Wera Tools Explained

Wera Werkzeuge GmbH
Type:GmbH
Industry:Hand tools
Products:Screwdrivers; VDE insulated screwdrivers; bits; torque wrenches; ESD screwdrivers; stainless steel tools; hex keys; dead blow hammers; socket wrenches; wrenches
Owner:Bitburger Holding GmbH
Num Employees:1,500[1]
Foundation:1936 (Wuppertal, Germany)
Location:Wuppertal, Germany

Wera Tools is the popular name for tool manufacturer Wera Werkzeuge GmbH with headquarters in Cronenberg (Wuppertal, Germany) and production in Bystřice nad Pernštejnem and Třebíč in the Czech Republic.

History

In 1936, the businessman Hermann Werner founded Hermann Werner GmbH & Co. KG as a trading company for tools.[2] [3]

The company was destroyed during World War II. After 1945, reconstruction began under the management of Heinz Amtenbrink, the Werner family's son-in-law; and the manufacture of screwdrivers was added as a business segment.[4] Since 1951, the company has been using the name Wera (from Werner and Amtenbrink) as its trademark.[5] Production of bits began in 1963. In 1968, the company developed the Wera Kraftform screwdriver handle together with Fraunhofer Institute, which is still part of the Wera logo.[6] [7]

In the 1990s, the company introduced diamond-coated bits.[8] Furthermore, Wera acquired Drehmax W. Holland and founded a sales subsidiary in the UK in 1993. Production was relocated to Bystřice in Moravia (Czech Republic) in 1995.

After the company's tools were frequently copied, the company repeatedly ordered the closure of trade fair stalls with counterfeit products.[9]

Due to the owner's retirement, the company was sold to Bitburger Holding in 2016.[10] [11]

Wera Tools built a logistics centre on 20,000 square metres of land in Wuppertal in 2016.[12] At that time, Wera employed over 750 people worldwide, including over 400 in the Czech Republic. In 2018, the company established a branch office in Třebíč.

Since 2019, Wera has been taking part in events such as the Montgolfiade, Kiel Week and the Balloon Cup in the Kitzbühel Alps with a hot air balloon in the shape of a screwdriver;[13] the company has also cooperated with German music festivals such as Summer Breeze Open Air[14] and Wacken Open Air.

Corporate structure

Wera Tools is a global tool manufacturer.[15] [16] Its global headquarters and European sales team is based in Wuppertal, Germany. Wera has wholly owned regional subsidiaries, for example in the United Kingdom (based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England) and North America (based in Ontario, Canada), where it is known as Wera Tools Inc. Outside these areas, the company operates through a network of sales agents and wholesalers. Wera is a privately held company and employs more than 1,500 people. The company was fully acquired by Bitburger Holding in 2016.

Wera Tools designs and manufactures more than 3,000 tools[17] for both manual and power tool applications at its German headquarters and its factories in Bystřice and Třebíč in the Czech Republic. Through its subsidiary Wera Tool Rebels GmbH, the company operates a Tool Rebels online shop for customers.[18]

Products and brands

Wera is a manufacturer and developer of screwdriving tools. The company also improves tools to make them more efficient and to combine several tool types. For example, the company develops open-end spanners or ratchets with improved functionality. Overall, Wera develops and sells products such as screwdrivers and screwdriver bits, ratchets and sockets, nut-spinners and L-keys as well as sets and compact tools.[19]

Wera is known for its line of screwdrivers featuring the distinctive Kraftform shape handle. This design is based around the contours of the hand during screwdriver use, and uses a specifically designed combination of ergonomic soft zones and smooth, hard zones. The distinctive 'crowns' from this handle are used as part of the Wera logo.

