About Us

FAMILY BUSINESS IN 4TH GENERATION

EXPERIENCE SINCE 1919

TOOLS MADE IN GERMANY

Since 1919, our company has been one of the leading specialists in the manufacture of forged forestry and gardening tools as well as high-quality wooden tool handles. Our competence is our production site in Waghäusel, where the knowledge, infrastructure and experience of the entire ADLER team are bundled. From here, we react quickly and flexibly to customer-specific requirements – both nationally and internationally.

OUR VALUES

Passion

We produce garden and forestry tools with heart and soul.
We are passionate about gardening and forestry, nature and outdoor activities.

Customer orientation

We use only the best materials and employ the most advanced production techniques for the best possible quality. We value long-term cooperation based on partnership, as well as open and solution-oriented communication with our customers.

Family

We are a family business and work together as a community. We enter into personal contact with customers and are available to all.

OUR PRODUCTION

Forge & Metal processing

In Waghäusel we forge our tools from high quality carbon steel. Our tools are ground and polished with great skill and sensitivity.

Wood Processing

At Adler, finished tool handles are created from board material and wood blanks. We process FSC® certified European ash and selected original US hickory wood.

Assembly, further processing & quality control

From professional handle assembly to individual laser engraving, to color-painted handles and tool heads – all steps until shipment take place in-house.

Sustainability at Adler Werkzeug

FSC® certification

As a wood-processing company, we feel it is our duty to use raw materials in an exemplary manner and to treat our environment with care. The FSC® certification (license code: FSC-C020505), which we renew every year, is our way of making our contribution. The FSC® label is a clear indicator that the wood from which our products are made comes from responsible forestry with legitimate and controlled logging.

Water-based paints

With the aim of reducing solvent emissions in paint shops and other painting facilities, an EU directive was implemented in 2001 – 2007. In accordance with the Europe-wide requirement, we installed a new varnishing line as early as 2004. From the very beginning, all our wooden handles have been painted with environmentally friendly water-based paints. Our advantage: reducing environmental pollution, offering a pollution-free working area for our employees, significant competitive advantage over international tool manufacturers.

Renewable energies

We attach great importance to renewable energies at Adler. Wood waste (shavings, sawdust, wood trimmings) generated during production is used to fuel our heating system (700kW heating capacity). With the recovered heat we can heat our production halls, the administration building and the drying chamber in their entirety. This is how we live sustainability – continuously and consciously.
We process further surplus wood waste into high-quality wood briquettes for heating, which we offer for sale to private households.

OUR HISTORY

FOUNDATION OF THE COMPANY AS A VILLAGE BLACKSMITH SHOP

Master blacksmith and toolmaker Josef Schmitt laid the foundation for our company in the village center of Wiesental. In the small village forge – known in the surrounding area as “Hammer-Schmitt” – no completely manufactured hoes and tools were produced in the beginning. At that time, Josef Schmitt concentrated mainly on the manufacture of tool blanks, which were sold on to local blacksmiths.

EXPANSION OF PRODUCTION THROUGH IN-HOUSE HANDLE MANUFACTURING

In the course of the following years, Josef Schmitt built up his own handle production in addition to the forging business. Since then, both the tool heads and the matching tool handles have been made by ADLER. This important decision of the company founder considerably increased the competitiveness of our company. From this time on, wholesale customers were reliably served.

MANAGEMENT IS TAKEN OVER BY THE SON, PHILIPP SCHMITT

As a trained master toolmaker, Philipp Schmitt, the son of the company founder, took over the management of the business. To ensure the future competitiveness and economic success of the family business, Philipp Schmitt focused on increasing the range of products. Thanks to his work, our company was able to further strengthen its position in the tool industry. The acquisition of new national as well as international wholesalers and assemblers as customers also contributed to this.

RELOCATION OF THE PRODUCTION SITE TO THE INDUSTRIAL AREA OF WAGHÄUSEL

For reasons of space and due to the heavy noise pollution, the operation in the residential area was no longer sustainable. The entire production was therefore relocated from the center of Wiesental to a new industrial area in Waghäusel. A completely new production facility was built on an area of approx. 10,000m². The move was actively supported by Armin Schmitt, the grandson of the company founder. He joined the family business already during his studies to become an industrial engineer.

EXPANSION OF PRODUCTION CAPACITIES

Under the joint management of father and son, a new production hall was built with additional capacity for handle production. Now our company operates on the market with a complete product range including replacement handles.

TRANSITION OF COMPANY MANAGEMENT TO ARMIN SCHMITT IN 3RD GENERATION

Through constant participation in international trade fairs, it was possible to gain customers especially from other European countries. Armin Schmitt also decided to manufacture handles made of US hickory wood in addition to handles made of ash wood. Once again, the company’s own product range was successfully expanded and a targeted response was made to the wide range of customer requests.

INSTALLATION OF A PAINTING LINE FOR WATER-BASED PAINTS

From the very beginning, great importance has been attached to sustainability in our family business. This has always been expressed both in the quality of our tools and in the choice of our production methods. For this reason, a varnishing plant was installed as early as 2004, in which all our wooden handles are painted with environmentally friendly water-based paints. Particularly in comparison to international tool manufacturers, this investment has given us a further, significant competitive advantage.

CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW AUTOMATED DRYING PLANT

The continuous expansion of our product portfolio and the increasing demand for quality tools required a further flexibilization of our manufacturing process. The newly built, fully automated drying plant has since ensured the necessary flexibility and is a guarantee for the consistently high quality of our wooden handles.

TRANSITION OF COMPANY MANAGEMENT TO TOBIAS SCHMITT IN 4TH GENERATION

Since 1919, the former village forge has developed into one of the leading specialists in the manufacture of forged forestry and garden tools. Under the management of the great-grandson Tobias Schmitt, the market position of the company is successfully and consistently expanded. The opening up of new sales markets and the targeted expansion of the range of our quality tools is intended to secure and strengthen the production site in Waghäusel/Germany.