In one of Germany's oldest industrial regions, a company is having a double anniversary this year: VETTER Industrie, manufacturer of forks for forklift trucks, looks back on 135 years of successful company history and at the same time celebrates 60 years of fork production.

“Entrepreneurial spirit and passion are the cornerstones of our history", explains Arnold VETTER, managing director of VETTER Industrie in Burbach. VETTER's roots go back to 1889, when his great-grandfather, company founder Arnold VETTER sen., forged parts for the mining industry, thus laying the foundations for today's company. 

During the ensuing decades, the company continued to develop into a high-performance manufacturer of mining equipment. This first period of prosperity was followed by a journey through economic crises, currency reforms and two World Wars. "Keep calm and carry on – With prudence and decisiveness, we have learned crisis management and resilience over generations. We choose options carefully and never lose courage and belief in success. In this way, we can always break new ground with our team," says Arnold VETTER, describing in a few words the eventful history that has shaped both company and family. 

1964 was a crucial year: the first forks were manufactured for the then emerging future market of forklifts – by the way, the first customer was Genkinger in Münsingen, followed by Linde in Aschaffenburg! Another groundbreaking decision was made in 1991: One company became two. The forks business unit was spun off from the then parent company (crane technology) in Siegen and transferred to today's company VETTER Industrie.

Production was relocated that year to the new site in Burbach. At the same time, in the 4th generation, Arnold and Gabriele VETTER took over the fortunes of the now "new" company. In the following years, the company grew continuously. 

Fork-technology for better logistics!

The company’s passion is to develop solutions for almost every application and cover the market in all its variances. As a result VETTER probably offers the world's most extensive product range of forks for all areas of use. Like no other, VETTER is totally focused on forks!

Strategic decisions were made to enter complementary markets. The integration of camera technology and sensor systems into the fork brought a further boost – the SmartFork was born. All product innovations are driven by the goal of making life of the forklift driver easier, safer and more efficient in the tough everyday routine of logistics. 

High investments in state-of-the-art production facilities and a systematic increase in vertical integration contribute to prevent problems in the supply chain from occurring in the first place. The expansion of the production area at the Burbach site kept pace with this development. Only last year the site expansion to include Plant 3 and the new logistics centre was completed. Construction phase 14 is currently underway, providing additional space for production.

In addition, since 2007 the company has been taking sales in important foreign markets into its own hands, with subsidiaries and partnerships in all major markets.

The family tradition continues: "135 years after our founding, we are very proud to be an independent family business. Our success proves us right and gives us the opportunity to impart values such as fairness and humanity in the face of strong industrial competition," says Maximilian VETTER, who has been continuing the family tradition in the fifth generation since 2023. A family business in the best sense of the word!

The sustainable fork

Pursuing effective sustainability is a major target for VETTER.

Investments are being made in state-of-the-art and efficient facilities and office buildings with optimal working conditions.

For decades, VETTER has been paying attention to sustainability: heat recovery, photovoltaic power generation, reusable packaging, rail transport, recycling systems for scrap processing, eco-friendly colours and much more have been standard for many years.

Currently, VETTER generates more than 65% of its electricity from renewable sources.

The path continues, with the goal, to manufacture the most sustainable fork.

VETTER – a secure job with a future! 

Inspiring young people to take part in industrial training is a major challenge for many companies these days. VETTER is proud to continue to fill the apprenticeship positions in nine different vocational trainings with talented young people. 

"As a family company, it is important to us to bring young talents closer to the advantages of vocational training and to promote professional and social skills. We provide long-term training for our own requirements and offer our junior staff the opportunity to enhance their career prospects through various seminars, additional qualifications and internships abroad. 

Our trainees are involved in projects from the very beginning and learn to take responsibility," states Kai Böcher, Head of Human Resources at VETTER Industrie.