ABOUT US
FROM A FAMILY-OWNED BUSINESS TO A GLOBAL PLAYER
The Lang Group had its humble beginnings in a small back-alley workshop in the Bavarian town of Fürth. Today, this innovative family enterprise has become a Global Player of vision systems for the commercial vehicle industry. With a workforce of about 2,200 employees it operates 7 locations in 7 countries.
FOUNDING & HISTORY
In 1932, in a back alley basement in the Bavarian town of Fürth, newlyweds Hans and Frieda Lang founded a small mirror workshop which would eventually become the Lang Group. The young couple named its brand new enterprise “Spiegelfabrik Ing. Hans Lang” and set out to manufacture hand-held and pocket mirrors. Initially, the company’s business focus was glass silvering and mirror glass processing.
The founders' sons and the company’s managing directors since 1960, Heinrich and Günter Lang, began specializing in the production of smaller mirrors. In 1964, the company relocated to larger premises in Schuckertstraße in Fürth/Stadeln to be able to meet the increasing demand for its products. After relocation, the brothers purchased their first injection molding system and took up the production of rear view mirrors for commercial vehicles and passenger cars as well as plastic parts manufacturing. These products turned out to be so successful that in 1978, after the acquisition of MEtallwaren KRAuse - a highly respected Fürth company with a rich business tradition - the company launched its Ergersheim operations laying the foundation for what has become today's MEKRA Lang.
Over the years, the product portfolio steadily expanded from mirrors and mirror systems to proprietary camera monitor and mirror replacement systems. In 2004 the company expanded by adding the Lang Technics division which specializes in mirror glass development and production.
Today the third generation of Langs is at the helm of the successful family enterprise. Susanne Lang is responsible for the company as managing partner, with Bernd Dehner and Thomas Kolodziej as managing directors.
A success story from its very beginning, MEKRA Lang has become a Global Player of innovative vision systems for the commercial vehicle industry, with a workforce of about 2,200 employees and operations in 7 locations in 7 countries around the globe. By offering an extensive portfolio of innovative products and solutions, the Lang Group of Companies has become a valued partner of virtually all leading commercial vehicle manufacturers, a systems supplier of mirror and camera monitor systems and a trusted vendor for the truck, construction equipment, agricultural machine, bus and recreational vehicle and light commercial vehicle segments.
FAMILY BUSINESS
When the Lang family founded its small mirror manufacturing enterprise in 1932, the groundwork was laid for today’s Lang Group, a global player with the third generation of Langs still at its helm. The Lang name not only stands for innovative and high-quality products, but also for social responsibility towards the company’s more than 2,200 employees worldwide.
It has always been our philosophy to put people first in everything we do, and our principles of commitment and openness apply to both our customers and our personnel. One of our focal points has been to support our employees both professionally and socially by providing training and development chances for honing their skills and qualifications on a continuous basis. Another responsibility we take very seriously is the development of young talent. We encourage both our high school trainees and apprentices to take advantage of our various development possibilities.
In addition to providing a number of attractive employee benefits and a variety of health services, it is our goal as a family enterprise to support our employees in finding their ideal work-life balance. Our company’s “founding mother”, Mrs. Frieda Lang, was an early pioneer in balancing job and family responsibilities, making it a company tradition that has been upheld to this very day. To support this philosophy, we offer our employees a variety of flextime options and pension schemes as well as all-day childcare services in our “Frieda Lang Haus” daycare center. Our educational staff attends the Children with love in our preschool/kindergarden and our own elementary school.
PARADIGM SHIFT
As an innovative supplier, we are committed to continuous development through innovation. By combining experience, know-how and creativity, we develop new products to help our customers meet their present and future challenges. We aim at achieving technological break-throughs and want to actively participate in setting industry trends, from initial concepts to full-scale commercial production. We have made it our mission to actively participate in shaping the future of indirect vision systems for commercial vehicles by including electronic mirror replacement systems in our portfolio.
In addition to continuously optimizing our mirrors and mirror systems which cover ever larger fields of vision, we also develop camera monitor systems in our own in-house laboratories. Our widely used mirror replacement systems impress with their functionality and ruggedness and contribute significantly to safety and efficiency at work.
As a supplier of innovative solutions, we have even gone a step further and taken field-of-vision monitoring in the commercial vehicle segment to a new level. Our mirror replacement system Vision 4.0, also developed in our in-house electronics department, is the first to replace all vehicle mirrors by HDR cameras and monitors. The corresponding fields of vision are combined and displayed on a monitor in the driver's cab. This allows the driver to assess the surrounding areas and potential hazardous conditions even faster and better. The new system assists the driver in handling the vehicle thereby further enhancing its safety.
LEAN MANAGEMENT
“Lean Management” (i.e., fast, agile, flexible management) philosophy was originally conceived by Toyota and implemented as the so-called Toyota Production System (TPS). At MEKRA Lang we have been using the corresponding methods and principles since 2005. During this time we successfully implemented numerous projects by establishing smooth, error-free and most of all customer-oriented business processes. We are deeply committed to the continuous and sustainable optimization of all aspects of our organization. Because “lean” matters to all. This is why we sharpen our employees’ awareness of attitudes, methods and procedures which help to create an efficient value chain.
SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
Since our company was founded, social responsibility and the protection of people and nature have been central to the Lang family’s corporate philosophy, which has been passed down from generation to generation and extended to our affiliated companies.
Taking social responsibility is a matter of course for us. We are happy to support a variety of projects, including a partnership with a workshop for people with disabilities run by Lebenshilfe e. V.,
a sponsorship program for low-income families in partnership with Diakonie, and support for local youth and community organizations. We are a premium partner of SPVGG GREUTHER FÜRTH. Following the devastating earthquake in Nepal in 2015, MEKRA Lang rebuilt three schools.
Environmental protection is also a top priority for us, and its implementation has been consolidated since 1996 in the so-called “Integrated Management System” (IMS).
This means that the areas of quality and the environment are inextricably linked through cross-functional roles in occupational safety, health protection, and energy management, and are thus coordinated with one another.
As essential elements of our environmental management, occupational safety, health protection, and preventive care have the highest priority in our company. Therefore, it is of particular importance to us to continuously improve the framework conditions in these areas so that the respective requirements are exceeded wherever possible.
Our IMS includes the following standards and requirements: DIN EN ISO 9001, DIN EN ISO 14001, ISO/TS (IATF) 16949, DIN EN ISO 50001, KBA, and VDA. In addition, MEKRA Lang has been
1996 as a founding member and Lang Technics since 2016 have been part of the Bavarian Environment and Climate Pact.