75 Jahre MAPAL

Die Unternehmensgründung im Jahr 1950 verlief durchaus ungewöhnlich. Der promovierte Volkswirt Dr. Georg Kress war als Steuerberater tätig, als er die Gelegenheit bekam, die in wirtschaftliche Schwierigkeiten gekommene Firma eines seiner Mandanten zu übernehmen. Obwohl er von Technik, Gewindeschneidwerkzeugen und Schneideisen nichts verstand, kaufte er die „OBA Präzisionswerkzeugbau“ von Otto Betzler. Er veräußerte dafür seine gut laufende Steuerberaterkanzlei in Aalen und wurde als Unternehmer tätig. 

Der neu entstandene Firmenname MAPAL steht für „Maschinen- und Präzisionswerkzeugfabrik Aalen“ und zeugt davon, dass in den Anfangsjahren auch Holzbearbeitungsmaschinen hergestellt wurden. Weil in den beengten, einfachen Räumlichkeiten an der Oberen Bahnstraße in Aalen eine wirtschaftliche und effiziente Produktion der Profilfräsmaschinen auf Dauer nicht möglich war, trennte MAPAL sich sehr schnell wieder von diesem Geschäftsbereich. Man konzentrierte sich auf Gewindebohrer, -schneideisen und -walzrollen, was den Beginn des heutigen Werkzeugprogramms markierte.
 

Um die anfänglichen Probleme zu überwinden, setzte Dr. Kress auf Forschung und Entwicklung. In mühsamer Tüftelei wurde die Reibahle verbessert, unter anderem wurden dafür zwei Führungsleisten asymmetrisch am Umfang des Reibahlenkörpers eingebracht. Die erste von MAPAL entwickelte Einschneiden-Reibahle mit Führungsleisten aus Hartmetall wurde 1954 patentiert, 1962 folgte das Patent für die Reibahle mit Wendeschneidplatten aus Hartmetall. 

Beide Innovationen bildeten die Basis dafür, die Reibahlen in den folgenden Jahren zu einem höchst attraktiven Hochleistungswerkzeug zu entwickeln. Die Bohrungsfeinbearbeitung wurde zum Aushängeschild von MAPAL.

Als Dr. Dieter Kress 1969 in das Familienunternehmen eintrat, war der Sohn des Firmengründers bestens auf seine künftigen Aufgaben vorbereitet. Anders als sein Vater war er in der Technik zuhause. Bereits an seinem ersten Arbeitstag bei MAPAL konstruierte er eine neue Klemmung für Wendeschneidplatten. Sie wurde patentiert und bildet im Prinzip bis heute die Technologie der Klemmung der Wendeschneidplatten in den Reibahlen von MAPAL.
 

When he became president in 1974, Dr Dieter Kress quickly set about redesigning the product portfolio. The tap drill and thread roller area of the business was given up to focus completely on reamer production. This came at a time when two-thirds of MAPAL’s turnover came from threading tools. But entrepreneurial foresight lay behind this plan. The long-established products offered almost no potential to differentiate the company from mostly bigger competitors who could also manufacture at a lower price. The single-bladed reamer, by contrast, was something very special, with no direct competition. However, the market had to be developed first.

The reamers were gradually developed until they were suitable for industrial large-scale series production. The coating of the indexable inserts played a role, as did the use of PCD for the guide pads. The tools helped MAPAL gain a foothold in the automotive industry first and foremost, where manufacturing technology was moving from rigid transfer lines to flexible machining centres. 
Alongside technical improvements, MAPAL rebuilt its sales concept and focused on maximum customer proximity. Independent sales representatives were replaced with in-house technical consultants whose role was to advise customers on the ideal, customised design for their tools and to support them with their use. In the automotive industry the collaboration became so close that the consultants even became involved in developing new engines by introducing potential precision machining options into the design process at an early stage. They didn’t just sell tools – they sold solutions.
 

To expand its product and service portfolio, which also followed customer requirements, MAPAL acquired specialist companies in Germany. WWS in Pforzheim expanded MAPAL’s offer to include PCD tools with brazed blades for high-speed machining, particularly of aluminium, thus covering a segment that was becoming more and more important to customers. Solid carbide drills and milling tools were added to the range courtesy of Miller in Altenstadt. As drilling from solid is the production step prior to reaming, this made a perfect addition to MAPAL’s portfolio. Weisskopf from Meiningen strengthened the solid carbide segment further. 

The purchase of the long-standing Winterlingen-based company August Beck secured MAPAL’s position as a leading manufacturer of reamers. Robert Strom and ISOTOOL added ISO and actuating tools to the portfolio. In 2015, the two companies were rebranded MAPAL ITS, which focuses on complex special tools with actuating mechanisms in Eppingen. Clamping tools from WTE in Ehrenfriedersdorf completed the product range. MAPAL made further strategic investments overseas. 
 

There was also a strategic expansion of customer segments beyond the automotive industry, which had been a guarantee of growth over decades. MAPAL now also focuses on the aerospace, fluid power technology, and die and mould segments. Digital solutions are provided by c-Com since its founding in 2017. The start-up has been merged into the MAPAL Group and primarily assists with tool management services. The company takes all aspects of sustainable management into account with an environmental management system – with many individual measures in production and administration at all sites making their contribution.

Dr Jochen Kress initiated the transformation of MAPAL into a process-driven, global organisation. Structures and processes are being adapted to the size the company has reached; decision-making processes are being streamlined and accelerated. The reorganisation on management level at headquarters in Aalen is based on core processes and areas of focus. The structural, organisational and cultural changes that Dr Jochen Kress initiated will shape the company in the long term and endure long beyond the anniversary year 2025.

As it celebrates its 75th anniversary, the MAPAL Group is resolutely focussed on the future. With investments in new technologies, digitalisation and in the targeted development of capabilities, the company is strengthening its position in key sectors and accelerating its efforts to engage with the market and its customers. This is reflected, for instance, in the activities in the dynamically developing Aerospace segment: MAPAL has pooled its expertise in the field of aircraft final assembly in the Global Organisation for Assembly (GOA) department, founded in 2024 – a decisive step to serve global customers faster and in a more targeted manner. The integration of the subsidiary c-Com and acquisition of the Italian X-Pro S.r.l., a specialist in turnkey projects and clamping fixtures, also highlight the company’s commitment to actively shaping technological developments and fully meeting customer requirements.