The Last Shall Be First
Interview with Torsten Thaler and Heiko Krenn, Managing Directors of Fritz Thaler jun. GmbH
At first glance, brushes might seem to be simple products, but in reality, they are highly complex. At least the brushes that come from Fritz Thaler jun. GmbH in Solingen, a traditional company in its 4th generation and the last brush maker in the city of Solingen. The family business has been manufacturing brushes for almost 100 years: technical brushes that meet diverse requirements in industry and crafts.
For 600 years, the blade and metalworking industry has shaped the city of Solingen and its people. In the 14th century, Solingen developed into a center of blade production. In the stream and river valleys, cottages were established as workplaces for the grinders. Today, in the City of Blades, tradition and modernity go hand in hand. The development of Fritz Thaler jun. GmbH exemplifies this.
A Craft with a Long Tradition
Fritz Thaler was founded in the 1910s by the great-grandfather of today's managing director Torsten Thaler, who runs the family business together with Heiko Krenn. "Brush makers have become rare," says Torsten Thaler. "Solingen was once a stronghold with 40 brush makers. They used to supply the cottages with tools, but they increasingly disappeared in the course of the industrial revolution and automation. Today, we are the last brush makers in Solingen." Torsten Thaler's grandfather was the last to make traditional brushes. When he realized that there was less and less demand for these, he began manufacturing wire brushes for deburring metal parts; the Ford corporation in Cologne was among the loyal customers.
New Era
The shift towards the industrial brush marked a turning point in Thaler history – and was further driven by the following generation. "When my father and my aunt took over the company, they reset the course," says Torsten Thaler. "Through visionary investments, they made the company competitive, increased efficiency and production, so that today we are a sought-after partner for technical brushes in all varieties, supplying a large part of the automotive industry, suppliers, companies from mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, medical technology, trade, and crafts. Together with the customers, we develop brushes for their specific requirements."
Modern Manufacture
Fritz Thaler has a broad portfolio, which includes a variety of products from circular brushes, deburring machine brushes, pot and cone brushes to shaft brushes, cylinder brushes, strip and spiral brushes, and stamped disc, slat, and circular brushes. They are used for deburring, paint removal, and cleaning as well as structuring, polishing, sealing, sweeping, and designing various surfaces. Around 90,000 different brushes are listed in the Solingen database, with about 300 new products added each year. "It is crucial to stay current and adapt our brushes," says Managing Director Heiko Krenn. "That's why we constantly work with new materials and manufacturing processes, but still master the traditional craft. This makes us not the right partner for mass products, but for tailor-made solutions from one to 10,000 pieces." To serve customers quickly, Fritz Thaler relies on a large material stock – however, the brush warehouse is small. "Customers appreciate our responsiveness," emphasizes Torsten Thaler. "We work less with CNC machines but more like a manufacture where many manual processes are in demand. Thanks to this orientation, we can usually assist customers within two to three days, quickly and cost-effectively."
The longer, the better
60 employees work for Fritz Thaler jun., many of them for several years. Turnover is low. "We regularly celebrate 25-year anniversaries," says Torsten Thaler. "As a family business, long tenure is very important to us. The longer the employees are with us, the more know-how and experience they have." This know-how benefits customers all over Europe; Fritz Thaler jun. moves along with the customers – and with time. "In times of economic transformation, evolving from the classic internal combustion engine to the use of renewable energies, it is important to see and seize opportunities," emphasizes Heiko Krenn. "We are on board and developing together with our clients. We do not see the change of times as a threat, rather we see the new possibilities and perspectives associated with it. In the automotive industry, there are entirely new processing tasks that need to be resolved and for which our competence is requested. Also, in medical technology, new requirements are placed on brushes." Optimism remains high at Fritz Thaler jun., as the next generation of the Thaler and Krenn families is already in the starting blocks, and there are experienced employees with the necessary skills who are interested in taking on more responsibility – and whom the management trusts, as Torsten Thaler emphasizes. The last Solinger brush maker will thus continue to successfully combine craftsmanship and modernity, staying at the forefront of the market and in close coordination with the customers.