WAGO Kontakttechnik

Infobox generic
color = white
style0 = class="infobox" style="width:27em; font-size:90%;"
name = WAGO Kontakttechnik GmbH & Co. KG
lbl1 =
row1 =

img1 = WAGO-Logo.png width1 = 200px
lbl2 = Corporate form
row2 = GmbH & Co KG
lbl3 = Founded
row3 = 1951
lbl4 = Company headquarters
row4 = Minden/Westphalia
lbl5 = Company management
row5 = Managing Directors
*Sven Hohorst
*Axel Börner
lbl6 = Employees
row6 = 4700
lbl7 = Sales
row7 = approx. EUR 431 million
lbl8 = Industry
row8 = contact technology, automation technology
lbl9 = Web site
row9 = [http://www.wago.com www.wago.com]

WAGO Kontakttechnik GmbH & Co. KG is a German company that manufactures components for electrical connection technology and electronic components for decentralized automation technology. The company is especially well-known for its cage clamp and push-wire connector products, particularly the 280 Series and the 273 Series (often referred to as "WAGO Clamps").

Company

WAGO is headquartered in the Minden, a town in Germany’s state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Founded in Minden as a family company in 1951, WAGO has been under the long-time guidance of Wolfgang Hohorst, Managing Director with sole power of representation for the WAGO Group. In 2004, the company was certified according to ISO 14001 in recognition of environmental management standards.

The company has approximately 4700 employees; of these, 2600 are employed in Germany at either the Minden or Sondershausen/Thuringia facility. [ [http://www.wago.com/cps/rde/xchg/wago/style.xsl/gle_21146.htm WAGO Kontakttechnik GmbH & Co. KG ] ]

In addition to the central location in Minden, the WAGO Group has manufacturing plants in Sondershausen (Thuringia), Domdidier (Switzerland), Noida (India), Tianjin ( [Peoples' Republic of China] ), Breslau (Poland) and Germantown (USA).

WAGO is subdivided into 33 WAGO companies and free commercial agencies worldwide. In 2007, it achieved worldwide consolidated sales of EUR 431 million. [ [http://www.sps-magazin.de/index.html?/artikel/artikel.asp&D1h02fwB2IVzJhihDLnezAix SPS - Zeitschrift für Automatisierungstechnik ] ]

History

WAGO was founded on April 27, 1951 by Friedrich Hohorst and Heinrich Nagel as WAGO Klemmenwerk GmbH. Before this came the purchase of the first patent for a spring clamp.

At the time, the quality of available raw materials prevented the clamps from adhering to this principle while being manufactured properly. This led to the creation of the screwless clamp, known today as the spring clamp. Spring clamp technology has become recognized worldwide as an industrial standard for wire connection.

Organizational structure

WAGO consists of two business divisions: ELECTRICAL INTERCONNECTIONS and AUTOMATION.

WAGO Foundation

The WAGO Foundation recognizes the best achievements of trainees on the final examinations in both locations in Minden and Sondershausen, as well as in nearby towns and cities, by awarding them prizes.

Due to its exemplary encouragement of trainees, the current Chair of the WAGO Foundation Wolfgang Hohorst was awarded the German Federal Cross of Merit on November 8, 2006 by the Thuringian Minister-President Dieter Althaus.

Cooperation agreements

Since 2000, there has been a cooperation agreement between WAGO Kontakttechnik and the Besselgymnasium (high school) in Minden.

Sources

External links

* [http://www.wago.com Home page of WAGO Kontakttechnik GmbH & Co. KG]
* [http://www.wago.com/cps/rde/xchg/wago_gt/style.xsl/deu_index.html WAGO's building technology portal (German)]