Foundation of PRINZ by Heinrich Prinz junior and his father Heinrich at our current site in Plettenberg (district: Holthausen) next to the river Else. Purchase of the existing buildings of the old mill.
Production of springs, hat- and coat-hooks and box handles as well as operation of wire plant.

Transformation of the company into a partnership due to the death of Heinrich Prinz junior as well as the takeover by his two sons Heinrich and Hugo Prinz.
While maintaining the range of products, they changed the production methods to machine manufacturing. Around 75% of the goods were exported worldwide. PRINZ developed into Europe's most important factory for the production of coat- and hat-hooks.

Heinrich Prinz assumed the sole management of the business when Hugo Prinz died. Consequently the company was transformed into a limited partnership.
The war prevented exports and endangered the very existence of the business. Also a large number of the employees were conscripted for military service or ordered to work for the armaments industry.
The post-war years were dominated by the need to get the necessary permits and the papers for purchasing raw materials and for production.

After the death of Heinrich Prinz, Max Graband took over the management.
The customer’s taste had undergone a change with regard to the wire products formerly produced by the company. This resulted in a thorough change-over to the production of other articles, at first primarily sold on the home market.

The fourth generation began running the business. Dr. Heinrich Prinz, the son of Hugo Prinz, together with Josef Lehnert, an engineer.
Further changes to the range of products were necessary and lead over the years to the automotive sector and its suppliers becoming the main customers. The business continued growing becoming the market leader in the fasteners sector.

After the retirement of Josef Lehnert, Dr. Heinrich Prinz had the sole management.
In the meanwhile the plant had also changed completely. Whilst in the early days the workers transformed wire in laborious steps with hydraulic presses, today fasteners are produced by cold forming from wire, partly by individual machines carrying out the entire process.

Hans Jürgen Ihne, the long term authorised signatory, joined the management.

At the end of 1998 and the beginning of 1999 there was a change in the management. Dr. Heinrich Prinz left the company and his son, Oliver Prinz joined the company.
By focusing on the essentials, some work processes were outsourced and – if necessary - new fields connected with the core competency, were adopted. Part of the cold forming of wire is to make "the impossible" possible and to find new ways to carry out the tasks formerly reserved to forges and lathe operators. This is how new ways of use are developed, which lead to new sectors of business and new lines of products for PRINZ.

Hans Jürgen Ihne retired and the generation change was complete. Christian Teichert was appointed technical manager.