90 Years of Kalkhoff history - Kalkhoff USA
90 Years of Kalkhoff history - Kalkhoff USA
90 Years of Kalkhoff history - Kalkhoff USA
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5/2009 Mai • Deutschland € 4,20 • Österreich € 4,85 • BeNeLux € 4,95 • Italien € 5,65 • Spanien € 5,65 • Schweiz sfr. 8,40 • ISSN 0940-4929 • H 06768<br />
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Kalk<strong>of</strong>f_8seiter_ Englisch.indd 1<br />
04.06.2009 9:33:24 Uhr
Visit at Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f in Cloppenburg<br />
&<br />
Tradition<br />
the modern age<br />
Everything began <strong>90</strong> years ago: at the tender age <strong>of</strong> 16 years Heinrich Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f founded -actually a rural postman<br />
who sold tires on the side –the Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f company. However, it should not remain with just the intinerant sale<br />
<strong>of</strong> tires. He expanded this small trade single minded from an assembly firm to an impressive factory for bicycles with a<br />
global organization. After an eventful <strong>history</strong> with many product highlights and export to distant countries Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f is<br />
today under the wings <strong>of</strong> the Cloppenburger Derby Cycle-group well positioned. And it is ranked among the best known<br />
brands in Germany – with the highest potential. Here tradition and the modern age meet and the bikes –it does not matter<br />
whether trekking-city- or since recently, electro-bikes- are really nice.<br />
Photo reference: The historic photos have been placed at the disposal by<br />
the Oldenburger Bicycle Museum/the Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f Archive-Gabriele Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f<br />
Above: Everything started in the wooden hut next to the parental home • Company founder Heinrich Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f • Production <strong>of</strong> frames in 1962 • Sales at agricultural fairs • Everything from…<br />
Kalk<strong>of</strong>f_8seiter_ Englisch.indd 2<br />
03.06.2009 9:54:29 Uhr
Such begins the Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f <strong>history</strong>: already during<br />
the war years (1914-1918) Heinrich Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f<br />
as a young rural postman had to deliver<br />
for hours and hours mail to isolated farms in<br />
the Cloppenburger flat country by foot and<br />
bicycle. On his way he made breaks. During<br />
this time he read one or two mail circulars,<br />
so to say, advertising which he should have<br />
actually had to deliver. Among them was a<br />
broschure <strong>of</strong> a company from Bielefeld which<br />
<strong>of</strong>fered inexpensive bicycle tires. Thereafter,<br />
Heinrich Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f asked the farmers to whom<br />
he brought the mail whether they could use<br />
tires. The demand was so great that Klakh<strong>of</strong>f<br />
had from now on to deliver more tires than<br />
mail. He began his entrepreneurial independence<br />
in his parental house in the Kessener<br />
way in Cloppenburg. He sold heavy English<br />
and domestic army tires as well as first-class<br />
Continental tires and tubes. Already in June<br />
1920 he started trading used, but in flawless<br />
condition, men and women bicycles as well<br />
as spareparts. Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f began the production<br />
with two employees <strong>of</strong> his own bike frames<br />
in 1923. Completely assembled bicycles left<br />
the Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f production plant in 1927.<br />
This was actually a barn shaped construction<br />
<strong>of</strong> a size <strong>of</strong> roughly 250 m² attached to his<br />
parental house. After eight years, he expanded<br />
the addition to include, not only <strong>of</strong>fices,<br />
production, warehouse and direct sales, but<br />
also a dormitory for 13 workers at that time.<br />
This location changed continually over the<br />
decades: the workforce and the productivity<br />
were again and again expanded. At the<br />
beginning <strong>of</strong> WWII already 700,000 bike<br />
frames were manufactured in Cloppenburg.<br />
The Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f Works was one <strong>of</strong> the most<br />
important employers with a seventy people<br />
workforce in an economic structurally weak<br />
region. During the winter months a large<br />
number <strong>of</strong> the rural population was occupied<br />
with the attachment <strong>of</strong> spokes to the the<br />
bike wheels: this was for many an essential<br />
means <strong>of</strong> living. The bicycle production was<br />
then stopped entirely during the wartime.<br />
One was forced to build military hardware<br />
(armor shafts). Then the occupying powers<br />
only allowed the production <strong>of</strong> agricultural<br />
products in the first postwar years: potatoe<br />
steamers for pork-fattening which were also<br />
suitable for the distilling <strong>of</strong> spirits, as well as<br />
trucktrailers and kitchen stoves.<br />
In 1950 the bicycle production became again<br />
the focus <strong>of</strong> interest. At that time the two<br />
