Number one worldwide for springs & stamped parts

After his apprenticeship with a watch spring maker, Hugo Kern ventures into self-employment and manufactures mainsprings for the domestic watch industry.

The company grows rapidly. In 1911, the production area is doubled with the 2nd factory extension. Hugo Kern's son Ernst Hugo Kern joins the company.

Ernst Hugo Kern takes over the company management from his father, transforms the company into Hugo Kern KG and expands it by 1930 with two new buildings.

After the death of Ernst Hugo Kern, Hugo Kern transfers the management of the company to his grandson Dr. Kurt Steim. He lays the foundations for the company's current size.

After the war years, Dr. Kurt Steim rebuilds the company. As important raw materials are lacking, garden tools, oven scrapers, shoe fittings and saws are manufactured.

Hugo Kern KG is designated for total dismantling by the Allies. The quota is successfully reduced to 30%. The company begins manufacturing precision stamped parts for knitting machines.

From 1947, parts of the former "SU" (Schramberger Uhrfedernfabrik) building in Göttelbachtal are rented and expanded. The product range is expanded to include fineblanked/stamped parts. From 1953, IBM is supplied with stamped parts for typewriters.

The automatic seat belt finds its way into automobiles. Hugo Kern KG becomes a development partner for the return springs used here and secures a leading world market position in this area.

At the end of the 1960s, 720 people work at Hugo Kern. 35 million springs and 147 million blanks are produced. Dr. Kurt Steim appoints Dipl.-Kfm. Robert Drosten to the management board and commissions his son, Dr.-Ing. Hans-Jochem Steim, to set up and manage the research and development department.

Hugo Kern KG merges with Liebers & Co. in Ingolstadt. The company is renamed HUGO KERN UND LIEBERS & CO. In the same year, Dr. Kurt Steim lays the foundation stone for the company's new building in Schramberg-Sulgen.

Relocation to the Sulgen district with all product areas and administration under one roof. The Liebers production facility in Ingolstadt is closed and integrated into the new building. KERN LIEBERS is now the world's largest manufacturer of printed circuit boards.

Entry into wire spring production with the next major diversification step. This develops into another important pillar of the company in the following years.

Dr.-Ing. Hans-Jochem Steim founds KERN-LIEBERS USA INC. in Toledo, Ohio and begins to build up production of power springs for seat belts.

The company begins to establish production facilities in Western Europe and founds subsidiaries in the UK (1977) and Spain (1986). In Italy, the shares in the spring factory TECNOSET S.R.L. in Turin are acquired in 1987.

Dr. Kurt Steim retires from the Management Board after 42 years at the helm of the company and remains Chairman of the Board of Directors until 1983. Dipl.-Kfm. Robert Drosten is appointed Chairman of the Management Board and Dr.-Ing. Hans Jochem Steim is appointed Managing Director.

With the takeover of the spring division of J.N. EBERLE & CIE GMBH in Augsburg and the founding of J.N. EBERLE FEDERNFABRIK GMBH in Schwabmünchen, the foundations are laid for today's successful divisions of heavy power springs and stamped-bent parts.

KERN-LIEBERS takes over the spring production of Junghans Stahl and integrates it into the plant in Schramberg-Sulgen. The development of a texture-rolled carbon steel is driven forward. This is used, among other things, for power springs with a flat characteristic curve, e.g. for safety belts. To date, more than 4 billion seat belt springs have been produced.

In 1988, KERN-LIEBERS celebrates its 100th anniversary with a ceremony and open day. KERN-LIEBERS South Africa is founded. Following the acquisition of CAPEWELL SPRINGS in Cape Town, strip springs, wire springs and stamped and bent parts are manufactured there.

Dipl.-Kfm. Robert Drosten joins the Board of Directors at the end of 1990. Dr.-Ing. Hans-Jochem Steim takes over as Chairman of the Management Board. Further managing directors are appointed: Dr.-Ing. Uwe Otzen and, after his departure, Dipl.-Ing. Manfred Krunnies as Technical Managing Director and Dipl.-Kfm. Gert Wagner as Commercial Managing Director.

The rapidly growing Asian market is recognized early on as a great opportunity and further subsidiaries are founded: Japan (1991), Korea (1992), China (1993), Thailand (1995), India (1997).

