On the Brink of Success: KNF Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary

At the time, KNF is on the brink of success or, as Erich Becker puts it in his speech: “The company has just come of age.” Until this point, KNF’s history is a typical reflection of life in post-war Germany. The company had started as a workshop for repairing combustion engines in response to demands for this type of work in the 1940s and 1950s. KNF had managed to keep pace with economic developments and when it took the bold, decisive step of creating its own range of products, it had set the course for success.

Even the plans to “consolidate acquisitions, extend the product range and increase production” that KNF has set out in an announcement to mark the 25th anniversary goes on to be fulfilled more quickly than envisaged. Just one year later, KNF makes its breakthrough into industry with its double diaphragm technology and considerably expands its production capacity.

During the party, a trade association representative gives a speech praising the positive working environment within the company. She says the staff were like a “real family” in which everyone is encouraged to contribute their thoughts and sometimes even take part in decision-making. Although the KNF family has grown a lot since then, this sentiment still applies today, 50 years later. Many of the staff – including Horst Brändle, Alexander Gagg and Klaus Lakies, who are honored for ten years of service at the party – stay at KNF until their retirement and help shape the company’s future.