Up to every pressure for 40 years - HEB HEB Hurray!
In 2020 we will celebrate our 40th company anniversary. An excellent occasion to say thank you to all our customers, suppliers and - last but not least - to our employees and to take a look at milestones, innovations and the future.
From 1980 until today, one of HEB's particular strengths, based on our quality standards, has been the high-quality production of customer-specific solutions in multiple versions. We also set standards in terms of sustainability and economy. Because HEB cylinders are convincing both in terms of their accuracy of fit and their long service life. Spare parts can be provided in the shortest possible time. This protects the environment and pays off for our customers.
HEB has been solid and successful in the market for 40 years now. A family-owned company, managed by the second generation, has a core of 70 employees, some of whom have been with the company for many years, and is carefully making the transition to the third generation. The responsibility is not only for our own employees, but also for our loyal customers, who can still rely on HEB tomorrow. We are also a little proud that as a small pillar in the economy we can contribute our share to the big picture - with reliable partners at our side.
"Our strengths are quality, solution orientation and reliability," says managing director Siegfried Kurek. "With the possibilities offered by our wide range of experience and thanks to state-of-the-art production facilities, we are able to produce exactly the right cylinder models in a very short time".
1980
Three colleagues from the hydraulic industry found the company HEB. With the knowledge and expertise they have acquired in the industry, they set out to develop, design, produce and finally sell high-quality hydraulic cylinders. In a backyard garage in Freiburg, round cylinders in three different designs are initially produced. The products soon attract the attention of the specialist industry.
Georg Kurek (middle left) has the finances firmly under control.
Sales professional Helmut Hoedt (centre right) is always in close contact with customers at various international trade fairs.
Plant manager Norbert Schlegel (below) ensures the highest quality right from the start.
Dieter Reichle (without photo) takes over the technical management.
1982
The first foreign representation has been found: in Austria and Switzerland our customers can contact their local contact person directly.
1983
Now block cylinders also complete the product range. Their cuboid shape makes them ideal for tool and mould making.
1987
The first displacement measuring cylinder with digital position request is added to the product portfolio.
1989
The demand for HEB cylinders is constantly increasing. The company with initially four employees has grown to almost 40. The company moves into its own new production halls and offices in the industrial area Freiburg/Hochdorf.
1995
Great revolution at HEB - the first fully automatic CNC center is integrated into the machine park. Not only the employees are pleased, HEB customers also benefit from even more efficiency.
2000
HEB optimizes the linear end position damping to achieve the most constant possible deceleration with a linear damping curve at the same time.
2002
Innovative: via the CAD portal Traceparts, customers can now configure products directly online and download them in CAD 3D format.
2004 – 2009
Further representations abroad will be added. HEB customers in Poland, the USA, the Czech Republic, India, China and Italy now have contact persons close by.
2007
Founding member and long-time HEB managing director Helmut Hoedt hands over the management to Siegfried Kurek. The competence team is also founded. The technical field service consultants are in close contact with the customer and provide us with valuable impulses for innovations in the construction sector.
2009
Change to the PARTCommunity: With Cadenas there are now even more features to specify and the integration directly into the customer's CAD system saves time and money. Alternatively, customers can access Cadenas directly via the homepage and feel at home.
2012
Environmentally conscious: since 2012, a solar system on the roof of the production halls covers 1/3 of the annual energy requirement.
2016
The management team at HEB will be expanded by longtime employees. With Jürgen Scharbach, Günter Seifert, Siegfried Kurek, Carmen Hrach and Philipp Hamann (from left to right), HEB is strategically, technically and sales-wise optimally positioned.
2017
Innovative: after an intensive development phase, the VBZNI250 is now the smallest locking cylinder in block cylinder design with the highest force density on the market.