Construction of a new factory, marking the transition from a craft workshop to a factory operation with a hammer mill.
Semi-finished products can now be manufactured in-house.
Own steam power plant, two forging hammers, finishing forge, wet grinding shop, locksmith’s workshop, and handle production.
50 employees in production, several employees in the office.
Wilhelm GRUEBER Jr. *March 9, 1865.
Mechanical engineering studies. Start of production in the former factory buildings, including the manufacture of crucible steel castings, connecting rods, pipe caps, contract manufacturing, and light drop-forged parts. High quality standards for both production processes and products.
Transfer of the company to Wilhelm GRUEBER Jr. Beginning of the production of cold-formed steel springs in Department 1. Wire drawing mills in Altena supply the raw material in the form of wire. Simple coiling machines and grinding wheels are the first machines used for production.
Springs over 10 mm in diameter with round and rectangular cross-sections, coiled from Bessemer-quality steel, heat-treated and ground – the forerunner of today’s hot-formed springs (Department 2).
Start of leaf spring production. The former forging shop for shovels is repurposed for the manufacture of leaf springs (Department 4).
Required annealing and tempering furnaces are installed. Products are manufactured for railway wagons, trams, light railways, and horse-drawn carriages. Later, production expands to include locomotive springs, carriage springs, automotive springs, and trailer springs.
Expansion and construction of new factory buildings between Elberfelder Straße, Wilhelmstraße, and Augustastraße. The old forge is replaced by a multi-storey industrial building, expanding hot-forming production and providing additional accommodation for employees.
Death of Wilhelm GRUEBER. In his will, he stipulates: “The factory business shall be continued by my nephew Heinrich Nettmann and my son Werner Waterstradt… Both are to be trained as a businessman and an engineer and, upon reaching the age of 25, shall be entrusted with the management of the company.”
During the transition period beginning in 1922, the business is managed by Emil Otto Rath. The focus is on consolidation, preserving the company’s assets, increasing production capacity, and building up raw material inventories to meet customer delivery requirements.
Heinrich Nettmann and Werner Waterstradt travel to the United States to gain industrial experience. GRUEBER celebrates its 100th anniversary.
Fourth generation: Dr Heinrich Nettmann, nephew of Wilhelm GRUEBER Jr., and Werner Waterstradt, his son and a graduate mechanical engineer, join the company.
Gradual takeover of the company management from Mr Rath, who continues to support the management team with his expertise.
Relocation to the new plant in Hagen-Halden.
Autumn 1978: Inauguration of the new production facility. The planning of the new site is supported by Kienbaum. The company’s future viability and organizational structure are critically reviewed.
Celebration of the company’s 150th anniversary: relocation to the new production site in Hagen-Halden with all departments.
Know-how and technology transfer as part of the Indian Railways (IR) tender. Construction of a production plant in Gwalior in cooperation with the trading company Komrowski (Hamburg) for the manufacture of coil springs for SIG bogies. Training of Indian employees in Hagen, while several GRUEBER employees from Hagen support the commissioning of the new plant in India.
Supply of springs for LHB bogies to Indian Railways (IR) over a period of 20 to 25 years.
Introduction of the first FUL-10 coiling machines for automotive formed springs in 1980.
The introduction of advanced control systems and multi-axis motion control enabled modern manufacturing processes and the production of complex formed springs, including variable-pitch springs and springs with rolled ends.
For two decades, the sports and vehicle tuning market, together with the spare parts business, drives growth in the cold-formed springs division.
The first quality manual is developed as part of the certification process for the manufacture of springs used in nuclear power plants.
Implementation of a quality management system in accordance with DIN EN ISO 9001.
Active participation in the Quality Assurance Working Group in cooperation with TÜV Hagen.
The launch of high-speed rail with the ICE 1 fleet, reaching speeds of up to 280 km/h. GRUEBER springs are supplied for Siemens and Bombardier-built trains (60 trainsets).
Over the following three decades, GRUEBER supplies springs for the entire ICE fleet—from ICE 1 through ICE 4. Beginning in 2009, GRUEBER also equips China’s high-speed rail network in cooperation with ALSTOM and Siemens, supplying springs for the CRH3 Siemens Velaro and the ALSTOM Pendolino CRH5. GRUEBER remains the leading spring supplier to Deutsche Bahn, with weekly inspections by DB representatives confirming the consistently high quality of its products.
Expansion of the production facilities with a modern powder coating line. Springs for industrial applications and vibration isolation systems (GERB) are finished to automotive standards using advanced surface pretreatment, including phosphating and powder coating.
Acquisition of the production operations of Motte Spring Factory in Hagen.
Key customers and employees—including Plant Manager Rolf Sonneborn—join GRUEBER, providing significant expertise and technical support.
Manufacture of springs for the Millennium Bridge in London. In cooperation with the engineering company GERB (Berlin), mass dampers and steel springs are installed to eliminate excessive vibrations of the pedestrian bridge. This project further strengthens GRUEBER’s international business activities.
Introduction of CNC-controlled wire bending technology with the BM-9 and BM-90 bending machines.
Agricultural components, torsion springs, and wire forms can now be manufactured efficiently in medium production runs using single-head bending machines, later enhanced by the BM-90.
Commissioning of an automated wet-paint coating line for railway vehicle springs.
GRUEBER receives an environmental award for its innovative use of water-based coating systems. The advanced wet-paint technology establishes the company as a pioneer in the European railway industry, with the coating system approved for use by Deutsche Bahn.
Installation of a second coiling line for the production of hot-formed compression springs.
For the first time, two large industrial robots are introduced into GRUEBER’s production process.
Discontinuation of leaf spring production for the spare parts business, creating space for a new production line.
Major projects for customer GERB Berlin.
Major vibration isolation projects include the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg (3,600 springs), the Lyric Theatre Complex in Hong Kong (16,800 spring sets, type 44/16), and the TYEL metro system in Taiwan (14,000 spring sets, type 44/20).
Production of tension springs for the Macau Bridge, one of the world’s longest bridge crossings. Thanks to expanded production capacity, GRUEBER manufactures 10,000 tension springs with special Hi-Fo eyelets for the project. The 44-series round springs become synonymous with earthquake protection and vibration isolation applications.