wheeler segment experienced an enormous<br />
boom in demand. There were 1,200 emplo-<br />
…<br />
On one hand: handlebar production (picture), electroplating,stamping <strong>of</strong> chain rings. As seen in today´s production. Careful application <strong>of</strong> the Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f decals and lettering.<br />
Kalk<strong>of</strong>f_8seiter_ Englisch.indd 3<br />
03.06.2009 9:54:37 Uhr
Presentation vehicle including glased trailer ( also seen inside: stove and oven). ∙ 1952 classic mens touring bike...<br />
In<br />
yees from time to time in the production <strong>of</strong><br />
handlebars, seatposts and wheels. Even the<br />
chain wheel fittings were self-stamped and<br />
processed in the company´s own electroplating<br />
plant. At that time the daily production<br />
<strong>of</strong> frames was 5,ooo! Mopeds and motorized<br />
bicycles were sold. The export <strong>of</strong> bikes and<br />
parts was <strong>of</strong> special importance. The lucrative<br />
business made possible an expansion. For<br />
the industrialist a second production facility<br />
in Volkmarsen was built in 1955 where one<br />
manufactured exclusively for the export to<br />
South Africa and overseas.<br />
Special export models<br />
Roughly 20% <strong>of</strong> the production in the 60´s<br />
went into export. Even Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f with handwork<br />
“made in Germany” was competitive<br />
in East Asia. The sales success resulted<br />
mainly due to a relatively low sales price:<br />
But also due to the ability <strong>of</strong> the company to<br />
adapt to the design expectations <strong>of</strong> foreign<br />
countries: Thus a colorful optic – important<br />
for Indonesia. In the U.S. market a gas-tank<br />
mock-up could not be missing. The answer<br />
to Kettlers “Kett-Car” (chain) in the Federal<br />
Republic <strong>of</strong> Germany was the “Ka-Car”.<br />
Apart from that, the spirit <strong>of</strong> the times determined<br />
the model range. During the 60´s<br />
the positive image <strong>of</strong> the pr<strong>of</strong>essional cycling<br />
sport promoted the sale <strong>of</strong> racing bikes;<br />
from 1968 and on, the strong emphasis on<br />
mass sports – can you still remember the popular<br />
“fitness movement?”- resulted in new<br />
product lines: home exerciser and fitness<br />
sports equipment. Since there was such<br />
an enormous demand, one constructed<br />
“out <strong>of</strong> thin air” another<br />
factory in the industrial area <strong>of</strong><br />
Cloppenburg – with its own factory<br />
siding for twenty freight cars. At<br />
first a central shipping warehouse<br />
was built in 1972: one could celebrate<br />
the fifth million bike. Thereafter<br />
a painting and assembly hall<br />
was constructed and production<br />
facilities from which even today<br />
Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f bikes are dispatched all<br />
over the world. The good, positive<br />
development enabled many<br />
workers to find a job in the county <strong>of</strong> Cloppenburg.<br />
In 1976 a stamping plant called<br />
“Nikko-Presswork” was founded in nearby<br />
Scharrel in partnership with the Japanese<br />
firm “Nikko and Mitsui”. Frame connection<br />
inserts (bushings and housings) were produced<br />
there in new –type method <strong>of</strong> production.<br />
In addition, Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f maintains five<br />
large supply depots all over Germany.<br />
“Self made” man Heinrich Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f<br />
After Heinrich Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f managed the company<br />
for almost one half a century, the company<br />
founder turned over the operation management<br />
to his three sons Berthold, Karl<br />
and Heinz in 1968. At that time the Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f<br />
works had 420 employees. Although<br />
Heinrich Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f had neither a business nor<br />
a formal crafts training, he understood how<br />
to make out <strong>of</strong> a one man firm one <strong>of</strong> the<br />
largest companies in the bicycle segment.<br />
The reason for the success was certainly<br />
adamant discipline – for himself and all his<br />
employees. The boss was omnipresent in his<br />
company: not only to control his workforce<br />
but rather more to influence the technical<br />
and ergonomic process. His maxim : simplicity<br />
<strong>of</strong> the processes and solidity.One met<br />
him <strong>of</strong>ten at a workbench where he occupied<br />
himself as a “tinkerer” with technical solutions.<br />
When Heinrich Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f died in 1972,<br />
1973: one <strong>of</strong> the many Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f racing reams: Bottom left: Burckhardt Budde- team member 36 years ago; today responsible for the development <strong>of</strong> the elektro-bike at Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f.<br />
Kalk<strong>of</strong>f_8seiter_ Englisch.indd 4<br />
03.06.2009 9:54:58 Uhr
In shock-resistant Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f enamel on a rust protected underground ∙ Something special: 1 <strong>of</strong> 12 folding bikes made for Mercedes, below: Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f-trainbike from the designer Collani.<br />
