The history of SCHMETZ

1851

The history of the manufacturer’s family Schmetz in the Aachen region can be traced back to the 18th century. Franz Caspar Melchior Balthasar Schmetz (1772–1855) and Friedrich Rudolf Schmetz (1837–1917) are mentioned as factory owners and citizens of Aachen.

In the second half of the 18th century, Aachen, Iserlohn and Schwabach developed into centers of the German sewing industry. Back in the early 19th century, the Aachen region took a leading role over other regions with new production and sales approaches. In 1851, Ferdinand Schmetz founded the SCHMETZ needle factory in Herzogenrath near Aachen.

This is also the era of the first attempts to develop a functioning sewing machine.

1900

The first half of the 20th century saw a boom in sewing machine production: In Germany alone, over 200 companies were producing sewing machines. This wide variety of systems and manufacturers caused a major increase in the number of needle systems. To combat this development, SCHMETZ, led by Ferdinand Bernhard Schmetz, became the first manufacturer to introduce a standard for needle systems, which would prove to be groundbreaking for the sector.

1960 – 2000

A decline in the European textile and clothing industry due to increasing competition from the Far East begins in the 1960s. Asia increasingly develops into an important manufacturing base for textile and clothing products.

SCHMETZ founded several foreign subsidiaries between 1965 and 1971 to manufacture and sell sewing machine needles. During the process of internationalization, the SCHMETZ brand was registered and established all over the world.

Since 1997

The establishment and development of additional production and distribution companies follow to further expand the global presence. A relaunch of the SCHMETZ brand associated with the slogan “The world of sewing – the needle by SCHMETZ” conveys the high quality standard and the global availability of the products as integral components of the corporate philosophy.

2017

In 2017, SCHMETZ became part of the Groz-Beckert company group, thus expanding its technological and regional reach. Combining the resources of two large companies from the textile industry helped to guarantee sustainability and innovation for the benefit of end users, retailers, brand owners and machine manufacturers.

2021

The company headquarters was relocated from Herzogenrath to Albstadt.

Today

With more than 170 years of experience, SCHMETZ has developed into a leading global provider of needle systems for the processing of textile products.

Its comprehensive worldwide presence is ensured through its own distribution companies and a dense network of distributors on all continents.