FROM SMALL FOUNDRY TO GLOBAL PLAYER

A time of upheaval: in Berlin, a carriage driver known as “Iron Gustav” protested against the increase in automobiles on the roads. At the same time, in Emmingen in the Hegaualb region, Valentin Leiber set up an independent business with a small repair workshop and filling station. The time was ripe for progress. LEIBER was right there.

New beginning. Back to square one. After the war, household and agricultural implements were hard to come by. Anything that could be saved was repaired. LEIBER workshop had plenty to do, including repairs and a trade in agricultural machinery, facing up to the challenges of the post-war period.

Improvisation is king. For anything that couldn't be found, the workshop developed its own version: noodle presses and mincing machines, for example, primarily for households in the region. Until long into the 1960s, there was strong demand for LEIBER's lightweight aluminium machines. The whole family got stuck in. Even the kids.

Time of reconstruction and the German economic miracle. LEIBER is in the thick of it. Developing tools, components and motorised vehicles for construction and industry. Mostly as a contract manufacturer. Steering shafts for jeeps for example – for the occupying American troops. A profitable contract for which the family literally worked around the clock.

The “Miracle of Bern” football World Cup final inspires the whole of Germany. Including LEIBER. The family company becomes independent – with the construction of its first production workshop on Schulstrasse and its own product: “LEIBER all-purpose transporter” becomes a top seller and is so popular that people even form fan clubs. At the same time, the future comes into focus: as a contract manufacturer, LEIBER begins to work with aluminium as a material. A complex and specialised field.

The Queen visits Germany – as the first British monarch since the two world wars. A media event which the Federal Republic of Germany mastered in style. LEIBER also mastered its new specialist field: with the establishment of the drop forge in Emmingen, the company now specialised in the hot forming and processing of aluminium alloys. And became a successful industrial business in the process.

A new generation. After the death of Valentin Leiber, his sons took the reins – LEIBER became a general partnership (OHG) with Horst Leiber as CEO. An exciting decade. In Hegaualb as well.

Game, set and match. Boris Becker and Steffi Graf reached the top in world tennis. And LEIBER had become a leading manufacturer of die-pressed parts made of aluminium. At today's location in the industrial park, the company launched its forming and machining technology facilities. The company was growing.

While the wreck of the Titanic was being explored using cutting-edge technology, LEIBER set out to discover new technological shores. It was Germany's first die-pressed parts manufacturer to rely on a continuous CAD-CAM-NC line for production facility engineering, setting an industry-wide benchmark.

Reunification and euphoria in Germany. Think and act globally – that was the motto of the 1990s. LEIBER OHG as well: Horst Leiber travelled around the world. He gathered information and impressions. And created sales offices throughout Europe.

In the U.S.A., Bill Clinton was elected president. In Spain, the company established Iber-LEIBER.

Michael Schumacher became the world champion of Formula 1 racing for the second time. LEIBER Group was also in the fast lane, searching for an affordable production location in order to maintain its traditional product range. LEIBER-Poland Sp. z o.o. was established.

In the Western world, the Lewinsky affair caused an uproar. Titillating times in Emmingen. LEIBER OHG took over Alu Menziken's Swiss aluminium forge. In Poland, the LEIBER Group was constructing component and device production facilities for the automotive industry.

Europe got the euro. And LEIBER got plenty of new space. At the Emmingen location, the production area was expanded by 8,000 square metres. LEIBER OHG established its in-house material developments AluHigh® and AluXtrem® as brands. A weighty move. For more lightness.

The winter was one of the warmest on record, followed by a record spring. Ideal weather for converting LEIBER OHG into LEIBER GmbH & Co. KG. To survive the economic crisis, Iber-LEIBER was closed. Its products were shifted to LEIBER in Emmingen and LEIBER-Poland.

Lena charmed all of Europe with her song “Satellite”. LEIBER Group used precision and plenty of oomph to charm customers. It commissioned the semi-automated large press line with 2,000 tonnes of rated kinetic energy. That year, the LEIBER Group also launched an in-house development in the market – its Kleeblattdesign® featuring minimum weight and ideal properties. Perfect geometry.

Albert II, Prince of Monaco, said: “I do”. Finally! The royal line was likely to continue. Succession was also secured in Emmingen. With Andreas and Dr. Rolf Leiber, the third generation of the LEIBER family began to run the company. And LEIBER-Poland became an industrial and two-wheeled vehicle location with an expanded production area of 5,000 square metres. International company with a family-orientated heart.

Uproar in the Vatican. Pope Benedict retired for reasons of health. LEIBER Group continued on a healthy growth course investing around 10 million euros in the A2, a fully automated large press line that forges aluminium components for the automotive industry. What a show of commitment to Germany as a production location!

The world champion. The side forged by Jogi Löw take the title. And we won the European Aluminium Award, proof that LEIBER Group develops and produces the best lightweight construction solutions in Europe. Almost 90 years after its establishment, the LEIBER Group continued to drive the automotive industry. The forecast? We won't stop creating progress with lightness. Start-up of our fully automated press line – A2 with integrated heat treatment.

LEIBER-Poland expands by 3,000 m² to 11,300 m².

Start-up of the next fully automated press line – A3 with integrated heat treatment.

LEIBER-Emmingen new Hall 3 expands by 3,000 m²