Where innovative sheet metal processing comes alive.

2

Graepel production 4

Graepel toolmaking 8

Graepel development and technology 12

Graepel quality management 16

Graepel business units 20

Graepel sales, locations and history 24

Graepel knowledge transfer 28

Graepel vocational education 32

Contents

Why Graepel is the premier

address for perforated sheet

processing.

What is the focus of your entrepreneurial

thinking and action? No question: Success.

To do that you need partners that think the

same way. Partners like Friedrich Graepel AG.

As your no. 1 system partner in perforated

sheet metal processing, we offer not only a

state-of-the-art machinery—it’s above all

our employees that guarantee an optimum

result tailored individually to your needs:

Just-in-time solutions of the highest quality

with which you save time and costs.

In this brochure you’ll get to know some of

the people that make the name Graepel

synonymous with innovative sheet metal

processing. People that identify with their

company; that, like Graepel, are deeply

rooted in their region, whose quest for

innovation and perfection doesn’t stop at

the factory gates. People you can rely on.

Because they embody the idea that has dis-

tinguished our company for more than 115

years: to be a trendsetter and innovation

leader for products and technologies with

a future. For your future too.

Welcome to our world.

Healthy growthbased on strong roots.

4

“The round must fit the square.”(Udo Reinert, technical specialist in prototype construction)

Graepel production

In the lead from the outset—to achieve

that goal, Udo Reinert enjoys working on

the right team tactics. As a youth football

coach he knows that talent and motiva-

tion on their own are not enough to finish

ahead. It needs team spirit and good

interaction between all members of the

team to finish a move by scoring a goal.

Udo Reinert also ensures the appropriate

coordination of workflows at Graepel.

As a technical specialist in workshop

management and prototype construction,

he manages projects and makes sure

they’re implemented on time. Thanks to

his 25 years’ experience at Graepel, he

knows how solutions that set standards

in design, safety and function are devel-

oped for and together with customers.

In every phase of the process, from the

first sketch to a serial product, skilled and

motivated experts work on your project.

People like Udo Reinert, whose commit-

ment and determination ensure that the

greatest challenges turn into the greatest

successes.

By the way: Don’t be surprised if you

come across Udo Reinert cheering euphor-

ically. He’s only revelling in the fact that

he chose the right tactic for yet another

successful project. Goooal!

Perfect organization:

Short channels under one roof

One hierarchy level

Industry-oriented teams

Low fluctuation

Promises that are kept

6

“Sometimes I become a machine myself.” (Heinz Sasse, Head of Toolmaking)

Graepel toolmaking

While Heinz Sasse is racing through the

“Artland” region he reaches speeds of up

to 50 kmh. To do that he needs more than

just strength and endurance in abun-

dance; he needs a high-performance

racing bike that is just as reliable as each

and every tool manufactured at Graepel.

With a lot of experience and an eye for

the right detail, he and his team make

high-precision tools for optimum technical

and value-for-money solutions. Besides

plenty of know-how, they naturally

need the latest machinery. Good that

state-of-the-art is standard at Graepel—

at every level.

Thanks to our flexible presses, the CNC-

controlled machining centres or the many

special machines, Heinz Sasse and his

colleagues can offer every customer what

he deserves—only the best. From pro-

totype to series.

And if now and again speed is of the

essence that is no problem at all. After all,

with Heinz Sasse we have a proven expert

in maximum speeds.

Efficient processes and

maximum competence in

shaped perforated sheets:

Best tooling technology

Controllable punching tools

Highly flexible machinery

Own design and own toolmaking

Faster order throughput

Best equipped for any task—

our machinery:

4 CNC machining centresWith travel lengths up to: X 3,300 mm

Y 1,200 mmZ 1,460 mm

and bench loading of up to 20 tons

Modern toolmaking as a service provider

State-of-the-art perforating pressesWith die controlRated pressure up to 4,000 kNPassage width up to 1,500 mm

CNC-laser stamping pressesAutomatic machiningStamping and lasering (2.4–4 kW)

Hydraulic deep drawing pressesRated pressure up to 8,000 kNBench sizes up to 2,800 x 1,500 mmStroke 1,000 mmPartly with forward feed and alignment unit up to 4 mm

Hydraulic die, bending and folding pressesRated pressure up to 4,000 kNBench lengths up to 6,000 mmPartly with automatic handling

Mechanical forming pressesRated pressure up to 6,300 kNBench size up to 1,600 x 3,500 mmAutomated with decoilers/alignment units and transfer unit

