Manufacturer of locks, hinges and fitting parts for commercial vehicles as well as custom castings and forgings.
Karl Hildebrand GmbH
ErkrathNew on Amplifa
About Karl Hildebrand
Karl Hildebrand GmbH is a family business founded in 1905, now in its fourth generation, headquartered in Erkrath. The company manufactures standardized fitting parts such as hinges, locks, stake systems and central locking systems for commercial vehicles, agricultural vehicles, skip containers and dump trucks. In addition to its standard portfolio, the company develops and supplies custom castings and forgings from various industrial sectors, from the initial idea to the finished product. Castings made of malleable iron have been produced since 1955; the swing-bolt locks of the Rapid/Record brand were patented at that time. Other processes include welding, riveting, drilling, milling as well as surface finishing by galvanizing and Dacromet coating. Another brand is ROTACHAIN, an automatic snow chain system for commercial vehicles, developed since 2001 and operable from the driver's cab.
- Site
- Erkrath
- Processes
- Casting (malleable iron castings), Forged parts (custom special parts), Welding (weld-on parts, attachment by welding), Galvanizing (surface finishing), Dacromet coating, Drilling, Milling (milling of the side wall), Riveting (riveting of components)
- Materials
- Malleable iron, Steel, Aluminium, Wood, Aluminium side wall
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015, ISO 9001
- Founded
- 1905
- Industries
- Commercial vehicle manufacturing, Agricultural machinery and agricultural vehicle manufacturing, Container construction, Trailer and vehicle accessories, Industry (castings and forgings)
- 01
Development and product development
- 02
Casting (malleable iron)
- 03
Forming (forged parts)
- 04
Machining (drilling, milling)
- 05
Joining (welding, riveting)
- 06
Surface finishing (galvanizing, Dacromet)
- 07
Assembly
- 08
Warehouse and distribution
Materials & Processes
Malleable iron
In use for castings since 1955, among other things for the swing-bolt locks of the Rapid/Record brand.
Steel
Material for forged parts, weld-on parts and fitting parts with surface finishing such as galvanizing or Dacromet.
Aluminium
Used for side wall components and fitting parts, machined by milling and riveting.
Locations
Erkrath
DEHeadquarters, Production, Warehouse, Administration
- Materials
- Malleable iron, Steel, Aluminium
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casting (malleable iron castings)Casting | – | – | – | – | Malleable iron |
| Forged parts (custom special parts)Forming | – | – | – | – | – |
| Welding (weld-on parts, attachment by welding)Joining | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| Galvanizing (surface finishing)Surface | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| Dacromet coatingSurface | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| DrillingMachining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Milling (milling of the side wall)Machining | – | – | – | – | Aluminium |
| Riveting (riveting of components)Joining | – | – | – | – | Aluminium |
| Production of fitting parts (hinges, locks, stake systems) in seriesAssembly | – | – | – | – | Steel, Aluminium |
| Development of custom special parts (from idea to product)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Quality
The company is certified to ISO 9001:2015 and relies on continuous process improvements to meet market requirements.
| Evidence | Erkrath |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001 |
History
- 1905
Founding of a farriery and blacksmith shop in Düsseldorf-Eller by Karl Hildebrand sen.
- 1947
Expansion after war-related interruptions, in-house development and production of locks for agricultural commercial vehicles
- 1955
First castings made of malleable iron; development and patenting of swing-bolt locks (H110, H109, H108) under the Rapid/Record brand
- 1963
Relocation to Erkrath-Hochdahl
- 1972
Construction of an additional large warehouse
- 1988
Siegfried Hildebrand takes over the company; expansion of the product range and production of special parts
- 1995
Extension building, topping-out ceremony
- 2001
Cyril Hildebrand joins the company; start of ROTACHAIN development
- 2005
100th company anniversary