Company

Karl Schmale founded Schmale GmbH & Co. KG in 1910. The first 40 years of the company were marked in particular by serious political, economic and social upheavals, changes and tragedies.

The rapid and sustained success of the company is even more remarkable given this backdrop; this was, and is thanks, among other things, to the technical profiling and an early and broad focus on overseas markets.

The first patent application was made in 1919; this was followed over the years and right up to today by regular additional patents.

Nevertheless 1933 to 1945 were very difficult as the owner of the company, Karl Schmale, refused to work for the armaments industry which was at the cost of raw material supplies. However, the company survived these hard times, thanks to the sincere beliefs of the then company principal.

In 1950 Karl-Ernst Schmale, the eldest son of the company founder, joined the company and continued the creative management leadership established by his father.

During this time, there were numerous and pioneering updating in the production area along with successful restructuring, as well as the acquisition of a then competitor in 1974. The years under the management of Karl-Ernst Schmale can most fittingly be described by the expression “What you inherit from your fathers, inherit it to own it“(Goethe). Right up until his death in 1997, Karl-Ernst Schmale was deeply involved in the company.

For many years now, the management of the company has been in the hands of the founder‘s granddaughter, Christiane Schmale, daughter of Karl-Ernst Schmale. She is a lawyer and worked for many years in a large international concern. This further reinforced her international focus in harmony with those ideas impressed by earlier family and company convictions.

The commitment to loyalty and reliability towards all business partners and all employees as well as the commitment to guarantee at all times highest quality and delivery reliability is also the guiding principle in her actions.

To recognise the ever changing challenges and developments, to meet them with openness and to accept them, are equally maxims of her actions for the company and thus also for all business partners.

» Karl Schmale & Karl-Ernst Schmale