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Hoffmann Group
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Overview
HOFFMANN GROUP. Guiding simplicity. Completely personal.
We make things extremely easy in industrial tools and equipment. With GARANT, HOLEX and other leading brands, we offer reliable, quality tools and pioneering innovations from a single source. We make choosing the right tool incredibly simple — you can find everything within 10 meters of any industrial workstation.
With our innovative digital solutions, we make your production more transparent and efficient. As sector experts, we provide our customers with a competitive advantage every day. With more than 1,400 advisors, we are always by your side, on-site and digitally.
With more than 500,000 quality tools, personalized expert consulting and efficient logistics operations, we provide solutions for every area of industrial production. Worldwide, more than 135,000 companies — from SMEs to international industrial groups — trust Hoffmann Group.
Why Hoffmann Group?
Our pioneering strengths in industrial tools and equipment:
- 500,000+ quality tools from a single source — more than 500 leading manufacturer brands and a custom sourcing concept. Our own quality brands: GARANT (premium tools for the highest demands) and HOLEX (reliable tools with strong price/performance). Complementary services such as sharpening, calibration, and workstation planning.
- Personalized consulting from 1,400 experts — field and inside sales support on application technique, measurement and grinding technology, occupational safety, e-business process optimization, and automation.
- Simple ordering, efficient tool logistics — Europe's largest tool logistics center, numerous logistics facilities worldwide; eShop, electronic catalog, OCI/Punch-Out, EDI, and industrial vending solutions.
- Automated, digital production solutions — GARANT automation solutions, connected production with Hoffmann Group Connected, and seamless documentation.
100 Years of Success
The best way to describe the Hoffmann world today is through its 100-year history — shaped by the founding family's personal dedication, economic hardships, innovative developments, and the values of a genuine family business.
A start in difficult times
In 1919, master machinist Josef Hoffmann founded his own business selling "technical products and metal goods." In 1930 it moved to a small shop on Arnulfstrasse in Munich, employing two field sales representatives and offering customers technical consultancy.
The founder's energetic son
In the early 1930s, Franz Hoffmann joined the business and soon took the lead. He created the company's second major business line by adding tools and small machines to the portfolio. In 1936, he compiled different manufacturers' product lists into the first bound Hoffmann catalog.
A major player in industrial tool trading
Driven by Franz Hoffmann's pioneering spirit, the company grew steadily. Continuously monitoring the market, it adapted its product range — aiming not for the widest range but to offer the best in every product group. It viewed the sharpening workshop, expert consulting, and a broad field sales network as core competencies for fast delivery.
Headquarters grows, logistics grows too
In 1972, the headquarters moved to its current location in Munich-Pasing. In 2009, Europe's then-largest and most efficient logistics center opened in Nuremberg. In 2014, a workstation and storage center was established in Odelzhausen. In 2018, construction began on LogisticCity, the first step toward connected digital logistics.
LogisticCity
To keep supplying you reliably in the future, Hoffmann Group made a major investment: LogisticCity — Europe's most modern tool logistics center. A critical step toward connected digital logistics, delivering the highest delivery capacity and 99.9% delivery accuracy.
Development began in 2018 on a 21.5-hectare site in Nuremberg-Langwasser; the investment totaled €200 million, and the facility has been operational since 2021. It comprises a high-bay warehouse, dispatch warehouse, shuttle warehouse, goods receiving, administration, and the new TechnologyCenter and ServiceCenter.
ServiceCenter services include: calibration and re-calibration in an accredited laboratory, cutting tool sharpening, textile processing for personalized workwear, and laser marking of tools. In the Showroom, GARANT and HOLEX products can be experienced at more than 20 hands-on stations.
Sustainability
As Europe's leading partner in quality tools, workstations, and personal protective equipment, sustainable action is one of Hoffmann Group's core principles. With the group-wide sustainability strategy adopted in 2022, ESG (environmental, social, governance) criteria have been even more closely linked to the corporate strategy.
Contributing to the Paris climate targets; reducing direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions and using resources sustainably and efficiently.
An attractive working environment built on mutual trust and performance recognition, with occupational health and safety as a priority.
A culture of integrity, reliability, and transparency, protecting human rights and fair working conditions through responsible supply chains.
