Zwilling JA Henckels

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Zwilling JA Henckels AG

logo
legal form Corporation
founding 1731
Seat Solingen , Germany
Number of employees 3,800 worldwide
sales 762 million euros (2015)
Branch Cutlery industry
Website www.zwilling.com

The Zwilling JA Henckels AG (own notation: JA Henckels) is part of the cutlery industry , based in Solingen . The product portfolio includes chef's knives , scissors , saucepans , cutlery as well as cosmetic and hairdressing supplies.

The following brands belong to the Zwilling Group : ZWILLING, JA HENCKELS INTERNATIONAL, Miyabi, BSF , Demeyere, Staub, Fontignac, Ballarini, Tweezerman, Jaguar, Tondeo, alessandro and QVS Global. Since 1970 Neusser Wilh. Werhahn KG sole shareholder. Production sites in seven countries and sales in more than 100 countries make up the worldwide network of the Zwilling Group. With a history of over 280 years, Zwilling is one of the oldest brands in the world. Today the company employs around 3,800 people worldwide, and in 2015 it achieved sales of 762 million euros.

history

Entry of the ZWILLING brand as a trade mark in the Solingen knife maker roll 1731
Johann Abraham Henckels jun. (1869)
Factory view (around 1910)

The history of the Zwilling brand began when, on June 13, 1731, in the zodiac sign Gemini , the Solingen cutler Peter Henckels, a member of a family of grinders and blacksmiths that has been known to have been active in the Solingen, Elberfeld and Lennep area since around 1450, adopted the Gemini as a trade mark registered the Solingen knife maker role. This makes Zwilling one of the oldest brands in the world. Johann Abraham Henckels (1771–1850) gave the company its name. In 1818 it opened the first sales branch in Berlin . In 1883 a shop was opened in New York . Vienna followed in 1884 , the store was located at Kärntner Strasse 24 in the 1st district of Innere Stadt . In 1897 branches in Copenhagen and Rotterdam followed .

In the beginning the steel used was obtained from England, but in the middle of the 19th century production was switched to domestic steel. A workers' savings bank was founded in 1851, and the first steam engine was put into operation in 1853. And a new type of forging in dies, for example forks and scissors, was used long before this technique became standard for other manufacturers as well. The company switched from steam power to electric drives around 50 years later in 1905 with the commissioning of its own power plant. The chronicle "Solingen and its industrial district" from 1922 describes Johann Abraham Henckels jr. as a "pioneer of a new type of business and machine technology."

Zwilling had the largest workforce in the mid-1920s, with 1,200 factory workers and 1,500 home workers, at which time the company was the world's largest manufacturer of cutlery.

The process known as "Friodur" for hardening stainless steel blades by deep freezing was invented in 1939 and patented for the company in 1951. In 1965, Zwilling gave up its own steel production, which began in 1867/1868.

Advertisement by ZWILLING JA Henckels from 1905

Zwilling repeatedly took part in world exhibitions , for the first time in 1851 in London, where the company received its first medal. Further awards followed: Zwilling JA Henckels won the only medal to be awarded in Chicago in 1893, the Paris Grand Prix in 1900 and the St. Louis Grand Prix in 1904, and four first prizes in San Francisco in 1915. The company was also awarded the Prussian Golden State Medal. Furthermore, JA Henckels was appointed kuk Hof steel goods manufacturer .

In 1909, Zwilling founded its first subsidiary in the USA . Others followed in Canada , the Netherlands , Denmark , Switzerland , Japan , Italy , France , Spain , the People's Republic of China and Taiwan . Subsidiaries were established in Great Britain and Brazil at the beginning of 2008 and in Turkey in 2013 .

Historical development of the ZWILLING logo, 1731 until today

Zwilling remained in the family until 1969. Until this year, the black silhouette, registered in the zodiac sign of Gemini, was the company's trademark, which was repeatedly modified. The red square stepped behind the twin figures in 1969.

In 1953, Zwilling is converted into a stock corporation, at which time all shares remained in the family's possession. The Wilh. Werhahn KG from Neuss initially took over the majority of the shares in 1969 and became the sole shareholder in the following year.

The company's products are sold in over 100 countries. The company also operates shops, studios and partner shops at home and abroad, including around 200 shop-in-shops in China. In 2004, Zwilling took over the Japanese knife manufacturer Nippa and the American beauty specialist Tweezerman. With the acquisition of the Belgian manufacturer Demeyere (stainless steel cookware) and the French group Staub (cast iron cookware) in spring 2008, Zwilling further expanded its cookware segment.

