On a successful course for 50 years
The success story began 50 years ago in Beerfelden in the Odenwald, Germany, and has been continued from Steinau an der Straße since 1975.
Today, ODW-ELEKTRIK has over 2,500 employees manufacturing mechatronic systems, cabling and solenoids.
Entrepreneurial vision and highest quality standards
With great foresight, the company’s founders, Wolfgang Weiß, Wilhelm Albishausen, Edmund Weckesser and Arthur Gensert, had foreseen that the market for prefabricated electromechanical components would grow strongly, especially in the automotive industry.
Today, products “Made by ODW” can be found in almost every vehicle – for example in fuel pumps, in the supply lines to the airbag, in the seatbelt buckle or in opening systems of the tailgate. These are produced according to the very demanding specifications of the automotive industry at the company’s five locations in Germany, Hungary, Ukraine, Northern Macedonia and Mexico.
Three-dimensional measurements are carried out using the latest computer tomography to ensure that the function and quality of the products are correct. The second generation is now steering the fate of the family business, and the third generation is also taking over responsibility.
High appreciation for employees, customers and partners
In addition to the innovative business idea, the specialisation that has been persistently pursued over the years, and the high demands on product quality, it is above all the employees who make a large contribution to the success of the company. The high levels of loyalty and commitment of the employees are based on the values that have always been practised in the family business.
Appreciation, respect, fairness, reliability and team spirit always occupy the top spots in the regular employee surveys when asked what values the workforce associates with the company. The same applies to our dealings with customers and partners. “We have earned the reputation of being an innovative development partner and supplier of pre-assembled cables and wires, solenoid coils and mechatronic systems,” say the management of Andrea Med, Christian Weiß and Martin Ehret. Numerous awards for the company’s achievements by customers such as Bosch, Autoliv and Brose are emphatic proof of this.
Looking to the future
The Covid pandemic has not spared ODW-ELEKTRIK either, but compared to other companies in the industry, the impact has so far been comparatively light. Here, too, entrepreneurial foresight has once again been the differentiator.
The company has long since established new markets with components for comfort systems such as panel heating systems, thus making themselves less dependent on drive technologies. In addition, there has been the development of product groups such as cable assembly for battery management systems and for the cabling of “non-automotive” applications.
Last but not least, suppliers of alternative drives also use modern electromechanical components. Thus, the growing market around e-mobility still holds a lot of potential for ODW-ELEKTRIK. With this perspective, management and staff can look ahead with great confidence and continue to write the success story.
