Patrick Jas (left), Sales Manager and Heiko Kurz (right), Sales Director Asia Pacific / Middle East / Eastern Europe / North America, both are from THIELE (Lifting Technology Dept.)
We had the opportunity to interview Heiko Kurz, THIELE’s Sales Director for Asia Pacific / Middle East / Eastern Europe / North America, to learn about the products and sales network of THIELE.
LRW: Could you tell us the background of the company THIELE?
Heiko Kurz: THIELE was founded almost 80 years ago in Germany by Mr. August Thiele. It is still a family-owned company, focusing on producing quality products for many years. The company THIELE is divided into two divisions. The first division is the Mining and Conveying Division. We sell a large quantity of mining chains to China, and also everywhere in the world. The second division is the Lifting Division.
LRW: Are THIELE’s products all made in Germany?
Heiko Kurz: Yes, 100%. We are located in Iserlohn, which is about an hour drive from Düsseldorf and Cologne. All of our products are made in our factory in Iserlohn, located in the state of NRW in the western part of Germany.
LRW: What are the main usages of THIELE products?
Heiko Kurz: THIELE is one of the market leaders regarding safety equipment. We offer a wide range of G80 and G100 lifting products, such as lifting chains, hoist chains, master links and fittings, and special solutions for load securing and lashing. THIELE’s Lifting Division is becoming more and more important for the company and has achieved a continuous growth in the past several years.
LRW: How does THIELE’s sales network work?
Heiko Kurz: Our distribution mainly works with local partners. We do have subsidiary companies in the US, UK, and Singapore, and we have more than 75 regional partners. We have been working with some of our partners for more than 40 years. In the meantime, we are looking for long-term relationships and are very happy and proud of having good, reliable partners all over the world. Nowadays, THIELE has an export share of more than 70%.
THIELE Group exhibit at CeMAT 2014 in Hannover, Germany
LRW: What kind of new products do you bring to the show?
Heiko Kurz: As for new products, we just came out with a new shortening device; we call it a Combi-quick Fastener. With its unique design, specially made for shortening chain slings, we incorporate a locking pin to prevent unintended locking of the chain and ensure easy handling for the operator. But we continue to add new “Made in Germany” products to our product line – lately many to our G100 range.
Apart from lifting and hoist chains and fittings, we offer a huge variety of lifting points, such as the X-TREME Lifting Point, which comes with an integrated ball bearing. We offer these in sizes from M10 to M56.
THIELE CHAIN QUEEN CLASSIC
THIELE CHAIN QUEEN CLASSIC
For this show, we have the opportunity to see this special custom-designed motorcycle. It is a motorcycle that was built using THIELE parts. It was built for the 2013 Bauma tradeshow in Munich, and it was a big success. It took a number of people from a THIELE department almost one year to build. As we can see, including many THIELE parts. THIELE sling hooks are functioning as wheels, THIELE shackles are used to connect the rear axle, and THIELE chain provides the bike’s structure. More details on how the motorcycle was built can be seen on the website www.thiele.de and on YouTube under the keywords “thiele chain queen classic”.
This article is published on LRW Magazine vol17, 2014.
