MAWA GmbH - A typically-German industrial history

Currency reform, inventiveness and entrepreneurship: those were the ingredients of the Wirtschaftswunder, the economic miracle in Germany. Ludwig Erhard's currency reform in 1948 gave the economy a solid financial base after an era of bartering and the black market. Numerous businessmen grabbed this opportunity with both hands and founded theirown companies, one of them being Martin Wagner who founded MAWA GmbH, using his initials for the company name.

Foundation for success: the first patent

His working material was metal, his big company asset was inventiveness. The War had brought the Swabian engineer Martin Wagner to Lower Bavaria, where he met his wife Ida. He started off by developing, producing and selling metal products on demand, such as kitchen graters for example. An architect friend of his prompted him to produce a paper cutting machine with which you could, for the first time, cut extremely wide rolls of paper. In 1955, the engineer invented the first trouser hanger which he patented straight away. A master stroke of functionality. Back then, washing and ironing was considerably more effort for a housewife than it is today, as the materials were more sensitive. With the trouser hanger, housewives and employees in fashion shops were able to hang trousers up easily and without creasing. Martin Wagner developed his invention further and came up with a skirt hanger. He patented his own clips for the skirts.

The two hangers quickly became best-sellers. Clothes companies were happy that they could present their products attractively and easily. Over the course of further discussions with customers the engineer then found, that, the fashion industry had even greater problems in finding a proper way to display tops. The hanger had to be slender, space-saving and non-slip. Martin Wagner took on the challenge and solved the problem with the help of his engineering experience. He developed a metal hanger with a non-slip coating which was brought onto the market in 1960.

Two years later, the factory in Prambach was bursting at the seams. The MAWA GmbH company was preparing to move to its own, brand new factory at Hohenwarter Straße 100, Pfaffenhofen. Just before the move in 1963, the businessman and inventor suddenly died. The family and the MAWA employees were deeply shocked, but Martin Wagner's wife, Ida,did not stop for a minute: it was obvious to her that she would continue the work of her husband and take on the responsibility for the employees. Firstly she organised the move herself, as was planned. For years she then lead the company in partnership with her operations managers. Her attitude was always clear: to develop the company further as her husband would have done. In doing so she was broad-minded and sympathetic to employees and to the environment.

From handcraft to automation

At the end of the 60s, MAWA GmbH employed 200 people who manufactured up to 120,000 metal hangers per day - by hand. In the 70s, the steps were taken towards part automation, which led in the 80s to MAWA GmbH building its own machine tools. The catalyst for this were increasing wage costs in Germany and the increasing demand for metal hangers - from abroad as well.

In 1985, MAWA GmbH succeeded in developing the first fully-automated metal clothes hander production system. The close cooperation of all departments, from designers, manufacturers, engineers and salespersons as well as the deep understanding of all production steps, from the supply of raw materials to processing and despatching, were decisive factors for the success of the automation. Employees discussed the individual production steps intensively and in detail in order to improve the durability of the products, to offer a larger range, to make the most of production resources and to develop quality standards.

At some points, up to 15 employees were involved with machinery and machine tool construction. Engineers, technicians and draftsmen were working meticulously on new machines in the construction office. MAWA GmbH designed and built over 100 machine tools and piece of equipment. Some can still be seen in the production halls today.

Germany – Europe– Asia

MAWA GmbH continued to expand the European markets. End of the 70s, MAWA started enjoying success in Asia. With the Fall of the Iron Curtain, MAWA GmbH secured new markets in the former Eastern Bloc. The company has grown constantly and now offers an impressive array of over 500 products consisting of metal, wood and plastic hangers. In many sectors the company acts as a full-range provider of clothes hangers.

In the middle of the 1990s, the first fakes started coming on to the market, with a sometimes destructive price war taking place until the end of the decade - quality versus cheap products. MAWA GmbH is fighting these cheap and poorly-made copycat products to this day and is therefore a committed member of Plagiarius. In 2007, the entrepreneur Michaela Schenk took over MAWA GmbH.

New start in a new millennium

Before taking over the company, Michaela Schenk has occupied with MAWA GmbH and recognised the companies strengths and weaknesses straight away. The products are good and in demand, the location of the factory is perfect - in Pfaffenhofen in Upper Bavaria in the area between Munich, Augsburg and Ingolstadt. As a result, MAWA GmbH has good connections to motorways and rail transport. Munich Airport is only 40km away. German suppliers deliver their raw materials straight to the loading rack.

However, sales and marketing had missed to gain ground in the modern world. So that the traditional company is able to react successfully to the challenges of the global economy, the management subjected operations to a certification process in accordance with ISO 9001 QS. The focuses of this certification process are, alongside the introduction of classic quality assurance systems, on customer satisfaction and the responsibility ofcompany management.

Focus on environmental- and consumer-protection

The first measure concerning this process was the renewal of the electroplating machinery. In cooperation with the office of water economy, MAWA GmbH redesigned and constructed its entire range of electroplating technology. Complex control mechanisms now allow quick and smooth nickel plating and chrome plating processes for the hangers. But that's not all. With the new system, MAWA GmbH reduced water consumption by 75%. To the same extent, the chemical consumption returned for the liquid waste handling. The nickel sludge will no longer disposal over the hazardous waste deposit, but both also recycled with simultaneous cost saving. In the medium-term, MAWA GmbH saves on energy costs, with the investment paying off twofold: quicker production processes and a significant contribution to the conservation of the environment.

However, these environmental and consumer protection measures don't stop at the electroplating systems. All MAWA GmbH wooden hangers are produced exclusively out of European timber and varnished according to the German standard which means that the wood supplied for the hangers originates from cultivation areas that are managed organically.

The company is also constantly researching with partners and suppliers about how to reduce chemicals and the use of dangerous plasticizers. This is how MAWA GmbH brought the first phthalate-free hanger onto the market in 2010.

Conservation and the protection of consumers is not just about avoiding toxic raw materials in production, but both also include the use of recycled base materials and renewable energy in the production process.

It is mainly for these ambitious efforts for better protection of the environment and the consumer that MAWA GmbH has been nominated several times as one of Germany's best medium-sized businesses.

The concept of customer orientation

The customer is king, as the saying goes. With the quality standards of the ISO 9001 QS certification, this saying is translated into customer orientation. In order to uphold these requirements, MAWA GmbH's management, together with staff, inspected every single production step and quality control for efficiency and value. The measures to modify production or working processes were approved and implemented collectively.

As a result, this means that the products that are produced are of outstanding quality and MAWA is in the position to provide a 10-year guarantee on each hanger.

Time is money. Therefore the production processes and stock keeping were redesigned in such a way that orders can be despatched on a daily basis.

Innovations fulfil growing customer requirements. Through having an in-house production depth of 94%, MAWA GmbH employees can fulfil almost all customer requirements - even if these requirements are unusual, require particular demands on quality or special product features.

These measures, but also the specific German, quality-oriented business culture ensure the continued success of this traditional industrial company in today's complex and globalised world.