Schunk Group

SCHUNK GROUP
legal form	GmbH with a foundation as a partner
founding	1913
Seat	Heuchelheim an der Lahn , Germany
management	Arno Roth ; Ulrich von Hülsen ; Peter R. Manolopoulos
Number of employees	more than 9,100
sales	1.35 billion euros
Branch	Conglomerate
Website	www.schunk-group.com
	Status: 2020

The Schunk Group is a company based in Heuchelheim an der Lahn . The most important fields of activity are materials engineering (including carbon , technical ceramics , sintered metal ) and mechanical engineering ( environmental simulation , air conditioning , ultrasonic welding , optical manufacturing).

The Schunk Group is represented in 29 countries with more than 60 operating companies. The group turnover in 2019 was around 1.35 billion euros, the number of employees is more than 9,100. The Schunk Group consists of a total of 10 business units.

Entrance portal of the headquarters of the Schunk Group in Heuchelheim

Aerial view of the company headquarters in Heuchelheim

Company logo since 1995 - spelled "sch տ ĸ".

Formation and ownership

The company for the production of carbon brushes was founded by Ludwig Schunk and Karl Ebe in Fulda in 1913. In 1918 the company relocated to Heuchelheim near Gießen. The founder, Ludwig Schunk (1884–1947), who remained childless, bequeathed all of the company's assets to the support facility for employees . This facility should provide voluntary financial support to employees and former employees or their relatives in the event of need, disability or old age. Today the Ludwig Schunk Foundation e. V. performs the duties specified in the will of the company founder in trust and is the sole shareholder of the Schunk Group.

Structure of the company

The Schunk Group is divided into 10 business units according to its customer sectors: Industry, Technical Ceramics, Transit Systems, Microelectronics, Mobility Carbon, Sinter Metals, Environmental Simulation, Air Solutions, Sonosystems and Optotech.

Industry business unit

Solutions made of carbon and ceramics for industry, for example for slide rings for wind turbines or pump seals for cement factories.

Technical Ceramics business unit

Materials and components made from silicon carbide (SiC) and aluminum oxide (Al ₂ O ₃ ), for example for furnace and plant construction.

Transit Systems business unit

Products for rail technology and electric vehicles, for example pantographs for trains or roof-mounted pantographs for electric buses.

Microelectronics business unit

Components made of graphite, ceramic and quartz for the microelectronic industry, for example wafer carriers for chip production.

Business Unit Mobility Carbon

Components for power transmission as well as slide bearing and sealing elements made of carbon graphite, graphite and silicon carbide for the automotive industry, for example carbon brushes for starter motors.

Sinter Metals business unit

Development and manufacture of complex sintered metal parts from tenths to kilograms, for example gear wheels for adjusting the height of car seats.

Environmental Simulation business unit

Machines and plants etc. a. of the brands weiss technik and vötsch technik for environmental simulation, for example climatic test chambers.

Air Solutions business unit

Machinery and equipment brand white technology for air conditioning and for clean air and containment applications, such as clean air ceiling for operating theaters.

Sonoysystems business unit

Ultrasonic metal welding machines, including for welding car wiring harnesses.

Business Unit OptoTech

OptoTech, based in Wettenberg, Hesse, has been part of the Schunk Group since 2018. Optical machines for the production of super micro, micro and macro to flat optics and spectacle optics.

history

Ludwig Schunk and Karl Ebe founded the carbon brush factory Schunk + Ebe oHG in Fulda in 1913 . In 1918 the company moved to Heuchelheim .

In 1923 brush holders were added to the production program. From 1924 the production of electrographites and from 1928 the production of metal contacts took place. In 1932 sintered metal production began with sintered bearings.

After Ludwig Schunk's death in 1947, the legacy of the childless company founder went to the “support association” of Schunk + Ebe oHG . In 1948 and 1949 a construction program was drawn up to expand the company from 500 to 1200 employees. In 1955 the first foreign company followed with the establishment of Schunk & Ebe SA in Brussels . In 1957, Schunk Electro Carbón SA de CV was founded in Mexico as the first company on the American continent. In 1969 the Brazilian company Schunk do Brasil Ltda was founded. in São Paulo .

In 1978 what was then Karl Weiss GmbH was taken over. In the same year Schunk Graphite Technology LLC was founded. in Wisconsin . The presence in the United States was strengthened during the 1980s and 1990s. Schunk is currently represented by eight companies in the USA.

In 1983 the product range was expanded to include ultrasonic welding technology. In 1986 a training center was set up to train the next generation of skilled workers in theory and practice.

In 1991, the company got into a crisis due to failed diversification, especially in the automation technology sector. In the following year, 1992, the automation technology was restructured and sold.

In 1997 EHW Thale (sintered metal technology and enamel technology ) was acquired and Pichit Industrial Works Co. Ltd. was founded. in Pichit , Thailand. Today Schunk is represented by 15 companies in Asia. In 1999 Schunk (Aust) Pty. Ltd. founded in Rowville , Australia.

In 2007 EHW Thale Email GmbH was sold to a group of three private investors.

In 2010, Schunk realized the largest expansion in its company's history. Investments were made in high-temperature applications over a period of four years. Thanks to this capacity expansion at the Heuchelheim location, Schunk now produces the world's largest carbon fiber panels for the semiconductor and solar industries.

In 2012, the state of Hessen named Schunk the Hessen Champion 2012 for its automotive carbon brushes in the “World Market Leader” category with the innovation and growth award.

In 2015, the Schunk Group generated sales of more than one billion euros for the first time.

literature

Jens Kauer: The Schunk & Ebe company. History of an electrical engineering company in Central Hesse 1913–1947. Giessen 1993
Paul G. Kirsch (Ed.): A company belongs to itself. In the footsteps of the Zeiss Foundation. Chapter 25: Schunk & Ebe GmbH. Munich 1967