"Innovative by tradition - now and in the future" - this is the motto for 2020 at groninger & co. gmbh, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The globally active family business builds filling and closing systems for the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and consumer healthcare industries.
"There are days when I can't believe it's been 40 years since we founded our company, and sometimes I find it even harder to believe how it has developed," says Horst Groninger He shakes his head in disbelief, crosses his arms and looks at his wife Eva. She smiles and simply replies: "How right you are."
Almost out of nowhere, Horst Groninger had 11 April 1980 the groninger & co. gmbh was founded. Four decades have passed since then. Today, the family business, which is now managed by the second generation of the Groninger family - sons Jens and Volker Groninger - is one of the leading names in plant engineering for filling and capping machines for the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and consumer healthcare industries.
"This year we are celebrating our 40th birthday. For this reason, our motto for 2020 is 'Innovative by tradition - now and in the future'," explains CEO Jens Groninger not without pride in his voice.
Review
The senior boss had the idea to found the company while skiing with friends in the Austrian Alps.
"I was no longer happy with my employer at the time. Instead, I wanted to set up my own company, be my own boss, realise my own ideas and inspire others to do the same," the senior boss recalls fondly. He found an advocate for this endeavour in his wife from day one. "But I wouldn't have done it without her support," he remembers. Horst Groninger to say to this day.
Fortunately, Eva Groninger provided this support. Because today the Filling and capping specialist The company has become an integral part of the industry, but also of the regional employer market. 40 years after its foundation, the company maintains three locations in Crailsheim, Schnelldorf and Charlotte (USA) and employs around 1,300 people worldwide. A groninger system has been sold to almost every country in the world - totalling around 10,000 systems.
The breakthrough came with a technical innovation that was to pave the way for the company's subsequent market leadership in the field of pre-sterilised disposable tips: the Sealless rotary piston pump. A revolution in the industry with an almost logical consequence: groninger succeeds in establishing itself on the market with its own products and a strong brand name within a very short space of time. The first machines are built in a pharmaceutical plant in Wasserburg, mainly for pharmacies that fill their own liquid medicines. The groninger team consists of just a few employees.
In 1981, just one year after the company was founded, it moved from Wasserburg to Crailsheim, to its first own factory. The family business still has its headquarters here today. However, the face of the company premises has changed dramatically over the past decades. From the former 4,500 square metres At the beginning of the 1980s, the site has developed on around eleven hectares enlarged. This corresponds to around 25 times the area at that time - in Crailsheim alone.
Change
The family company's product portfolio has also changed in the meantime: from simple filling lines, some of which were operated by hand, the company's product portfolio has grown to include fully automaticdigitally networked High-performance systems that can process up to 60,000 syringes per hour. And the change continues. Like the industry itself, groninger is also changing with the times: more flexibility, faster changeover times, even fewer bad objects, a smaller footprint, but shorter delivery times - these and other topics are on groninger's agenda in its 40th anniversary year.
"As in the past, we will continue to offer our customers sophisticated solutions for these challenges in the future - true to our company motto: 'We fill Visions with Life'. This is a promise for today and for the future. Because we will never tire of searching for and finding the best solutions for our customers over the next 40 years," says Jens Groninger convinced.
There is no question that the groninger story continues. Perhaps Horst Groninger and his family will one day be able to believe that this is not a fairy tale, but a success story par excellence.
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About groninger
groninger is one of the leading international manufacturers of filling and closing machines for the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and consumer healthcare industries.
The slogan "We fill Visions with Life" succinctly summarises what groninger stands for: excellent expertise, innovative solutions and partnership-based cooperation in special machine construction. Since the company was founded in 1980 by Horst Groninger, groninger has developed into a hidden champion and innovation leader in the industry. Today, the second-generation family business employs around 1,300 people at its sites in Crailsheim, Schnelldorf and Charlotte (USA). The company is headquartered in Crailsheim.
groninger at a glance
* Founded in 1980 by Horst Groninger
* Head office Crailsheim, Baden-Württemberg
* Locations Crailsheim, Schnelldorf, Charlotte (North Carolina, USA)
* Managing Directors Horst Groninger, Jens Groninger, Volker Groninger, Josef Veile
* Filling and capping systems sector
* Pharmaceuticals, Cosmetics and Consumer Healthcare divisions
* Employees 1,300 worldwide
* Export quota 90 per cent
Source: groninger
