Designed exterior luminaires, masts, and urban furniture for urban spaces – Development, casting, and manufacturing in Villingen-Schwenningen.
Hess GmbH Licht + Form
Villingen-Schwenningen (DE)New on Amplifa
We shape cities – luminaires and furniture from the Black Forest
Hess GmbH Licht + Form was founded in 1948 by Willi Hess as a foundry and is today an internationally active manufacturer of designed exterior luminaires, masts, solar luminaires, and urban furniture based in Villingen-Schwenningen in the Black Forest. Together with the traditional VULKAN brand (roots dating back to 1898, part of Hess since 2017), the company covers almost the entire spectrum of exterior lighting – from technically efficient streetlights to multifunctional, smart lighting systems. The company's own foundry produces cast parts from gray cast iron (GG), spherical cast iron (GGG), and aluminum; in addition, they offer sand casting (hand and machine molding), shell casting, and aluminum die casting, as well as the manufacturing of conical and cylindrical masts from steel and aluminum. For conical aluminum masts, up to 95% recycled aluminum is used, and gray cast iron parts consist of 99% steel scrap. In addition to luminaires and masts, Hess manufactures urban furniture (benches, planters, barrier systems, waste containers, tree grates, bicycle racks, utility bollards) and LED conversion kits for existing luminaires. In 2003, Hess introduced the world's first LED exterior luminaire. Customers include cities, municipalities, energy providers, and property developers worldwide; since December 2023, Hess has been part of GROUPE RAGNI (France).
- Site
- Villingen-Schwenningen
- Processes
- Casting of parts (own foundry, founded as a foundry; Aluminum casting and gray casting), Sand casting (hand mold and machine mold casting), Shell casting, Die casting, Manufacturing of conical masts (steel, aluminum), Manufacturing of cylindrical separated masts, Manufacturing of masts and booms from steel, Processing of semi-finished goods (flat and round material, pipes)
- Materials
- Gray cast iron (GG), Spherical cast iron (GGG), Aluminum, Steel, Stainless steel, Ash wood (high-pressure impregnated), Glass, PMMA (Plexiglass)
- Certificates
- DIN EN ISO 9001:2015, DIN EN ISO 14001:2015, EMAS, ISO 9001, ISO 14001
- Founded
- 1948
- Industries
- Cities and Municipalities, Municipal Infrastructure, Traffic / Street Lighting, Architecture and Lighting Design, Objects (Industry, administration, hospitals, universities, schools, museums), Parks and Green Spaces
- 01
Casting (Sand casting, shell casting, die casting)
- 02
Sheet metal processing / Mast manufacturing
- 03
Processing semi-finished goods, glass, plastic
- 04
Assembly of luminaires and furniture
- 05
Development, sales, and project specification
Materials and Processes
Gray cast iron
Casting parts such as tree grates and manhole covers, made from 99% steel scrap.
Spherical cast iron
Casting products for luminaires and urban furniture, produced using sand and shell casting.
Aluminum
Casting, semi-finished goods, masts, die-cast, machined, and laser parts; up to 95% recycled aluminum for conical masts.
Steel
Semi-finished goods, masts, and booms with a recycling content of 50–75%.
Stainless steel
Laser parts and machined parts for luminaire components.
Plastic (PMMA, PC)
Flat and pipe cuts for luminaire covers.
Glass
Flat, stepped, and shaped glass for luminaires.
Ash wood (high-pressure impregnated)
Material for urban furniture such as benches.
Locations
Villingen-Schwenningen
DEHeadquarters, production, foundry, showcase
- Lot size
- Laser parts 20–100 Stk., machined parts 200–1000 Stk., die-cast parts 20–100
- Materials
- GG, GGG, Aluminum, Steel, Stainless steel
- Foundry (Sand casting Hand/Machine mold, shell casting)
- Aluminum die casting
- Mast manufacturing (conical, cylindrical separated)
- Assembly
Products and Components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casting of parts (own foundry, founded as a foundry; Aluminum casting and gray casting)Casting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Sand casting (hand mold and machine mold casting)Casting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Shell castingCasting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Die castingCasting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacturing of conical masts (steel, aluminum)Sheet metal processing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacturing of cylindrical separated mastsSheet metal processing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacturing of masts and booms from steelSheet metal processing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Processing of semi-finished goods (flat and round material, pipes)Sheet metal processing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Laser parts and burning parts (procured, typical purchased parts)Machining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Machined parts (procured, typical purchased parts)Machining | Diameter 60-130 mm | – | – | – | – |
| Metal die-cast parts (procured, typical purchased parts)Forming technology | – | – | – | – | – |
| Processing of glass articles (flat glass, stepped glass, shaped glass)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Processing Plexiglas (flat and pipe cuts)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Assembly/manufacturing of LED exterior luminaires (pole, mast, bollard, ground-recessed, wall,Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacturing of LED conversion kits for existing luminairesAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacturing of urban furniture (benches, planters, barrier systems, waste containers, tree grates)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacturing of solar luminaires (NOVÉA, with built-in batteries)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality and Certificates
Hess operates with a quality management system according to DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 (certified since 2007) and pursues a zero-defect strategy. The environmental management system is certified according to DIN EN ISO 14001:2015 (since 2011) and EMAS (since 2015).
| Evidence | Villingen-Schwenningen |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | |
| ISO 14001 | |
| EMAS |
History
- 1898
Roots of the traditional VULKAN brand
- 1948
Founding as a foundry by Willi Hess
- 1974
Production of street luminaires
- 1997
Founding of HESS GmbH Licht + Form
- 2003
World's first LED exterior luminaire by Hess
- 2013
Part of the Nordeon Group since October
- 2017
VULKAN has belonged to Hess since September
- 2018
Market entry and production start in USA
- 2023
Part of GROUPE RAGNI (FR) since December
- 2024
Joint appearance GROUPE RAGNI + Hess, new product lines