Knipex
| Knipex-Werk C. Gustav Putsch KG
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|---|---|
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| legal form | Limited partnership |
| founding | 1882 |
| Seat | Wuppertal , Germany |
| management | Ralf Putsch |
| Number of employees | 1,300 (Knipex group of companies: 2,000) |
| Branch | Tool industry |
| Website | www.knipex.de |
The Knipex-Werk C. Gustav Putsch KG , short Knipex is a manufacturer of pliers for users in trade and industry. The company's headquarters are in Cronenberg , a district of Wuppertal . Knipex has been an owner-managed family company for four generations. It manufactures exclusively in Germany and is one of the world's leading producers of its kind.
history
The company was founded in 1882 by Carl Gustav Putsch as a pliers smithy. In the beginning it was mainly pincers and horseshoe pliers that were manufactured, initially by hand, later with the help of drop forging hammers and machines. In 1942, Carl Putsch, the representative of the second generation, registered the “Knipex” brand . Since the 1950s, the range has been gradually expanded to include other types of pliers. Karl Putsch took over the management in 1954. Production was increasingly automated and product innovations were given high priority. From the 1990s onwards, various subsidiaries became part of the Knipex Group, and the fourth generation took over management of the company. The first sales branches abroad were founded, thereby strengthening internationalization. Today over 60 percent of production is exported to around 100 countries around the world.
Product range
The range currently includes around 100 types of pliers in a total of over 900 different lengths, shapes and finishes. These include commonly used types of pliers such as combination pliers , side cutters and water pump pliers as well as more special pliers for applications in electrical and sanitary installations as well as in electronics. The range also includes special tools for cutting, stripping and crimping in the aerospace industry, solar technology and fiber optic installation.
Employees and training
Knipex trainees are regularly among the best in their year in the region. In addition to various further training opportunities, the company offers events as part of an "after-work academy" and a "Saturday academy" with interdisciplinary topics for all members of the company as well as vacation courses for employees' children. The company's own day care center "Knipskiste" enables employees to better combine work and family.
In 2014, Knipex was the first company in Germany to be certified as an “Excellent Employer” by TÜV Rheinland. In 2015, TÜV was the first to certify Knipex as a training company.
production
In addition to specializing in high-quality pliers, the company's strategy also includes complete value creation in-house and at a single location. The aim is to have a direct influence on all quality-determining properties of the products and to guarantee flexibility and reliability. In addition to closed- die forging with our own die construction for the forging dies, the scope of production also includes machining ( broaching , drilling , milling and grinding ) and laser processing . After connecting the two pliers legs - usually by riveting - a multiple heat treatment ( hardening , tempering , induction hardening of the cutting edges or gripping teeth) as well as various surface treatments ( polishing , painting , chrome plating ) takes place. Knipex operates its own mechanical engineering department to implement manufacturing processes it has developed.
Sustainability and commitment at the location
As part of its sustainability strategy , the company relies on resource-saving management, for example through recycling, the use of photovoltaics , modern energy recovery systems and intelligent building technology. Knipex is a founding member of the "Bergische Gesellschaft für Ressourceneff efficient".
The pliers manufacturer is involved in a variety of ways in its regional environment, especially in the areas of education, culture and social affairs. There are partnerships with several schools in Wuppertal as well as a collaboration with the Bergische Universität Wuppertal , the Junior-Uni Wuppertal and the Bergische Musikschule . Knipex is a partner of the TiC ( Theater in Cronenberg ) and regularly hosts cultural events.
Knipex Museum
The company houses a museum in which the working and living conditions in the Bergisch tool industry in the past are presented on two floors using machines, tools, workplaces and everyday objects. The museum is open to the general public once a year as part of the Wuppertal-24h-live event , and for visitor groups after registration.
Group of companies
Knipex is the parent company of the Knipex group of companies with a total of 2,000 employees in three German production companies and several sales companies abroad, including in the USA, Mexico, Russia, Dubai, China, India, Japan and Great Britain. The company is active with its own employees in 25 countries.
The Knipex Group also includes:
- Rennsteig tools in Viernau (Thuringia), manufacturer of pliers for electrical and sanitary installations as well as striking tools,
- Orbis Will in Ahaus (Münsterland), manufacturer of pliers, bolt cutters and plastic parts,
and the majority in LMIS AG, an IT company and software developer in Osnabrück.
Awards
Knipex has repeatedly been recognized for its products and services, sustainable management and quality as an employer, including the 2005 Wuppertal Business Prize as “Company of the Year”, and several times as “Partner of the Year” and “Brand of the Year” in the tool trade as well as for “Living Corporate Culture ” as part of the “ Regionale 2006 ”. There are also various awards for good product design , including the German Design Award and product innovation. In 2013 Knipex was awarded the Bergisch Apprenticeship Prize. In 2014 and 2018, Knipex received the Corporate Social Responsibility Award from Koelnmesse for sustainable corporate management, and in 2015 the best practice label for energy efficiency from the German Energy Agency. In 2018, Knipex was awarded the German Sustainability Prize.
Web links
- Knipex website with online catalog
- Without Knipex, the Airbus remains down - article in the Westdeutsche Zeitung
- Knipex portrait in the Bergische Wirtschaft
- Knipex is once again the “best supplier” for hand tools - report by Westdeutsche Zeitung
- Report on the award of the Wuppertal Business Prize
- Article about Knipex HR and recruiting in Brand eins
literature
- Jürgen Eschmann, 125 years of Cronenberger industrial history , Wuppertal 2015
- F. Langenscheid, P. May (ed.), Lexicon of German Family Businesses , Cologne 2014, p. 588 f.
- Martin Vogler (ed.), World class Bergische market leader . Wuppertal / Remscheid / Solingen 2012.
- Klaus Koch: World class market leader from Wuppertal. Girardet Verlag, Düsseldorf 2003, ISBN 3-00-012682-1 .
- Jürgen Eschmann: Cronenberg business location. The company, the people, the products. Wuppertal 2007, p. 74 ff.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Press release from TÜV Rheinland from July 10, 2014
- ^ Article in the Westdeutsche Zeitung
- ↑ Press release from TÜV Rheinland from August 6, 2015
- ↑ Website of the Bergische Gesellschaft for Resource Efficiency . Accessed July 2012
- ↑ Press release from November 2007 ( Memento from July 17, 2010 in the Internet Archive ). Accessed April 2011
- ↑ LMIS AG wins KNIPEX as a strategic partner. Retrieved on February 4, 2018 (German).
- ↑ Trademark for extraordinary design , Remscheider General-Anzeiger of February 13, 2013.
- ↑ Knipex-Ergostrip wins the German Design Award
- ↑ Article in the Cronenberger Woche
- ↑ Press release ( memento of March 16, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) of the City of Wuppertal on the Bergisches Training Award 2013
- ↑ Knipex and Izar receive sustainability award ( Memento from March 16, 2014 in the Internet Archive ). Accessed March 2014
- ↑ dena press release of November 2, 2015
- ↑ Press release of the German Sustainability Award from December 8, 2018
Coordinates: 51 ° 12 ′ 38 ″ N , 7 ° 8 ′ 39 ″ E