Mechanical double-sided pressesRated pressure up to 3,150 kNBench size up to 1,100 x 3,000 mmAutomated with decoilers/alignment units+ forward feed/passage 1,000 mm

Mechnical C-frame pressesRated pressure up to 350–2,500 kN

Manual and robot-supported welding and spot welding machines

Final assembly of ready-to-install modules

Surface treatment as service

Various special machines

Hydraulic press, 800 tons pressing powerwith coil system and automatic part discharge

Perforating press

CNC folding press

Tandem welding robot

Automatic punching machine

CNC milling machine

Die and laser unit

CNC machining

8

“You don’t get it 100 % right for thecustomer by swimming freestyle.”(Klaus Schute, Project Manager, Design and Development)

Graepel development

and technology

It’s good that Klaus Schute prefers breast-

stroke when he dives into the municipal

pool before work. And at Graepel too,

he’s anything but a freestyle artist. Whilst

development and design naturally also

demand his creativity, Klaus Schute none-

theless first has to make sure that every

product meets the customer’s require-

ments down to the last detail.

Besides his experience in tool design,

Klaus Schute benefits in particular from

his high social skills in his multi-faceted

job. Technical advice for our customers,

scheduling and project management—

the graduate engineer with a speciali-

zation in manufacturing technology has

to deal with many different people every

day. A job he masters perfectly and

obviously enjoys.

However much he likes working for and

with people, Klaus Schute is also happy

that he has outstanding technology at his

disposal. An end-to-end CAx chain, state-

of-the-art 3D CAD, such as Catia and Pro-

E, and data transmission technologies

ensure maximum efficiency in production.

They support the development and design

process from the outset and are thus the

basis for a perfect final result.

A result that might not satisfy every free-

lance artist, but our customers are entirely

satisfied. And that is what counts for us.

Unique product benefits:

Everything from one source

Small perforations, narrow bridge

Component development with

methods plan, up to serial production

Own prototype construction

Manufacturing and cost-effective

design through plant proximity

Modules expertise,

support for subcontractors

Years of experience

3D product and tool design with Pro/Engineer and Catia V5 Product development with serial production in mind

Project management assures a smooth series launch from the outset Concepts are created in teams with strong know-how input from all departments

10

“If my wife tells me to catch a pike, I can’t come home with eels.”(Rüdiger Born, Quality Manager)

Graepel quality management

Rüdiger Born pursues his hobby with the

same dedication as his job as Graepel’s

Quality Manager. Thanks to him and

his colleagues, our customers know:

Here we develop and produce precisely

to their needs.

Optimum quality management is standard

for us. So it goes without saying that we

are certified to DIN EN ISO 9001:2000. In

addition, the following accreditations are

evidence of our highly specialist know-

how in welding technology:

Manufacturer’s certificate for welding

of steel buildings per DIN 18800,

Part 7, Class D

Certificate of qualification to weld rail

vehicles and rail vehicle components

per DIN 6700, Part 2

DIN 4113 certificate of qualification

to weld load-bearing structures in

aluminium

Meticulous quality control and quality

assurance for just-in-time solutions—

those are the tasks facing Rüdiger Born

every day. We have relied on his expertise

for 37 years. A good catch for Graepel and

for our customers.

Our values—

the basis for quality:

Purposeful and consistent

Down to earth and fair

Modern and international

North German and conservative

Athletic and straight

Honest and familiar

Quality down to the finest detail—with the 3D measurement sensor

“If I would only ever go to the limits, I wouldn’t need to even start.”(Karsten Köhn, Team Leader, Automotive)

12

Graepel business units

Swimming, running and cycling—

as a triathlete, Karsten Köhn often goes

beyond his limits. And at Graepel, too,

this versatile designer and developer of

components for the machine tool and

automotive industry, the building indus-

try and other segments always finds the

right solution—however tough the

requirements.

How flexibly perforated sheets from

Graepel are applied across industries is

demonstrated by our commercial vehicle,

agriculture and perforated sheets/projects

(e. g. for the shopfitting industry) business

units. At Graepel-STUV GmbH in Seehau-

sen, Altmark, we also produce individual

and tailor-made solutions for profiled

safety gratings, spiral staircases, steps and

modules for the automotive, mechanical

Non-slip, Round-S spiral staircase with PVC handrailShelving systems in perforated sheet metal for the shopfitting industry

and plant engineering industries. Naturally

always matched exactly to your needs.

So you see: Graepel is flexible. Our service

spectrum is so broad that we develop and

design the ideal products for everyone of

our customers. We’d be happy to do the

same for you.

