ECKOLD has been in business for more than 85 years. In 1936, Walter Eckold established a workshop where he produced innovative instruments and gauges. The company, initially based in Wernigerode in the Harz district, developed into a profitable mechanical engineering business producing machines for a wide range of sheet metal machining tasks. After the Second World War and expropriation the enterprise was re-established in St. Andreasberg where it still has its headquarters.

Its initial core competence was the forming of sheet metal and profiles, and ECKOLD soon obtained its first patents for sheet metal forming machines. Its manual and automated machines became quickly very popular around the globe and still set standards in the industry. The company has always been and still is driven by innovation. With conventional technology, workpieces need to be brought to the stationary forming machines to be machined. ECKOLD changed all this in the mid-1970s with its range of portable hydraulic units where the machine is moved to the workpiece. Suddenly, it became possible to machine even metal sections that had previously been inaccessible. Today, ECKOLD sells its products to more than 100 countries and is renowned for its engineering competence.

In the early 1980s, the company launched a new technique for the cold joining of sheet metal and profiles. Known as clinching, this method soon conquered the world. Today, clinching is a viable alternative to welding and riveting and is widely used by leading automotive companies in car body production. As the market leader in clinching technology, ECKOLD expanded to other countries and now has subsidiaries and sales offices all over the world.

Over the past decades, the company extended its range of techniques to include self-piercing riveting, embossing, punching, folding, crimping and many other sheet metal machining methods.

Its global operations are still managed from St. Andreasberg, a location to which the shareholders of the group are fully committed. Given the rapid growth of the enterprise, it became necessary to expand the premises at the company's main location and to invest in innovative technology. In 2018, ECKOLD therefore took the decision to build a new technology center, which is now completed and serves as a meeting place for R&D, salespeople and customers from all over the world. Thanks to the technology center, ECKOLD is well positioned to face the challenges of the ever-changing global market. During the current pandemic, the employees at the ECKOLD headquarters in the lovely Sperrluttertal valley between Bad Lauterberg and Sankt Andreasberg whose work is customer-focused came up with new ways of interacting with customers. The Covid pandemic is however not the first crisis the company is facing. In the past, it saw highly successful periods followed by difficult times, such as the recession of the early 1990s and the world financial crisis of 2007/2008. When the current pandemic took hold, management was proactive from the very start and thus succeeded to keep the company on track. From the first weeks of 2020, the board of management has been working closely with the employees to safeguard their well-being and the future of the company.

Over the last around 40 years, Dr. Rainer Beyer served as a managing director of ECKOLD, and was the driving force behind the expansion and success of the company. He joined ECKOLD in 1983 as a development engineer, was soon promoted to assistant to the board of management and in 1991 became managing director responsible for the operational business. He subsequently managed a number of subsidiaries of the group. Dr. Beyer has been heavily involved in devising the current corporate strategy. He also initiated the rebranding of ECKOLD and the establishment of the technology center. Dr. Beyer retired at the end of 2020.

Through proper planning, ECKOLD was able to ensure a smooth handing over of his responsibilities. In 2018, it recruited Ralf Pilgrim to join the management team, and he now acts as the chairman of the board and manages the business together with Annegret Eckold.

On 1 July 2021, Patric Daske joined the board of management. Many years ago, he trained as an industrial management assistant at ECKOLD before joining the sales team. During his career, he managed and expanded the export business and was in charge of the overseas subsidiaries. In 2012, he was appointed head of sales and joined the management team in 2014, while in charge of the establishment of two further overseas companies in the USA and Hungary. In Hungary, he works as the company director.

Unfortunately, the Covid crisis prevented us for a long time from celebrating the retirement and the new appointment to the management team in style. As Germany emerged from the lockdown, we were finally able to thank Dr. Beyer for his work and commitment over many years and to welcome Patric Daske in an appropriate ceremony.