EcoVadis Silver Medal: In early 2026, Hoffmann SE renewed its silver medal with a score of 72 out of 100, ranking among the top 15% of companies assessed.
Code of Conduct: Binding ethical and legal conduct standards for all employees.
Hoffmann Group Foundation: Supports disadvantaged and traumatized children and young people in preparing for an independent life.
Overview
With excellent people, technology, and a sincere management philosophy, we create products and services our customers trust. The YG-1 family is building YG-1 worldwide with a strong mindset, a fighting spirit, and mutual respect.
Founder & Chairman
YG-1 Founder and Chairman Ho-Keun Song is known as a trusted representative of the global business community. Every year he spends more than half his time meeting buyers and customers worldwide, and personally visits every YG-1 facility as part of a production-focused business strategy.
The venture, which began in 1981 as "Yang Ji-won Tools," grew on the belief that in an era of unlimited competition, success could only be achieved through a fighting spirit and high quality. Today, YG-1 exports to more than 70 countries, operates 23 global branches, ranks among the world's top 5 cutting tool brands, and is No. 1 in Korea.
"We thank all our customers who support YG-1. We promise to continue with unwavering passion."
CAREER
- 1976 — Graduated from Seoul National University, College of Engineering
- 1977 — Joined Taehwa Machinery Co., Ltd.
- 1981 — Founded Yang Ji-won Tools Co., Ltd.
- 1988 — Director, Korea Cutting Tool Industry Cooperative
- 1994 — Director, Korea Machine Tool Industry Association
- 1997 — Vice President, Incheon Employers Association
- 2012 — Vice President, Korea International Trade Association
THE YG-1 JOURNEY — 12 MILESTONES
- 1. A new business opportunity in cutting tools
- 2. The key to success: trust and struggle
- 3. The fight to reach the top of the world end mill industry
- 4. Traveling to the US with a list of tool manufacturers
- 5. Recalling every defective product from the ship
- 6. Field marketing in 12 countries
- 7. Replacing Japanese tools in the world market
- 8. Investing for preferential treatment from the British government
- 9. Giving up the German facility due to a labor-management dispute
- 10. Overcoming the financial crisis through buyers' trust
- 11. The best marketing is "customer satisfaction"
- 12. Business is built on trust
Why YG-1?
Founded in 1981, YG-1 has grown into a strong, well-established company recognized globally in the cutting tool industry. With outstanding people and select technology, it always looks toward the future.
- 7.7% annual growth through strict quality control — starting with 100% exports to the US, YG-1 kept its own inspection standards stricter than the US standard, achieving steady growth.
- Customer trust through product management efficiency — an efficient logistics system and shortened delivery times continuously earn customer trust.
- Unlimited investment in people and R&D — ongoing R&D and human resource investment preserve flexibility and customer satisfaction.
YG-1's new products always start from scratch: with the goal of developing genuinely original products never seen before on the market, everything from the best raw material selection to precise heat treatment and strict quality control produces products with superior cutting performance and surface quality.
History
A growth story spanning four eras, from 1981 to today:
- 1981–1999 — The Entrepreneurial Years: The company was founded in 1981, and its first factory was completed in Incheon in 1982. Listed on KOSDAQ in 1997, the same year the Germany branch opened. In 1999 the company name changed to YG-1 and it obtained ISO 9001 certification.
- 2000–2005 — Growth: France and India branches opened in 2001 and 2002. A new headquarters was built in Incheon in 2004. The Songdo R&D Center was established in 2005, along with ISO 9001/14001 certifications.
- 2006–2013 — Global Growth Period: Acquired companies in the US (Regal Cutting Tools) and Canada; opened branches in Japan, Brazil, India, and Vietnam. The Global Logistics Center was established in Incheon in 2013.
- 2014–Present — The New YG-1: Branches opened in the US, Romania, Russia, UAE, Spain, and South Africa. The YG-1 Technology Center was established in Germany in 2018. The Songdo Headquarters and YG-1 Tool Solutions sales office opened in 2020. An independent CEO system was established in 2021, and the YG-1 Global Headquarters won an architecture award.
Content compiled from YG-1's official website. For current and official information, visit brand.yg1.solutions.
Overview
We live quality tooling. For 4 generations.
For four generations, family-owned Arno Werkzeuge has developed tool systems that give customers an edge over the competition — combining innovative ideas with quality, durability and process reliability through a flexible, agile corporate structure.
