Coat hangers and retail accessories made of plastic, wood, metal and bio-based materials, injection-moulded at the Wald-Michelbach site.
Cortec GmbH
Wald-MichelbachNew on Amplifa
Holistic solution provider for fashion and logistics
Cortec GmbH manufactures coat hangers for the fashion industry and fashion logistics as well as shop equipment such as mannequins, garment racks and pegboard hooks at its Wald-Michelbach site (Odenwald). Founded in 1961, the company began with the production of wire and metal hangers and has gradually expanded its range to include hangers made of wood, plastic and bio-based materials as well as displays and garment stands. The core process is injection moulding, complemented by wire and metal hanger production, wooden hanger manufacturing with glued-on shoulder elements, branding (printing, engraving, vignettes) and painting with water-based paints. A bio-based material made from regional meadow grass fibres, combined with recycled or biodegradable plastics, complies with the toy standard EN 71-3; the share of bio-based material in production rose from 6.7% (2014) to 51.8% (2022). Sorted-out hangers are processed into granulate via re-using and recycling and reprocessed in injection moulding. 150 employees produce more than 60 million coat hangers per year, which are shipped worldwide via a network of sister companies and local partners.
- Site
- Wald-Michelbach
- Processes
- Injection moulding, Wire and metal hanger production, Coat hanger/wooden hanger manufacturing (wood, incl. glued-on shoulder elements), Printing (branding), Engraving (branding), Painting with water-based paints, soft-touch/piano finish coatings, UV paint coating, Recycling: shredding of sorted-out coat hangers, granulate production, Logistics services (logistics processes, inventory management)
- Materials
- Plastic, Wood (beech, ash, oak, FSC-certified), Metal, Wire, Bio-based material from meadow grass, ABS plastic, Recycled plastic, Biodegradable plastics
- Certificates
- FSC (policy statement on FSC core labour requirements, FSC-STD-40-004 V3-1), Higg FEM Badge 2024, EN 71-3 (toy standard) for bio-based material, CO2 analysis / ETA-Plus Energy Efficiency Network, FSC Policy Statement (FSC-STD-40-004 V3-1), EN 71-3 (bio-based material), Member of the ETA-Plus Energy Efficiency Network
- Founded
- 1961
- Employees
- 150
- Industries
- Fashion / Fashion Retail, Logistics, Retail, Electronics and food corporations (pegboard hooks), Textile industry
- 01
Material production or sourcing (bio-based material, recycled granulate, wood,
- 02
Injection moulding or forming
- 03
Surface finishing (painting, branding)
- 04
Assembly/special equipment
- 05
Logistics and inventory management
- 06
Re-using and recycling back into the production cycle
Materials and processes
Bio-based material from meadow grass
Grass fibres combined with recycled or biodegradable plastics; complies with the toy standard EN 71-3.
Recycled plastic
Granulate obtained from shredded sorted-out hangers, used for injection moulding of new coat hangers.
ABS plastic
Material of the PURE mannequin series; 100% recyclable and around 30% lighter than glass fibre.
Wood (beech, ash, oak, FSC-certified)
Used for wooden hangers with glued-on shoulder elements, painted with water-based paints.
Metal/wire
Basis of the original hanger production as well as of pegboard hooks and special hooks.
Injection moulding
Core process for plastic and bio-based hangers; two new 150-tonne injection moulding machines commissioned in 2025.
Branding (printing, engraving, vignettes)
Individual brand design of the hangers.
Painting (water-based, soft-touch, piano finish, UV paint)
Surface finishing for wood and ABS parts.
Site
Wald-Michelbach
DEHeadquarters, production and distribution
- Materials
- Plastic, bio-based material, wood, metal
- Injection moulding machines (including two 150-tonne machines, 2025)
- Wire/metal hanger production
- Wooden hanger manufacturing
- Branding (printing, engraving)
Products
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Injection mouldingPlastics | – | – | – | – | Plastic, Bio-based material (grass fibres with recycled/bio, Recycled plastic shredded/granulate |
| Wire and metal hanger productionForming | – | – | – | – | Metal, Wire |
| Coat hanger/wooden hanger manufacturing (wood, incl. glued-on shoulder elements)Joining | – | 45 cm | – | 300 pieces | Wood (beech, ash, oak, FSC-certified) |
| Printing (branding)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Engraving (branding)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Painting with water-based paints, soft-touch/piano finish coatings, UV paint coatingSurface | – | – | – | – | Wood, ABS plastic |
| Recycling: shredding of sorted-out coat hangers, granulate productionPlastics | – | – | – | – | Plastic, Bio-based material |
| Logistics services (logistics processes, inventory management)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Special hook and custom manufacturing (pegboard hooks, individual solutions)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Metal |
2 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Injection moulding machine | – | 2 | – | 2025 | Wald-Michelbach |
| Injection moulding machine (clamping force 150 tonnes) | – | 2 | – | 2025 | Wald-Michelbach |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality and sustainability
Cortec regularly works with customer audits and internal inspections; environmental performance was assessed in the Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM) (Badge 2024). A CO2 analysis by the IfaS Institute demonstrates CO2 savings of up to 64% for grass coat hangers.
| Evidence | Wald-Michelbach |
|---|---|
| Higg FEM Badge 2024 | |
| FSC Policy Statement (FSC-STD-40-004 V3-1) | |
| EN 71-3 (bio-based material) | |
| Member of the ETA-Plus Energy Efficiency Network |
History since 1961
- 1961
Foundation; began with production of wire and metal hangers.
- 2014
Share of bio-based materials in production approx. 6.7%.
- 2022
Share of bio-based materials in production approx. 51.8%.
- 2025
Sourcing of a large share of electricity from the Zittau-Schlegel wind turbine (approx. 2,000 MWh/year); two new 150-tonne injection moulding machines; receipt of the Higg FEM Badge 2024.
- 2026
Participation in EuroShop 2026 and SHOP Arabia 2026 (Dubai).