The history of the MAUL company begins in 1912 in the Odenwald. To be precise, in Bad König-Zell, where master toolmaker Jakob Maul settled at the age of 45 on a plot of land located directly next to a water mill. With a small team he starts to manufacture office equipment out of metal. To this end, he uses the available hydropower to generate his own electricity.
The range initially included note hooks, pen rests, ink erasers, letter openers and bookends. The company quickly grew and prospered, and by the time it celebrated its 25th anniversary, it already had 160 employees. The company founder's special commitment to his employees deserves special mention. The support of the workforce as well as their families during the First World War clearly shows that Jakob Maul cares about his employees in addition to quality and craftsmanship. This way of thinking is still firmly anchored in the MAUL family business today.
The graduate engineer Fritz Scharmann marries Marie Luise Scharmann, the daughter of Jakob Maul, and joins the company in 1923. In 1953 he takes over the management of the company after the death of Jakob Maul. He helps the company to grow, expands the product range to include, among other things, letter scales and telephone arms, significantly increases the export share and makes numerous changes to the buildings. On the neighbouring property acquired in 1955, a new building with 2,250 m² of floor space for raw storage, stamping and assembly is erected just one year later.
Fritz Scharmann died in 1971 and the management was taken over by his three sons, Werner, Helmut and Walter Scharmann, who had already been working in the company since the 1950s and 1960s respectively. In the 70s MAUL starts with the production of plastic parts. Furthermore, the product range is expanded and new buildings are constructed or rebuilt at the location in Zell. In addition to high quality, the focus is now on good product design, customer service, qualified employees and employee-friendly production facilities.
ca. 1912:
The way to the MAUL premises and the old paper mill
1934:
The female staff of MAUL
ca. 1950:
In the dispatch area
ca. 1950:
Putting on ring material in production
1954:
MAUL works outing
ca. 1970:
Female colleagues from the assembly line
1975:
The new tool shop
1980:
Inauguration of a new production hall in Zell
2012:
MAUL celebrates its 100th anniversary
2020:
smile@work - with a new vision, geared towards the digital world, MAUL is moving into the future
With Stefan Scharmann, the company enters its fourth generation and the next millennium. Initially he managed the company jointly with Winfried Brand and Hermann Stühn, since 2004 he has been the sole managing director. Cooperations have been strategically expanded since the nineties, thus further strengthening the company. In 1994, a new production hall was inaugurated and powder coating was expanded, taking environmental concerns into account.
In 1999, MAUL introduced the world's first 100% solar letter scales. Since 2003, MAUL and Hebel GmbH & Co. KG, from which the shares were acquired in 2001, have been one company. MAUL now manufactures in Germany, in Bad König and Kirchen. In 2004, a production and storage hall is built in Kirchen and a warehouse in Zell, which means that MAUL now has a total building area of 25,000 m².
The company consistently relies on motivated and qualified employees in the spirit of the company founder, among other things through employee projects, profit sharing, a health programme, purchasing benefits and, last but not least, flat hierarchies and further training opportunities for MAUL employees.
MAUL currently has more than 1200 products in its range and produces at two sites in Germany, with 190 employees. The challenges of digitalisation and internationalisation are gladly accepted in the Odenwald, and everyone is looking forward to the continued exciting future of the company, to which the employees feel connected in a special way - based on lived tradition and values.