
1970 / 80s - successes in the ski world cup
Production was increased to 300,000 pairs of skis in 1970 and the Austrian Karl Cordin won the Downhill World Cup on Kästle. The renaming from “Ski Factory Kästle” to “Kästle Ges.mbH” took place in 1972. Four years later the new trademark - the well-known “double arrows” - was introduced. With seven medals, Kästle was the most successful ski brand at the Alpine World Championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 1978. In the following year, the “Tour Randonnée”, the lightest ski in the world (2.65 kg per pair at a length of 180 cm), was presented especially for high alpinists.
In 1980, Kästle won the overall men's World Cup for the first time thanks to Andreas Wenzel from Liechtenstein . 1984 saw the second victory in the overall World Cup for the Swiss Pirmin Zurbriggen , who crowned Kästle twice in a row as double world champion in 1985 in Bormio and at the 1987 World Cup in Crans-Montana / Switzerland . At the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary , athletes on Kästle skis won four gold, six silver and six bronze medals. In addition, Pirmin Zurbriggen won the overall World Cup for the third time this year.
On October 19, 1988, the founder of Kästle, Anton Kästle senior, died.
In the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, ski racers like Maria and Irene Epple , Hubert Strolz and Anita Wachter were successful on the company's skis.
Takeover by Benetton
A turning point in the history of Kästle was the takeover of the company by Benetton -Sportsystem, a subsidiary of the Italian clothing company, in 1991. Kästle was transformed into a stock corporation and received a significant increase in its research and development budget . With Nordica ski boots, which are also part of the Benetton-Sportsystem, a complete package was offered to skiers for the first time. The production site in Hohenems was shut down in 1996. The last racing successes with Kästle skis were achieved in 1997 at the Alpine World Ski Championships in Sestriere , when Kjetil André Aamodt and Tom Stiansen won two gold medals. With the presentation of a Nordica ski collection in 1999, the Kästle brand was shut down. Nordica became Kästle's direct successor.
2000s - New Investor (2007)
In March 2007, an Austrian investor group around Cross Industries AG, which is under the influence of Stefan Pierer , acquired the worldwide trademark rights to Kästle from the Benetton Group. Kästle skis have now been developed and produced in Austria again. In the winter of 2007/08, Kästle launched the “Comeback Collection” consisting of four ski models. Above all, freeriders and touring skis boosted Kästle's sales. In the winter of 2007/08 a special exhibition was shown in the Huber-Hus Museum in Lech , which provided a look back at the development of the brand since 1924. Since the 2008/2009 winter season, the exhibition has been located as a Kästle Museum in the mountain station of the Rüfikopf cable car. In 2008 the product range was expanded, and since this year there are eight ski models.
2010s - expansion in the American market
In 2012 the company headquarters moved from Wels in Upper Austria to the Gusswerk area in Salzburg-Kasern . Until 2015, product development, marketing, logistics and customer service were combined at this location. While the company only had a market share of 1.7 percent in Austria, growth potential was seen in the USA. That is why the US freerider Chris Davenport was brought on board as a co-owner in 2013 and has since held 5 percent of the ski brand. The two-time world champion in extreme skiing also works on product development.
The ski production takes place exclusively at sporting goods manufacturers in Austria. The head office has been back in Hohenems since mid-2015. The management including administration and marketing as well as development are located in the former head office.
In March 2018, Kästle got a new majority shareholder in the Czech company ConsilSport. Tomas Nemec, founder and owner of ConsilSport, strengthens the financial strength of Kästle with his commitment and brings with him many years of experience in the areas of production and international sales.
Kästle athletes and sporting success
Many well-known skiers have won medals with Kästle skis at the Olympic Games and World Championships. Chris Davenport, Sasha Schmid, Giulia Monego, Lorraine Huber and Griffin Post are currently official Kästle athletes. In the past, Pirmin Zurbriggen , Toni Sailer , Pepi Stiegler , Billy Kidd , Kjetil André Aamodt , Reinhold Messner and Tom Stiansen were among the Kästle athletes.
Kästle Park
In Hohenems the Kästle Park is one of six business parks for the settlement of companies.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kästle returns to the ski market. In: Skiinfo.de. August 23, 2007, archived from the original on September 28, 2007 ; accessed on January 4, 2015 .
- ↑ Kästle - a legend returns. In: Vorarlberg Online. December 2, 2007, accessed January 4, 2015 .
- ↑ "Kästle" ski brand is revived. In: The Standard . October 9, 2007, accessed January 5, 2015 .
- ↑ Ines Trajceski: Company Kästle going to Salzburg. In: Bezirksrundschau. September 25, 2012, accessed January 5, 2015 .
- ↑ Kästle Pro Team , Kästle website
- ↑ Wirtschaftsparks Hohenems.at, accessed May 4, 2019.