Kuntz Electroplating Incorporated is a family owned surface finishing company specializing in Chrome plating. It is North America's largest polishing and plating company for original equipment manufacturers of steel, aluminum and zinc components for the automotive, motorcycle, appliance and specialty equipment industries. The company is one of the oldest and largest companies in

Waterloo Region The Regional Municipality of Waterloo (Waterloo Region or Region of Waterloo) is a metropolitan area of Southern Ontario, Canada. It contains the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo (KWC or Tri-Cities), and the townships of North Dumfr ...

. Kuntz was a division of Magna International for 12 years (1978-1990).

History

The Kuntz Brewery was sued in 1929 for bootlegging to the United States for $200,000. The Brewery had to be sold and the leftover money was passed down to Oscar Kuntz where, 18 years later, he started building a new company for plating metal. The company is now owned by the sons of Oscar,

Bobby Kuntz Robert John "Bobby" Kuntz Sr. (January 10, 1932 – February 7, 2011) was a professional Canadian football linebacker who played eleven seasons in the Canadian Football League for the Toronto Argonauts and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He was a part of ...

and Paul Kuntz.

Expansion

Original Purchase

In 1947 Oscar Kuntz purchased a building owned by Carr Brothers on Princess Street in Waterloo. At that time named Metal Finishers.

1950-1959

* 1951, company moved to the larger Nyberg Street location. 6,000 square feet 50 employees. * 1956, expansion to .

1960-1969

* 1965, moved to current location on Wilson Ave. . * 1968, anniversary added the "old Hoist Line" and a new Polishing building, 100 employees.

1970-1979

* 1973, new maintenance division, chemical lab, quality control center, automotive lines and shipping department, 150 employees and . * 1978, joined Magna International added .

1980-1989

* 1985, added for waste treatment plant. * 1988, expanded to 425 employees for 40th anniversary. * 1989, acquired "Formulated Coatings of Brampton." added 90 employees and a facility.

1990-1999

* 1990, separated from Magna International to pursue own interests. * 1993-1996, large growth allowed the acquisition of 300 new employees for a total of 675. * 1997, wheel plating expanded (now the largest sector) hired 150 new employees. * 1999, adopted environmentally friendly practices, built steam generator giving 50% of total power.

2000-2009

* 2000, expanded plating line, adopted a new robotics program to raise production and added a new water treatment facility. * 2001, The company reached its peak with 1,200 employees and a complex. * 2004, partnered with Harley-Davidson bring total production up to 3,000,000 parts per year. * 2008, company downsizes to endure global recession. It was one of the few manufacturers to survive in

2010-Present

* 2010, recalled a portion of the laid off workers bringing total back to 850 employees.

Major Clients

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

* Ford * Harley-Davidson * Toyota * BMW * Audi * Honda *

Jaguar Cars Jaguar (, ) is the luxury vehicle brand of Jaguar Land Rover, a British multinational car manufacturer with its headquarters in Whitley, Coventry, England. Jaguar Cars was the company that was responsible for the production of Jaguar cars ...

Bentley Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of luxury cars and SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded as Bentley Motors Limited by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Cricklewood, North ...

* Volvo * Mercedes-Benz * Freightliner Trucks

Export Countries

* United States * France * Germany * Italy * Tuvalu{{cn, date=December 2017

External links

HistoryProfile
Companies based in Kitchener, Ontario History of manufacturing in Ontario