Join us at the starting line. Each and every

employee is one hundred percent fit in his

or her area of work—even if they’re not all

triathletes like Karsten Köhn.

Step for mobileexcavator,painted steel

Work platforms on cable-carpylons, hot-galvanized steel

Foto

Dop

pelm

ayr

14

“I always want to knowwhat’s around the next bend.” (Andreas Reisener, designer in prototype construction)

Thanks to our far-reaching international

contacts, we are also excellently positioned

and successful across continents. In our

own facility in the USA we pursue an active

export policy for the markets of North and

South America.

We have achieved our strong market

position not least thanks to our employees.

People like Andreas Reisener, who with

imagination and reliability make sure that

we attain the goals which we, and above

all our customers, have set.

Graepel sales,

locations and history

Andreas Reisener sets himself high targets.

And his perseverance helps him achieve

them. Whether it’s about mastering rivers

and rapids in a kayak, or developing new

solutions as a designer in prototype con-

struction and agreeing them with our

customers.

All-out customer orientation has made

Graepel big. Although closely bound with

Löningen since 1948, the entire company

has gone off to seek new shores. Across

Germany and in many European countries,

we have numerous distributors with sub-

stantial market experience.

We have achieved high targets:

A-grade supplier to all customers

Internationally well positioned

Market leader in product and

system expertise

1889

Hugo Graepel produces the first perforated sheets in Budapest.

1908

Claudius Graepel establishes a factory for perforatedsheets and their processing in Hanover; productionof the first “Graepel sieve”.

1915

Relocation of the company to Halberstadt, where upto 400 people produce perforated sheets, threshingmachine sieves, radiator grids and over 40 other,often patented, products.

Completion of spin-off of the subsidiary, name changes to Graepel-STUV GmbH.

2003

Founding of Graepel Bozankaya Otomotiv San. Ltd.Sti. in Sincan, Ankara.

2006

2004

Founding of Graepel North America Inc., Omaha, Nebraska.

Founding of Graepel Mitarbeiter-Beteiligungs GmbH, anemployee shareholding company. New production buildingserected in Löningen (2000 m2) and Seehausen (2500 m2).

1946

After dispossession in Halberstadt, new start in WestGermany. Production restarts in Wilhelmshaven.

1948

Move to the present location in Löningen; first apprentices begin their vocational training.

1953

Newly developed silos forstorage and drying ofwheat shown for the firsttime at the DLG trade fairin Cologne.

1923

Friedrich Graepel joins the company.

1991

Takeover of “Stalltechnik und VerzinkungSeehausen/Altmark GmbH (STUV)” as a 100 % subsidiary. Friedrich Claudius Graepel moves the “safety under foot” production line there.

1969

Start of production oftruck steps. The stock ofmachinery grows alongwith the increasingdemand.

1992

Start of production of boot lids and sidewall cladding for buses.

1976

Construction of a new building for toolmaking.Production of non-slip safety gratings for plantengineering and automotive, and for the building,mining and food industries.

1965

Friedrich Claudius Graepeljoins the company.

1981

Transformation from a private company into a stock corporation. All shares are held by the Graepel family.

Firm roots, successful growth—

the history of Graepel

Leading in the field of perforated sheet

processing for over 115 years.

1996

16

”It’s a long way to the top,if you wanna rock ‘n’roll!”(August Lanfermann, Sales Manager, Agricultural Machinery)

Graepel knowledge transfer

August Lanfermann really does put on a

great performance. Whether as the singer

in his rock band “Tricklin’ Dust” or as a

communication ace at Graepel. With plenty

of know-how, passion and supreme

ease, as well as excellent language skills,

he generates and nurtures contacts to

customers at home and abroad.

His tasks also include organising and

presenting Graepel-InForm—our major

Experts from science and industry convey theirknowledge about innovative sheet metal processing

Implementation of innovation on the production lineat Friedrich Graepel AG

Our promise as a service-

oriented company:

New ideas and motivation

Time gains and cost benefits

Enjoyment of work

and satisfaction

customer event at which we showcase

people, technologies, products, inno-

vations and visions. As a transparent com-

pany we attach great value to openness

vis-à-vis our customers. That is a fixed

element of our philosophy. And because

knowledge transfer is most efficient if it’s

also entertaining, it’s good to have an

experienced on-stage employee like

August Lanfermann. One who succeeds in

presenting a pleasant mix of information

and entertainment to his audience.

