Lapp Group- Company- Founding

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Industrial Connectors

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Founding

The history of the Lapp Group is an excellent example of how Germany's SMEs have managed to expand onto the global stage. In less than 50 years, a small, innovative outfit from Stuttgart has become one of the world's leading cable technology companies. Now, the Lapp brand is a byword for quality, innovation and competence. The high degree of continuity and stability guaranteed by the owning family, combined with an uncompromising customer focus, innovative strength and good branding, are responsible for this success. We can expect to see a lot more from this company in the future.

Visions begin with questions
In the 50s, the upswing in industrialization led to a huge demand for cables and conductors. Faced with this development, Oskar Lapp asked himself a simple question:"How can I optimise the current method - the time-consuming manual inserting of single cores and switching strands into the outer sheaths?"

His answer: to invent the first industrially produced flexible, colour-coded signal cable - OLFLEX®.

1949 - 1951
After five years in a Russian prisoner of war camp, Oskar Lapp becomes a mechanical engineering student at the Fachhochschule Schmalkalden in 1949. In September 1950, he meets the future love of his life, Ursula Ida Emmelmann, in Zella-Mehlis. They wed in 1951 and the celebration lasted 4 full days.

1957 - Cornerstone setting for a successful future
The Lapp family buys a house in the Rosentalstraße in Stuttgart-Vaihingen. Once independent, Oskar Lapp develops the first ever industrially-produced signal cable: ÖLFLEX®. Oskar and Ursula Ida Lapp build up the sales of the new product ÖLFLEX® together. Their starting capital for this was a bank loan of 50,000 D-Mark. Ursula Ida and Oskar Lapp form U.I. Lapp KG using Ursula Ida Lapp's initials.

In 1959 Lapp set out a definite brand policy
Giving the products brand names was a completely new idea at the time, but it allowed them to be distinguished from the competition more easily. Oskar Lapp was again one of the front runners and became one of the first people to offer this kind of catchy branding. These brand names are still in use at Lapp today. The most well known brand is ÖLFLEX®, which has secured a place in the history of the sector.

1963-1965 Foundation further companies
In 1963, Oskar Lapp founds Lapp Cableswerke GmbH in the Galileistraße. It produces cables and conductors to customer requirements in a rented workshop. In 1963 Oskar Lapp founds the company Contact GmbH to produce the rectangular connectors. By 1965 Oskar Lapp is employing a staff of 30. The company headquarters is moved from their house to Schulze-Delitzsch-Straße in Stuttgart Vaihingen.

1979 – Olflex Inc. located in USA becomes the first overseas subsidiary
This early step into globalisation was very unusual for a German SME. Business in the US was successful right from the start. Oskar Lapp loved the foreign market and had a good feel for the needs of his clients. Once again, an uncompromising customer focus and committed client service reaped rewards for the company. This is the foundation of the success strategy that was to take Oskar Lapp and his company around the world. Today, the Lapp Group has several sales and production sites in the USA, Canada, Mexico and Brazil.

1983
Siegbert Lapp as 1st member of the 2nd generation form another company: "S" Glaskabel GmbH, which becomes 1995 in Lapp Kabelsysteme GmbH and is renamed later as Lapp Systems GmbH.

1987 - The new era
On April 25th 1987, Oskar Lapp died from a heart disease. After his death Ursula Ida Lapp and his sons, Andreas and Siegbert Lapp, took over the management of the company. The new generation took the ideals and ideas of the company's founder to new heights. The exemplary manner in which the company's philosophy was continued has been marked by more success. The company grew both domestically and internationally. New product lines were introduced for new markets. Customer focus and a firm belief in what's realistic remained key aspects of the company's philosophy. The two second-generation directors also see courage, determination and commercial long-sightedness as vital.

Together they control the fate of company and are adding new chapters to its successful history.

1992 - Oskar-Lapp-Foundation
The Oskar Lapp Foundation was created in memory of the founder. It promotes research into heart disease.

1995-2005 Global Player
The number of international companies is growing. The Lapp Group is now active in Asia, Europe and America. It employs 2500 people in 50 companies and more than 100 agencies around the world.

Each year, the most successful employees are personally honored by the Lapp family.

2006/2007 – further set up in Spain, Brazil and the Middle East
To make the most of the developing markets across the world, Lapp is investing even more in central and eastern Europe, Russia and Ukraine. In parallel, activities in Asia and the Americas are being expanded. Today, the Group looks after its customers with more than 3,000 employees across 17 production sites, 40 branches and more than 100 local agencies. Global strategies secure a market edge for the Lapp Group worldwide.

Lapp Group


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