A permanent fixture of the spe cialty fixing sector

SCHMID SCHRAUBEN HAINFELD I PROFILE

A permanent fixture of the specialty fixing SECTOR

Schmid Schrauben Hainfeld GmbH has, for over 180 years, been Austria’s leading manufacturer of wood screws and specialist parts. No stranger to blazing a trail in the fixing and mounting sector, the company has continued to evolve and innovate. With around €10 million of investment in the last three years in areas such as production and sustainability, the company is set to continue its path for years to come. With a more specialised product line than ever before, one screw at a time, the company is going from strength-to-strength. Jordan Yallop reports.

This history of Schmid Schrauben Hainfeld GmbH (SSH) is a long one reaching back all the way to 1842 when it was founded as a cold forming company.

Originally located in the middle of Vienna, the company moved in the 1850s to Hainfeld – a relatively short, but picturesque drive south-west of Austria’s capital. The company has changed hands a number of times over the years. The early 1900’s saw the company owned by the Schimdt industrial family, during which a huge variety of products were manufactured.

The biggest turning point for the company came in 1993, when SSH was acquired by new owners, resulting in a complete restructure of the business and new market segments coming into focus.

Markus Tadler, Head of Marketing for SSH explained: “In 1993 the decision was made to switch completely to timber constructions supplies. Back then, this market was very young and wood construction for many areas in the world was very new. This construction work with timber was something that came from the Germany, Austria and Italy regions; they had the first construction companies to work with wood and glulam wood.

“This was one of the main reasons why the company took the decision to move away from being a whole seller of iron goods. This strategic decision to specialise in timber construction screws was really essential for our company, and today it is the main pillar of our success,” said Mr Tadler.

Family threads

The company currently has one factory which still operating in the town of Hainfeld where they employ close to 170 people. The workforce is split between the production arm and administration, with a split of around 110 to 60 respectively.

SSH’s workforce is more akin to that of family rather than just employees. Many generations of the same family have come to work for the company. In fact, the business has a lot of people who work in the company, where the father or even grandfather are or have worked there in the past, and then the son, or daughter have started working there too. Seeing very different generations of people working in the same company, for many, many decades, may once have been the norm, but is today considered very special indeed.

Bespoke solutions

Schmid Schrauben Hainfeld has four areas of production, two of which are the company’s registered brands, StarDrive GPR and the newest RAPID, in addition to producing trade items and custom projects.

RAPID is the company’s premium line which combines top quality and suitability for a diverse range of applications. Meanwhile, StarDrive GPR is the

SCHMID SCHRAUBEN HAINFELD I PROFILE

company’s classic brand that encompasses different variations of partially threaded screws, with a range of surface treatments, from galvanised to stainless steel.

In addition to its main market segment of specialist screws for the timber construction trade, SSH also offers other ironworks for custom applications for specific clients. One example of this bespoke manufacturing is items made for the communication and energy sectors. These are safety clamps, made to the highest standard, which enable workers to work up pylons while being as secure as they can be.

The main area of business is with wholesalers, which makes up 60-70% of the company’s turnover. Approximately 20% of the remaining turnover is generated from industry and a further 5-10% for DIY.

Made in Austria

The company considers its Made in Austria mantra a real badge of honour. The term is almost a charter outlining commitment to quality, technology, and ecology; all based on leading and relevant industry certifications.

One of the standout aspects of Schmid Schrauben Hainfeld is how it sources most of its raw materials from within Europe, most notably its steel wire, used for screw manufacture. All of the company’s steel comes from fellow Austrian company Voestalpine. Even the screws that need to be sent off site to be treated by other companies, due to size constraints, are all based in Austria.

Mr Tadler said: “Starting from 200mm we have to send the screws externally for hardening and then for galvanisation. Working together with Austrian companies means the product moves very short distances, giving us quite a low ecological footprint.

“If you compare this to screws that come from Asia, then you can imagine the saving in carbon footprint for our Western customers is much lower.”

The company has also invested in a new production hall for its machinery, which was one of the biggest investments from the last few years. A new office building has since been completed – including meeting facilities – and the delivery of a new hardening device, costing nearly €3 million alone, is imminent. The total investment in the company over the last three years currently stands at almost €10 million.

Fastening a greener future

The company’s changes and investments have not just been within the realms of production and facilities. Schmid Schrauben Hainfeld has also made strides into sustainability. For example, a huge photovoltaic array on the roof which produces close to 15% of the company’s energy demand every year, was installed at a cost close to reaching €1 million.

DI Andreas Gebert, CEO

In the last three years, every lightbulb in the company was changed to LED to help cut energy usage. Recycling devices for wastepaper were also introduced, as was a waste water reclamation system for use in industrial applications.

To further lower the company’s carbon footprint, SSH attempts to keep most of the processes internal or at least use the services of trusted partners close by, to reduce the footprint of hauling product and supplies. 98% of the Schmid Schrauben Hainfeld’s packing is made of cardboard, so the company hardly uses any plastics for packing its products. Nor in terms of transportation or in boxing, to the point where if the cartons are a bit loose, staff will reuse old cartons to fill the gaps.

When talking about the Covid-19 pandemic, the company worked at 100% capacity throughout this time. While using several measures in order to ensure the safety of the workforce, the company actually recorded its highest turnover ever in 2021, which was almost €40 million.

Schmid Schrauben Hainfeld remains very positive for the future, and the company is always looking for partners to work with towards this great future. n