History

The Company - A short company history

In 1957, Franz Schmidt Senior from Neckarweihingen and his sons, Franz and Josef, ventured into their own business. Both sons, Franz and Josef, had completed an apprenticeship in toolmaking. They had worked in the area of mould-making and had a lot of experience in dealing with plastic.

At that time, this material was already set to conquer the world. The Schmidt family decided to invest in this new sector of industry. The company Franz Schmidt and Sons was founded. It started with a hydraulic plastic press in the barn of their house and then shifted to the industrial area of Ludwigsburg-Neckarweihingen.

In 1982, Franz Schmidt and Söhne became Schmidt GmbH. The sons, Franz and Josef Schmidt became the Managing Directors. At the new location, thermosetting plastic parts were produced for the electrical industry. Since 1970, the company started manufacturing die-cast parts from thermoplastic and thermosetting moulding compounds, following the purchase of automatic injection-moulding machines. As a result, its customer base increased considerably. The company had a good reputation and was known for timely production and good quality, the strength of the company increased to 30 employees.

In 1990, the range of products was extended to include electrical insulators and busbar supports, that were independently marketed as separate products. Since then, the company is standing on two solid pillars: firstly, contract manufacturing as per customer requirements and secondly, a constantly growing range of products with switch cabinet accessories.

In 1998, the third generation made its entry in the Schmidt GmbH. Günther Schmidt was studying the chemistry of lacquers and plastics. He has been leading the company till date. Since 2003, it was clear that: A new, bigger site was required. New technologies, like handling and robotic systems could not be deployed at the present location. After a fruitless search in the immediate vicinity, Günther Schmidt took the bold decision to move the operations to the southern Emsland.

The relocation to the new modern company buildings was completed in October 2006. This relocation has strengthened the competitiveness of the company. Since then, the new processing techniques can be used to the full extent. The change of location and a completely new qualified workforce has given the company a remarkable boost since 2006. Quality assurance measures were significantly improved by investing in a 3D measuring machine and a tension/compression testing machine with an interface. Investments in the machinery have made it possible for the company to manufacture parts from thermoplastic resins up to a volume of 1000 ccm.

Since a few years, tools with a clamping dimension of more than a metre can be used in the area of thermoset processing without any difficulty. Moreover, the company invested in a separate machining department. Since the end of 2008, items are manufactured here in a machining centre and also on a CNC lathe with powered tools with precision, according to customer requirements. These and several other measures have contributed to a significant increase in the customer base.

In view of the constant growth of the company, it is necessary to increase the production and storage area significantly in the near future; for this, the surrounding industrial land belonging to the municipality of Emsbüren was purchased in the summer of 2011. Schmidt GmbH now has an area of 12,500 m². The hall with an integrated administrative wing measures a good 2,000 qm and was extended by 1200 qm production space in early 2012. The aim was, to have separate areas for the thermoplastic and thermoset processing, so as to attract more customers who prefer a “clean-room”.