Zwilling's products are manufactured in Germany at the Solingen location, but also in Japan and China, where the company has been involved in a joint venture since 1995 . The cutlery manufacturer employs 3,800 people worldwide. Around 80% of the company's turnover is generated abroad.

The Zwilling Group also has an area specializing in hairdressing equipment. The Solingen manufacturer Jaguar was taken over in 2004, followed in July 2007 by Tondeo Werk GmbH, also from Solingen.

Timetable

First Zwilling branch in Berlin in 1818
Loan from the city of Solingen from 1922 depicting the JA Henckels company premises
  • 1731: Entry of the twin and thus the brand in the Solingen knife maker role by Peter Henckels (born 1659)
  • 1818: Opening of the Berlin branch.
  • 1851: World Exhibition in London. A prize was won
  • 1855: Highest award at the Paris World Exhibition
  • 1883: New York branch opens
  • 1893: Zwilling receives the only medal to be awarded at the world exhibition in Chicago
  • 1900: Highest award at the Paris World Exhibition
  • 1904: World's Fair in St. Louis
  • 1909: Foundation of the company JA Henckels USA Inc. (today: ZWILLING JA Henckels LLC)
  • 1915: Four first prizes at the San Francisco World's Fair
  • 1923: Introduction of stainless steel blades
  • 1927: Paris branch opens
  • 1938: Zwilling receives the patent for the "Kitchen Aid" series of scissors
  • 1939: Zwilling receives the patent for the ice hardening process
  • 1951: The ice-hardened steel blades are introduced under the name Friodur
  • 1953: Zwilling is converted into a stock corporation
  • 1969: Zwilling logo on a red background
  • 1969: Wilh. Werhahn KG takes over majority of shares
  • 1970: Wilh. Werhahn KG becomes sole shareholder
  • 1976: Zwilling develops the **** four-star knife series
  • 1993: Participation in Arcos Hermanos SA, Spain
  • 1995: Establishment of Joint Venture China
  • 1995: Takeover of MH Wilkens & Sons and the BSF brand
  • 2004: Sole shareholder of Jaguar Stahlwarenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG
  • 2004: Acquisition of the Japanese knife manufacturer Nippa
  • 2004: Takeover of the US manicure manufacturer Tweezerman
  • 2005: First concept store in Paris
  • 2007: Takeover of Tondeo Werk GmbH, Solingen
  • 2008: Takeover of Demeyere NV from Belgium
  • 2008: Takeover of Groupe Staub SA from France
  • 2009: Opening of the Twinny Land company kindergarten
  • 2010: Joint venture opened in Russia
  • 2012: Acquisition of the Alessandro company, Langenfeld
  • 2012: Opening of a flagship store in Düsseldorf
  • 2013: Opening of the concept store in Hangzhou / China
  • 2013: Takeover of QVS Global
  • 2015: Takeover of the Italian pan manufacturer Ballarini

Group structure

Company building of ZWILLING JA Henckels AG in Solingen

The Zwilling Group is an internationally oriented production and sales company. Based on the original core business of knife and scissors production at the headquarters in Solingen, the company has broken down into the three business areas of kitchen, beauty and hairdressing equipment.

The products are manufactured in a total of ten production facilities, primarily in Europe and Asia. In addition to plants in Germany, Belgium, France and Spain, productions in China, Japan and India belong to the Zwilling Group.

In addition to production, sales are a central element of corporate development. At the beginning of the 19th century, sales subsidiaries were established in international export markets and a network of branches was installed in economically important cities around the world. Today, for example, the Zwilling Group is represented with its own sales companies in the major European markets, in Russia, Turkey, Brazil, Canada and the USA as well as in China, Japan and Taiwan.

In addition, there are currently ten branches or concept stores worldwide, for example in Berlin, Paris, Geneva, Barcelona, ​​Istanbul, Budapest and Sao Paulo. The global brand presence is rounded off by presentations in stationary retail, outlet stores and online portals in various languages. A flagship store in Düsseldorf was added to this network in 2012 and a concept store in Hangzhou, China, in 2013.

The Zwilling Group has been part of Wilh since 1970. Werhahn KG based in Neuss.

