Gelsenkirchen/Cologne, 19 January 2015. "140 years of Küppersbusch: for us this is both a reason to celebrate and a challenge. As the Teka Group, of which Küppersbusch has been a part for 16 years, we want to realign the brand for the future and successfully position it", explains Martin Beck, CEO Teka Industrial Group, Kitchen & Bath, in the anniversary brochure, which was published to mark Küppersbusch's 140th anniversary. Beck continues: "In future, we will increasingly invest in design, innovative products and future-proof marketing. In addition, we will encourage creative, motivated employees and intercultural skills".
The retrospective
But before taking a look into the future, we would like to take a brief look back at the past 140 years: in 1875, Friedrich Küppersbusch founded Germany's first stove factory "F. Küppersbusch & Söhne" in the Gelsenkirchen district of Schalke and launched the manufacture of his handcrafted coal-burning stoves. The company founder responded to the needs of the time because, just five years after the company was founded, the company's products went into series production with 12 employees. In the years that followed, the company grew rapidly and, in 1913, became Europe's biggest specialist factory, with 2,500 employees. The employees produced 350 stoves and ovens a day. About 50 years later, Küppersbusch began offering a full range of built-in kitchen appliances such as gas stoves, cooker hoods and fully enamelled fridges. In 1970, the built-in kitchen was welcomed into German households: Küppersbusch was one of the first producers to make this kitchen's built-in appliances. Subsequently, the Gelsenkirchen-based company constantly launched exciting innovations that changed the built-in appliances market: 1985 was the birth year of the ökotherm, a catalytic converter for ovens and stoves. But the company has also focused on the topic of design since 1993: Since this time, Küppersbusch has been a successful participant in design competitions. To date, more than 60 products such as ovens, stoves, cook tops and cooker hoods have been awarded both national and international prizes. These include prizes as important and
prestigious as the Germany Design Award, various red dot awards, the iF design award and the Platinum Award for Design Excellence (ADEX).
The company's new direction
Nevertheless, for quite some time the Gelsenkirchen-based built-in appliances specialist was pretty quiet about their plans. The company, which is known worldwide for its products, didn't announce a clear strategy. In 2013, Küppersbusch laid the foundation stone for its new direction: at LivingKitchen 2013, the company wowed consumers with an almost completely brand-new product range; around 80 percent of the previous products were switched out. The brand values were also redefined: design, quality, function, innovation and healthy food are the sectors the company wants to focus on in the coming years. The Gelsenkirchen-based company has already shown proof of its new beginning with various products and concepts: the Küppersbusch Individual design concept enables customisation of the built-in appliances in five different designs. With the Küppersbusch Meisterstück, a special kind of cook centre, the company caused quite a stir with ambitious hobby and professional chefs, and the Copper Edition, which was launched last year, proves that the company is capable of rapidly and very aesthetically bringing to life new trends in the kitchen and furniture industry. Furthermore, the company is entering into new and somewhat unusual cooperations: for example, Küppersbusch is supporting 2-star chef Alexandro Pape in marketing the first German "Fleur de Sel", which is produced on Sylt. And the fact that they are both from Gelsenkirchen is not the only thing that artist Christian Nienhaus and the Küppersbusch company have in common: With the project "Art meets kitchen", Nienhaus has created a platform in his studio to merge the two disciplines of art and cooking in a very special and unique way. Küppersbusch is also his partner here.
A look at the future or "We are celebrating a very special campaign": Küppersbusch, artist Christian Nienhaus and the Manuel Neuer Kids Foundation
At this year's LivingKitchen Küppersbusch is taking the opportunity to celebrate the company's 140th anniversary and also show its customers a variety of new products. For the first time, the company is presenting a design studio at the trade fair. Andrea Heiner-Kruckas, Küppersbusch Marketing Director, has been in charge of the marketing reorganisation since 2012, and explains the anniversary campaign as follows: "To celebrate our 140th anniversary, we had the idea to commission internationally renowned artist Christian Nienhaus to paint the Küppersbusch Meisterstück and auction it off for charity. Because both of our roots are in Gelsenkirchen, it was very important to us for the proceeds to go to a charity in our town. We chose the Manuel Neuer Kids Foundation. The basic idea of the foundation is to help children to lead a good life, to encourage them and offer them prospects for the future. We are certain that many people will be interested in this special and unique product and, of course, we are hoping to raise a lot of money to support the children in Gelsenkirchen". The anniversary campaign kicks off on 19 January 2015, when the Küppersbusch Meisterstück will be presented at LivingKitchen on the company's trade fair stand. The auction opens at the start of May and ends on 15 May 2015 - 140 years to the day after Friedrich Küppersbusch founded his stove factory "F. Küppersbusch & Söhne".
About Küppersbusch:
Küppersbusch Hausgeräte GmbH, based in the German town of Gelsenkirchen, is an international manufacturer of premium kitchen appliances. For more than 135 years, the name Küppersbusch has represented innovation and tradition. With competence, creative ideas and inspiration, the company develops pioneering technologies that set new benchmarks for modern built-in kitchen appliances. Offering a full range of products, Küppersbusch supplies everything from ovens to sinks. The company regularly wins national and international design prizes for the design of its kitchen products.