04 & 05 November 2025
Halls 1, 2, 4 & 6, IFEMA, Madrid
05 & 06 November 2025
Halls 8 & 10, IFEMA, Madrid
04 & 05 November 2025
Halls 1, 2, 4 & 6, IFEMA, Madrid
05 & 06 November 2025
Halls 8 & 10, IFEMA, Madrid
In Lauf an der Pegnitz, Franconia, Richard Glimpel laid the foundation for the family business EMUGE-FRANKEN 100 years ago. He always focused on innovative solutions to improve productivity in the machining industry. Today, the group of companies with more than 1,900 employees at 52 locations worldwide has developed over the course of a century.
Innovation, precision, and proximity are not only the values that EMUGE-FRANKEN represents today, but also characterized its early years. After working in various positions in German mechanical engineering companies and graduating as a “Master Craftsman,” Richard Glimpel decided to make his dreams come true by founding his own company. On May 20, 1920, he (with three employees) founded “Präzisions-Werkzeugfabrik Richard Glimpel Lauf ad Pegnitz (Bavaria)”, which became “Präzisionswerkzeugfabrik Nürnberg-Lauf Moschkau & Glimpel” on July 1, 1920. In the same year, Richard Glimpel invented the corrected lead tap. The tap revolutionized internal thread machining, as the need to gradually replace the three taps required to produce a single thread was achieved by converting them to a much faster method using a single tool. A large-scale order from a railway company ensured the company’s growth shortly after its founding. The new tooling requirements necessitated a new company orientation, the addition of partners, and a change of name. This resulted in the EMUGE brand name, composed of the phonetic spelling of the first letters of Moschkau and Glimpel.
The Path to a Systems Supplier
Richard Glimpel recognized that tool system adjustment had a decisive influence on productivity and therefore added tool holders to the product range in 1928 and the Spieth system for workholding in 1950. In 1953, he followed up with the patent for the helical flute tap, which is still the defining geometry for machining internal threads in blind holes.
Helmut Glimpel, the founder’s son, began his career with the company in 1956 and still manages it today alongside his son-in-law, Gerhard Knienieder, the current Managing Director. With the acquisition of the FRANKEN company in 1958, the product range was expanded to include milling tools and paved the way for a group of companies. With the addition of new business units, EMUGE-FRANKEN became a supplier of precision tooling systems for threading, drilling, gauging, clamping, and milling technology.
Customer proximity always in mind
“A customer is someone who brings us their wishes. Our job is to fulfill those wishes in a cost-effective manner for them and for us.” Following Richard Glimpel’s ideals of customer proximity, his son Helmut Glimpel focused not only on expanding the product range but also on establishing new sales and production locations. The first foreign subsidiary in the US was established in 1983, followed by other sales offices in the world’s major industrialized countries, some with production facilities for their local market. In addition to the sales team, a team of EMUGE or FRANKEN technicians are available, traveling from Lauf or Rückersdorf to any location in the world to assist customers with the most optimal solutions. If standard tools are not sufficient for this purpose, special tools are also manufactured according to customer specifications.
With innovations for the future.
Innovations have characterized the company’s century-long history. This inventive spirit is particularly reflected in the numerous patents regularly granted since the company’s founding, which also include the latest developments such as the FRANKEN Cut & Form, EMUGE Punch Tap, and EMUGE Taptor. Even for the most sophisticated threading tools, geometry improvements could be achieved, as demonstrated by the patent application for EMUGE InnoForm Steel-M. Such milestones demonstrate that the corporate values of innovation, precision, and proximity endure. EMUGE-FRANKEN’s commitment to developing meaningful solutions together with its customers is reflected in its proximity to customers and openness to new ideas. Appropriate conditions for this purpose are also being created in the production sector. A clear sign is the start of construction of a new 20,000 m² building opposite the company’s current headquarters in Lauf, which will offer generous new production capacities starting in 2023. The continuity and long-term focus of the family business are also guaranteed in terms of personnel – the next generation of the entrepreneurial family is already at the starting line.