Contact
SONOTRONIC GmbH
Becker-Goering-Str. 17-25
76307 Karlsbad, Germany
E-Mail: sales@sonotronic.de
Mon to Thu 8 am – 5 pm
Friday 8 am – 3 pm
Phone:
SONOTRONIC GmbH
Tradition. Progress. Future. Made in Germany.
With an idea, the will and a lot of drive, a one-man garage company grew into one of the world's leading companies in the field of joining plastics with ultrasonic in 1974.
Linked with success - we follow this guiding principle by constantly developing our technologies and products to produce optimal connections of plastics. Linked with success is also our company history: continuous growth ensures that we expand our customer base and at the same time are an important employer in the community of Karlsbad and the surrounding area.
History
1974 Foundation of SONOTRONIC in Karlsbad-Langensteinbach
Dieter Nagel founded SONOTRONIC on April 1, 1974, which was no April Fool's joke! Because even today, Dieter Nagel's guiding principle is "Ultrasonic is when you laugh anyway". At that time, development and production took place at the Karlsbad-Langensteinbach site in the converted agricultural building of his parents.
1974 First ultrasonic standard machine
Already in the first year, the young company sold three ultrasonic standard machines. One delivery was made to the company EHEIM GmbH & Co. KG in Deizisau, another 20 kHz ultrasonic standard machine went to Mannheim to the plastic injection molding manufacturer Miki-Plastik Oskar Milz KG.
1975 First logo design
The evolution of the CI began with the first company logo, which has changed three times up to the current design. At the beginning, the letters "O" symbolized two plastic parts. During the re-design, a sine wave was added as a design element. Today, the wave is still an integral part of the company logo and stands for ultrasonic oscillation.
1989 First ultrasonic special machine
After entering the field of special machine construction, the first ultrasonic special machine was put into operation in 1989. The machine welded luggage nets for car seats with 14 welding units. It was designed by Dieter Nagel and manufactured together with Ingo Nagel. Larger machines for bumpers, as shown in the picture, were produced from 1991.
1991 Move to Straubenhardt-Conweiler
Ultrasonic technology for special machine construction in the automotive sector was gaining ground, and the need for more production space was growing in line with the increasing number of orders. Without further ado, an empty production hall with around 1,000 square meters was found in Straubenhardt. Here, among other things, the first special machines for bumpers were developed and produced.
1994 New building in Karlsbad-Ittersbach
Project inquiries continued to increase and customers demanded special machines with well over 100 welding units. Dieter and Ingo Nagel made the decision at that time that has contributed to the success of the company today "If, then we do it right." In only one year, the new building in the industrial area in Karlsbad-Ittersbach could be planned and realized.
1994 Ingo Nagel becomes Managing Director
Company founder Dieter Nagel transfers the management of the company to his son Ingo Nagel. He himself remains loyal to the company as an advisory pillar and contributes his experience and ideas to the technology development. As sole managing director of SONOTRONIC Nagel GmbH, Ingo Nagel is also responsible for the subsidiaries in Spain, USA and China.
1996 Establishment of the branch in Spain (Barcelona)
Demand in the Spanish automotive market led to the founding of SONOTRONIC, S.L. The local managing director is Carlos Gomez. He previously worked for Magna-Systems and got to know the Nagel family during an order, a heating element welding machine for sun visors. Mr. Gomez was a frequent visitor to Karlsbad during the project run.
2000 Establishment of the branch in the USA (Wixom)
With SONOTRONIC, Inc. the second subsidiary was founded and thus another milestone in globalization was set. The managing director, Michael Cherdron, is a native Palatine and lives and works in Michigan, the center of the US automotive industry. The manufacturing, commercial and office space covers around 4,125 square meters.
2002 Expansion of the application engineering and the technical laboratory
In our application engineering laboratories, we develop new applications for the use of ultrasonic and other technologies. Existing processes are continuously improved, and new solutions are sought. In addition, we carry out customer-specific sample work for you and advise you until the ideal result is achieved.
2007 Expansion of the production area at the Karlsbad site
The demand for SONOTRONIC's innovative high-performance ultrasonic technology made it possible to expand the offices and production area to 9,000 sqm. The connection of the new buildings to the existing structures enabled short distances and efficient working. With 170 employees, new standards could now be set.
2008 Production of the 60,000 sonotrode
All sonotrodes used in our ultrasonic welding machines are based on our many years of experience and expertise in the field of plastics processing. The largest sonotrode had a diameter of 250 mm. It welded insulating dishes used in hospitals.
2012 Production of the 1,600 special machine
1,600 successfully produced ultrasonic special machines for the automotive industry make us the world market leader in this sector. We respond to the increasing requirements of different plastic materials with hybrid solutions and combine ultrasonic with infrared, hot air or hot plate.
