Wera Tools

German tool manufacturer

Wera Werkzeuge GmbH

Company type| GmbH
Industry| Hand tools
Founded| 1936 (Wuppertal, Germany)
Headquarters| Wuppertal, Germany
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

Number of employees

| 1,500[1]
Website| www-de.wera.de/en
Wera screwdrivers

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

[edit]

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.[3] 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.[10] 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.[1]

## Corporate structure

[edit]

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.[1] The company was fully acquired by Bitburger Holding in 2016.[10]

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

[edit]

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.[16] 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.[6][19]

Wera is known for its line of screwdrivers featuring the distinctive Kraftform shape handle.[15] 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:

* Joker Ratchet spanners with a nut holding feature
* Impaktor screwdriver bit system for cordless impact drivers, utilising TriTorsion and Diamond technology for longer life
* BiTorsion screwdriver bits
* Rapidaptor bit holders
* The Hex-Plus screw profile, prevents rounding out when compared with the traditional hex profile
* Zyklop multi-function ratchet and sockets
* The Koloss, a ratchet that can also be used as a hammer
* The Chiseldriver, a screwdriver that can be used as a chisel and hit with a hammer whilst remaining fully usable as a precision screwdriver
* Kraftform Kompakt tools, kits consisting of bit holders or bit-holding handles and a selection of screwdriver bits or blades, supplied in a hard case or soft belt pouch
* Wera Stainless, a range of tools manufactured from stainless steel that is tough enough to be used in industrial and commercial applications. This range solves several aesthetic and material problems associated with using conventional (carbon) steel tools with stainless steel fixings and fasteners.

## Awards

[edit]

Wera wrenches and L-keys

Product Design:

* 1997, 2009, 2012 and 2013: (Discipline Product): iF Product Design Award[21][22][23][24]
* 2015 (Discipline Packaging): iF Product Design Award[25]
* 2015 (Discipline Packaging – gold): iF Product Design Award[26]
* 2014: Red Dot Design Award best of the best[27]
* 2015: Red Dot Design Award[28]

Communication Design:

* 2014: Red Dot Design Award[29]
* 2015: German Design Award[30]

Brand management:

* 2015–2017: German Brand Award[31]

Award for innovation:

* 2007: Top Innovator[32][33]

"Partner des Fachhandels" – industrial trade partner:

* 2016: 1st place in the hand tools category[34]
* 2021: 1st place in the hand tools category[35]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Schumacher, Harald (2023). "Helden des Mittelstands 2023 – Teil 230". Wirtschaftswoche. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
2. ^ Thomas, Peter (26 December 2021). "Gedreht, nicht gezogen". Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.
3. ^ a b "Werawerk. Schraubendreher als High-tech". Handelsblatt. 9 March 1993.
4. ^ "Das Unternehmen Wera" (PDF). Wuppertalsouvenirs (in German). Retrieved 11 December 2023.
5. ^ "130 Mitarbeiter in Wuppertal". Westdeutsche Zeitung. 8 July 2011.
6. ^ a b Koch, Klaus (8 July 2011). "Jubiläum: Wera dreht seit 75 Jahren an der Schraube". Westdeutsche Zeitung.
7. ^ "Information on a European Union trade mark 002977767". German Patent and Trade Mark Office. 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
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. ^ a b c Boller, Andreas (19 July 2016). "Bitburger Holding kauft den Werkzeughersteller Wera". Westdeutsche Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 11 December 2023.
11. ^ Seyerlein, Christoph (1 September 2016). "Bitburger Holding kauft Werkzeughersteller Wera". Kfz-Betrieb Vogel (in German). Retrieved 11 December 2023.
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. ^ "Summer Breeze: Shred Collab gestartet – mitmachen und gewinnen!". Metal Hammer (in German). 19 March 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
15. ^ a b "An Introduction to Wera Tools". Haus of Tools. 23 October 2018. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
16. ^ a b Opfermann, Norbert (11 December 2015). "Cronenberger erfinden Werkzeug neu". Westdeutsche Zeitung.
17. ^ "Omega Technologies". Omega Technologies. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
18. ^ "Wera Tool Rebels GmbH, Wuppertal". Northdata (in German). 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
19. ^ Bartsch, Christian (30 April 2001). "Für Schreckschrauben". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
20. ^ "Die besten deutsche Werkzeughersteller | Mister Worker®".
21. ^ Award 1997Retrieved on April 05, 2015 Archived June 2, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
22. ^ Award 2009Retrieved on April 05, 2015 Archived June 2, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
23. ^ Award 2012Retrieved on April 05, 2015 Archived June 2, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
24. ^ Award 2013Retrieved on April 05, 2015 Archived June 2, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
25. ^ "Zyklop Mini". iF Design (in German). 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
26. ^ "Zyklop Speed". iF Design. 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
27. ^ "Maulschlüssel Joker Double". Red Dot. 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
28. ^ "Knarren Zyklop-Metal-Satz". Red Dot. 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
29. ^ "Packaging Zyklop Speed". Red Dot. 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
30. ^ "Zyklop Speed – Verpackung". Designpreis. 2016-04-27. Archived from the original on 27 April 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
31. ^ Koke, Meinhard (19 July 2017). "Wera-Werk: Zum dritten Mal Gold bei "German Brand Award"". Cronenberger Woche (in German). Retrieved 11 December 2023.
32. ^ Homepage Top Innovator Retrieved on April 05, 2015
33. ^ "Siegerliste Top Innovator 2007" (PDF). Internet Archive. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 December 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
34. ^ Redaktion (19 April 2016). "Wera: "Tool Rebels" durch Fachhandel ausgezeichnet". Cronenberger Woche (in German). Retrieved 11 December 2023.
35. ^ Kamphausen, Hartmut (11 April 2022). "Die Partner des PVH 2021". ProfiBörse (in German). Retrieved 11 December 2023.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website (German)
* Official UK website
* Official North American website
* Tool Rebels website

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