No matter how you pronounce it, the Knipex name has become synonymous with the design and manufacture of the world’s highest quality pliers. Throughout its 135 year history, quality and innovation has remained a constant, with one driving force above all else - to create the world's best pliers. Today, Knipex is a truly global company, while still remaining fiercely loyal to its German roots.
Here's 10 things you may not know about Knipex, which have helped shape the company into what it is today:
1. The Knipex story goes back to 1882, when Carl Gustav Putsch started a small forge for pliers in Cronenberg, Germany, forging the tools by hand in the cellar of his home.
2. After his death in 1922, Carl Gustav Putsch's son, Carl Putsch, takes over the management of the operation. By 1927 the company had grown to having 27 employees producing around 7000 pliers a week.
3. In 1942 the Knipex brand is registered.
4. By the time Knipex was celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2007, the company was employing over 800 workers, producing 45,000 pliers a day, and being sold in over 100 countries across the world.
5. In 2015 the number of Knipex employees had reached 1500, with a range of over 1640 products.
6. Over the years Knipex has continued to raise the bar in quality and innovation, releasing a number of game changing products. Some of the most famous in this long line of firsts include the “Alligator” self-locking water pump pliers, “Cobra” precision push-button water pump pliers, “Cobolt” high-leverage mini bolt cutters and “Pliers Wrench” parallel jaw, ratchet action wrenches.
7. All Knipex products are still manufactured exclusively at the Knipex Wuppertal factory in Germany.
8. To this day, Knipex has remained and independent, traditional family business, which is now in its fourth generation.
9. Today about 6 out of 10 pliers sold across the world are Knipex.
10. The K is NOT silent, with the proper dutch pronunciation of the name being Ka-nip-ex*.