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Images: a) founder Leopold Kostal b) Kurt Kostal with his son Helmut
and father Leopold.
The KOSTAL
Group is an independent, family company
with its headquarters in Lüdenscheid, Germany. It was
in 1912 that Leopold Kostal founded the parent firm in Lüdenscheid,
to make sockets, plugs and switches for industrial and domestic
use. In 1927 the company en-
tered the automobile electrical business, with a direction indicator
switch which the firm itself had developed. A
few years later, in 1935, Kurt Kostal entered the company as the
second generation of the family and, under the management of these
two generations, working together, Leopold Kostal KG focussed its
attention squarely on the design, development and manufacture of
products for the automobile industry.
Leopold
Kostal, the founder of the company, died in 1961 at the age of 77.
Just over 10 years later, in 1972, his grandson, Dipl.-Kfm. Helmut
Kostal joined the firm as the 3rd generation of the family. When
Kurt Kostal died in 1981, his son Helmut carried on the company,
making it more and more international in its activities, to meet
demand. In 1995, he formed the company into four business divisions,
under the umbrella of Leopold Kostal GmbH & Co. KG, which have been transformed into legally independent companies in 2004.
The current
customer base includes many famous companies, including all the
world's leading vehicle manufacturers and their suppliers.
Image:
company logo: a) 1912 – e) present.
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KOSTAL
– Chronology |
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| 1912 |
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Leopold
Kostal founds the parent company, known informally as "LK".
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The
firm's first products are sockets, plugs and switches for industrial
and domestic use.
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| 1927 |
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The
company enters the automobile electrical business, with a direction
indicator switch which Leopold Kostal designed.
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| 1935 |
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Kurt
Kostal joins the firm
to assist his father and is given general commercial power of
attorney for the company.
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| 1937 |
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The
company's silver jubilee (12 June 1937) is celebra-
ted by the work-force of around 240 people.
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| 1953 |
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The
emphasis of the company is placed firmly
on the design, develop-
ment and manufacture of products for the automobile industry.
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| 1961 |
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Leopold
Kostal dies at the age of 77.
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| 1972 |
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Dipl.-Kfm.
Helmut Kostal joins the company.
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| 1973 |
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KOSTAL
of Mexico is established.
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| 1978 |
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The
electronics side of the business is developed.
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KOSTAL
of Brazil is established
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| 1981 |
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Kurt
Kostal dies at the
age of 73.
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Leopold
Kostal KG is converted into a GmbH & Co. KG
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KOSTAL
of USA and KOSTAL of Ireland are established
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| 1987 |
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The
sensors side of the business is developed
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KOSTAL
of Spain is established
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| 1990 |
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KOSTAL
of UK is established.
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| 1992 |
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KOSTAL
of Japan is established.
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| 1993 |
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KOSTAL
of Czech
Republic is established.
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| 1995 |
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The
4 business divisions
are created : Automobile Electrical; Industrial Electronics;
Connectors; and Test Technology (SOMA GmbH)
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KOSTAL of China and KOSTAL of Italy are established.
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| 1999 |
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KOSTAL
of France is established.
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| 2001 |
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Mallow plant is established in Ireland.
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| 2003 |
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Zdice plant is established in Czech Republic.
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| 2004 |
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Business divisions Industrial Electronics Systems and Connectors are transformed into legally independent companies.
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| 2006 |
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KOSTAL is established in South Korea.
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| 2007 |
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KOSTAL is established in Ukraina.
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