Körber AG is a strategic management

holding company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own shares of other companies ...

based Brandon Christopher McCartney (born August 17, 1989), professionally known as Lil B and as his alter ego The BasedGod, is an American rapper. Lil B has recorded both solo and with Bay Area group The Pack. His solo work spans several genres, i ...

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

. In 2020, the group had approximately 10,000 employees at more than 100 locations worldwide and generated sales of €1.76 billion.

History

1946–1992

On July 14, 1946, Kurt A. Körber paved the way for the first business deals in Hamburg. On February 1, 1947, he established Hauni Maschinenfabrik Körber & Co. KG (from 1958: Hauni-Werke Körber & Co. KG). The company originally only produced machines for the tobacco industry. In 1953, it moved to a new location within Hamburg's Bergedorf district. One year later, it had more than 1,000 employees. The group's international

expansion Expansion may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''L'Expansion'', a French monthly business magazine * ''Expansion'' (album), by American jazz pianist Dave Burrell, released in 2004 * ''Expansions'' (McCoy Tyner album), 1970 * ''Expansio ...

began in 1948, when Eric M. Warburg, who had been living in exile, helped Körber establish contact with American cigarette manufacturers. In 1951, Körber's machines were successful at a tobacco trade show in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

. By 1953, his company exported 80 percent of its products, and machines from Hauni plants were used in 48 countries. In 1955, the company established a plant in Richmond, Virginia, which was followed by additional facilities through the mid-1960s. The diversification of the company began in 1970, when it purchased E. C. H. Will, a manufacturer of paper-processing machines that was based in Hamburg-

Lokstedt Lokstedt () is a quarter of Hamburg, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of ...

. The new business division was strengthened in 1976 through the acquisition of Womako Maschinenkonstruktion GmbH ( Stuttgart). At the request of

German Chancellor The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,; often shortened to ''Bundeskanzler''/''Bundeskanzlerin'', / is the head of the federal government of Germany and the commander in chief of the Ge ...

Helmut Schmidt Helmut Heinrich Waldemar Schmidt (; 23 December 1918 – 10 November 2015) was a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), who served as the chancellor of West Germany from 1974 to 1982. Before becoming Ch ...

, Körber purchased the grinding machine manufacturer Blohm in Bergedorf in 1978. It served as the nucleus for the company's third business division. The acquisition of Schaudt Maschinenbau GmbH (Stuttgart and

Ellwangen Ellwangen an der Jagst, officially Ellwangen (Jagst), in common use simply Ellwangen () is a town in the district of Ostalbkreis in the east of Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It is situated about north of Aalen. Ellwangen has 25,000 inhabitants. ...

) in 1983 broadened its foundation. In the mid-1980s, the group generated sales of over one billion DM for the first time. On June 17, 1987, the group was transformed into Körber AG, which absorbed Hauni-Werke Körber & Co. KG.

1990–present

In the 1990s, the group's grinding machine segment, Schleifring, was under pressure due to

restructuring Restructuring is the corporate management term for the act of reorganizing the legal, ownership, operational, or other structures of a company for the purpose of making it more profitable, or better organized for its present needs. Other reasons ...

costs,

exchange rates In finance, an exchange rate is the rate at which one currency will be exchanged for another currency. Currencies are most commonly national currencies, but may be sub-national as in the case of Hong Kong or supra-national as in the case of ...

, fluctuating commodity prices, and a tough

price war A price is the (usually not negative) quantity of payment or compensation given by one party to another in return for goods or services. In some situations, the price of production has a different name. If the product is a "good" in the ...

within the sector. The business division for paper processing expanded during these years. Among other things, this was due to the acquisition of two Italian companies for the production and packaging of tissue products and the gradual purchase of a majority holding in a machine manufacturer for the production of envelopes and other paper products. Following Körber's passing on August 10, 1992, the company's assets were transferred to the

Körber Foundation The Körber Foundation (German: ''Körber-Stiftung'') is a nonprofit organization, established in 1959 by German businessman Kurt A. Körber. It provides a platform to discuss present political topics and develops operational projects on social an ...

. The Foundation was created on January 1, 1981, through the merger of the Kurt A. Körber Stiftung (established in 1959) and the Hauni Stiftung (established in 1969). Until Körber's death, the Foundation had held 34.9 percent of the shares. Since then, the group's annual

dividend A dividend is a distribution of profits by a corporation to its shareholders. When a corporation earns a profit or surplus, it is able to pay a portion of the profit as a dividend to shareholders. Any amount not distributed is taken to be re-i ...

has been paid out completely to the Körber Foundation. In 1995, Körber AG became a management holding company, which supervised the group's three business divisions at the time.Hauser, Evelyn, updated by Cohen, M. L.: ''Körber AG''. In: ''International Directory of Company Histories''. Vol. 173, p. 353. In 2002, the company entered a new market: packaging for pharmaceutical products. In the following years, this segment was expanded further through

acquisitions Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating units are transferred to or consolidated with another company or business organization. As an aspect ...

. It has been a separate business division since 2009. In 2012, Körber

divested In finance and economics, divestment or divestiture is the reduction of some kind of asset for financial, ethical, or political objectives or sale of an existing business by a firm. A divestment is the opposite of an investment. Divestiture is a ...

itself of several subsidiaries for paper processing machines, including E. C. H. Will. As a result of a number of restructuring measures, Körber was divided into seven business divisions in 2015: Automation, Logistics Systems, Machine Tools, Pharma Systems, Tissue, Tobacco, and Corporate Ventures. In 2017, the business division Körber Digital was added. It manages the digitization of the group and the development of new digital business models. One year later, the group sold the Machine Tools and Automation business divisions. Since 2020, the group and its business divisions and companies have appeared as a single, unified

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create ...

: Körber. The only exception is the Tobacco business division, which operates on the market as the Hauni Group. From September 2022 onwards, the Hauni Group was renamed to Körber Technologies. In early 2022, Körber acquired Siemens Logistics' mail and parcel business to strengthen its Supply Chain business area.

Group structure

The group is active in five business divisions: * Digital manages the digital advancement of the entire group and develops new digital business models and ventures. * Pharma offers solutions for processes for the manufacturing, inspection, and packaging of medications and for the

traceability Traceability is the capability to trace something. In some cases, it is interpreted as the ability to verify the history, location, or application of an item by means of documented recorded identification. Other common definitions include the capab ...

of these products. * Supply Chain focuses on technologies for production

logistics Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...

. Its product range includes

software Software is a set of computer programs and associated software documentation, documentation and data (computing), data. This is in contrast to Computer hardware, hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work. ...

automation Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, namely by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machines ...

solutions, voice applications,

robotics Robotics is an interdisciplinary branch of computer science and engineering. Robotics involves design, construction, operation, and use of robots. The goal of robotics is to design machines that can help and assist humans. Robotics integrate ...

, and transportation systems. * Tissue offers processing and packaging machines for toilet paper, kitchen towels, folded paper napkins, and paper towels. * Tobacco supports manufacturers that process tobacco, produce filters and cigarettes, offer measuring and analysis equipment, and produce flavoring—it also does this for new tobacco products in the heat-not-burn and

vaping An electronic cigarette is an electronic device that simulates tobacco smoking. It consists of an atomizer, a power source such as a battery, and a container such as a cartridge or tank. Instead of smoke, the user inhales vapor. As such ...

categories. Additionally, the division offers machines for the production of

drinking straw A drinking straw is a utensil that is intended to carry the contents of a beverage to one's mouth. Straws are commonly made from plastics but environmental concerns and new regulation have led to rise in reusable and biodegradable straws. These ...

References

External links