The WETEKAM | GROUP
Behind the WETEKAM | GROUP stands Dr.Karl Wetekam & Co. KG, which is the Group’s largest legal entity. Besides many subsidiaries, it defines the legal framework and forms the core of the group. Dr. Karl Wetekam & Co. KG is considered a traditional German family-owned business, with currently, three generations of the Wetekam family representing the company.
Even among staff there are many examples of second and third generations working at the company and making a true commitment to its continued growth. It is this family-owned structure which ensures a sustainable business understanding, based on a long-term and sound economical footprint, which characterize the WETEKAM | GROUP.
Through continuous innovation; expansion and transfer of knowledge and a relentless customer focus, the Wetekam Group has been growing steadily since its founding and has taken a leading role as Monofilament manufacturer in Europe and in the world.
“We focus on continuous growth ever since the founding of this company. As part of this expansion strategy, we in turn rely on our employees continuously improving their skills. Internal training programs are an integral part of our culture to achieve this and the emphasis is on meeting and exceeding our customer’s expectations.”.
Karl Wetekam
Tonnes a year
Customer base
Sites worldwide
Sales representative
1965
The founding of the company
The company Dr. Karl Wetekam & Co. was founded in 1965 by Dr. Karl Wetekam. The first location was in Edermünde – Grifte. As expected, customers quickly showed great interest in high-quality and innovative plastic filaments. First production expansions contributed to the company’s growth.
1970
Five years after its foundation, the company moves into its new headquarters in Melsungen. In the following years, the site is expanded further and further. In addition to investments, the acquisition of production capacities from other companies in the USA, England, Switzerland and Germany also contributes to growth.
1993
In the year 1993, Karl Wetekam, today’s CEO, joins the company.
2002
The company founder Dr. Karl Wetekam hands over management to his son Karl Wetekam in 2002. That same year, the company takes over the equipment of competitor Monofil Technology Ltd. with headquarters in the UK.
2005
Modernization and further expansion of the original production site for manufacturing of high-quality plastic yarns was completed. The integrated twisting department adds to the processing options and guarantees the customer diversified products of high-quality from one source.
2010
In 2010, WETELEN takes advantage of the opportunity to acquire parts of the machinery from its competitor Teijin USA. The machines increase the production volume and enable further differentiation from the competition.
2015
An opportunity presented itself in the USA whereby already local equipment was acquired and upgrades to our standards. The equipment increased our capacity and enables us to further differentiation from our competitors.
2017
The continuous growth and expansion leads to a re-branding. All company divisions are consolidated into the “Wetekam | Group”, thus laying the foundation for the realignment of organization and processes.
2021
The installation of a central material conveying and drying system has made numerous individual dry air generators on the individual extrusion lines obsolete. The granulate is now transported to the individual extrusion lines using vacuum technology and a material station. This has led to a 69% reduction in energy consumption in the drying process.
2022
Doppelschneckenextruder
The first twin-screw extruder was successfully integrated into the company in 2022. Thanks to this innovative process technology, it is now possible to manufacture special plastic compounds and produce monofilaments from them through direct extrusion. This technology allows the targeted addition and mixing of certain additives into the plastic matrix, enabling the production of monofilaments with the highest requirement profiles.
2024
Our company has recently undergone a rebranding that was accompanied by the expansion of our business areas. These significant changes open up new opportunities for us to continuously develop the company and our production line in order to meet the needs of our customers even better. In this way, we aim to further expand our business areas with a view to the future and strengthen our innovative capabilities.
2024
On January 1, 2024, Karl Wetekam joined the family-run company as a new shareholder, representing the third generation. His areas of responsibility include product and process development, as well as the implementation of a recycling system at our locations worldwide. His involvement not only ensures continuity, but also the future viability of the company.
The company founding
The company Dr. Karl Wetekam & Co. was founded in 1965 by Dr. Karl Wetekam. The first location was in Edermünde - Grifte. As expected, customers quickly showed great interest in high-quality and innovative plastic filaments. First production expansions contributed to the company's growth.
Five years after its foundation, the company moves into its new headquarters in Melsungen. In the following years, the site is expanded further and further. In addition to investments, the acquisition of production capacities from other companies in the USA, England, Switzerland and Germany also contributes to growth.
The installation of a central material conveying and drying system has made numerous individual dry air generators on the individual extrusion lines obsolete. The granulate is now transported to the individual extrusion lines using vacuum technology and a material station. This has led to a 69% reduction in energy consumption in the drying process.
Twin-Screw extruder
The first twin-screw extruder was successfully integrated into the company in 2022. Thanks to this innovative process technology, it is now possible to manufacture special plastic compounds and produce monofilaments from them through direct extrusion. This technology allows the targeted addition and mixing of certain additives into the plastic matrix, enabling the production of monofilaments with the highest requirement profiles.
Our company has recently undergone a rebranding that was accompanied by the expansion of our business areas. These significant changes open up new opportunities for us to continuously develop the company and our production line in order to meet the needs of our customers even better. In this way, we aim to further expand our business areas with a view to the future and strengthen our innovative capabilities.
On January 1, 2024, Karl Wetekam joined the family-run company as a new shareholder, representing the third generation. His areas of responsibility lie in product and process development, as well as in the implementation of a recycling concept at our locations worldwide. His involvement not only ensures continuity, but also the future viability of the company.
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