Brands of the Zwilling Group

brand annotation logo
TWIN Stainless steel products in the knife, household scissors, kitchen utensils, cookware, cutlery and beauty segments. JA Henckels logo.svg
dust Cast iron and ceramic cookware and pans . Logo-Dust.png
Miyabi Knives according to Japanese tradition, which u. a. manufactured in Seki / Japan. Logo-Miyabi.png
Demeyere Stainless steel cookware for professional use. Logo-Demeyere.png
Ballarini Italian pan manufacturer and leading supplier of non-stick cookware. Logo-ballarini.png
BSF Bremer Silberwarenfabrik - cutlery in a straightforward design. BSF - Logo.svg
JAHENCKELS INTERNATIONAL Stainless steel kitchen products for food preparation, serving and storage.
Fontignac Cast iron and ceramic cookware. Logo-Fontignac.png
Tweezerman Beauty instruments for eyebrows, eyelashes, manicures and pedicures. Logo-Tweezerman.png
Tondeo Hairdressing scissors for professional use. Logo-Tondeo.png
jaguar One of the world's largest suppliers of professional hairdressing scissors. Logo-Jaguar.png
alessandro INTERNATIONAL Products for hand, nail and foot cosmetics that are used by both professionals and consumers.
QVS Global Supplier in the field of beauty instruments, cosmetic brushes, body, bath and travel accessories. Logo-QVS-Global.png

Products

The product range of the Zwilling Group includes knives, scissors, cookware, kitchen aids and cutlery in the kitchen division, as well as manicure, pedicure, cosmetics and hair scissors in the beauty division.

knife

Oriented towards the task at hand and different cutting techniques, Zwilling offers various knives from the classic paring knife to the Santoku knife . Zwilling introduced the stainless steel blade to its knives in 1923 and the ice-hardened Friodur blades in 1951.

Selected knife series :

  • The dashing ones - market launch in 1971
  • Four stars - launched in 1976, the best-selling series of Zwilling chef's knives in the world
  • Twin 1731 - market launch in 2008, developed in collaboration with designer Matteo Thun
  • Kramer by Zwilling - launched in 2013, developed in collaboration with Bob Kramer, an American master bladesmith
Cookware

With the stainless steel cookware and pan series from Zwilling, different base technologies are used in order to achieve the best possible adaptation to different cooking processes and different stove technologies. Some of these floor technologies have been developed and patented by Zwilling.

Selected cookware series :

  • Zwilling Prime - launched in 2012
  • Zwilling Sensation - market launch 2013
Kitchen helpers

A wide range of products is offered, geared towards different tasks in preparation and serving. In addition to kitchen aids, the range also includes sommelier accessories, for example.

Selected kitchen help :

  • Zwilling Sommelier - market launch 2013
Scissors

Along with knives, scissors are among the first products in the company's history.

Selected scissors :

  • Kitchen help - market launch 1938
  • Twin multi-purpose scissors - launched in 1983
cutlery

Zwilling offers cutlery for both the private and the catering sector.

Beauty products

1989 Zwilling established Twinox as a brand in the field of beauty products. This includes products made of stainless steel for manicures and pedicures as well as hair scissors.

Design Awards

Since 1983, the design of products by the Zwilling Group has been honored with over 50 international nominations, prizes and awards. These include a. the iF Award, the White Star Award, the Red Dot Design Award or the Good Design Award as well as the nomination for the Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany. Most recently, the Red Dot Design Award was won in 2013 for the Zwilling Sommelier Waiter's Knife.

Branches

In 1818 the Solingen-based company opened its first branch in Berlin. At the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, branches and branches opened up in New York, major European cities and many European capitals.

The company's own sales points are now made up of branches, shop-in-shops, outlet stores and concept and flagship stores. Branches and concept stores can be found in Berlin, Paris, Geneva, Barcelona, ​​Istanbul, Budapest or Sao Paulo, for example. The products are also sold in stationary retail and online shops.

A flagship store was opened in Düsseldorf in 2012 and a concept store in Hangzhou, China, in 2013. Both shops represent the concept of the “Modern Living Kitchen”.

social commitment

The Zwilling Group supports charitable projects for the education, training and integration of children, young people and adults with disabilities at locations in international sales companies. The goal of "Zwilling Care" is the long-term support of these people and help them to become more independent and participate in society. Projects are currently being implemented in Solingen, New York / USA, Albacete / Spain, Chao Thai Mai / Thailand and Pondicherry / India. In Pondicherry, India, Zwilling Care has started an initiative for the disabled to help young Indians with disabilities to learn a profession and thus lead an independent life. The textile trade is taught in the training center set up there.

