Graupner Reloaded?

Companies, too, go through different stages in their lives. Graupner, the quintessential traditional German model-making company, set the standard for decades, but in recent years has likely gone through one of the most difficult periods in its more than 75-year history.

As is well known, the trigger was the switch to the 2.4-gigahertz system for remote controls in 2008. The company had clearly bet on the wrong horse with the voltage-sensitive IFS system purchased in the U.S. Pilots lost their models, and Graupner, for its part, lost its “air supremacy” over the online forums, where facts soon became mixed with rumors. The end result was considerable uncertainty among customers who were just about to purchase a new remote control system, leading to significant losses in sales. Graupner employees had to prepare for many months of reduced working hours.

But upholding tradition also means overcoming crises. And it seems that the company in Kirchheim unter Teck, Swabia, has tackled this with determination and now believes it is back on track. However, this required painful cuts. The workforce was streamlined. To regain lost ground in the remote control market, the company turned to the expertise of its own development department and, with “Hott”—literally at the eleventh hour—a truly future-proof remote control system, with a special focus on transmission reliability and state-of-the-art telemetry performance. As a result, the company managed within a short time to regain much of the “basic trust” that customers had placed in this long-established Swabian firm. In any case, “Hott” is now considered one of the most advanced model remote-control systems, offering the highest level of reliability.

And, of course, the rest of the model lineup is also tailored even more closely to customer preferences. Knowing that model enthusiasts can sometimes be quite impatient, Graupner strives to deliver new products unveiled at trade shows as soon as possible after their debut. On the logistics side, a newly installed, computer-controlled inventory management system ensures that orders are shipped from the company to retailers on a daily basis.

During a tour of the company, it was surprising to learn that, contrary to popular belief, Graupner does not simply repackage and relabel products made in China, stack them, and pass them on to consumers. Rather, Graupner continues to handle both development and production in-house. Specifically, the preparatory work for the large gliders—such as milling the wing shapes—is carried out on the company’s own machinery. Additionally, some of the 125 employees are engaged in the pre-assembly of the models.

Graupner thus not only upholds tradition but also appears to be well-prepared for the future—a future that will be shaped here in Europe, not in Southeast Asia. After all, the company plans to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2030 at its Kirchheim/Teck location.