Development and production of true-to-detail miniature vehicle and aircraft models in plastic and metal using injection moulding and die-cast processes
Herpa Miniaturmodelle GmbH
Dietenhofen (DE) · Herpa Plant (HU)New on Amplifa
About us
Herpa Miniaturmodelle GmbH produces true-to-original car, truck and aircraft models in exact reduced scales such as 1:87, 1:120, 1:160, 1:200 and 1:500. Production takes place predominantly in plastic injection moulding, complemented by die-cast manufacturing for metal models. The value chain includes in-house tool making, injection moulding, a printing shop with pad printing – a machine installed in 2021 prints five sides of a driver's cab in a single operation – as well as manual assembly using plug-in technology instead of gluing. According to Wikipedia, more than four million models are produced annually, and the current Collection comprises more than 1,500 available articles. In addition to collectors and model railway enthusiasts, Herpa supplies companies of all industries with promotional models and merchandising articles; customers include, among others, Lufthansa, Emirates, Porsche AG, Liebherr and NASA. Around 200 employees work at the headquarters in Dietenhofen in Franconia (development, production, warehouse, administration, sales, museum) and at the Herpa plant in Hungary. Founded in 1949 in Nuremberg by Wilhelm Hergenröther, the company is today owned by Prince Andreas zu Leiningen.
- Site
- Dietenhofen
- Processes
- Injection moulding (plastic processing of the model vehicles made of plastic), Pad printing (printing of the models, e.g. logos and paintwork, up to five sides of a, Tool making, Assembly (production of models with a great deal of manual work, plug-in technology instead of, Die-cast manufacturing (metal models, e.g. Trends Hobby 1:64, Wings models made of metal), Printing shop (printing/finishing of the models), Parts service/spare parts, Promotional models/merchandising (customer printing)
- Materials
- Plastic, Metal (Die-Cast)
- Certificates
- ISO 9001
- Founded
- 1949
- Employees
- ca. 200
- Industries
- Toys/Model making, Model railways, Aviation airlines (in-flight sales), Advertising/merchandising industry
- 01
Tool making
- 02
Injection moulding or die-cast manufacturing
- 03
Printing shop/pad printing
- 04
Assembly
- 05
Warehouse and distribution (specialist retail and online shop)
Materials and Processes
Plastic
Main material of the injection-moulded model vehicles as well as the SnapFit plug-in kits and the parts service.
Metal (Die-Cast)
Material for Wings aircraft models and die-cast models in 1:64 scale (Trends Hobby).
Locations
Dietenhofen
DEHeadquarters: development, tool making, production, printing shop, warehouse, administration, sales, museum/museum shop
- Materials
- Plastic, metal
- Tool-making machine
- Pad printing machine (2021, five-side printing in a single operation)
Herpa Plant (Hungary)
HUProduction plant
- Materials
- Plastic
Components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Injection moulding (plastic processing of the model vehicles made of plastic)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Plastic |
| Pad printing (printing of the models, e.g. logos and paintwork, up to five sides of aSurface | – | – | – | – | Plastic, Metal |
| Tool makingEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Assembly (production of models with a great deal of manual work, plug-in technology instead ofAssembly | – | – | – | – | Plastic, Metal |
| Die-cast manufacturing (metal models, e.g. Trends Hobby 1:64, Wings models made of metal)Casting | – | – | – | – | Metal, Plastic |
| Printing shop (printing/finishing of the models)Surface | – | – | – | – | Plastic |
2 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tool-making machine | – | – | – | – | Dietenhofen |
| Pad printing machine | – | – | Printing of five sides of a driver's cab in a single operation | 2021 | Dietenhofen |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality
Every model is developed with great attention to detail and produced with a great deal of manual work; complaints are handled via a ticket system with dated proof of purchase. According to the English-language Wikipedia, an ISO-9001 certification has existed since 1995 (source with low confidence).
| Evidence | Dietenhofen |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001 |