Lapp Group Celebrates 50th Anniversary


On April 13, Florham Park was the setting for an unusual celebration: the German-based, worldwide supplier of integrated wire, cabling and connector products and solutions, the Lapp Group, commemorated the 50th anniversary of their signature brand ÖLFLEX®. ÖLFLEX® was the world's first industrially manufactured power and control cable, and the first ever cable with color-coded conductors. Ever since it was invented in 1959, ÖLFLEX® has been synonymous with quality, reliability and speed. To celebrate this, the Lapp Group is holding the ÖLFLEX® World Tour, which means that an ÖLFLEX® cable drum is visiting various Lapp sites around the globe. On April 13, the ÖLFLEX® World Tour made its American stop at the Lapp Group's American headquarters in Florham Park, New Jersey.

After its start in Stuttgart in the summer of 2010, the ÖLFLEX® World Tour has made stops in France, Spain, South Africa, India, China, Japan, and Chile before coming to the United States. At every stop, events for customers and employees were held, including performances by the Lapp Artists - a troupe of artists that accompanies the ÖLFLEX® World Tour and has come up with some inventive and memorable ways to integrate Lapp cables, industrial connectors and other cabling accessories into their act. The North American stop saw a two-day event which, on the first day, took the guests on a tour of the cable production site and warehouse and taught them some useful information about cabling and connectivity solutions for various applications and conditions, followed by the Lapp Artists' stunning show of acrobatics, dance and comedy. The first day concluded with a grand gala event at Meadow Wood Manor in Randolph, where Emmy-winner Steve Adubato interviewed Lapp family members and stakeholders Andreas and Siegbert Lapp. The brothers then collaborated with artist, Elliot, in the spontaneous creation of two unique works of art to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Lapp Group and its ÖLFLEX® brand.

The second day of the event was a tour of New York City. Highlights of the tour included areas where Lapp cable or products are being used. This featured stop on the tour was a visit to Times Square and the New Year's Eve ball.

USA was the first international branch of Lapp Group

Lapp Group North America was first established in 1976 in New Jersey and currently employs some 200 employees. At the time, it was the first international branch of the German family business, which since then has established Lapp companies in 40 countries and is represented via partners in another 100 countries. Since then Lapp North America has relocated to the newly renovated 130,000 square foot facility in Florham Park and offers a complete one-stop solution for power/signal cable and connector needs throughout automation markets. A special focus is placed on the growth markets of energy, transportation, and life sciences. The Florham Park site houses a state-of-the-art cable manufacturing plant, Lapp Cable Works. In addition to the manufacturing site, the Florham Park location also provides complex harnesses, integrated systems solutions, and custom cable assemblies. Lapp North America also operates Lapp Tannehill, a distributor with a sales office and warehouse in Minnesota, and a warehouse in Las Vegas, as well as a sales office in Toronto, Canada, and a sales office including a warehouse in Guadalajara, Mexico.

The Lapp Group also provides comprehensive online coverage of the ÖLFLEX® World Tour. An online newsroom has been set up at www.oelflex50.com, where visitors can find reports, pictures and videos. Attendees of the events and friends of the Lapp Group can also comment and discuss their experiences and other topics relating to the company on the Lapp Group's facebook page (www.facebook.com/lappgroup).

A global success

In 1959, Oskar Lapp (born 1921, died 1987) developed the first industrially manufactured power and control cable, and founded U.I. Lapp together with his wife Ursula Ida. The name they gave their invention was ÖLFLEX®, and the brand has been synonymous with highly oil-resistant and flexible cabling ever since. Today, Lapp Group products are used in all kinds of devices, electrical equipment and machinery, in such diverse settings as wind and solar energy installations, the Transrapid maglev train in Shanghai, the Great Pyramid of Egypt and the cruise liner AIDAluna.

Says Lapp Holding CEO Andreas Lapp: "My parents made business and engineering history. They built a company with a global reputation - and we wanted to celebrate this achievement with as many of our customers, friends and employees around the world as possible." After the USA, the next stops of ÖLFLEX® World Tour will be Sweden and the Netherlands. The ÖLFLEX® drum will finally return to Stuttgart in July 2011 - and employees, customers and friends of the Lapp Group there are already looking forward to the celebration of its return.

About the Lapp Group:

Headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, the Lapp Group is a leading supplier of integrated wire, cabling and connector products and solutions. Its offering includes electrical and fibre optic cables, industrial plug-in and screw connectors, cabling solutions, automation technology and technical accessories. Lapp Group's core markets are in the mechanical and plant engineering and electronics manufacturing sectors, with rapid market expansion in the renewable energy, mobility and life science industries.

Lapp Group has remained in continuous family ownership since it was founded in 1959. It employs some 2,600 people, and operates 16 manufacturing sites, 40 distribution subsidiaries and 100 representative offices.

For more information, contact The Lapp Group at 1-888-456-3539 or visit www.lappusa.com.

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