30 years of Höcker quality from Poland

After celebrating its 40th company anniversary last year, Höcker Group has reason to celebrate again in 2023. The Poland location has been in operation for 30 years and has developed from a pure production site into an important sales center during this time. Today, many Höcker products are manufactured in Chojnow, after the development of customized solutions according to customer requirements, the initial demand still primarily originates from the home base in Wallenhorst (Lower Saxony). "We are very aware of the importance of our plant in Poland and the performance of the colleagues on-site. A corporate strategy always includes the development of both locations. That is why we have also invested more heavily in Poland and acquired new machines," said Managing Director Benjamin Höcker.

A look into the company's history: Following the nationwide success of the unified meat hook in the 1980s and the subsequent increase in demand, the strategic development of the location in Poland became a top priority. Burkhard Höcker, founder of the company and father of the current managing directors Benjamin and Isabell Höcker, drives the project forward on-site with full commitment. Through joint efforts and active networking, a suitable factory site was found in Chojnów, Lower Silesia: The floors were reinforced with additional foundations for the heavy machinery, the old coke central heating system in the office building was replaced with a new gas central heating system, and thermostatically controlled gas blowers were installed in the five production halls. An agreeable side effect for Chojnów: the old heating plant and the associated air pollution are now a thing of the past.

While the renovation of the halls, office spaces, social and washrooms, roofs, windows, doors, and hall gates is underway, Höcker is tackling two other major challenges: recruiting qualified stainless steel processors, which Höcker ultimately trains itself, and sourcing stainless steel, which was unavailable in any form on the Polish market in the early 1990s, neither as bar stock nor as pipe or sheet. Always aiming to produce the usual quality, Höcker sends its best welder to Chojnów for several weeks to train the new colleagues intensively in stainless steel manufacturing. The efforts quickly prove successful, and Höcker Spolka z o. o. began production of meat hooks as early as 1992. The next step, only relevant today, was the internationalization of the group in the early 2000s and an investment with EU subsidy funds in 2007. "That was a game changer for us in Poland," said Höcker. From then on, the company could invest in new machines and systems in Chojnów: among others, a CNC rivet machine, CNC turning machine, electro-polishing system, and two welding robots were acquired. Additionally, a new production hall was built. The feeding carts can now be produced entirely in-house in large quantities. Furthermore, with the new precision machines, it is possible to manufacture additional product groups such as hygiene doors, cabinets, switches, and trolleys. As a result, the number of employees increased from 40 to 90. After acquiring another CNC machine, currently 95 percent of all products listed in the catalog are produced by the group itself.

The now 30-year-old success recipe: the initial input and the creation of individual requirement specifications are usually done at the headquarters, while development and implementation are carried out at the Poland site.