Unusal advertising was the hall mark <strong>of</strong> Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f:<br />
there were many advertising motives on<br />
which the “Apo” icon, Uschi Obermeier posed<br />
freely for Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f bikes.<br />
he left behind an economically strong, expanding<br />
company which still grew strongly in the<br />
following years. It was typical that employees<br />
spent their entire work life, from the time <strong>of</strong><br />
their vocational training up to their retirement,<br />
in the company: “Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f- that was<br />
more or less my life” This statement <strong>of</strong> a previous<br />
works employee stands as representative<br />
for hundreds <strong>of</strong> people in<br />
the workforce. Not without<br />
good reason was in 1986 the<br />
insolvency <strong>of</strong> the company so<br />
painful for many employees<br />
because the firm could not<br />
keep up with the fast moving<br />
spirit <strong>of</strong> the time. Many<br />
found employment at the<br />
successor company “New<br />
Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f Works:” Not few<br />
still work in the building and<br />
are under contract now at<br />
the long standing manufacturer<br />
“Derby Cycle-Werke”<br />
Celebrities for 1A<br />
brand-name-recognition<br />
That Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f today –besides<br />
Kettler and Herculesbelongs<br />
to the best known<br />
brands in Germany has also<br />
to do with the unusual advertising<br />
and marketing strategies <strong>of</strong> Heinrich<br />
Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f. Because the competitors <strong>of</strong><br />
the Cloppenburger company criticized him<br />
strongly in counter-ads which, however, were<br />
more intensively noticed by customers, resulted<br />
in the fact that he could quickly expand<br />
his circle <strong>of</strong> buyers in the 20´s. Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f from<br />
1950 visited the dealers with a special trade<br />
fair sales vehicle. In 1965, in keeping with the<br />
times, the first product broschure was presented<br />
to the broad public. PR work which leads<br />
to headlines always was done by the Lower<br />
Saxons. He was able to gain also celebrities,<br />
such as a cabinet minister or a bishop for advertising<br />
purposes. Even at that time the very<br />
popular – and during that periods unusual<br />
circumstances – <strong>of</strong> “freely” showing appearance,<br />
the “Apo-icon” Uschi Obermeier was<br />
seen in the appropriate attention-getting advertising<br />
posters.<br />
IFMA 1988: Derby Circle takes<br />
over<br />
At the beginning <strong>of</strong> the 80´s Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f achieved<br />
a turnover <strong>of</strong> more than DM128 million<br />
with 1,000 employees. The daily production<br />
was 5,000 bicycles. However, the company<br />
could no longer keep up with the developments.<br />
Even nice-sounding model names<br />
such as “Weltkrone” (World Crown), “Präzision”<br />
(Precision) or “Rekord” (Record) did not<br />
lead to mass sales. In addition, an external<br />
Kalk<strong>of</strong>f_8seiter_ Englisch.indd 5<br />
03.06.2009 9:55:22 Uhr
Today a hit: the Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f „Voyager“ with brilliant coat <strong>of</strong> varnish and colored components. Frames and parts are being dynamically stressed in the Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f test center<br />
tax auditor found out – what many suspected<br />
– that the company sold their bikes cheaply<br />
event to stay in business. Bicycles, whose<br />
production costs was DM 110 each, were<br />
sold for DM 95 to large wholesale chains<br />
and mail order houses. That could not work<br />
out well: in 1985 the company had to file<br />
for insolvency. The rescue dragged out for a<br />
long time. At some point Chinese investors<br />
wanted to purchase the production facilities,<br />
disassemble the machinery and ship<br />
everything in containers back to China as<br />
they had done previously with the Munichbased<br />
moped manufacturer Zuendapp.<br />
Even interested parties from Bulgaria made<br />
a bid. The object was awarded to a regional<br />
investor group <strong>of</strong> agricultural barons<br />
around the horse breeder Paul Schockemöhle.<br />
They called the firm the “Neue<br />
Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f-Werke” ( New-Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f-Works):<br />
they pulled into the boat pr<strong>of</strong>essional German<br />
bicycle makers, Julius Sprick and Wolfgang<br />
Schlueter. The assembly and the shipping<br />
were modernized, but nevertheless,<br />
they were finished just after two-and-one<br />
half years. Then after the IFMA trade fair<br />
in 1988, Alan Finden-Cr<strong>of</strong>ts, an internationally<br />
positioned manufacturer <strong>of</strong> bikes with<br />
attractive-sounding names such as Raleigh<br />
and Gazelle, announced the take-over and<br />
incorporated Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f in his growing brand<br />
name empire. Bernhard Meyer who has<br />
