Merger with Liebers & Co.
Hugo Kern KG merges with rival company Liebers & Co. in Ingolstadt, the first ever German sinker factory, founded in 1876 in the state of Saxony. The company is renamed as HUGO KERN UND LIEBERS & CO. In the same year, Dr. Kurt Steim lays the foundation stone for the company's new premises in Schramberg-Sulgen, with space at the old premises in the valley having become too tight.
Move to Sulgen
The company relocates to the Sulgen district, where all product groups and management and administration are brought under one roof. The Liebers & Co. production facilities in Ingolstadt are closed and fully integrated into the new premises. KERN-LIEBERS is now the world's largest manufacturer of sinkers. Thanks to the sound and stable foundations established by Dr. Kurt Steim, the company successfully stakes its place in the market in the years that follow and is ideally prepared for global competition.
Development of wire spring production
The beginning of wire spring production in 1973 marks the next big step in diversification, and goes on to become another important pillar of the company in the years that follow.