Zwilling has had its own company daycare center (Twinny Land) since 2009. This was the first integrative company kindergarten in Germany when it was founded and is looked after together with “Lebenshilfe Solingen”.

literature

  • Kurt Th. Friedlaender (Ed.): 200 years (JA Henckels, Zwillingswerk, Solingen) - June 13, 1731 to June 13, 1931 . Solingen around 1931.
  • Ingrid Haslinger: Customer - Kaiser. The story of the former imperial and royal purveyors . Schroll, Vienna 1996, ISBN 3-85202-129-4 .
  • JA Henckels: From the story of the twin. The history of steel goods. Twin factory, Solingen 1940.
  • Heinrich Kelleter: History of the JA Henckels family in connection with a history of the Solingen industry . Self-published by the JA Henckels family, Solingen 1924.
  • Carl Locht: 1818–1911 - house history of the company JA Henckels Berlin. Grunert Brothers, Berlin 1911.
  • Peter Nied: Zwilling: A chronicle of the Solingen cutlery factory . Newspaper article in the Solinger Bote from August 1, 2011, online , accessed on September 18, 2013.
  • Louis Scherr:  Henckels, Johann Abraham. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 8, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1969, ISBN 3-428-00189-3 , p. 520 ( digitized version ).
  • Erika Schlesinger: Solingen craft mark. The signs of the knife-maker role from 1684 and their succession of ownership until 1875 . Walter Braun, Duisburg 1978, ISBN 3-87096-144-9 .
  • JA Henckels ZWILLINGSWERK, Solingen In: Stadtbaurat Schmidhäussler (Ed.): “Solingen and its industrial district Ohligs, Wald, Graefath and Höhschild.” Deutsche Kunst- und Verlagsanstalt GmbH, Solingen 1922, pp. 150–151.
  • Jürgen Weise: Johann Abraham Henckels (1771–1850) and his sons Johann Gottfried (1804–1859) and Johann Abraham jun. (1813-1870). In: Wolfhard Weber (Ed.) Bergisch-Märkische entrepreneurs of the early industrialization. (= Rheinisch-Westfälische Wirtschaftsbiographien , Volume 18.) Aschendorff, Münster 2004, pp. 233-254.
  • Albert Weyersberg: Johann Abraham Henckels (1813-1870). In: Rheinisch-Westfälische Wirtschaftsbiographien, Volume I. Aschendorff, Münster 1931, pp. 214–229.

Web links

Commons : JA Henckels  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. a b Wilh. Werhahn KG (Ed.): Annual Report 2015 . Neuss 2015.
  2. a b c d e f g J.A. Henckels ZWILLINGSWERK AG (ed.): 1731–1981, 250 years of ZWILLING JA Henckels (anniversary brochure). Solingen 1981, p. 22.
  3. Conrad Matt lap: contributions to the history of technology . In: Yearbook of the Association of German Engineers, Volume 15, Julius Springer, 1925, page 283
  4. a b c Kurt Th. Friedlaender (Ed.): 200 years (JA Henckels, Zwillingswerk, Solingen) - June 13, 1731 to June 13, 1931 . Solingen around 1931.
  5. JA Henckels ZWILLINGSWERK AG (ed.): 1731–1981, 250 years of ZWILLING JA Henckels (anniversary brochure) . Solingen 1981, p. 2.
  6. a b c d J.A. Henckels ZWILLINGSWERK, Solingen In: Stadtbaurat Schmidhäussler (ed.): Solingen and its industrial district Ohligs, Wald, Gräfrath and Höhschild. Deutsche Kunst- und Verlagsanstalt GmbH, Solingen 1922, pp. 150–151.
  7. ^ A b c Carl Locht: 1818–1911 - House history of the company JA Henckels Berlin. Grunert Brothers, Berlin 1911.
  8. The Solingen twin. Article in the newspaper Die Zeit on November 17, 1978, accessed online on September 18, 2013
  9. Koch, Brigitte: High quality utensils for the kitchen. The traditional Solingen brand Zwilling wants to serve the trend towards cooking together . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , No. 115, May 21, 2013, p. 26.
  10. a b Wilh. Werhahn KG (Ed.): Annual Report 2012 . Neuss 2013.
  11. a b www.zwilling.com. Retrieved February 18, 2014 .
  12. TWIN 1731 - Innovation and Design (press release). Retrieved February 18, 2014 .
  13. KRAMER by ZWILLING: Cutlery in perfection (press release). Retrieved February 18, 2014 .
  14. ZWILLING Sommelier Waiter's Knife Classic - 2013. Accessed on February 17, 2014 .
  15. First concept store in China. In: “Stil & Markt”. No. 1, 2014, p. 68.
  16. New flagship store on the Kö! In: "Pure pleasure". No. 1, 2013, pp. 138-139.
  17. Zwilling opens company kindergarten. Retrieved February 17, 2014 .