Paul Schäfer, master smith and locksmith, founded a locksmith’s shop under his name in 1957. As the trusted and preferred locksmith for regional customers such as the well-known Apollinaris mineral water spring, he quickly established his reputation. Owing to his high-quality and reliable work, he managed to expand his customer base and acquire renowned customers in the machinery and plant engineering industry, who appreciate our customized steel solutions still today. One project from that period was, for instance, the construction of a workshop (50 m x 25 m x 11 m) for the Wotan cement works in Ahrhütte. The company site was expanded in 1965 and 1975, respectively, to meet the increasing capacity demand.
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the enterprise in 1982, the company changed its name to Paul Schäfer Stahl- und Metallbau. After 46 years, the company was handed over to the next generation and hence to the current managing directors Bertold Schäfer and Elke Schäfer. The young graduate engineer Bertold Schäfer had previously been employed with a large German plant construction company in Bavaria, where he worked as a project manager in the steel construction department and supervised several international projects. This allowed him to gain valuable experience and expertise for his new role as a managing director. Elke Schäfer joined the company as a newcomer in 1997 and got familiar with the business from scratch. Today, the graduate business manager and business psychologist (M.Sc.) is head of corporate accounting, controlling, financing and HR.
The growing demands and requirements of our customers resulted in an increasing staff count and need of space. In 2014, Paul Schäfer Stahl- und Metallbau GmbH were relocated to the innovative industrial park in Grafschaft Ringen, since the company’s capacity at the previous site had been over-utilized. The company has developed ever since its foundation. While the post-war years were characterized by the need for metalwork, the company has meanwhile become an established partner for individual steel and metal construction solutions for industry and business.
But nothing is more constant than change. In August 2020, the company was the first in the region to invest in a computer-controlled laser cutting system and bending press. With this, Paul Schäfer Metallbau sets a clear signal for the company’s future. The course for further growth has been set.