Company history
Success story "made in germany“
Imagination, optimism, a flair for technology and a belief in success were the starting capital when the company was founded in 1930 by master interior decorator Wilhelm Hachtel and his partner master carpenter Adolf Stäbler.
The first idea as a name giver
One of the founders' first ideas turned out to be an economic flop. On the other hand, it gave birth to the brand name that still gives the company its identity today, which successfully established itself in the market and is now associated with innovation and progress.
The product was called the "MECHANISCHER HACHTEL-ZUG" and enabled curtains to be opened and closed. An innovation that was far ahead of its time. Despite convenient operation, the functional fact that the curtain lowers to the floor when opened met with rejection. The nowadays widespread resting of the curtain on the floor was unacceptable at that time. Nevertheless, the MHZ brand was born.
Part of the Hachtel-Mechanical-Pull nevertheless conquered the market and thus formed the economic basis for many marketable, patented successful products - including the biggest milestone in the history of MHZ - the curtain track with wooden inner runner.
Establishment in the market - destruction during the war, reconstruction and further development
The founders recognised the importance of service at an early stage and sought proximity to the customer, the specialist interior design retailer and decorator. MHZ systematically expanded the scope of its activities to various regions in Germany. At the outbreak of the Second World War, the products were already sought-after brand articles.
By the end of the war, production had to be stopped. In March 1944, the current main factory in Musberg near Stuttgart was completely destroyed.
Reconstruction began after the end of the war with the same vigour as when the company was founded. In addition to an enlarged product range, MHZ developed into a service provider, a logistics company and a technical centre for the decoration industry.
At the end of the fifties, Wilhelm Hachtel invented the plastic curtain track and achieved something that numerous specialists from large chemical companies had never managed before: the combination of plastic and wood in one product - the MHZ-SCHIENE (MHZ rail). With this success, MHZ developed into one of the leading suppliers of the most modern decorative elements.
In 1958, a modern manufacturing plant for plastics processing, injection moulding, woodworking including its own toolmaking and development department was built in Niederstetten, in the north of Baden-Württemberg. At the same time, a strong expansion phase began beyond Germany. Companies were founded in France, Austria, Benelux and Switzerland. With the increasing demands of the market, an unimaginable phase of product diversification began.
From the classic range of products for conventional window decorations, today's MHZ company emerged with high-tech products for decorative sun protection and privacy shading systems for private, commercial and industrial use. Numerous design and innovation awards have been won and hundreds of patents have been registered. In addition to wood and plastic, a wide variety of textiles and metals are now processed and used.
Insights into curtain track production at the time
MHZ Today
Today, MHZ is an internationally successful company with a product range that covers both the decorative sector, interior sunshades, outdoor shading options and insect screens. The range consists of curtain rails, curtain rods, roller blinds, roman blinds, venetian blinds, panel and vertical blinds. It ranges from pleated blinds and honeycomb blinds to insect screens, awnings, exterior shading systems and complex multifunctional systems - all custom-made to customer specifications in our industrial factories in Germany and Europe.
In addition to this range, service is another of MHZ's strengths. One of the special features is that all our products are custom-made according to customers wishes.
This makes every order an "original".