been more than 30 years there and is responsible<br />
today for the distribution said that<br />
“this was a stroke <strong>of</strong> luck for us. We got so<br />
much technical know-how from the other<br />
brands and became innovative in the area<br />
<strong>of</strong> bicycle manufacturing.”<br />
Also Burkhardt Budde nodded. Thirty-six<br />
years ago he was a member <strong>of</strong> Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f´s<br />
own factory racing team in the school class<br />
competition. Now he is responsible for the<br />
electro-bike as product manager. On the<br />
whole, Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f was and is the reservoir <strong>of</strong><br />
bike experts who occupy today leading positions<br />
in the bicycle industry. Two examples<br />
<strong>of</strong> many: Georg Honkomp was responsible<br />
in Cloppenburg for distribution and Egbert<br />
Sales Director Germany, Bernard Meyer with his Uschi-photo. Electro-bikes are just in the final assembly. Conscientious quality control is obligatory…<br />
Kalk<strong>of</strong>f_8seiter_ Englisch.indd 6<br />
03.06.2009 9:55:57 Uhr
Bicycles and electro-bikes emerge for tomorrow in the design department<br />
Hageböck for purchasing. Today they make<br />
up the management board <strong>of</strong> the large<br />
ZEG-Einkaufsgenossenschaft (Buying Cooperative)<br />
“Brillance in large scale”<br />
On the basis <strong>of</strong> many competent employees,<br />
clever and far-sighted company policy <strong>of</strong> the<br />
long-standing managing director Mathias<br />
Seidler as well as his early focus on Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f<br />
( for whose further development even<br />
the new brands “Bikemanufactur and Müsing”<br />
were banned from the product range)<br />
he was able to bring the brand again to the<br />
top. He achieved this with a strong conviction<br />
to the location Germany, to traditional<br />
values and highest claim to quality – even<br />
today as before. Managing director Seidler<br />
defines it as “large-scale manufacture with<br />
love for detail”We mean: Tradition and modern<br />
age in pure culture. One perceives oneself<br />
as a brand for the whole family, supports<br />
in the area “social sponsoring” already with<br />
1,000 youth bikes for the German Road Safety<br />
Association´s” traffic education. “This<br />
means the world to us”, says Mr. Seidler.<br />
And this proves a feeling for the needs <strong>of</strong><br />
the end-consumer and new trends: just as it<br />
was earlier with the glass enclosed demonstration<br />
vehicle, a highly modern presentation<br />
truck drives 80 days throughout Germany in<br />
2009. This allows the end-consumer to test<br />
the complete electro-bike program.<br />
A Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f test center is located in the Robinson<br />
Club on Granada. Further ones should<br />
follow. Elegant optic, an excellent price-performance<br />
ratio and high grade technology<br />
enable -just like 60 years ago- the jump from<br />
a pure German to an international brand. In<br />
the traces the latest successful product <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Lower Saxons is rolling: the Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f-electrobikes<br />
inspire German as well as European<br />
buyers and allow the eyes to beam. Just like<br />
a spotlight in the showroom <strong>of</strong> the trident in<br />
the old Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f-logo, that one views with<br />
bowed respect in Cloppenburg. Rightly so!<br />
Daniel Fikuart<br />
Thanks to Klaus Deux/Historical backgrounds<br />
Before the well-packed bikes got to shipping - and thus sent to all over the world<br />
Kalk<strong>of</strong>f_8seiter_ Englisch.indd 7<br />
03.06.2009 9:56:26 Uhr
GOOD FOR THE IMAGE:<br />
THE TEST WINNER<br />
You are looking for a reliable trekking bike with which you can put in an appearance? Then make a decision for the<br />
Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f Image. In comparison to 15 similar cycles the all-rounder got the rating excellent (1.8) which put it in the<br />
first place as judged by Stiftung Warentest (German testing institute). “Safe and long lasting with a well balanced<br />
riding behavior: the relatively very reasonable Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f Image (<strong>90</strong>0 Euro) in comparison to other bikes, it was awarded<br />
the first position.” That was the recommendation <strong>of</strong> Stiftung Warentest.<br />
ALLROUND 2009<br />
TEST WINNER<br />
Excellent (1,8)<br />
Tested:<br />
15 trekking bikes<br />
3 excellent<br />
Test Winner<br />
Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f Image<br />
Issue 05/2009<br />
KALKHOFF IMAGE – THE EXCELLENT ALL-ROUNDER<br />
All components <strong>of</strong> the all-rounder cycle Kalkh<strong>of</strong>f Image are perfectly coordinated against each other: the SXL-27-gear hub shifting from<br />
Shimano, the light magnesium Verso suspension fork, the Magura hydraulic brake HS 33 and the smooth-running hub dynamo from Shimano.<br />
Optional: wheels with hollow rims and collapsible Continental Town Ride tires with reflective strips and a breakdown protection device.<br />
www.kalkh<strong>of</strong>f-bikes.de<br />
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