Effeff.
While the spirit of the 1936 Olympics was driving athletes to new records, Fritz Fuss received an engineering education at the University of Karlsruhe.
Among his fellow students were the founders of the HEWI company, Mr. Wilke and Mr. Brucker, who later became the first sales representatives of effeff. This representative office still exists today.
In the same year 1936, Fritz Fuss founded the company Fritz Fuss «Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering» in Albstadt. At first, clothes hangers, clothes brushes and irons were produced there, until in 1947 an acquaintance of Fuss showed up who was looking for a solution for electric door unlocking. The young entrepreneur took on the creation of his first models of electric latches, the range of which was constantly expanding, and gradually this led to the creation of an extensive and successful product line.
The very active construction, primarily of apartment and multi-story buildings in the devastated post-war Germany, played a significant role in the success of the new product. The construction of such buildings made it possible to accommodate a large number of apartments on relatively small plots of land. At the same time, intercoms became increasingly popular, and with them, electric latches. Now, without going down to the front door, you could find out who had arrived, and also open the door remotely. Starting from the 1950s, in the conditions of ever-increasing prosperity, every apartment owner could and wanted to have such a modern doorman.
At that time, the effeff trademark had already appeared. Its name consists of the initials of the company founder Fritz Fuss and alludes to the German proverb “to be able to FF” (FF – excellent, top grade) – a synonym for the ability to do something thoroughly, which is what the company was famous for in the region. In the 1950s, effeff used the slogan: Für jedes Schloss, für jede Tür – Sicherheit und Zier (for every lock, for every door – security and decoration). Today, the electric strike is an integral part of modern construction. It guarantees the security of a door that is always locked and at the same time provides the convenience of unlocking with an electric signal.
Sales channels
At first, effeff latches were sold exclusively through wholesalers of electrical goods. They were sold there because they also sold intercoms.
Since the latch consists not only of an electronic part, but also to a large extent of a mechanical part, the distribution area was extended to wholesalers of locks and fittings, which offered know-how in the field of mechanics.
In addition, sellers of locks and fittings offered a complete package for doors, to which the latch was an excellent match. And today, companies selling locks and fittings for effeff are an important distribution channel.
In order to get closer to the wishes and needs of users, effeff also approached door manufacturers and began to produce latches adapted to their needs in close cooperation. Door manufacturers thus became the next significant sales channel for effeff.
Door manufacturers themselves immediately saw the advantages of using latches. This had a positive effect on the cost of the door. At the same time, the demand for latches was constantly growing. Thus, industrial production of doors became simple and economical if the latch was installed during the production process.
Along with this, latches could be used in cases where they did not work for their intended purpose, i.e. not as an executive locking device, but as a mechanical unlocking device to keep the door unlocked to ensure free passage.
Market Positions
effeff continued to expand its market position by responding flexibly and quickly to requests for new solutions for wooden, metal and plastic doors. Unlike other suppliers, effeff had numerous variants for every type of application within a very short time, including for sliding doors, glass doors and deadbolt locks. Fritz Fuss demonstrated the company's flexibility in the 1960s at a trade fair in Hanover. A visitor asked for a special version of the latch. Fuss went to his workshop in Albstadt and had a prototype for the customer by the end of the trade fair.
Today, effeff has a total of 22,000 different products in its range, including 1,500 different latch models and 166 different locking plate variants.
In the 1970s, the company began to think about security, and in 1971, effeff expanded its product range by adding burglar alarm systems, and in 1977, fire alarm devices. A completely independent business structure was created for the alarm sector with its own sales channels and its own product range, focusing on the corresponding segment. In addition, more and more attention was paid to the problem of uncontrolled access. effeff also took this development trend into account, and in 1983, the production of access control devices was launched, and in 1989, time and attendance systems. At the same time, special versions of latches were developed that could be connected to any ACS.
The desire for convenient security continued to grow in the following years. New challenges were also consistently met with new products: effeff offered self-locking locks with solenoid or electromotor control.
Special requirements, which are reflected in standards and guidelines, also play a major role in effeff's success. These include, in particular, the regulations for fire-resistant doors and for escape route doors. With the help of the company's fundamental know-how in the field of latches, new products were consistently developed in these areas. For example, in the early 1980s, the special 331 latches were introduced, which are used in situations where magnets were usually the only solution. Thanks to its active participation in the development of standards, effeff received first-hand information that it could quickly incorporate into its product development. effeff contributed to the fact that the requirements for higher security were enshrined in laws and standards, such as in the guidelines for escape route actuators published in 1989, staying true to its motto «Leading trends towards higher security».
Other facts at a glance
In 1975, effeff began selling in other countries – initially with distribution partners and sales branches, and since 1998 with subsidiaries in Italy, the USA and Australia, in order to offer its technical expertise in the local markets. Today, effeff exports its products to more than 75 countries. In this process, not only are German electric strikes adapted for individual countries, but also special product lines are developed that meet the standards of the given market.
Since the old production building in the center of Albstadt had exhausted its potential for effeff expansion, construction began on a new production and administration building in 1990. In 1998, the complex, consisting of three blocks with a total area of 19,000 square meters, was completed.
In 1995, effeff went public on the Stuttgart and Frankfurt stock exchanges to raise capital for further growth on the domestic and international markets. In 2004, the need for borrowed capital was no longer necessary and effeff left the stock exchange.
Since 1 February 2000, effeff has been part of the ASSA ABLOY Group, headquartered in Stockholm. The Swedish group was founded in 1994 and has developed into a leading global player in the field of security and locking systems through a targeted acquisition policy. ASSA ABLOY is a leading global manufacturer and supplier of mechanical and electromechanical locks and related products. ASSA ABLOY currently has approximately 29,000 employees at 100 locations in 40 countries; it has increased its turnover to 3.5 billion euros and maintains a 10% share of the global market. Today, effeff customers benefit from the extensive know-how of the world's largest group of companies, which offers everything for greater comfort and safety worldwide.
On April 1, 2000, part of the «effeff-Alarm» business was sold in order to concentrate more on the core competence within the ASSA ABLOY Group — electromechanics.
On April 1, 2005, effeff and the traditional German company IKON GmbH Präzisionstechnik from Berlin merged to form ASSA ABLOY Sicherheitstechnik GmbH. The product ranges of the effeff and IKON brands complement each other perfectly; comprehensive and comprehensive system solutions are offered to customers in the private, industrial and public sectors.