Insight

PREBENA, a family business now in its second generation, is able to offer an in-depth portfolio of tools and collated fasteners for a wide range of industries and trades. Here President Gabriela Bornemann and CEO Werner Rücklinger explain how sticking to the company’s principles of reliability and the highest quality have been essential factors in PREBENA’s success.

The magazine last focused on the German fastener market in 2021, what have been the key developments at PREBENA in this time?

“Innovation is our key to success. Being ‘one step ahead’ and answering our customers’ needs is our biggest drive. That is why, in 2004, we started with our PKT-Technology (PREBENA Cartridge Technology) as a pioneer in the cordless market. We spent a lot of engineering resources to develop a product range of cordless tools – including our new HYBRID technology, which is based on both compressed air and battery technology. Starting with two cordless framing nailers, in 2021, we now also have a wide range of battery-based tools, including a battery screwdriver and our latest innovation – a battery-based concrete nailer.

Whilst compressed air tools still make up the majority of our products, we see battery technology as the future of mobile working. We want to offer our customers both technologies, which is why we decided on the new PKT-HYBRID line.

The PKT-HYBRID cordless framing nailers from PREBENA are available in two versions – the round-head and half-head strip nailers, with either a short or long magazine, and can process magazined round or half-head nails up to 100mm (4 inches) long. The framing nailers can be used in a variety of ways, for the woodworking industry, in prefabricated house construction, for roofing, interior design or the pallet industry. 

Our latest innovation in the HYBRID line is a battery-based concrete nailer, which processes concrete nails up to 40mm long – for concrete and steel. Thanks to the combination of the proven PKT cartridge technology, and a powerful 18V battery pack, the tools have enormous firing power.

Thanks to the cross-manufacturer battery system of CAS (Cordless Alliance System) our users can now also use other machines and devices that they need in their everyday work. CAS brings together a wide variety of manufacturers from a wide range of industries under one ‘battery umbrella’. Within the system, devices, machines, chargers and battery packs are 100% compatible and can be combined as desired. There are more than 400 powerful battery products available in the 18V class.

A mobile battery powered compressor, which can also be operated with the CAS batteries, and a battery-based screwdriver, complete the new cordless program.”

What investments has PREBENA made in recent years and how do these investments benefit customers?

“In recent years we have invested a lot in our engineering resources, especially in automatisation for industrial use. Automatisation and automatised processes are a very important requirement in a modern industry, and we decided to face that trend many years ago when we started to develop our industrial products. We now have a full range of high-end automatic industrial tools, specially designed for the prefabricated housing industry. 

We work closely with our customers to develop the best possible solution, which is why our product portfolio includes automatic devices for staples, nails and corrugated fasteners, as well as semi-automatic devices for the woodworking industry. The advantage for the customer is that PREBENA is not only supplying the tools and fasteners ‘Made in Germany’  but we also guarantee a worldwide service.

Furthermore, we rely on in-house expertise. We offer everything from a single source for a wide range of industries and trades, from the development and construction of a production machine to customer-specific fasteners and competent service. Thanks to partnerships around the world, and the many years of experience and expertise of our employees, our product portfolio is perfectly coordinated and synchronised. Our customers can rely on us and receive customised solutions that help to create security and trust.”

What additional services is PREBENA able to supply customers and how do you work with customers to find fastening solutions?

“PREBENA Wilfried Bornemann GmbH & Co produces more than 3,500 different fasteners – whether staples, pins, brads, collated nails or screws there is a fastener for each application. These fasteners are produced at the main production site in Germany and regularly inspected, so that the fasteners are certified and meet the highest requirements in timber construction.

Thanks to our own ‘Made in Germany’ production, we are also able to produce fasteners for special applications. Plus, we can develop and process unusual materials such as copper or brass, as well as special cuts and shapes on customer request. We offer customers a solution to their problem – regardless of whether it is a fastener, device, automation solution or service.

In addition, the entire process chain is still in our hands – from development to production to global sales. Our technologies are recognised worldwide as leading solutions and our products are sold in over 60 countries. Our production facilities for fasteners are also located around the world. Nevertheless, since PREBENA was founded in Schotten in 1960, all technical innovations have taken place at the headquarters in Germany. Both the tools and machines for the production of staples, magazined nails and screws are developed by PREBENA itself. This enables us to be a system provider – supplying a perfectly coordinated product portfolio from a single source.”

What are the types of products PREBENA is able to manufacture? How does the company guarantee the quality of its products?

“PREBENA is able to manufacture all different types of corrugated fasteners and staples from 3mm to 180mm length – ‘Made in Germany’. In addition, we have been producing various staples with ETA certification since August 2016. The European Technical Assessment (ETA) is a generally accepted form of proof of technical usability in reference to the Construction Product Regulation in the EU. The DIBT (German Institute for Structural Engineering) in Berlin granted the certification. Consequently, the new PREBENA building staples have all the necessary requirements for permanent use in the building industry, prefabricated housing industry and wooden frame construction industry. 

These ETA building staples are produced at our headquarters in Schotten and can therefore be marketed and sold as ‘Made in Germany’. In parallel with the staple certification, a range of devices has been developed to handle the staples in the relevant industries. This
covers all pneumatic staplers for rapid and single stapling with ETA staples, including automatic tools for static use in industrial manufacturing, mobile tools for moving large scale substructures or pneumatic staplers with an automatic trigger system. 

Since 2023, we can also offer our customers a certified quality for concrete nails. The certification for our concrete nails was carried out by an external institute, the VHT (Research Institute for Wood and Dry Construction) in Darmstadt, Germany, which guaranteed a certified application for static use.”

How has your company approached the topic of sustainability? 

“As a manufacturer of tools and fasteners, we are aware of our responsibility towards the environment. Ecology and high-tech go hand in hand at PREBENA and our products are known for their longevity. Our products are ‘Made in Germany’ and are also highly repairable. In addition, with our PSS (PREBENA Service System) we offer repairs at a fixed price and long availability of spare parts. This can significantly increase the service life and the stability of the value of our high-quality machines.

For the careful use of resources and the environment, we also use refillable compressed air cartridges with our PKT technology and we are a member of the CAS (Cordless Alliance System) for the cross-manufacturer use of 18V batteries.

In addition, we have invested in renewable energy in the form of a PV system in 2023 with the aim to make our production of fasteners and other products  ‘Made in Germany’ more environmentally friendly and sustainable.”