Main German competitors are the manufacturer Wiha Tools, Gedore, Knipex and Hazet.[20]

Other key Wera developments and well-known brands include:

Awards

Product Design:

Communication Design:

Brand management:

Award for innovation:

"Partner des Fachhandels" – industrial trade partner:

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Helden des Mittelstands 2023 – Teil 230 . Schumacher . Harald . 2023 . . 11 December 2023.
  2. Thomas, Peter (26 December 2021). "Gedreht, nicht gezogen". Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.
  3. "Werawerk. Schraubendreher als High-tech". Handelsblatt. 9 March 1993.
  4. Web site: Das Unternehmen Wera . 11 December 2023 . Wuppertalsouvenirs . de.
  5. "130 Mitarbeiter in Wuppertal". Westdeutsche Zeitung. 8 July 2011.
  6. Koch, Klaus (8 July 2011). "Jubiläum: Wera dreht seit 75 Jahren an der Schraube". Westdeutsche Zeitung.
  7. Web site: 2023 . Information on a European Union trade mark 002977767 . 11 December 2023 . German Patent and Trade Mark Office.
  8. Bartsch, Christian (21 March 1995). "Diamanten-Bits und starke Schrauber". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
  9. "Wera Werk / Deutliches Wachstum im vergangenen Jahr. Erfolg mit ergonomischen Werkzeugen". Handelsblatt. 5 March 1997.
  10. Web site: Boller . Andreas . 19 July 2016 . Bitburger Holding kauft den Werkzeughersteller Wera . 11 December 2023 . . de.
  11. Web site: Seyerlein . Christoph . 1 September 2016 . Bitburger Holding kauft Werkzeughersteller Wera . 11 December 2023 . Kfz-Betrieb Vogel . de.
  12. "Neues Zuhause für die Wera-Sattelschlepper". Westdeutsche Zeitung. 7 July 2017.
  13. Steinbach, Catrin (14. August 2021). "UFO über Dresdner Elbtal". Dresdner Neueste Nachrichten.
  14. Web site: 19 March 2021 . Summer Breeze: Shred Collab gestartet – mitmachen und gewinnen! . 11 December 2023 . Metal Hammer . de-DE.
  15. Web site: An Introduction to Wera Tools . 2023-03-20 . Haus of Tools . 23 October 2018 . en.
  16. Opfermann, Norbert (11 December 2015). "Cronenberger erfinden Werkzeug neu". Westdeutsche Zeitung.
  17. Web site: Omega Technologies . 2023-03-20 . Omega Technologies . en-us.
  18. Web site: 2023 . Wera Tool Rebels GmbH, Wuppertal . 11 December 2023 . Northdata . de.
  19. Bartsch, Christian (30 April 2001). "Für Schreckschrauben". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
  20. https://www.misterworker.com/de/blog/beste-deutsche-werkzeughersteller-n240
  21. http://exhibition.ifdesign.de/entrydetails_en?beitrag_id=10613 Award 1997
  22. http://exhibition.ifdesign.de/entrydetails_en?beitrag_id=44348 Award 2009
  23. http://exhibition.ifdesign.de/entrydetails_en?beitrag_id=82607 Award 2012
  24. http://exhibition.ifdesign.de/entrydetails_en.html?beitrag_id=102909 Award 2013
  25. Web site: 2023 . Zyklop Mini . 11 December 2023 . iF Design . de.
  26. Web site: 2023 . Zyklop Speed . 11 December 2023 . iF Design . en.
  27. Web site: 2023 . Maulschlüssel Joker Double . 11 December 2023 . Red Dot.
  28. Web site: 2023 . Knarren Zyklop-Metal-Satz . 11 December 2023 . Red Dot.
  29. Web site: 2023 . Packaging Zyklop Speed . 11 December 2023 . Red Dot.
  30. Web site: 2016-04-27 . Zyklop Speed – Verpackung . https://web.archive.org/web/20160427023930/http://gallery.designpreis.de/gdagallery/show/Project/zyklop-speed.html . 27 April 2016 . 11 December 2023 . Designpreis.
  31. Web site: Koke . Meinhard . 19 July 2017 . Wera-Werk: Zum dritten Mal Gold bei "German Brand Award" . 11 December 2023 . Cronenberger Woche . de.
  32. http://www.top100-germany.com/ Homepage Top Innovator
  33. Web site: Siegerliste Top Innovator 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121202085136/http://www.top100.de/upload/top-100/T100_07_Unternehmensliste.pdf . 2 December 2012 . 11 December 2023 . Internet Archive.
  34. Web site: Redaktion . 19 April 2016 . Wera: "Tool Rebels" durch Fachhandel ausgezeichnet . 11 December 2023 . Cronenberger Woche . de.
  35. Web site: Kamphausen . Hartmut . 11 April 2022 . Die Partner des PVH 2021 . 11 December 2023 . ProfiBörse . de-DE.