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Zwilling J. A. Henckels AG

Company type	Subsidiary (AG)
Industry	Kitchenware
Founded	Solingen, Germany 13 June 1731; 293 years ago (1731-06-13)
Founder	Peter Henckels
Headquarters	Solingen, Germany
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Kitchen knives, cutlery, cookware
Parent	Werhahn KG
Subsidiaries	Staub, Demeyere, Miyabi, Ballarini, Henckels Intl.
Website	www.zwilling.com

Zwilling J. A. Henckels AG is a German knife-maker based in Solingen, Germany. It is one of the largest and oldest manufacturers of kitchen knives for domestic and professional use, having been founded in June 1731 by Peter Henckels. It is also one of the oldest operating companies in the world. The brand's namesake was Johann Abraham Henckels (1771–1850), who renamed the brand after himself under his leadership. J. A. Henckels is one of the leading manufacturers of chef's knives. Since 1970, Zwilling is fully owned by Werhahn KG. The following brands belong to the Zwilling Group: ZWILLING, HENCKELS, Miyabi, BSF, Demeyere, Staub, Fontignac, Ballarini, Flammkraft, and Santos Grills.

Early history & expansion

"Zwilling" (German for 'twin') was founded on 13 June 1731 by the German knife-maker Peter Henckels. The logo was registered with the Cutlers' Guild of Solingen, making Zwilling one of the earliest examples of a trademarked company. In 1771, Peter's son Johann Abraham Henckels (1771–1850) – the later namesake of the company – was born. The Henckels logo has been in the current shape with a red background since 1969.

J. A. Henckels opened the first trading outlet in 1818 in Berlin, opening a shop in New York City in 1883 and followed a year later by Vienna. The company exhibited its products at the 1851 Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace in Great Britain, being awarded an international knifesmithing medal.

J. A. Henckels was awarded the Grand Prix prize in Paris in 1900 and the Grand Prix of St. Louis in 1904. It was also awarded with the Prussian State Golden Medal. Henckels was also given a royal warrant of appointment as purveyors of knives to the Imperial and Royal Court of Austria-Hungary (see K.u.k. Hoflieferant (in German)).

Since 1970, Zwilling is fully owned by Werhahn KG located in Neuss.

Brands & current state

The company operates several brands, including Zwilling J. A. Henckels, J. A. Henckels International, Miyabi (former Nippa), Staub, Demeyere, Ballarini, and BSF. Through these activities, the company also operates its own retail shops both in Germany and internationally, among them about 200 sub-stores in China. Since 1970 the company has been owned by the Werhahn Group, with a staff of 3,200 worldwide. Profits amounted to €282 million in 2007, with 80% of its profits generated outside Germany. In 2004, Henckels acquired the Japanese knife manufacturer Nippa and the U.S. beauty specialist Tweezerman, which is operated independently from Zwilling.

Hairdressing

Since 1988, J. A. Henckels has partnered with Solingen-based professional hairdressing equipment manufacturer Jaguar, which became part of the Zwilling group in 2004 to make product for the hairdressing industry, also owning a selection of hairdressing equipment brands.

Cookware

With the 2008 acquisitions of the Belgian manufacturer Demeyere (stainless steel cookware) and the French group Staub, which produces enameled cast iron cookware, Zwilling moved to expand the cookware segment of its business.

Knife lines

Zwilling J. A. Henckels Four Star knife set

In 1976 Henckels introduced the Four Star line, which is a fully forged knife with a molded handle made of polypropylene and a tang extending into the handle. The majority of Zwilling knives have blades constructed from high-carbon stainless steel, which is ice-hardened for sharpness and stain resistance, along with a partnership allowing some products constructed using a microcarbide powder steel with clad layers, which are manufactured in Japan. In 2011 Zwilling partnered with Master Bladesmith and designer Bob Kramer to launch a series of co-branded knives, starting with a carbon steel line.

