The Hettich Group, a leading global manufacturer of furniture fittings headquartered in Kirchlengern, generated sales of around 1.4 billion euros in 2024. The merger with FGV in January 2024 led to an increase in turnover of around 12% compared to the previous year. If the FGV share is deducted, the picture at Hettich is similar to that of the market in general: a slight decline in turnover of around -3%. The foreign share amounted to 80 percent. Hettich employs around 8,400 people worldwide, of which around 4,000 are in Germany.

Despite the generally difficult situation in many markets, especially the important and strong market in Germany, the management team at Hettich is positive about the future, especially due to its international orientation. “The company was founded as a supplier of cuckoo clocks in the Black Forest. Today, we operate worldwide as a manufacturer of furniture fittings from East Westphalia. We are used to reinventing ourselves. We did the same in 2024 to meet the challenges of the market,” says Jana Schönfeld, Managing Director at Hettich. She continues: “We have always been proud of our global network. And we are still inspired by the courage for the future that we are experiencing in many places around the world.”

This year’s Hettich annual press conference offered insights into the many-to-many (management) culture. Representatives of the management team and experts looked back on the 2024 financial year and shared future prospects.

Over the past year, FGV and Hettich, two traditional family-run companies with over 200 years of combined experience, have built up a strong network. “The many personal discussions and intensive exchanges in international project teams have not only strengthened our connection, but also laid the foundation for a successful future,” emphasizes Schönfeld. An important step in this collaboration was the opening of the first joint subsidiary, Hettich Vietnam, in January 2025. “We are delighted to strengthen our presence in Asia with Hettich Vietnam. With its 100 million inhabitants, the Vietnamese market offers excellent growth opportunities, and with our Hettich and FGV brands we can specifically address the different needs of the market,” adds Philipp Rode, Managing Director at Hettich. The first joint developments will also be on show at Interzum in Cologne, for example in the area of drawer and drawer interiors.

Over the past three years, the Hettich Group has invested over 450 million euros in new products and capacities. One visible step in this direction is the sustainable expansion of production space in Germany. Timo Pieper, Managing Director at Hettich, emphasizes: “Our new production halls exceed the requirements of the Energy Saving Ordinance and set standards for environmentally friendly industrial construction.” 160 million euros were invested in 2024, of which 35 million euros went into the new multifunctional hall C3 in Bünde (inauguration is planned for May), which has 23,500 square meters, and 16 million euros for the multifunctional hall F in Frankenberg with 9,400 square meters. Hettich is also investing internationally, as the grand opening of the Leg Factory in Penang, Malaysia, shows. Innovative solutions for height-adjustable desk solutions are created here. In general, Hettich considers itself to be well positioned in Germany, with further investments likely to be made abroad in particular. Recruitment is also becoming more global in terms of employees: in percentage terms, higher employee growth is planned worldwide, in parallel with additional branches and possible production facilities. The proportion of employees in Germany could therefore decrease in the longer term. A new logistics center in Bremen for the overseas business also indicates that Hettich is gearing up to further strengthen exports. In addition to a new logistics hub in OWL, which has not yet been defined.

Hettich products such as “Furnspin” and “Roomspin” have received prestigious awards such as the Interzum Award, the Red Dot Award and the German Design Award. The Hettich Group is also proud to be featured in the new edition of “The Major German Brands 2025”, which presents outstanding German brand companies.

Hettich has also received numerous awards as an employer, including “Kununu Top Company 2025” and “Top Jobrad Employer”. Lars Bohlmann, Managing Director at Hettich, explains: “These awards are proof of our commitment to promoting the health and safety of our colleagues while maintaining transparent communication at eye level. We want to create a working environment in which everyone can contribute their strengths, passions and ideas.” The “Great Place to Work” certification for Hettich India, which confirms the promotion of trust, respect and cohesion, is also particularly noteworthy.

Challenges and outlook for 2025
Michael Lehmkuhl, Managing Director at Hettich, pointed out the challenges posed by geopolitical crises, technological uncertainty and the decline in construction activity. One particular problem is the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), which does not take furniture fittings into account and therefore puts sustainably produced products from Germany at a disadvantage. “Without a comprehensive inclusion of our products in the CBAM, we and our European market competitors are at a competitive disadvantage and efforts to achieve sustainable production standards in Europe will be undermined,” says Lehmkuhl.

For 2025, the Hettich Group is aiming for further development by intensifying cooperation with long-standing customers, digitalization and streamlining of company processes, as well as global networking. The company is also having its climate targets validated by the “Science Based Targets initiative” (SBT) in order to take responsibility for future generations. At interzum 2025, Hettich will once again present fascinating, changeable furniture worlds under the motto “Transforming Spaces – with innovative motion” and present itself as a holistically thinking strategy partner for the furniture industry, processors and appliance manufacturers.