Table of contents
- Touratech in the company profile Accessory giant from the Black Forest
- 300 employees in Niedereschach in the southern Black Forest
- Building instructions for the price of three marks
- Increased from twelve to 1924 pages today
- Numbers, sales and further information
Touratech
9 pictures
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Touratech founder Herbert Schwarz.
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accesories
Touratech in the company profile
Touratech in the company profile
Accessory giant from the Black Forest
Almost flattened by MOTORRAD even before the company existed, Touratech today sells accessories for travel bikes worldwide from the Black Forest. The German accessories giant in the company profile.
Brigitte Haschek, Michael Schumann
06/11/2015
A three-week beard, hands deep in the pockets of faded jeans, a loose T-shirt over it and a large silver pendant with the outlines of Africa around the neck – the CEO (economic newcomer for boss or managing director) of a multi-million dollar stock corporation is different in front. But the world of ties is the only part of the world that Touratech founder Herbert Schwarz has so far successfully avoided. He casually strolls through the open-plan office of his company administration, housed in the upper floor, which was subsequently moved in, of a 3000 square meter former tennis hall that was bought in 2007.
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This includes the company’s shop and warehouse, with development, shipping and of course production in other buildings behind it, with all its automated folding and bending machines, computer-controlled laser cutters and welding robots. Everywhere employees in black T-shirts are bustling around, inside and outside there are lots of motorbikes, mostly enduros. The company premises are bursting at the seams. The move to a new, larger hall is planned for 2016. Business is booming.
300 employees in Niedereschach in the southern Black Forest
“Every year I am out and about for the company on my motorcycle for five weeks, at least, and then another four weeks with the children.” The company is buzzing so much that Schwarz, born in 1960, can easily afford such apparent extravagance. Not financially, because to this day he still prefers to travel with a tent and sleeping bag. But in terms of time. “I have such a cool team, my employees make it possible,” he says with a boyish grin. 300 people work for him and his partner Jochen Schanz in Niedereschach in the southern Black Forest.
And in the rest of the world there are another 150. It all began with a one-man leisure show: In addition to his training as an electronics technician, Schwarz invented a couple of aluminum cases. Encouraged by a buddy who built transport boxes for musical instruments from aluminum profiles and plywood himself, Herbert soon figured out how to get robust luggage boxes for touring motorcycles in a similar way. And he wrote building instructions for a suitcase workshop at a traveler’s meeting: 17 pages, typed by machine, illustrated with photos and sketches, copied 50 times.
Everything about Touratech
Building instructions for the price of three marks
One of the copies found its way to MOTORRAD and was featured in the travel magazine MOTORRAD Touren in 1989. With the addition: “The tinkerer based in 7735 Dauchingen offers the building instructions for the price of three marks.” Herbert Schwarz only found out about it when the first orders fluttered into his mailbox: “That got me down, and it was with me not discussed.
Around 200 orders came in, each costing me around five marks for copies and postage. So I added 400 marks. ”That’s how MOTORRAD had Touratech brought to the brink of ruin before the company even existed. Because it was founded a year later. With the IMO 200T, a motorcycle on-board computer developed in-house, Schwarz wanted to reap the benefits.
Increased from twelve to 1924 pages today
So in 1990 he registered a trade – the birth of the company. The goal of selling 100 IMOs was achieved after three years. But the barren founding period was important for Touratech. In the meantime, Schwarz continued to work on a trip master, a tent lamp and his suitcases. The blueprint for the Zega cases was created. And today they are the basis for the company that has been growing rapidly ever since.
A quarter of a century later, the subject of aluminum cases is hotter than ever: BMW and KTM have the transport boxes for their Adventure models produced by Touratech. The company, which became a stock corporation in 1999, processes 200 tons of stainless steel and another 280 tons of steel into over 7,000 accessories per year. The catalog has grown from twelve pages in 1995 to 1924 pages today, printed in five languages. Over 40 importers sell motorcycle parts from the Black Forest on five continents. And for the last employee Christmas party in Niedereschach, Herbert Schwarz let himself be connected via Skype. From New Zealand, where he had just been riding a motorcycle for five weeks testing Wanderlust products. Until he was homesick.
Numbers, sales and further information
Touratech
Touratech employs around 450 people worldwide.
First own product under the brand:
IMO 200T motorcycle computer in 1990
Number of products today:
over 7000
Bestseller – the most successful product:
Aluminum case from the Zega family
The flop in the company’s history:
Rear splash guard for the BMW R 1200 GS up to 2013. Reason: nowhere to be attached.
Most expensive product:
ReVamp complete conversion kit for BMW R 850/1100 GS and R 1150 GS / Adv. (3169 euros)
Cheapest product:
Arno lashing strap (2.90 euros)
Share of products manufactured in Germany:
around 90 percent
Foreign locations:
Represented on every continent with over 40 importers worldwide
Employees in development:
10 (without development workshop)
Number of employees in Germany / worldwide:
300/450
Turnover 2013/2014:
32 million euros
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