High quality, innovative products and creative customising techniques – meterex is famous for this throughout Germany and indeed also internationally. Founded one hundred years ago as a galvanising company, today the family business is one of the most successful measuring tool specialists on the European promotional products market and boasts one of the largest selections of tape measures and folding rules.
Meterex had intended to celebrate its 100th anniversary in style this year. However, Corona and the safety distance regulations associated with the pandemic have thwarted the anniversary plans and are forcing the company from Langenfeld to postpone the celebrations until next year. Taking a look at the 100-year long history, there is indeed plenty of reason to celebrate the occasion, because the former metal finishing business has over the years become a successful promotional products company that is highly appraised internationally for its high-quality measuring tools.
The success story of meterex began in 1920 in the “knife city” Solingen, where Karl and Richard Kuntze founded the galvanising company, Gebr. Kuntze. In 1934, the first registered design for an embossed steel tape measure was patented, then after the Second World War the firm increasedly concentrated on the production of measuring tools. Very early on, in 1947, the brothers started exporting their goods to America, France and Scandinavia under the brand name Kusometer – a combination between the words “Kuntze”, “Solingen” and “metre measuring tape”. The Solingen-based company took its first step in the direction of the promotional products industry in the year 1950, when it produced the first tape measure with an advertising imprint. At the time, the measuring tools were customised using metal plaques. Then when Richard Kuntze, the son of Richard Kuntze sen., joined the company in 1964, one started focusing more strongly on the production of tape measures for the promotional products and tool industries. The family business changed its name to “meterex” in 1970: The combination between the words “metre measuring tape” and “export” placed the emphasis on the measuring tools and at the same time underlined the company’s international alignment. The second part of the new company name could also be interpreted as “Rex”, i.e. “King”, as Richard Kuntze explained: “I always wanted to be King of the tape measures,” he said with a laugh.
The new and the established
Richard Kuntze and his son Oliver on the production floor at meterex.
Furthermore, in 1970, the think tank from Solingen launched one of its most successful products onto the market: Meterex presented Visita, the first tape measure in business card format and in doing so underlined its innovative power that is ongoing until this very day. “Our credo was always to be different to the others,” stated Richard Kuntze. “If the others made something round, we made sure it was angular. The high recognition level achieved as a result is a key to the success.” The innovation Bodyflex, which has been manufactured since 1982, also proves this: The according to company accounts first flexible body tape measure in the world is still popular today particularly in the diet and weight-losing industry, although it was originally designed for medical use. Richard Kuntze: “The idea behind the Bodyflex was that people suffering from rheumatism could conveniently measure their arms, legs and wrists themselves using the flexible tape measure so that they could recognise possible swelling and react accordingly.” In 1990, the third generation of the Kuntze family joined meterex: Richard’s son Oliver. After successfully completing his training as a banker, Oliver Kuntze did an apprenticeship at meterex in order to get to know the company from scratch. Under his aegis the product range was expanded to include wooden and plastic folding rules. Moreover, both father and son promoted the export business even further. At the age of 68, Richard Kuntze gradually retired and officially handed over the reins to his son in 2005, who is still running meterex today. Since 1999, the measuring tools specialist has been based in Langenfeld, which is located between Cologne and Düsseldorf. Some of the old machines, with which diverse parts of the tape measures are processed, are still in operation there today. “The machines date back to the 1960s but they are still running today as if they are new,” explained Richard Kuntze. Of course, the majority of the machines are cutting-edge printing and production machines that produce an equally modern portfolio of products.
Competence and innovation
The classic Imperial was launched onto the market in 1972 and is still one of the bestsellers today.
“We always keep a close eye on the developments on the market and make sure our offer is always up-to-date. Our range of products really offers something for all tastes and the appropriate item for every occasion,” reported Oliver Kuntze. The scope of the line-up alone is remarkable: The current delivery programme comprises of over 130 core products that can be delivered in more than 500 versions. The tape measures make up the lion’s share of the portfolio, followed by the yardsticks. But the product range of the company from Langenfeld also includes spirit levels, knives and rulers. The Kuntze guiding principle applies for all items: “Everything except ordinary.” Whether oversized folding rules or the mini version for a key fob, whether extra thin tape measures or the especially robust model with a vertical scale and integrated magnets, whether triangular rulers or incline spirit levels – meterex offers high-quality tools for every occasion that are all available with a metrical/English scale and which correspond with the precision classes II or III pursuant to the EU guidelines.
Furthermore, the products convince with their high quality, clever details and many additional functions. For example, the company from Langenfeld produces the wooden yardstick, the craftmeter, which thanks to an integrated magnet made from the strongest magnet material in the world, neodymium, not only facilitates the measuring process, with a retention force of 500 g it also provide reliable assistance when tightening or picking up screws, tools or keys. The integrated magnet of the top tape measure, Blackstar, can even carry 700 g of additional weight. The 5 m or 3 m-long tape measure excels with extra-large digits on a robust steel tape measure with a stunning, black upper surface and a white underside with a vertical scale. A state-of-the art injection moulding machine is implemented for the production of the housing of the tape measure. The machine also enables the flexible production of special housings. An in-house metal-working shop services the corresponding tools. Meterex has demonstrated its production competence in the field of special designs many times in the past: For the market introduction of the first Mercedes-Benz A class, the measuring device specialist produced a special tape measures with a housing in the form of the new carrosserie with a tape measuring exactly the same length as the vehicle: 3.60 m. Furthermore, together with the garden appliance manufacturer, Gardena, meterex designed a custom-made product for the launch of a new garden house winding reel. The special feature: The tape measure is not only the same shape as the new Gardena product, it is also made from the same plastic.