They think in terms of long-term success rather than quarterly figures — the key difference that sets them apart.
“The result should be so good, even perfectionists wouldn’t find a reason to grumble.”
As a family-owned company, they aim to be the first point of contact for customers facing difficult machining solutions.
Company Values
The values Arno Werkzeuge builds its future on:
- Reliability — saying is always followed by doing.
- Appreciation — makes strong teams out of people.
- Sustainability and resource awareness — because the future is infinite.
- Customer benefit and solution orientation — advantages internally and externally.
- Modus operandi — based on honesty, respect, trust.
- Together — understanding requirements together and supporting each other.
History
A growth story spanning four generations:
- 1941–1961 — Founder Emil Arnold: A trained master toolmaker at Bosch, Emil Arnold founded Emil Arnold Lehrenbau in Esslingen am Neckar in 1941, initially manufacturing measuring devices and test gauges.
- 1962–1966 — Karl-Heinz Arnold GmbH: His son Karl-Heinz Arnold founded Karl-Heinz Arnold GmbH in 1962, focused on carbide tools under the Arno Werkzeuge name; the companies moved to the Ruit Zinsholz industrial estate in Ostfildern in 1966.
- 1967–1986 — Arno as Its Own Distributor: Sale of indexable carbide inserts for turning and milling began in 1967; a patented mini copying system followed.
- 1987–2009 — Expansion: Klaus-Michael Arnold joined in 1987 and entered grinding technology. ISO 9001/9002 certifications followed in 1995. The first foreign branch opened in England in 2004, then Italy and the USA.
- 2010–2017 — Patents and Innovations: New products included SA part-off tools, the AMS mini system, SIM boring bars and the AKB short-hole drill. By 2011, 160 employees worked across 10,000 m²; a Singapore subsidiary opened in 2014.
- 2018–Today — Everything United: A new building added 2,250 m² of office and production space. Jacqueline Arnold and Simon Storf joined management in 2021, the same year Emil Arnold GmbH & Co. KG and Karl-Heinz Arnold GmbH merged. In 2023 a 150 m² training workshop opened, and Germany staff exceeded 200 employees for the first time.
»FOR US, FAMILY BUSINESS GOES BEYOND THE DEGREE OF RELATIONSHIP!«
Overview
Motion, speed and precision: this is the world of EWS.
A member of the EWS Group, EWS is a leading manufacturer of tool fixtures for CNC machining centers, complementing the EWS series for the growing turning and milling machine market. Beyond Germany and South Korea, EWS has manufacturing and service capability in North America as well.
EWS manufactures standard, precision, and special application tooling systems for high precision machining operations. Its tool fixtures are designed for accuracy, with AT3 or better shank taper and a rigid tool fixture-to-spindle mount, concentric to <0.0002" (5 microns) — putting the tool precisely on the spindle center line for minimal tool wear, fewer tool replacements, and less scrap.
With a production network across Germany, Korea, USA, China and Turkey, EWS is there wherever you produce.
History
Milestones from 1981 to today:
- 1981: Command Tooling Systems LLC was founded and began manufacturing toolholders in Anoka, Minnesota.
- 1982: First fully grounded "V" Flange toolholders were produced.
- 1987: Command began stocking and selling balanced toolholders.
- 1988: Command formed a strategic alliance with URMA AG of Switzerland to bring high precision reaming and boring tools to the US market.
- 1994: Market recovered and Command's business boomed due to availability of inventory.
- 1996: Command expanded its operation by relocating to its current Ramsey, Minnesota facility.
- 1997: Command was purchased by an investment company and continued expanding its product offerings under the new ownership.
- 2008: Command was purchased by EWS Tool Technologies of Uhingen, Germany, with subsidiaries in Korea, Russia and China.
- 2024: Command was rebranded EWS USA (Command remains in the company as a brand). EWS USA continues to manufacture a wide variety of products in addition to selling EWS and URMA products; its engineering group continually develops new products and special tool holding to stay ahead of the ever-changing market.
Production Worldwide
Wherever you produce, wherever you need our products: we are there for you.
Our network in Germany, Korea, USA, China and Turkey gives you the necessary background to serve customers worldwide — across 3 continents, with more than 60 trading partners and more than 25,000 products.