75 YEARS OF WANZL – FROM THE GARAGE TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD
There is probably no one who has not – even if certainly unconsciously – literally come into contact with Wanzl at some point. Because almost every shopping trolley that we push in front of us in supermarkets, drugstores, garden centres or DIY stores in Germany and many other countries around the world comes from Wanzl. In addition, Wanzl is now a global supplier of modern store fittings and warehouse systems for all types of retail, offers sound security solutions for sensitive areas, supports hotel staff in their work with housekeeping trolleys, among other things, and makes it easier for air travellers to find their way through terminals with luggage trolleys.
Rudolf Wanzl could hardly have imagined all this when, in May 1947, he founded a "workshop for scale construction and repair services" together with his father in Leipheim, Swabia. Today, 75 years later, more than 4,600 employees in 75 countries with 25 branches generate annual sales of just under 750 million euros for the global corporation that bears his name.
The path to the top of the world was marked by ups and downs, by great moments, innovative developments and highly committed employees who, with passion and dedication, shaped the Wanzl brand into a global brand.
All these stories and entrepreneurial milestones were to flow into a major printed work for Wanzl's 75th birthday, which we very deliberately did not conceive as a classic (boring) anniversary chronicle. For our Wanzl birthday book entitled "Moments", we collected important events as well as lovely anecdotes, humorous quotes and unforgettable incidents on the side. All German production plants as well as 26 Wanzl branches from all over the world sent us input – data, facts and photos as well as personal statements and wonderful stories. In 25 informative, entertaining and moving interviews, we spoke with contemporary witnesses from the company, with business partners and companions from politics and business – including Rudolf Wanzl's first apprentice, who today – aged 88! – is still in the best of health and arrived by bicycle for our interview appointment at the company headquarters in Leipheim. From Gottfried Wanzl and his wife, we were able to learn first-hand how internationalisation was driven forward and new business areas were developed under his management, how "the business" was omnipresent in the family even at weekends, and how his father, company founder Rudolf Wanzl, was still present in "his company" every day until his death in 2011.
You can imagine that an infinite number of stories, figures and photos accumulate over 75 years of company history. Sorting, preparing and illustrating them, coordinating the countless sources and largely meeting tight deadlines even under pandemic conditions was one of the most complex tasks we have ever had to solve as an agency. A true mammoth project – not least because a large number of decision-makers wanted to make sure that everything was correct.
In the end, the Wanzl anniversary book "Moments" comprised 154 pages, was printed in two languages and in an edition of 5,000 copies. We are quite proud of the fact that we managed to pull it all off – and how.
CLIENT CONTACTS
Head of Marketing: Jürgen Frank
Project Management: Christine Rossi
Photography: Guntram Schindler
THE KAINZ_TEAM
Consulting: Robert Kainz
Traffic: Janin Vetter
Creative Direction: Robert Kainz
Art Direction: Corinna Haberer / Markus Sänger
Graphic Design: Kristina Spöttl / Katja Lachner / Lukas Heim
Copy: Susette Dieter / Robert Kainz