In addition to the diversity of the products, the customising options are also manifold: The tape measures, spirit levels and co. can be customised with a pad or screen print or with a doming sticker. The yardsticks are available in many standard colours as well as being available in one or two Pantone shades. Since 2008, meterex has also disposed of several powerful, UV LED digital printers, which enable photo-realistic customisations even for small order quantities. Large volume orders can also be processed using the digital printers. An own metal-working department, large warehouse and production capacities of approx. 600 palette storage places on an area spanning over 1,000 m² as well as in-house customising mean that meterex can process its customers’ orders fast and flexibly. 25 employees currently ensure smooth production processes, including also one employee, who completed his training as an industry master majoring in print media at the company in Langenfeld in 2019. “Other firms may be bigger than us, but we are more flexible. I like to take ships as a comparison here: Whilst the big tanker still hasn’t managed to stop, we have already turned around,” explained Richard Kuntze.
Always something new
Meterex disposes of a vast machine park that
enables the in-house embellishment using pad,
screen and digital printing methods.
A big advantage on a market, where there is a high demand for products that are as individual as possible. “We accompany our customers with the development of special designs, from the planning, to the production of a prototype, through to the mass production. Not possible, doesn’t exist!” Oliver Kuntze stated. The Kuntze family have demonstrated this motto several times over the past decades, as Oliver Kuntze’s father commented: “I was always the one with the ideas. Whenever I had a new idea for a product, our master craftsman tinkered around on the milling machine until he had produced a prototype that worked. Producing several hundreds of copies without a proper functional model only to find out that the mechanism doesn’t work – that is something that only happens to you once in life,” he laughed.
Today, Oliver Kuntze is responsible for the development of new products: “We are always searching for new trends within the industry and are always right on the pulse of time.“ The most recent example of this is the latest product highlight of the specialists from Langenfeld: The laser device Quick is one of the smallest measuring devices in Europe and measures distances of up to 30 m. With its one-button operation it is also easy to operate for laymen. What’s more, the necessary laser protection class 2 confirms the safe handling of the measuring appliance. As with Quick, all of the products excel through their high quality and innovative designs, which have been distinguished with many prizes and awards over the past decades. Meterex has won a Promotional Gift Award no less than four times – most recently in 2014 for its world novelty, the Leuchtmeter, or in 2011 for the custom-made design of a 4-metre folding rule to mark the launch of the new Skoda Superb Estate with a high-quality digital print of the vehicle on the sides as well as facts and figures about the model on the individual joints. The latter was also one of Oliver Kuntze’s ideas, who is carrying on the course of his father with his innovative visions and setting many more accents beyond this too.
Beyond the borders of Europe
“We are indeed pretty different,” explained Richard Kuntze. “I was always very spontaneous. I never thought about things for a long time, I just did them. Which didn’t always lead to success. Oliver on the other hand is more analytical and he deliberates longer than I.” His son added: “I may manage the company and run the day-today operations, but of course my father is still very much present. He keeps an eye on what’s going on and when he has a good idea or there’s an urgent issue, he is always at hand straightaway.” Which is why one occasionally still sees the 83-year-old at trade fairs or visiting customers even today. The time the father and son don’t spend at meterex is dedicated to their second joint passion: show jumping. At the ripe, old age of 80, Richard Kuntze has been training a new, young horse since last year. Concentrated know-how from three generations and one hundred years of experience have turned meterex into what it is today: one of the most successful measuring tool companies within the European promotional products industry. The firm has remained loyal to its international alignment to this very day: 35% to 40% of the orders are received from abroad, most of them from Switzerland, followed by Austria, Belgium, France, Poland and Scandinavia. Oliver Kuntze has been a regular guest at many industry trade shows throughout Europe for years, where he presents his “made in Germany” products to the international audience.
The company has in the meantime hired a Plant Manager to assist with the daily operations. “I am already over 50 and I don’t know whether one of my sons want to take over the company at some point in time. It would be nice, but it is not a must,” the Managing Director explained. But it will be a while before he retires from the day-to-day business and up until then he has plenty of plans: Next year he intends to further push the internationalisation of meterex beyond the borders of Europe. “We are setting our sights on the Chinese market. In spite of all export plans, it is however important that we don’t neglect our core business,” stated Oliver Kuntze.
Every folding rule is unique: Special lengths,
pantone colours, photo-realistic motifs or clever
details turn the products into targeted advertising messengers.
The flagship among the tape measures: Blackstar convinces with a strong magnet, oversized digits and a particularly robust steel tape in elegant black.
// Laura Müller
Photos: Till Barth, Laura Müller, © WA Media (2); meterex (4)
