Wertheim am Main: Karl König and Erich Meyer founded the company. Ten employees are responsible for music stands and measuring instruments.
The number of employees quickly rose to 60. The range is introduced to both German and European music retailers and is expanded to include instrument and microphone stands.
The TV and radio trade show in Frankfurt documents the growing demand for music equipment and accessories. As a result an extensive range is developed from microphone stands and boom arms to speaker stands.
160 employees now produce stands in an area of 2,700m2 even for other industry branches, e. g. IV stands and stands for hair drying hoods.
Martin Koenig succeeds his father, Karl, after his death.
A second factory is established where the pressroom, electroplating shop, tool manufacture and assembly as well as the powder coating and sewage plants, just to name a few, are situated today.
The assembly hall is enlarged for flexible production. Market and range expands further.
The production program is extended to include keyboard stands, mixer stands and 19″ racks.
Brigitta Meyer succeeds the position of her late father, Erich Meyer.
A new warehouse and dispatch hall are opened celebrating the company’s 40th anniversary. Another warehouse is established in 1996.
With a new hall in 1998, the area of the production and administration facilities is expanded to 15,000 square meters, where a total of 260 employees are now working. König & Meyer receives the EC environmental audit certificate, thus underlining its efforts in environmental protection.
K&M celebrates its 50th anniversary with various events throughout the year.
One climax was certainly the joint excursion of the staff together with management to the U.S.A. in June. In addition, there was an open house in September for customers, suppliers and the interested public.
In order to promote young talents and to benefit from the exchange of experience between musicians and manufacturer, Koenig & Meyer supports various bands and projects of different music styles. Beside bands from the Rock and Pop scene such as “Emil Bulls” and “reverb” the folk music band “Die Egerländer Musikanten” and classical events in the region are promoted.
The manufacturing facilities are extended and modernized. Thus a new galvanizing line is established and preparations for the installation of a new powder coating plant are taken.
K&M celebrates the starting of a new powder coating plant and the modernization of the production facilities as well as the company’s 55th anniversary with various special events. The new plant offers more flexibility in production and a better product quality.
In August 2005 a new managing team is formed at K&M: Gabriela Koenig, daughter of Martin Koenig, is responsible as managing director for Sales, Marketing, IT and Controlling. Heiko Wolz is responsible as managing director for Production. Martin Koenig is responsible as managing director for strategic tasks.
K&M builds up more relationships to various musicians and bands. Well-known German bands like “Reamonn” and “Silbermond” are supported by K&M with equipment. A highlight of the Musikmesse in Frankfurt is the signing of autographs by “Silbermond”.
A new laser tube-cutting machine is installed in April at K&M. A fast and flexible production of smaller and larger quantities is now possible without tooling costs. A new dimension of manufacturing processes has started at K&M.
Koenig & Meyer reveives from the German Association for Certification of Management Systems (DQS) the certificate for the successful implementation of a quality management system according to the international quality standard DIN EN ISO 9001:2000.
König & Meyer celebrates its 60th anniversary with various events. For example, the entire workforce undertakes an excursion to Dresden and on the open day the numerous visitors are given an insight into the production of the quality products.
In 2009, König & Meyer is also pleased to receive the “Sicher mit System” (“Safe with a System”) seal of approval awarded by the employers’ liability insurance association for outstanding occupational safety and health protection in the company.
Solar panels are installed on the roof of the König & Meyer facility, which supplies 100 megawatt hours into the grid. This reduces 65 tons of CO2 per year. The manufacturing facilities are extended and modernized. Thus a second tube laser cutting machine and a freight elevator in the logistics are established to improve process flows.
The use and influence of iPads has been growing continuously in the music business. So König & Meyer developes holders for the iPad and a table stand to meet the requirements of the market and the customers needs. The professional Five Guitar Stand »Guardian« becomes highlight product of the year.
In April König & Meyer goes online with a new website. The same URL www.k-m.de/en provides a modern, completely revised site in the firm’s new corporate design.
The multimedia market increases and accordingly König & Meyer produces new equipment for mobile devices like Smartphones and Tablet PCs.
Moreover König & Meyer presents a mobile website!
And the own Corporate Blog is launched: blog.k-m.de/en
In the previous year »Elegance« 26200 microphone stand has conquered the market. This year
»Elegance« is honored for excellent design quality with the red dot award: product design 2013! Additionally it is nominated for German Design Award.
The Website gets a facelift with an online-shop for dealers.
At the end of July the new laser hall is finished and the new laser starts running.
This year, the company celebrates its 65th anniversary. A company outing to mark the anniversary gives K&M employees a great time together.
Another reason to celebrate: this year, the company can once again look forward to a successful business year.
16 April 2015: At the Musikmesse Frankfurt, Martin König from the König & Meyer company is honored with the “Lifetime Achievement Award” for his life’s work. This award from the Musikmesse International Press Award (MIPA) is the greatest honor within the MIPA celebratory event which is held in the Europa Hall at the exhibition center.
The microphone stand that has made history for the music accessory manufacturer from Wertheim, König & Meyer, and that evolved into an absolute classic turns 50 this year.
König & Meyer’s new distribution center in Wertheim is up and running. After a year of construction, products from the company’s former warehouse were transferred to the Wertheim’s Reinhardshof district at the end of February 2017.
In addition to innovations in the product categories we are known for, this year König & Meyer proudly presents something really special:
A brand-new line of chairs for musicians and orchestras, ideal for rental companies, architects and outfitters.
In September 2019 König & Meyer looks back on 70 years of successful company history. Together with customers and business partners from all over the world, the company’s achievements are celebrated in a grand ceremony. At the subsequent open day, interested parties, friends and families are able to experience first-hand the production processes in all three plants.
The year 2020 once again shows why it is worth relying on consistent Made in Germany production. While the Covid 19 pandemic causes delays and cancellations of concerts, festivals and events and thus decreases the demand for music equipment, the company can invest its know-how and resources in the development of products for health protection. After a few weeks, the first disinfectant stands can be launched. At the same time, new products are created for the home office.
König & Meyer has long done its part to protect the environment by manufacturing high-quality, highly durable products and now K&M is going one step beyond: For the first time König & Meyer is introducing various new sustainable products made from bio-based plastics.
In addition König & Meyer receives the TOP 100 seal. This puts the company in the ranks of particularly innovative medium-sized companies from all over Germany.
K&M stands are known for their durability and groundbreaking design. In 2022, we added two new “Wind-Up” speaker/ light stands, models 24730 and 24740, to our product line. These heavy-duty tripods feature a new innovative double crank mechanism. Since no cable pulls are used, the stand operates completely maintenance-free. The focus of these robust stands is primarily on stability and tilt resistance.
After almost 20 years, a completely new powder coating plant is now being put into operation. Where there used to be assembly lines, modern pretreatment and drying systems, new conveyor technology and new powder spray booths and a chamber curing oven have been installed. With greater ease of operation and safety, our parts are produced efficiently and to a high standard. Another step into the future.
K&M celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2024.