The company's expansion into Eastern Europe begins with the takeover of AKRA's PCB production in the Czech Republic and the founding of its own subsidiary. Further subsidiaries followed in Estonia (1998), Poland (1999), Romania (2005) and Russia (2013).

The "Textile Machine Parts" division is transferred to the independent company "KERN-LIEBERS KNITTING PARTS GmbH". The divisions of power and roller springs, wire springs and fineblanked/stamped parts become independent units. The floor space at the headquarters now amounts to 52,000 m².

KERN-LIEBERS founds the German Training Center for Tool Mechanics (DAWT) at the Taicang site together with another German company. The training follows the IHK standard and the German dual system.

The company grows in the wire springs sector through majority shareholdings and takeovers: KURT MEDER GMBH (2002), BOHNERT GMBH (2004), THÜRINGER PRÄZISIONSFEDERNFABRIK GMBH, SCHWEIZER GMBH & CO. KG (2005), MOLLIFICIO 3M S.P.A. in Italy (2005) and TMG S.A. in Spain (2008). With the takeover of GEBRÜDER SCHMIDT GMBH (2004), the product range for strip springs is also expanded.

Further expansion of the blanks and stamped and stamped-bent parts business through acquisitions: SAXONIA INTERNATIONAL BV, SAXONIA UMFORMTECHNIK GMBH (2004), PAUL LEISTNER GMBH (2004), HAASE & KÜHN S.A. in Switzerland (2005), SÄCHSISCHE NADEL- UND PLATINENFABRIKEN GMBH, HAASE & KÜHN PORTUGUESA AGULHAS TEXTEIS LDA in Porto/Portugal (2005), HAASE & KÜHN in Bucharest/ROMANIA (2005), PROMETALL WERKZEUGBAU GMBH (2005).

By acquiring a majority stake in BRUKER SPALECK in Schramberg (2005), the company secures its entry into the specialty wire business. The acquisition of CARL HAAS GMBH (2006) marks the company's entry into the production of plastic composite parts, medical guide wires and clock springs.

China becomes the largest growth market for KERN-LIEBERS. The company founds subsidiaries in Tianjin (2005) and Guangzhou (2005). A second plant is built at the Taicang site (2006). The joint venture WÄLZHOLZ-KERN-LIEBERS (2006) and BRUKER-SPALECK SOLAR TECHNOLOGY CO. LTD (2008) are founded. In India, a new plant is built in Tumkur near Bangalore (2006).

Hans-Jochem Steim retires from the Management Board and takes over as Chairman of the Board of Directors from his brother Dr. Jürgen Steim. Dr. rer. pol. Udo Schnell (Chairman of the Management Board) and Klaus Scheuble (Commercial Managing Director) take over management responsibility. In 2013, Dipl.-Ing. Josef Schwuger (Technical Managing Director) is added to the Management Board.

Dr. Udo Schnell, Chairman of the Management Board of the KERN-LIEBERS Group for many years, is retiring. Dr. Schnell has continuously adapted structures and processes to the changing requirements of the Group and prepared it for the transformation in the automotive industry. His successor will be Dr. Erek Speckert, formerly CEO of the O-Rings & Boots Division at Freudenberg (Weinheim). Dr. Speckert has extensive experience in the automotive sector and other industries. He also worked for Freudenberg in China and Japan for several years.

The company's long-standing presence in Taicang is celebrated at a ceremony attended by 300 guests. In his speech, CEO Dr. Erek Speckert emphasized that Taicang has now become a second home for KERN LIEBERS.

KERN LIEBERS has been represented in Nuevo León since June 2019. With an investment of 10 million dollars, the company is particularly committed to the Monterrey metropolitan region in order to strengthen its presence in North America.

In the new plant, KERN LIEBERS produces more than 50 million precision parts, which are used in seat belts, hose reels, measuring tapes, starters for electric saws and springs for windows, among other things.

Hugo Kern und Liebers GmbH & Co KG Platinen- und Federnfabrik is opening a new chapter in its company history: With immediate effect, the company will operate under the name KERN LIEBERS GmbH & Co KG. The rebranding includes all German companies, which will gradually be renamed KERN LIEBERS.