Three years ago, it was in deep distress. Today, it is a flourishing business again, specialised in stainless steel processing. Kugel Edelstahlverarbeitung has streamlined its product and customer portfolio, invested heavily in new machinery and has therefore managed the turnaround. Covering the entire value chain, the company has developed into a preferred partner of clients in various demanding industries – a flexible engineering partner, reliable production partner, experienced assembly partner and meticulous quality assurance partner.
Kugel is a sheet metal processing business specialised in high-grade stainless steel. The company designs and produces individually customised stainless steel structures for the hotel and restaurant trade, industrial applications, medical technology firms and public transport systems. It was founded in 1954 as a manufacturer of heating, sanitary and ventilation systems.
“In 2007, Kugel was in need of restructuring,” says managing partner Wolfgang Hohnhaus, who acquired the company in 2009. “We tightened up the product offering, reduced the number of target markets and invested
more than €3m in new manufacturing equipment.”
Today, Kugel is a successful enterprise again, with 90 highly qualified employees, 5,000m² of modern production space and annual sales of €10m. The turnaround has also been enabled by the company’s partner philosophy.
“We see ourselves as our customers’ partner, as a systems supplier that supports them throughout the entire value chain, from initial design and engineering to CNC and mechanical processing through to final assembly and ongoing
quality assurance,” states Hohnhaus. “This way, we realise complete, integrated systems solutions that meet the highest standards of material choice and processing
technology.”
For the gastronomy sector, Kugel offers standard-made and custom-designed bar systems, beer dispensing solutions and furniture units. For customers in mechanical engineering, machine construction, food processing, packaging, construction or shipping, the company supplies stainless steel solutions ranging from the smallest sophisticated components to large, complex machine casings. The fast-developing medical technology portfolio, which is marketed by the partner Medis-Kugel, comprises perfectly
hygienic and safe products for sensitive medical systems, particularly in the area of pathology and forensic medicine. Kugel has developed a new, patented technology for postmortem preservation without formalin.
“The new method uses non-formalin as preservation agents which are administered in a special pressure chamber,” explains Hohnhaus. “The process has no adverse
health effects and is also much more cost-effective than conventional preservation methods.”
The fourth and most important market equipped by Kugel with stainless steel solutions is the transport industry. The company develops and produces customised railway galleys for high-speed trains. The railway industry accounts for approximately 50% of the total business of Kugel.
“We have seven design engineers of our own who develop customised solutions for our OEM clients,” says Hohnhaus. Currently, Kugel’s export share is 20% and growing. “We supply internationally operating manufacturers
of rail vehicles such as Siemens and Bombardier, gastronomy
customers in Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands as well as pathology organisations worldwide.”
All Kugel target markets, from restaurant owners to post-mortem examiners, benefit from the company’s more than 50 years of experience in sheet metalprocessing, its customer-specific solutions and its state-of-the-art equipment as a guarantee for top-quality products. What else distinguishes Kugel from the competition is its exclusive focus on stainless steel, which offers optimum protection against corrosion and superior durability.