METABO

METABO, a brand of the German company Metabo Werke Gmbh, is an epitome of German entrepreneurship. It was founded by Albrecht Schnizler in 1923 in Nürtingen (Baden-Württemberg), in the backroom of his parents' bakery. A passionate inventor, he designed the first hand-held drill capable of piercing metal, which was widely used at the time. Named the n°18, it sold over 50,000 units, mainly in Great Britain. In 1929, Metabo Werke was founded with two other partners; METABO derives from the German Metallbohrdreher, hand drill. Innovations in power tools followed one another: in 1950 came the first grinder, the following year the sander, then a year later the quick-release chuck, and in 1957 a world exclusive: the percussion drill... in all, more than 500 patents and designs were registered. METABO continues to manufacture its saws, hedge trimmers and screwdrivers in Germany: in 2005, more than half the company's employees were based in Germany. By 1999, the Group had become Europe's number 1 in woodworking tools, and the world's second largest.