SafetyDesign

Performance

One initiative, which will enable us to

remain a leader in development and

technology in the future, is the Graepel

Award, a competition for future managers

that honours innovative studies and dis-

sertations. Because everything that creates

new knowledge helps us and our cus-

tomers move forward. And incidentally,

it’s not only August Lanfermann that

feels that way.

Of course you can find everything you

need to know about Graepel on our user-

friendly website www.graepel.de. Within

the company itself our Intranet also keeps

us at the forefront of communications.

18

”If it’s technical, nobody can outdomy youngsters.”(Andreas Behrens, instructor in the Graepel training workshop)

Graepel vocational

training & employees

Anyone that can boast as much technical

know-how as Andreas Behrens also has

a lot to pass on. He does that at home,

working with daughter Mareike on her

own motorbike, as well as at work in his

job as an instructor at Graepel. Here he

looks after the youngest employees in the

trades requiring vocational training.

A task full of responsibility, which he

masters with his 27 years of employment

with the company and a great deal of

commitment. You notice how much he

enjoys not only explaining the use of con-

trol technologies, but also planning and

implementing practical and company-

related projects with his trainees. Pro-

cesses that help our trainees, the company

and our customers move forward.

Like many of our more than 500 employees,

Andreas Behrens himself went through

the hard, but always fair, Graepel School.

He is an outstanding example of how

rewarding and valuable vocational

training at Graepel is. We are proud that

we have been able to demonstrate one

of the highest vocational training rates

anywhere in Germany.

We want to continue offering our cus-

tomers the highest quality and excellent

services in the future too. So we make

sure that the workforce of tomorrow is

integrated in our work processes from the

outset, that they feel good about working

with us, express ideas and needs, and

question things. Because, like Andreas

Behrens, all of us at Graepel are con-

vinced that independent thinking offers

the greatest potential for innovation.

Conventional skills are also fine-tuned in vocational training

Vocational training

trades at Graepel:

Tooling mechanic

(stamping technology)

Industrial mechanic

Mechatronics technician

Mechanical engineer

Graepel-STUV GmbHWaldemar-Estel-Straße 7 D-39615 Seehausen/AltmarkFon +49 (0) 3 93 86/27-0 Fax +49 (0) 3 93 86/27-180www.graepel.de · info@graepel-stuv.de

Friedrich Graepel AGZeisigweg 2 · D-49624 LöningenPO Box 1151 · D-49618 LöningenFon +49 (0) 54 32/85-0 Fax +49 (0) 54 32/20 54www.graepel.de · graepelag@graepel.de

Frank MersiowskiFon +49 (0) 393 86/27-123mersiowski@graepel-stuv.de

Rolf BütowFon +49 (0) 393 86/27-171buetow@graepel-stuv.de

Construction/ structural steel

Plant/machinery

Commercial vehiclesDaimlerChrysler/EvoBus

Commercial vehiclesMAN/Neoplan

Commercial vehiclesDAF

Commercial vehicles/vehicle construction

Tanker, container,and trailerconstruction

Rail vehicles

Agricultural machineryJohn Deere

Agriculturalmachinery

Constructionmachinery

Industrialproducts

Furniture industry

Metals industry

Electrical industry

Contract galvanizing

Friedrich Graepel AG Graepel-STUV GmbH Friedrich Graepel AG Graepel-STUV GmbH

Your contacts in our business units

Hans-Peter HofbauerFon +49 (0) 71 57/53 52 82h.hofbauer@iv-h.com

Robert WawacekFon +49 (0) 81 42/28 44 04robert.wawacek@freenet.de

Thomas KoeheinFon +31 (0) 33/277 25 94graepel@koehein.nl

Heinrich WesselmannFon +49 (0) 54 32/85-116wesselmann@graepel.de

Uwe MoritzFon +49 (0) 393 86/27-136moritz@graepel-stuv.de

Karsten KöhnFon +49 (0) 393 86/27-121koehn@graepel-stuv.de

Matthias HüttenbergerFon +49 (0) 62 43/90 31 15m_huettenberger@web.de

August LanfermannFon +49 (0) 54 32/85-166lanfermann@graepel.de

Andreas ReisenerFon +49 (0) 393 86/27-119reisener@graepel-stuv.de

Josef DükerFon +49 (0) 5432/85-117dueker@graepel.de

Hartwig WulfersFon +49 (0) 54 32/85-136wulfers@graepel.de

Josef DükerFon +49 (0) 54 32/85-117dueker@graepel.de

Josef DükerFon +49 (0) 54 32/85-117dueker@graepel.de

Lothar KnadeFon +49 (0) 393 86/27-147knade@graepel-stuv.de