Manufacturing process

Henckels knives are manufactured in several ways. A large selection of the knife range are forged from a single piece of high-carbon stainless steel, which is cold-hardened to improve stain resistance. This hardening process consists of cryogenic tempering and involves immersing the finished knife blades in liquid nitrogen. This process is required to get full hardness from most stainless knife steels, as it completes the conversion of austenite to martensite. The process of forging is intended to produce improved cutting-edge retention, weight, balance, and reduced opportunity for metal fatigue. Most of Zwilling's higher end knives are manufactured in Solingen, Germany, while others, including Henckels branded knives are made in Spain and China.

Modern expansion

In 1909 Henckels set up its first subsidiary in the U.S., followed by Canada, the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Japan, Italy, France, Spain, China. In 2008, subsidiaries were set up in Great Britain and Brazil.

In popular culture

A Henckels shop front can be seen in a whole scene in Fritz Lang's 1931 film M (approximately 51 minutes into the movie). In 2010 Jeffrey Elliot and Michael DeWan wrote The Zwilling J.A. Henckels Complete Guide to Knife Skills: The Essential Guide to Use, Techniques and Care, which is available in English, Dutch, and French.

References

The Saturday Evening Post. Curtis Publishing Company. November 1950.
Special Consular Reports. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1904.
Congressional Serial Set. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1904.
Statistics, United States Department of Commerce and Labor Bureau of (1905). Industrial Education and Industrial Conditions in Germany : Special Consular Reports Vol. Xxxiii. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 183.
Kelleter, Heinrich (1924). Geschichte der Familie J. A. Henckels in Verbindung mit einer Geschichte der solinger Industrie (in German). J. A. Henckels.
Schwärzel, Renate (1994). Deutsche Wirtschafts Archive: Nachweis historischer Quellen in Unternehmen, Körperschaften des Öffentlichen Rechts (Kammern) und Verbänden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (in German). Franz Steiner Verlag. ISBN 978-3-515-06211-4.
DE Magazin Deutschland. Frankfurter Societäts-Medien GmbH. 2013.
Kelleter, Heinrich (1924). Geschichte der Familie J. A. Henckels in Verbindung mit einer Geschichte der solinger Industrie (in German). J. A. Henckels.
Schwärzel, Renate (1994). Deutsche Wirtschafts Archive: Nachweis historischer Quellen in Unternehmen, Körperschaften des Öffentlichen Rechts (Kammern) und Verbänden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (in German). Franz Steiner Verlag. ISBN 978-3-515-06211-4.
Robuck, Mike (2014-08-05). Gun Trader's Guide to Collectible Knives: A Comprehensive, Fully Illustrated Reference with Current Market Values. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-62914-320-0.
Home Furnishing Review. Andrew J. Haire. 1909.
Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft, Hamburg-Amerikanische (1908). Guide Through Germany, Austria-Hungary, Switzerland, Italy, France, Belgium, Holland, the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, &c: Souvenir of the Hamburg-American Line. J. H. Herz.
Germany Reichskommission, Weltausstellung in St. Louis (1904). International Exposition St. Louis 1904: Official Catalogue. Exhibition of the German Empire. Georg Stilke.
Österreich-Ungarn (1918). Hof- und Staats-Handbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie: für das Jahr ... nach amtlichen Quellen zusammengestellt (in German). Hof- und Staatsdr.
Hof- und Staats-Handbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie (in German).
J.A. Henckels ZWILLINGSWERK AG (Hrsg.) (1981), 1731–1981, 250 Jahre ZWILLING J.A. Henckels (Jubiläumsbroschüre), Solingen, S. 22.
Fabrikverkauf in Deutschland- 2005/2006: Der grosse JET Einkaufsführer (in German). Zeppelin Verlag. September 2004. ISBN 978-3-933411-34-1.
Economic Bulletin. Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce. 1972.
"J. A. Henckels Acquires Tweezerman and Japanese Cutlery Manufacturer". HomeWorld Business. 2004-12-28. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
"Dal LaMagna: The rise of the Tweezerman | Fortune". 19 December 2013.
"Company history". Jaguar Solingen. Jaguar. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
BTC. Gale Research. 1993. ISBN 9780810381681.
"Henckels Acquires Staub". HomeWorld Business. 2008-05-09. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
Kling, Rob (1996-02-28). Computerization and Controversy: Value Conflicts and Social Choices. Elsevier. ISBN 978-0-08-050263-2.
Dwell. Dwell, LLC. February 2008.
"Bladesmith Bob Kramer Partners with ZWILLING J.A. HENCKELS to Create Custom Knives". PR Newswire. Seattle. 21 October 2010. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
"This Kitchen Knife Is Both Functional and Frameworthy". Bloomberg.com. 2017-07-26. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
Forbes, Paula (2011-09-29). "Inside the Henckels Knife Factory". Eater. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
"Shanghai Zwilling JA Henckels Ltd - Company Profile and News". Bloomberg News.
"Learn more about OUR FACTORIES | ZWILLING.COM". www.zwilling.com. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
"Solingen: Jubiläumsmesser aus echtem Brückenstahl". RP ONLINE (in German). 8 June 2016. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
Elliot, Jeffrey; Dewan, James P. (2010). Zwilling J.A. Henckels Complete Book of Knife Skills: The Essential Guide to Use, Techniques & Care. Robert Rose. ISBN 978-0778802563.

