European market leader operating in Tarnów

The history of STEINHOF dates back to 1960. From the very beginning, the Tarnów-based company has been a family business, now run by the third generation. The company’s founder, Stanisław Steinhof, laid the foundations for a business which, 60 years later is one of the largest manufacturers of tow bars in Europe and one of the largest manufacturers of brake pads in Poland.

The 1990s marked a turning point in the development of STEINHOF, when the current owner, Marek Steinhof, expanded the home-based business into a thriving manufacturing plant. Over the following years, the company gradually increased its production. The lack of scope for growth at its current location has meant that today, with the support of the Polish Investment Zone, STEINHOF is commencing the construction of a new production facility in Niedomice, near Tarnów, where a modern production hall will be built, and the company will also modernise its Tarnów plant.

“Looking from the perspective of our 60-year jubilee of operating on the market, we find that we have come a long way since then, but thanks to determination, hard work, and the right decisions, we have created a family company that is one of the leaders in its industry. We have ambitious development plans for the coming years; there is a lot of work ahead of us. We want to introduce new applications to our offer, invest in modern technologies, and look for further sales markets to grow the company and promote Polish products abroad,” comments Monika Majchrowicz, Development Director at Steinhof.

 

Although the Steinhof Group is best known for the production of towbars, brake pads for passenger cars and trucks are equally important in its product range. The pads are made from asbestos-free, carefully selected mixtures of friction materials sourced exclusively from proven and certified suppliers. The unique friction mixture used for their production was formulated in the STEINHOF laboratory.

The production technology is based on an automated production line. The machinery fleet includes, among others, over a dozen presses with a pressing force of up to 800 tons. Every stage of the technological process is controlled by a specialized laboratory and supervised by an internal research and development center. The production of brake pads and towbars at Steinhof is carried out based on the ISO Quality Management System. All manufactured products hold the required certificates and type approvals issued by the British VCA (Vehicle Certification Agency) as well as a Polish certificate issued by PIMOT (Automotive Industry Institute).

“At the end of December, we received a decision on support within the Polish Investment Zone, under which we will build a modern hall to which we will move a part of our production. We also want to create a modern line for the production of towbar components, which will allow us to significantly increase our production capacity. This will enable us to be more competitive on the markets. From the perspective of over 60 years of the company’s activity, we know that continuous development is essential. The history of Steinhof is precisely an intergenerational story of development,” adds Monika Majchrowicz.

More about the Steinhof Group can be found on the website: www.steinhof.pl