2013 Market launch ECO iSONIC
The ECO iSONIC ultrasonic welding machine brings new dimensions to standard machine construction for the plastics industry. It ranks among the pneumatic welding machines as an intelligent universal genius and ensures a very high level of safety as well as quality in production and already pays for itself in a short time.
2014 Expansion to 12,500 sqm of production and office space
We look back on 40 successful years. In order to continue to react flexibly to market requirements and to be able to supply first-class ultrasonic machines, the production and office area was expanded by 3,500 sqm to 12,500 sqm. In the first step, the new tool production was created here: a 5-axis machining center with robot automation.
2015 Market launch of the welding cabin ECOFLEX iSONIC
For the ultrasonic welding of small and medium-sized parts, SONOTRONIC developed the ECOFLEX series - a compact welding cabin that can be customized. The concept is based on a standardized basic machine. Only the design of the individual workroom is required.
2018 Market launch of the standard machine NC iSONIC
With the NC iSONIC, a new ultrasonic series welding machine with servo drive and future-oriented automation concept has been developed for the increasing market requirements. The advantage is the modular design of the machine. With additional units, the machine can be expanded cost-effectively and elegantly at the same time and adapted to a wide variety of applications.
2019 Move of the subsidiary ULTRAWAVES to Karlsbad
The addition of further office space above the production center provides room for a large and modern training room. In addition, we are also pleased about the move of our ULTRAWAVES colleagues from Hamburg, who are now represented at the Karlsbad site with the innovative high-performance ultrasonic systems for water and environmental technology.
2019 Binding guideline: our Code of Conduct
As an internationally operating company, SONOTRONIC's goal is to provide reliable, innovative and safe products, technologies and services in the field of plastic joining and separation. We can only achieve this if we all act fairly, ethically and respectfully in our business activities at all times.
2020 Opening of the Hong Kong branch
Together with the long-time partner company Sanden Electronic Equipment Ltd. the subsidiary SONOTRONIC HK Ltd. is founded. With this strategic step SONOTRONIC has direct access to the production site of Sanden in China. The administrative headquarters is in Hong Kong, the production site in Huizhou.
2021 Successful re-audit: ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications
For the eighth time in a row, the processes of SONOTRONIC Nagel GmbH were put to the test according to DIN EN ISO 9001 quality management and DIN 14001 environmental management and successfully confirmed by DEKRA. With the passed re-certification we prove that we meet the high demands of our customers permanently and sustainably.
2021 Expansion of the USA branch (Wixom)
The location of our USA branch was relocated within the city of Wixom by a few streets at the end of May 2021. This has increased the production, usable and office space to 4,125 square meters. Michael Cherdron, Vice President, is pleased "With the new space we are more flexible and have more room to optimize our processes and expand."
2022 Certification "Climate Neutral Company"
SONOTRONIC Nagel GmbH develops components, standard and special machines for ultrasonic-based plastics processing with high quality awareness, with the aim of helping to shape the industry in a more sustainable way. To expand its climate protection measures, SONOTRONIC follows a modern sustainability strategy that optimizes processes and conserves resources and the environment.
2022 New website on sustainability at SONOTRONIC
The website www.greensonics.de provides detailed information on why SONOTRONIC is climate neutral and how the company is further committed to sustainability and climate protection. The current and planned actions, as well as results, are documented on the new website and make the path to climate neutrality comprehensible and transparent.
2022 EcoVadis Silver Medal 🥈 for SONOTRONIC
SONOTRONIC Nagel GmbH was awarded a silver medal in recognition of its EcoVadis rating. This process evaluates the company's performance in the areas of environment, labor and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement based on documented evidence.
2023 Marks a new era for SONOTRONIC
Since August 1st, 2023, the company has become part of the Dürkopp Adler Group, which in turn belongs to the internationally operating Shang Gong Group (SGG). Now, under the leadership of CEO Dr. Frank Meyer, it operates as SONOTRONIC GmbH. With its headquarters in Karlsbad and subsidiaries in China, the USA and Spain, the corporate group remains intact. This alliance presents new opportunities to expand the portfolio and strengthen the position in the global market. Another focus is the enhancement of automation in industrial sewing and welding technology. By combining expertise and resources, technologies and products can be developed more effectively.
2024 SONOTRONIC celebrates 50th Anniversary
50 Years of SONOTRONIC: SONIC'DAYS Anniversary Celebration in Karlsbad!
From June 12 to 14, 2024, the SONOTRONIC GmbH headquarters in Karlsbad-Ittersbach hosted the SONIC'DAYS anniversary celebration. The event marked the 50th anniversary of SONOTRONIC GmbH. Together with KSL, another company of the DA Group celebrating its 60th anniversary, we commemorated these milestones. The celebration included two days of OPEN HOUSE for our valued customers and a grand festivity under the theme "Joining together" for our fantastic employees and their families. Link to the report
25500
sqm
Production area worldwide
60
%
Export ratio
12
Representations worldwide
170
Employees
