EISLINGEN, Germany—This is managed by just very few: As an independent, family owned company, Zeller+Gmelin can look back on 150 years of history. Since the beginnings in 1866, the expert for specialty lubricants, printing inks and chemistry from Eislingen has emerged as a preferred partner of large and small companies. With a two day ceremony and an open day on Sept. 24, Zeller+Gmelin will celebrate this anniversary.
Zeller+Gmelin offers individual and comprehensive solutions from one single source, from research and development to production. In the business year 2014, the company, with its 16 subsidiaries, generated a turnover of €269 million. Zeller+Gmelin employs around 900 people worldwide, half of which are located at the headquarters in Eislingen, 20 percent of which work in the field of research and development.
“We are proud to be able to look back on a successful 150 year history as one of the few independent companies,” says Siegfried Müller, director of marketing and sales at Zeller+Gmelin. “As an innovative solution provider, we want to continue to offer secure jobs for the people in the region of Eislingen also in the future—an occasion that we will truly celebrate in September.”
150 Years Of Success In Eislingen
On Feb. 23, 1866, the company was registered as a general partnership and shale oil factory. Behind that were the ideas of the railway engineer Anton Zeller and pharmacist Paul Gmelin to use the slate quarries of the so called “plains” in Groß-Eislingen for the distillation and extraction of lamp oil and heating oil. When, however, coal advanced to be the preferred combustion material, the business gradually shifted to the production of lubricants, which were in great demand in the course of the upcoming railway expansion. Today, the Divinol brand stands for high quality lubricants in the automotive sector as well as in agriculture and forest.
With the era of motorization, the demand for mineral oil products increased. Having recognized the signs of the times, Julius Zeller, the oldest son of Albert, founded a petrol refinery on the present premises along the main railway line in 1898. Until today, it has remained the heart of the gradually expanding factory premises. The oil crisis finally led to a reorientation, to which Zeller+Gmelin has remained true until today: “Away from bulk business, toward own production of specialties,” explains managing director Siegfried Müller.
Focus On Radiation Curing Products
In the inks sector, the orientation toward niche markets and a special focus on the development of UV products was the decisive step for a successful future. The company has been engaged in UV curing of printing inks and varnishes since 1970. Besides conventional UV products, Zeller+Gmelin offers today numerous other printing ink systems in its range of products, which are designed for electron beam curing (EB) and the UV LED and LE UV/HUV technology, and currently take center stage in the development work.
After the fundamental decision in 1996 to align the entire business with the growth market of radiation curing printing ink systems, Zeller+Gmelin has consequently focused its product range of UV systems on the following four market segments:
- Packaging (molded containers such as cups and tubes as well as flexible packaging and folded boxes for the pharmaceutical, food and non food industry)
- Labels (self adhesive labels, inmold labels and shrink sleeves for the pharmaceutical, food and non food industry)
- Commercials (mailings, forms, printed advertising material, posters, brochures)
- Metal decoration (aerosol cans, tubes and bottles made of aluminium, two piece and three piece cans, crown caps, screw caps, etc.)
Anniversary Celebration
The company will celebrate the one and a half centuries’ success story of Zeller+Gmelin with an anniversary celebration from Sept. 22 to 24. Besides the numerous employees, customers, business partners and guests from business and politics are invited as well. As a highlight, Siegfried announces the open day with a family friendly program of side events with a lot of entertainment. Friends, families and the interested public are expected to participate. Zeller+Gmelin will vividly demonstrate its high innovative power: for example with various tours of the premises including the technical center as well as by special topic areas.