In Forchtenberg, the "Verein der Förderer des Schrauben- und Befestigungsclusters Hohenlohe e.V." (Association of sponsors of the Hohenlohe screw and fastening cluster) has renovated the historic red mill in the Ernsbach district in a manner befitting a listed building and, together with the complex of buildings around the mill, has turned it into a museum. The museum has been officially open to visitors since June 18. The sponsors of the non-profit development association are 19 manufacturers and distributors of screws, dowels, fastening and fixing systems. The interactive exhibition is called "Kocherwerk - House of Fastening Technology" and covers an area of 400 square meters.

The historic mill was first mentioned in a document in 1378. From 1898, the screw and hardware factory of L. & C. Arnold, today Arnold Umformtechnik. Today, the old screw factory is regarded as the cradle of industrialization in the Hohenlohe region, where a cluster of the fastening industry gradually emerged with today around 30 companies and over 10,000 employees. In Ernsbach, the nucleus of this cluster, the museum now shows the history of this industry.

Naturally, we were involved in this project. After all, we have been part of this cluster since 1949, and thus longer than many others, representing the rapid economic upswing after the Second World War - initially with simple dowels and then increasingly differentiated into sophisticated assembly technology for pipelines with high-performance planning support for all areas of industry and building technology. Accordingly, MEFA dowels from the early days, sample cases for representatives - as it was still called back then - and many other exhibits are on display at the Kocherwerk. For today, the European XFEL project (known to many of us as "DESY") is presented in the "Laboratory". This is an X-ray laser for research into the smallest structures, such as protein molecules and nanotechnology, which is built in a 3.4 km long tunnel. In this project, we supplied the fastening technology for the entire cooling system.

In the "Lounge", the Kocherwerk presents historical exhibits, documents, photographs and hands-on technology. An interactive, digital platform also provides interested visitors with deeper insights into the individual company histories. In the "Laboratory", the companies of the industry cluster present projects that allow visitors to experience the wide range of applications for fastening technology.

Another room in the museum is the "Workshop", where the various trades that can be learned in the cluster's companies are presented by apprentices. Finally, the museum also offers space for meetings and parties - a bistro and sunny terrace are also available for this purpose. The museum can be found on the Internet at www.kocherwerk.de.