Development and manufacture of technical springs, stamped and fine-blanked parts as well as plastic-metal assemblies for international system manufacturers
Kern Liebers GmbH & Co. KG
Schramberg (headquarters) · Wuppertal · Hardt · Reutlingen · Ruhla · Göppingen · Toledo, Ohio (USA) and further locations worldwideNew on Amplifa
Springs, stamped parts and assemblies from a single source
Kern Liebers is an internationally active metalworking group headquartered in Schramberg. The company develops and manufactures technical springs from flat and wire steel – including flat springs, wire springs and micro springs – as well as stamped and fine-blanked parts, plastic composite parts and assemblies made of plastic and metal with integrated spring elements. Further product areas include components for textile machines such as needled components and combing products as well as precision-machined functional components. Customers are system manufacturers from the automotive, textile and consumer goods industries as well as from photovoltaics, medical technology and mechanical and plant engineering. The company manufactures at around 50 locations worldwide; approximately 1,400 employees work at the headquarters in Schramberg. Kern Liebers is a member of the Fine Blanking Working Group (AKF) at the WZL of RWTH Aachen and maintains research partnerships with German universities.
- Site
- Schramberg
- Processes
- Technical springs (Smart Springs), Functional components / precision-machined parts (Smart Parts), Assemblies made of plastic and metal with spring elements, Flat springs (power springs, spiral springs, spiral springs, double roll power springs, cartridge, Wire springs (compression springs, torsion springs, extension springs, micro springs, wire bent, Fine blanking (fine-blanked parts), Stamped parts, micro stamped parts, stamped bent parts, Plastic composite parts / plastic-metal composite parts
- Materials
- Flat steel, Wire, Plastic, Metal
- Founded
- 1888
- Employees
- 1400 (headquarters)
- Industries
- Automotive industry, Mobility, Textile machinery, Energy and building technology, Medical technology, Mechanical and plant engineering
- 01
Engineering and development of customised functional carriers
- 02
Stamping and fine blanking
- 03
Spring manufacturing from flat and wire steel
- 04
Plastic-metal composite manufacturing
- 05
Assembly of components
Materials and manufacturing processes
Flat steel
Base material for flat springs, stamped and fine-blanked parts.
Wire
Raw material for wire springs such as compression, extension and torsion springs as well as specialty wires.
Plastic
Material for plastic composite parts and assemblies with spring elements.
Metal
Material for precision-machined functional components and composite components.
Locations
Schramberg
DEHeadquarters
- Materials
- Flat steel, wire, plastic
Toledo, Ohio
USProduction site
Wuppertal
DESubsidiary (spring specialty factory)
Ruhla
DEThüringer Präzisionsfedern GmbH
Göppingen
DESaxonia Umformtechnik
Chemnitz
DESächsische Nadel- und Platinenfabriken (NAPLAFA)
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technical springs (Smart Springs)Forming | – | – | – | – | Flat steel, Wire |
| Functional components / precision-machined parts (Smart Parts)Machining | – | – | – | – | Metal |
| Assemblies made of plastic and metal with spring elementsAssembly | – | – | – | – | Plastic, Metal |
| Flat springs (power springs, spiral springs, spiral springs, double roll power springs, cartridgeForming | – | – | – | – | Flat steel |
| Wire springs (compression springs, torsion springs, extension springs, micro springs, wire bentForming | – | – | – | – | Wire, Steel |
| Fine blanking (fine-blanked parts)Forming | – | – | – | – | Flat steel, Steel |
| Stamped parts, micro stamped parts, stamped bent partsForming | – | – | – | – | Flat steel, Steel |
| Plastic composite parts / plastic-metal composite partsPlastics | – | – | – | – | Plastic, Metal |
| Components for textile machines (knitting and warp knitting systems, needled components, combingForming | – | – | – | – | Steel, Wire |
| Manufacture of lead frames from stamped partsForming | – | – | – | – | Steel |
Additional services
Company history
- 1888
Hugo Kern starts producing extension springs for the watch industry in the Black Forest.
- 1920
Hugo Ernst Kern takes over the company; renamed Hugo Kern KG.
- 1936
Kurt Steim joins as managing director.
- 1946
Start of production of lead frames made from stamped parts for the textile machinery industry.
- 1965
From the mid-1960s, production of retractor springs for automatic seat belts.
- 1971
Merger with the lead frame factory Liebers & Co. (Ingolstadt) to form Hugo Kern und Liebers GmbH & Co.
- 1972
Relocation to Schramberg-Sulgen.
- 1973
Start of production of wire springs.
- 1975
Opening of the first foreign production site in Toledo, Ohio.
- 2002
Majority stake in Kurt Meder GmbH, Villingen-Schwenningen.
- 2004
Acquisition of Bohnert GmbH (Hardt), majority stake in Thüringer Präzisionsfederfabrik (Ruhla), acquisition of Gebrüder Schmidt GmbH (Wuppertal) and of Saxonia International BV with plants in Göppingen, Schwabach, Czech Republic, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong and the USA.
- 2005
Acquisition of Schweizer GmbH & Co. KG Federtechnik in Reutlingen.
- 2016
psm protech GmbH (plastic-metal composite parts) belongs to the group.
- 2025
Rebranding and renaming to Kern Liebers GmbH & Co. KG.