The piano industry is deeply steeped in tradition; many of the companies in today's market were founded in the 19th century and are well over 120 years old today. In the living rooms of many homes back then, the piano was what the television is today: the primary source of entertainment for the family and their guests.
In the 19th century, playing the piano was a social obligation for those who could afford it - meaning that the piano makers of Germany and Europe did brisk trade in those days.
Hermann Kluge leaves his job at Ibach to found his own keyboard-making company: Hermann Kluge Klaviaturenfabrik. The popularity of the piano ensures that Ibach and other renowned piano manufacturers purchase their keyboards from this new company, and Kluge's order books begin to fill up. Hermann Kluge Klaviaturenfabrik is located on Wuppermannstraße in Wuppertal.
Business is booming. After 26 years in operation, the company has already produced and delivered 100,000 keyboards.
The company is destroyed in the war. The company has already produced 500,000 keyboards at this point. As an interim solution, Kluge rents production space and manufactures furniture, windows, and doors. Hermann Kluge hands over the reins of the company to his grandnephew Albert Narath in 1946.
Kluge resumes production of piano keyboards and manages to build on its former success - production figures even exceed the company's pre-war peak. Hans-Georg Narath takes the reins of the company from his father in 1966.
Hans-Georg Narath continues leading the company in the same spirit as its founder, and Kluge's financial success grows. As Hans-Georg Narath has no successor within the family, he offers the company up for sale to Steinway & Sons, one of the world's most renowned piano manufacturers.
Steinway & Sons accepts his offer, becoming Kluge's parent company; even today, Kluge remains an independent limited-liability company and still supplies keyboards to a range of upright and grand piano producers.
Our company continues to grow and develop, particularly in terms of technology and quality. Modern production methods are coming to the fore, providing us with entirely new opportunities to manufacture products even more efficiently and precisely. We are now able to offer a broader range of customized solutions, as well as extremely precise repairs.
Today, Kluge produces the highest levels of quality using cutting-edge technology. Our company currently employs almost 60 people.
