A phone call that made a difference and the story of GRONARD

A phone call that made a difference and the story of GRONARD

Some conversations stay with you for years. For Lothar Gronard, one phone call changed the way he thought about bicycle parking. It prompted the company to focus more on cycling. In our new video, Lothar Gronard recalls a milestone in our company’s history that continues to shape GRONARD today.

To understand how we got here, it helps to look back at the people and the work that started it all.

It began in a Munich backyard workshop

When Walter Felix Gronard founded his specialist cast-iron welding business in Munich’s Ramersdorf district in 1949, he was just 27. A trained materials testing technician, he initially repaired engines with one or two employees. These practical skills were much needed during the post-war reconstruction years.

As customers’ needs changed, so did the work. The company began making basement tanks for oil-fired heating systems, followed by products including machine frames and steel swimming pools. Eventually, the workshop became too small, and the company moved to Altperlach in 1963.

Munich’s development also shaped the business. As the city prepared for the 1972 Olympic Games, new transport routes, buildings and entire neighbourhoods were being built. Construction sites needed rubble skips, another product GRONARD manufactured at the time. Bicycle racks were already part of the range but initially played a smaller role.

A sudden loss and the beginning of a new era

In 1980, Walter Gronard died unexpectedly at the age of 59. His family had to cope with their personal loss while keeping the business running.

His wife, Margarete Gronard, initially took over before their son Lothar became managing director. At 28, he was almost the same age as his father had been when he founded the company.

Under his leadership, GRONARD expanded into other fields, including architectural steelwork and machinery for gravel processing. From the late 1980s onwards, bicycle parking facilities and canopies became increasingly important. What had started as one part of the product range gradually became the heart of GRONARD’s business.

How a phone call led to the Kappa® bicycle rack

It was during this period that the phone call took place. Engineer Hartwig Hammerschmidt called to complain about “wheel-benders” – bicycle racks that could damage wheel rims. From that point on, the task was clear: to develop a bicycle rack that would hold bicycles securely and be easy to use every day.

Turning these requirements into a product took development work. The guidelines of the German National Cyclists’ Association (ADFC) provided the basis for the Kappa® bicycle rack. The result was an ADFC-recommended model that remains part of GRONARD’s range today.

For local authorities, planners and housing associations, this everyday usability is particularly important. At railway stations, outside residential buildings and at public facilities, bicycle parking facilities are used every day. Their quality becomes clear through daily use.

A story that continues

Today, the third generation of the Gronard family runs the company. Development and manufacturing are still based in Munich. Decades of change separate the first welding repairs in Ramersdorf from today’s bicycle parking systems. Above all, we are grateful to the people who have put so much care and commitment into the company along the way.

When Lothar Gronard looks back in the video, he is sharing part of his own life as well as the company’s history. The Kappa® bicycle rack reflects what GRONARD stands for: a conversation became an idea, the idea became a product, and the product came to represent an approach that has endured across generations.