Tradition
Meets progress
From scrap metal trader to global company – the history of MENSHEN
From a one-man operation to a globally operating company with around 1,400 employees worldwide – that is MENSHEN today. The history of the company and its founder Arnold Menshen is somewhat reminiscent of the “American Dream”: from a young man who collected scrap metal with a wheelbarrow to a company founder who turned a group of companies into a world market leader. While still at school, Arnold Menshen began supporting his family’s budget with vacation jobs. After completing his basic schooling, Arnold Menshen started an apprenticeship as a fitter at a metalworking company in Werdohl, a town in the Sauerland region of North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany.
1945 – 1970: The early years up to the company’s establishment
After the turmoil of the Second World War, Arnold Menshen returned to Werdohl in October 1945 and worked in a car repair shop before joining a Werdohl scrap dealer as a driver in 1951. Driven by a strong entrepreneurial spirit and keen to be independent, he set up his own scrap metal business in 1953. In 1959, he married Ursula Kracht and moved with her to Neuenrade, a small town near Werdohl. The couple had three children, Knut, Dorle and Lutz. In 1964, Arnold Menshen took over from his father-in-law Walter Staufenberg KG, a jobbing turning shop with 20 employees. In 1968, an extremely successful advertising campaign in trade journals greatly raised awareness of the so-called STAUFF clamp so that demand subsequently went through the roof. These clamps, which were used to fasten pipe and hydraulic systems, were manufactured for the first time from polypropylene and marketed by STAUFF from 1964-1965 onwards. Besides the advertising campaign, the excellent properties of this plastic and outstanding quality of the clamps were the reasons for the marketing success.
Establishment of Georg MENSHEN GmbH & Co. KG followed by steady growth
On July 1, 1970, Arnold Menshen founded Georg MENSHEN GmbH & Co. KG in a small, rented garage only a few kilometers away from the current company headquarters. Production began on the company’s own injection molding machines. Arnold Menshen soon had the idea of entering the nascent market for plastic closures and packaging. Thanks to Arnold Menshen’s entrepreneurial skills and hands-on mentality, as well as the high quality and reliability of the products, the company gained as customers renowned branded goods’ manufacturers such as Henkel, who continue to rely on MENSHEN products and services to this day. In the years that followed, MENSHEN grew steadily. As more space and production capacities were needed fast, the company moved to the Finnentrop, another town in the Sauerland region of North-Rhine Westphalia. Since the late 1970s, MENSHEN has been one of the largest and most important employers in the region and is very aware of its social responsibility, especially with regard to sustainability.
Expansion into an international provider of closure solutions
It is thanks to the foresight of the company’s founder, Arnold Menshen, that MENSHEN has also established itself in international markets over the years. Gradually, branches and production sites were set up in the USA, the UK, France, Spain, Mexico, China, Switzerland, Russia and Singapore. In doing so, MENSHEN expanded its international presence and created customer-focused structures in key markets.
What began as a scrap metal trading business has developed into a globally active group of companies, which today generates an annual turnover of around 220 million euros.
Since MENSHEN’s foundation, a focus on innovation and close collaboration with customers have been defining features of the company’s development. Throughout its history, the company has developed numerous new products and continuously refined existing solutions.
New market requirements, customer needs and regulatory developments have also been consistently addressed and taken into account in the further development of products, processes and services.
Issues such as sustainability, climate protection and environmental protection are now given high priority and are taken into account in new and further developments. The aim is to strike an appropriate balance between ecological, economic and technical requirements within the framework of product and corporate development.
The company’s values and objectives are upheld today and will continue to be upheld in the future by the management, in keeping with the spirit of Arnold Menshen.
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