50 years of Magna-C – the story from 1973 to 2023
In 1973, Gerda and Horst Fedke founded Magna-C GmbH. At that time, however, the focus was not on magnets, but on stamps and products for the advertising industry. The change in the product range did not come until a few years later, in the early 1980s. Today, in 2023, 50 years after the company was founded, Magna-C is one of the leading suppliers of magnets and magnetic products in the industry.
But how exactly has the company changed and developed over the years? To mark our 50th anniversary, we would like to take this opportunity to look back at the history of Magna-C together with you. How did the change of course come about and what milestones were achieved along the way?
Let's start at the beginning: in 1973, when the company was founded by Gerda and Horst Fedke.
1973 – The company is founded
The Fedkes founded the company with a clear vision: products for the advertising industry! Stamps and simple items such as office strips for magnets were printed with company logos. The product range was very small and specific – everything revolved around advertising and presentation. Magnets did not play a major role at that time and were included in some products more by chance than design.
When it was founded, the company was still located on Kirchheimer Straße near the center of Wendlingen. It was a small building that was perfectly adequate for the product range and small workforce at the time. Business gradually picked up over the first few years and the first “best sellers” emerged:
Office rulers for magnets, which could be customized with a company logo, and small calendar planners with magnetic clips were popular products at the time.
From this, the theme of “magnets” or “magnetic products” slowly emerged. The company began to focus more on products that worked with magnets in some way, but still within the scope of “organization and presentation.”
1980 – Relocation and restructuring
At the beginning of the 1980s, the old premises on Kirchheimer Straße were slowly becoming a little cramped. The Fedkes therefore started looking for a new location and quickly found what they were looking for: in the Wendlingen industrial area, at Boßlerstraße 35 to be precise. At that time, it was still a small building without a second floor, but Gerda and Horst Fedke laid the foundation for what is now Magna-C.
The new building also brought with it the first minor restructuring of the Magna-C product range. Products with magnets were particularly popular, and more and more magnetic ideas were added. At that time, acquiring new customers was somewhat different than it is today; after all, there was no internet yet. A sales folder was put together featuring the most interesting products. Potential new customers were visited on site and given a short demonstration of our magnetic products.
A typical Magna-C sales folder from the 1980s.
Several pages presented products for office, presentation, and advertising technology. The option of printing logos on all products was still very prominent. Often, the same product was shown with different printed logos.
What was striking was that almost all products were magnetic in some way or were connected to magnets – for example, the steel office strip as a base for magnets.
It became increasingly clear that magnets were a recurring theme throughout the product range.
1982 - The first Magna-C catalog
A milestone for Magna-C:
The first product catalog was printed and sent to existing and new customers.
The catalog contained the entire product range at that time, with pictures, application examples, and prices. The publication of the Magna-C catalog made customer acquisition much easier. In addition to the sales folder, a catalog could also be handed out during customer visits. This naturally included contact information such as telephone and fax numbers. This made it easier for customers to place orders, as faxes were very important at the time.
Magnets were already firmly established in the product range and were presented directly on the front page in the form of office magnets and hook magnets. Calendar planners were also still in the range, but with a new feature: they were larger so they could be hung up and had magnetic labels for marking and labeling.
Products without magnets disappeared over time and were replaced by similar items with magnetic functions.
This strategy quickly paid off! The change in the product range was very well received and the magnetic ideas were a complete success. As a result, the company building was expanded by an entire floor in the mid-1980s. However, this meant that a staircase was needed, which meant that some parking spaces directly adjacent to the building had to be removed. But that wasn't a problem – it was simply taken as an opportunity to create new parking spaces for employees and customers.
The result was impressive: a brand-new two-story company building!
1990 - Sale of the company
In the early 1990s, Gerda and Horst Fedke decided to step down as managing directors and sell the company. The sale went quickly and there was a change in management at Magna-C:
Mr. Paul Walter became the new managing director of Magna-C GmbH.
Mr. Walter is a passionate engineer and immediately brought his knowledge to the company. He saw enormous potential in magnets—but less so in the advertising industry and much more in the industrial sector! He had already gained experience as an engineer in this field and knew how much could be achieved with magnets.
Over the next few months, the entire Magna-C product range was restructured and a wide range of technical products for industry, workshops, and warehouses was added. Employees were trained and new sales engineers were hired.
These changes are particularly evident when looking at the magnet catalogs from the following years. The cover of the catalogs now featured a clear industrial theme. It was immediately apparent that this catalog contained technical products for industry.
In the years that followed, Magna-C established itself as one of the first suppliers of magnets and magnetic products in the commercial sector. Thanks to Mr. Walter's expertise, expert and competent advice was guaranteed right from the start. The product range was always adapted to market requirements and contained 40 new products per catalog!
This was unique in the industry and a clear distinguishing feature of Magna-C.
2001 – The first Magna-C web shop
Digitalization is advancing at a rapid pace, and Magna-C launches its first Magna-C web shop in 2001. For the first time, our magnetic products can also be purchased online with a click of the mouse.
The web shop is closely modeled on the already established catalog. The categories are identical and the individual sections are reminiscent of chapter headings. The idea behind this was to make the look immediately familiar to customers.
2008 - The founding of Magna-C SARL
Magna-C published its first catalog in French back in 2002. It was printed in large numbers and distributed throughout France. This catalog was also a resounding success, and in 2008, the first Magna-C subsidiary was founded: Magna-C SARL.
Another milestone:
The French-language catalog made France a large and important market for Magna-C.
The magnet catalog was structured in the same way as the German one and, in addition to the product range, also contained useful information such as magnetic key figures and a brief introduction to magnets.
As a native speaker, Ms. Guilley is the contact person for our French customers and is now also the managing director of Magna-C SARL.
2014 - Mr. Bartsch becomes the new managing director
After 23 years, Mr. Walter is taking his well-deserved retirement and Mr. Bartsch is becoming the new managing director.
Mr. Bartsch has already been working in sales at Magna-C for 15 years and knows the company inside out. In the years that follow, digitalization is driven forward in the company, the Magna-C newsletter is launched, and several online marketplaces are launched.
In 2022, the website is completely relaunched with a new logo and new software. Previously, our products were presented as a group with variants – just like in our magnet catalog.
This strategy has been changed in the new shop. Each product now has its own detail page with product-specific technical information and a PDF data sheet for download. Customers who prefer to shop online should be able to find as much information as possible directly on the product page.
2023 – Magna-C turns 50!
When we started out in 1973 as a small company producing office and presentation products, no one could have predicted this development. Fifty years later, we are now an established company in the magnet industry with a French subsidiary.
That's why we want to say THANK YOU as a team!
Thank you to our customers, prospects, suppliers, and business partners for their many years of cooperation. Without you, we would not be where we are today. Here's to another 50 good years!
- Your Magna-C team