External links

Official website

v t e Knives and daggers
List of daggers List of blade materials
Kitchen and table knives	Boning Boti Bread knife Butcher knife Butter knife Caidao Cheese knife Chef's knife Cleaver Electric knife Fillet knife Grapefruit knife Lame Mezzaluna Parmesan knife Pizza cutter Splayd Steak knife Tomato knife Japanese kitchen knives Deba bōchō Maguro bōchō Nakiri bōchō Santoku Sashimi bōchō Udon kiri Unagisaki hōchō Usuba bōchō Yanagi ba
Other knives	Aircrew Survival Egress Knife Athame Balisong/Butterfly Ballistic Ballpoint pen knife Bayonet Boline Bolo Boot knife Bowie Cane knife Ceramic knife Clip point Combat knife Commander Corvo CQC-6 Deba bōchō Diving knife Drop point Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife Gerber Mark II Ginsu Golok Gravity knife Guna Hacking knife Higonokami Hunting knife Husa knife Ivan's Knife Jacob's ladder Karambit Kard Kirpan Kitchen knife Kukri Laguiole knife Machete Mandau Marking knife Misericorde Mora knife Multi-tool Navaja Neck knife Nontron knife Opinel knife Palette knife Pantographic knife Parang Penknife Penny knife Pesh-kabz Pirah Pocketknife Phurba Putty knife Puukko Rampuri Resolza Sabatier Sami knife SARK Scalpel Seax Sgian dubh Sharpfinger Sheath knife Shiv Sliding knife Smatchet SOG Knife Straight razor Strider SMF Survival knife Swiss Army knife Switchblade Taping knife Throwing knife Trench knife Tumi Ulu Utility knife Verlängerungsmesser Warrior knife Wedung X-Acto Yarara Parachute Knife Yatagan
Daggers	Anelace Applegate–Fairbairn fighting knife Arkansas toothpick BC-41 Bagh nakh Balarao Baselard Bichuwa Bollock dagger Cinquedea Dha Dirk Ear dagger Emeici Facón French Nail Gunong Hunting dagger Jambiya Jile Kabutowari Kaiken Kalis Katar Khanjali Khanjar Kris Kunai Liaoning dagger Mark I trench knife Microtech Jagdkommando Parrying dagger Poignard Pugio Push dagger Rondel dagger Seme Shobo Sica Stiletto Tantō U.S. Marine Raider stiletto V-42 Yoroi-dōshi
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Knifemakers	Rex Applegate James Black Tom Brown Jr. Blackie Collins John Nelson Cooper Jack W. Crain Ernest Emerson Jerry Fisk Bill Harsey Jr. Phill Hartsfield Gil Hibben Jimmy Lile Bob Loveless William F. Moran Ken Onion Ralph Osterhout Bo Randall Chris Reeve A. G. Russell Jody Samson William Scagel Mike Snody Robert Terzuola Michael Walker Buster Warenski Daniel Winkler
Associations	American Bladesmith Society Cutlery and Allied Trades Research Association Knifemakers' Guild
Category:Knives / Daggers

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