Hilti

Hilti
Type	Société anonyme
Industry	Manufacturing
Headquarters	Schaan, Liechtenstein
Key people	Martin and Eugen Hilti
Products	Power Tools, firestops
Employees	20,000 + (worldwide)
Website	www.hilti.com

Hilti Corporation, Hilti Aktiengesellschaft or Hilti AG also known as Hilti Group develops, manufactures, and markets products for the construction and building maintenance industries, primarily to the professional end-user. It concentrates primarily on hammer drills, firestops, and installation systems, but manufactures and markets an array of tools (including cordless electric drills, heavy angle drills, laser levels, power saws, and fasteners). Hilti, a registered trademark of the various Hilti corporate entities, is the family name of the company's founders.

Basics

Hilti is based in Schaan, Liechtenstein, and is the principality's largest employer. The company employs more than 20,000 people worldwide with over 2,500 employees in the United States. Hilti's North American headquarters has been located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, since 1979,¹ but it employs account managers, engineers and specialists in all fifty states.^{citation needed}

Hilti North America

New York shop

Hilti North America (HNA) uses the Internet, Hilti retail stores, Hilti pro shops (located in Home Depot), and local Sales Account Managers to drive growth. HNA developed an employee corporate culture that was later adopted by the entire company worldwide. Employees who are hired are put through a Basic Training Session in Tulsa for 3–4 weeks, and on a yearly basis employees complete a survey called GEOS (Global Employee Opinion Survey) in which they give feedback about the company.^{citation needed}

History

The Hilti company was founded in 1941 by Martin and Eugen Hilti,² with the opening of a mechanical workshop in Schaan, Liechtenstein. The Martin Hilti Family Trust holds all of Hilti's registered shares as of 2003.³

Martin Hilti was a member of the Waffen-SS during Second World War; he was also a member of the Volksdeutsche Bewegung in Liechtenstein, Nazis of Liechtenstein, who wanted Liechtenstein to join the "Third Reich". Hilti was an editor of the newspaper of Liechtenstein Nazis "Der Umbruch". A putsch by the Volksdeutsche Bewegung in Liechtenstein on March 24-25th 1939, however, was not successful.⁴

Research and development

The Hilti Group, which owns all Hilti subsidiaries and marketing organizations worldwide, invests over CHF140 million annually in researching and developing safer and more efficient building technologies. A recent example of this R&D in power tool technology is Hilti's TPS (Theft Protection System), which relies on RF technology to prevent unauthorized users from activating power tools, thus discouraging theft. Similarly, Hilti's ATC (Active Torque Control) technology monitors tool-body movement to prevent equipment from twisting out of the operator's grip and causing injury. Other developments include improved design of chemical and mechanical anchors for better durability during seismic events, thus helping to save lives during natural disasters.

Professional evaluation

Product Engineering awarded Hilti its highest honor in 2005, judging Hilti's hand-held diamond core drill, the DD-EC1, best in class for its "Top Spin" coring technology.^{citation needed} Hilti had previously won the award for its "Speed Lock" clevis hanger.^{citation needed} Hilti's rotary hammers and combi hammers have been consistently named Best in Class by Tools of the Trade Magazine.^{citation needed}

Hilti Foundation

The Hilti Foundation is an offshoot of the Martin Hilti Family Trust which supports cultural, social, scientific, and educational activities. Among them are the Egyptian expeditions of underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio. In co-operation with the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Goddio and his team have located the remains of the fabled ancient harbour of Alexandria, the legendary lost city of Heracleion, and parts of the city of Canopus. Also, Near the Philippines, Goddio found and/or excavated several historically important sunken ships which had been resting on the bottom of the South China Sea for hundreds of years.

The Foundation is overseen by Michael Hilti, President of the Foundation’s Council and member of the Hilti AG board of directors.

References

^ Kyle Arnold, "Turning 30 rocks at Hilti", Tulsa World, August 8, 2009.
^ Hilti: Company Milestones.
^ Hilti: Company.
^ Tödliche Maskeraden: Julius Streicher und die "Lösung der Judenfrage" by Franco Ruault. Peter Lang: Frankfurt am Main, 2009, pp. 263-270