The History of Columbus

In the 1970s, the highly skilled carpenter Günther Vetter began to develop machines that considerably simplified the professional work of carpenters and cabinetmakers. Soon after, Gerold Pfohl took over the distribution of these machines in Germany.

In 1991, Ruth Vetter (Marketing and Management) and her partner at the time, Alfred Üblacker (Development and Production) joined the company, and in 1996 they founded a GmbH (limited liability company).

During this time, many products were developed and improved - sometimes in collaboration with customers, sometimes with help from the Austrian "Forschungsförderungsfond" (a federal agency funding research and development). In connection with this public sponsorship, the sheathing-unit MARCANTA was once exhibited in a Viennese museum for the duration of an entire year. Original patents protect all Columbus products from unwanted illegitimate competitors.

In the mid-1990s, export statistics for our products grew considerably - the Internet was of great assistence in that endeavor. Today, we are proud to have earned the trust of customers from all around the world, and we are happy to have contacts to many different countries.

Due to the impending retirement of founder Günther Vetter, in the spring of 2005 Ruth Vetter and Gerold Pfohl agreed to extend their collaboration. Since then, Gerold Pfohl is responsible for the worldwide distribution of Columbus products. Ruth Vetter is now entrusted with marketing and production controlling. And Günther Vetter continues to be of great help with his expertise, and continues to develop new machines.