ZOLLERN was founded in 1708 by Prince Meinrad II of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, which makes it the oldest family-owned company in the state of Baden-Württemberg (Germany).
Today the company is owned by the eleventh generation of the Hohenzollern family which founded it more than 300 years ago.
The original plant has advanced to become a state-of-the-art metal processing group with strong roots and expertise.
| 1708 | Foundation of the Fürstliche Hohenzollernsche Hüttenwerke by Prince Meinrad II of Hohenzollern in Laucherthal (where today's group is headquartered) |
| 1890 | Bronze foundry goes into production |
| 1935 | Beginning of plain bearing production |
| 1950 | Beginning of precision casting production |
| 1972 | Beginning of gearbox production |
| 1976 | Herbertingen plant begins production |
| 1978 | Beginning of special profile production |
| 1984 | First automation technology projects |
| 1989 | Dr. Adolf Merckle joins the group as an additional shareholding partner. The group now operates under the name Fürstlich Hohenzollernsche Werke Laucherthal GmbH & Co. |
| 1991 | Construction and start-up of investment casting plant in Portugal |
| 1996 | Takeover of BHW Braunschweiger Hüttenwerk GmbH, with its three plants in Germany and Brazil (plain bearings) |
| 1997 | Construction and start-up of the Chinese works in Tanjin under the name ZOLLERN Speed Reducer Company Ltd. (gearboxes) |
| 1999 | Takeover of Friedrich Blickle & Co. GmbH (cutting metalworking) |
| Takeover of Dorstener Maschinenfabrik AG (gearboxes) | |
| 2003 | Takeover of ZOLLERN Tlc. in Les Mureaux near Paris (plain bearings) |
| 2003 | Takeover of GMH Gleitlagerfabrik und Metallgießerei GmbH (plain bearings) |
| 2004 | Following the group's globalisation strategy, all the companies now operate under the ZOLLERN brand name. |
| 2006 | Takeover of Thyssen-Krupp Aluminiumfeinguss Soest GmbH & Co. KG (aluminium investment casting) |
| 2007 | Zollern invests more than 100 million euros in new processes and technologies to increase its competitiveness. |
| 2008 | Zollern breaks through the sales barrier of 500 million euros. |
The Founder
In 1708, Prince Meinrad II. (1689 – 1715) built an iron smelting works in Laucher-
thal. Now the ZOLLERN group is headquartered there.
It employs more than 3,200 people at 15 company sites around the world.
Today, Prince Karl Friedrich von Hohenzollern, represents the tenth generation of the von Hohenzollern family that owns the company. He is Chairman of the Advisory Board.