ABUS

ABUS August Bremicker Söhne KG, commonly known as ABUS, is a German manufacturer of preventative security technology based in Wetter, North Rhine-Westphalia. The company name is an acronym formed from original name of the company, August Bremicker und Söhne ("August Bremicker and Sons").
History.
The company was founded in 1924. Initially, it was limited to the manufacture of padlocks. It is family-owned and managed according to Christian corporate principles. Over the years, its product range has substantially increased, to include: smoke alarms, video surveillance systems, bike and boat security products, alarm systems and locking systems.
ABUS operates the final two product segments via its subsidiary companies:
In October 2003 the product area of escutcheon plates was taken over from the door hinge manufacturer Dr. Hahn in Mönchengladbach. Due to the close relationships with the parent company ABUS, the names of the subsidiaries were changed to ABUS Security-Center GmbH & Co. KG (based in Affing), ABUS Pfaffenhain GmbH (based in Pfaffenhain) and ABUS Seccor GmbH (based in Ottobrunn).
In addition to several production facilities in Germany, the ABUS Group operates around 20 foreign branches in Europe, the United States and China. In the area of padlocks and bike locks, ABUS is the world market leader. In November 2012 ABUS received the "Brand of the Century" award in the security technology category.
Structure.
The company is headquartered in Wetter in North Rhine-Westphalia, and has manufacturing facilities in across Germany and in China. It has around 3,500 employees worldwide.
Family ownership.
The company is till today owned by the Bremicker family. In the list of the 500 richest Germans published annually by manager magazin, the family is ranked 422 (2013). The family's assets are estimated at 300 Million Euros.
The family belongs to the evangelical exclusive wing of the Plymouth Brethren (Brüdergemeinde), a church movement that originated in the 19th century. The family's religious orientation also affects the company. The company's self-portrayal refers to the fact that the company's mission statement is shaped by Christian principles. The equal participation of female family members in the company is rejected. There is therefore no woman among the KG shareholders. In order to exclude the succession of daughters, so-called inheritance waiver agreements have been concluded in the past.