Last week we were able to celebrate our 40th anniversary at our location in Gosheim with around 150 employees. In addition to the IHK managing director Thomas Albiez, other high-ranking representatives from politics and business followed the invitation to the official ceremony. We were delighted to welcome District Administrator Stefan Bär, Gosheim's Mayor Andre Kielack, Ingo Hell as a neighbor and Chairman of the GVD (Gemeinnützige Vereinigung der Drehteilehersteller e.V.) as well as a delegation around the former Tuttlinger Kreissparkasse Chairman Ortwin Guhl, to whom the family expressed special thanks as companions. The invited bestselling author and "economic rebel" Anja Förster ((Rebels at Work) gave a keynote speech on the topic of courage to think differently at the anniversary celebration.

The CVT company history classically reflects the origins and development of the automotive metal processing industry in the Schwarzwald-Baar-Heuberg region. What began in autumn 40 years ago with 4 machines in the garage by Franz Capellmann and his wife Maria, is today a medium-sized company that supplies customer locations worldwide with innovative products.

10 years after the foundation - CVT had six employees at that time - the company's development came to a standstill. This ie when Hans Capellmann joined the company in 1989 and he is now responsible for administrative and strategic management. Paul Capellmann has headed the technical management team since the end of the 1990s. With the vision and focus to fulfil the requirements of the customers in the desired precision and product quality, a dynamic and healthy growth was achieved. This was one of the main reasons why the general financial crisis in 2011 did not affect CVT and the company continued to develop positively.

Over the decades, the precision and complexity of products has increased from gears and worms, which still account for a large proportion of the overall portfolio, to assemblies and hybrid injection moulding products. In order to meet the constantly increasing requirements and the continuous demand from small to large series, the production was continuously expanded. For example, a production plant was opened in Schwerin in 2008, which is currently being expanded again. However, the company not only increased its production space, they also constantly invested in the latest technologies and the modernization of its machinery. This is another reason why in May 2019 one of the most important customers, Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. KG from Coburg, has awarded CVT as a key supplier for the long-standing and cooperative partnership.

The third plant was founded in Kunshan (China) in 2017. The location, which was opened two years ago, was not only intended to make a statement in the direction of the global automotive supplier industry, but also to establish proximity to new growth markets in Asia. With the location in Asia, CVT signals its willingness and courage to invest in jointly developing new markets and business fields outside Europe. The city in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu is regarded as one of the economically best developed "Tier 2" cities in China. Across all three locations, the total production area is currently around 30,000m². The group produces approx. 650,000 transmission components per day.

Even if the automotive industry is in a state of change, CVT sees themselves prepared for the future. A highly modern machine park is just as much a part of this as the valued base, which consists of 250 employees at three locations. The product portfolio mainly covers gear technology solutions for setting and controlling servomotors, motor management and gears and pumps. A product range that also plays a role in the latest engine developments and the upcoming e-mobility.

"Our many years of success motivate us to deliver top performance for our customers. On behalf of the Capellmann families, I would like to thank all our employees. It is our highly motivated and competent staff that makes such successes possible," says Hans Capellmann, CEO and Managing Director, explaining the background. "Our employees also ensure our competence and know-how transfer between the plants," adds Paul Capellmann as Technical Director (CTO). "Combined with the respective location advantages and the developed technological lead, this represents the basis for a successful future for CVT," Hans Capellmann sums up and looks forward to the next 40 years.