Customer-oriented and successful

Metz, one of the German electronic industry’s most independent and successful companies, celebrates its rich tradition as it enters its seventieth year. An amazing success story during a period when numerous well-known manufacturers had to concede to difficult market conditions and suspend business activity. In 1938 Metz began producing electronic equipment. During subsequent years Paul Metz led his company to a position of worldwide importance. The company currently focuses on three business areas: entertainment electronics, photo electronics and plastics technology. Numerous innovations shape both past and present and create a promising potential for the future. To date this has united the company’s development and production, which is still owner-led and based in Germany, guaranteeing a consistently high "made in Germany" standard of quality.

Back to the future 

 
Metz was founded back in 1938. From this point in time, Paul Metz managed his company with untiring effort, always introducing new ideas to steadily grow the business. In 1947 he began producing radio sets. He expanded to other fields in the following years. And to this day Metz stands its ground successfully in the entertainment electronics, photo electronics and plastics technology sectors.
In 1993, Paul Metz died at the age of 82. Since then, his wife Helene Metz has continued with the company’s success story undetered. Entrepreneurial spirit combined with responsibility and committment to employees and society certainly characterise her management style; innovative ideas and excellent quality lay the basis for the positive evolution of a company. "My husband and I have always invested in the company and promoted its development. Independence was important to us. At the same time, we always attached great importance to excellently trained, highly motivated employees. And nothing will change these values in future."

Photo electronics: Metz flashguns attain world fame

 
In 1952, Paul Metz went in into the flashgun business and began marketing an emblematic trend-setting innovation in 1979 with the introduction of the worldwide single SCA adapter system which made it possible to attach Metz flashguns to cameras of all well-known brands and went on to establish Metz as one of the leading worldwide brands in this area. Since then, Metz flashguns have been exported to over 90 countries. The latest successful model was voted "the best flash unit in Europe" at the end of 2007. It was the world’s first flash to be equipped with a USB interface. The individual firmware for every version of the model can be easily updated via computer and internet by means of this interface.

Entertainment  electronics: Metz - reliable trade partner

In 1955, Metz entered a business sector which later became its most important source of revenue - the production of television sets. This sector was further expanded in 1967 with the development and production of their own brand of colour TVs. Around this time, Metz began selective sales in the specialist consumer electronics trade, which forms a cornerstone of Metz’s service-oriented recipe for success  to this day, ensuring the customer gets an additional service benefit as well as excellent products.

In 1990, the first TV set with Metz’s own 100-Hertz technology was introduced. The excellent, flicker-free image quality delighted both consumers and specialist publications.

In 1995, Metz came up with an innovation in the field of TV which continues to make the product line flexible, unique and successful to this day: The modular-built TV chassis was launched. From the turn of the Millennium, the first digital tuner was integrated. Another milestone came in 2005 with the introduction of their own-brand LCD-TV. Since then, flat screen TV sets with innovative technologies have been developed and produced at the company’s Zirndorf  site with the "made in Germany" quality seal. At the same time the opportunity get into high definition television meant that in 2007 integrated HDTV modules were introduced into the Metz product range – unique worldwide – and which can also be retrofitted.

The Metz team always manage to weigh up the future realistically, as you can see from the current product range, which is constantly evolving and supplemented with new components that offer great marketing opportunities. Latest example is the implementation of HD panels with high resolution when operating in 100 Hertz DMC-technology and integrated hard disc recorder at IFA 2008. All TV sets of Metz offer the benefits of flexible retrofitting or exchanging of modules thanks to the Metz digital module concept, on which every chassis is based on.

Plastics plant: Metz - renowned partner for system solutions

Metz’s third line of business came about in 1957: The hi-fi furniture plant at Zirndorf went into operation making wooden cabinets for radio and TV sets. It expanded when it began plastics production in 1969. To this day, this sector represents another important constituent for Metz, especially in the production of its own high-quality TV cabinets. But renowned industrial partners also use the reliable production line at the German site with all its individual system solutions. The Metz plastics plant is the right place to go, from choosing suitable materials for a product concept, up to the provision of injection moulding forms. Complex techniques are used at the Zirndorf factory: interior gas pressure processes, thermoplastic foam injection moulding processes and ultrasonic welding and inmold technology, to name but a few.

Metz - traditional company on a solid foundation

After its formation, Metz went on to enjoy seven decades of continual success. At present, the company employs about 680 people, with a turnover of €129 million in 2007. The development, production and sales departments are grouped together on a 86,000 square-metre site. To this day, the company owes its positive development to the introduction of more innovative products and processes in all corporate divisions which play a large part making the products technically feasible and user-friendly.

"Our company stands on a solid foundation. Our planning for the next few years shows great promise; we will go on to further improve our core competences," says managing director Dr. Norbert Kotzbauer, who currently runs the company with Helene Metz. " Metz’s strength is the combination of excellent "made in Germany" quality, sure-fire future product concepts, clear marketing structures and absolute customer focus."

Press Contact

Metz-Werke GmbH & Co KG
PR Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
Ohmstr. 55
D-90513 Zirndorf
Fon: +49 (0) 911 - 9706-239
Fax: +49 (0) 911 - 9706-233
Email: presse(at)metz.de