Kortenbach & Rauh

Kortenbach & Rauh was a German manufacturing company based in Solingen, a city historically associated with metalworking and cutlery production. The business was established by the partners August Kortenbach and Carl Rauh, although the available reference material does not specify the year of its foundation. At the time of its creation, Solingen formed part of Prussia. The company developed a manufacturing profile spanning steel products and umbrellas. It became particularly associated with umbrella frames and was described as one of the leading manufacturers of such frames in Germany. This activity placed Kortenbach & Rauh within a specialized segment of the German metalworking industry, where the durability, construction, and mechanical reliability of the frame were central to umbrella performance. The available sources do not provide a complete catalogue of its steel products, detailed production figures, or a precise account of the company’s distribution markets. A significant corporate development occurred in 1982, when Kortenbach & Rauh acquired Knirps, a traditional umbrella company. The transaction connected Kortenbach & Rauh’s frame-manufacturing capabilities with a recognized umbrella name and represents the clearest documented expansion in the company’s history. The available reference does not establish the subsequent ownership structure, the duration of Kortenbach & Rauh’s control, or the present status of either business. Kortenbach & Rauh also participated in an unusual aerospace project. In the 1970s, the company produced the Kortenbach & Rauh Kora 1, a German motor glider designed for training. The aircraft used a twin-boom layout and a pusher-propeller configuration, making it distinctive among small training aircraft of its period. Its development shows that the company’s engineering activity extended beyond conventional steel and umbrella manufacturing, although the available material does not indicate that aircraft production became a substantial commercial line. The surviving reference information presents Kortenbach & Rauh primarily as a historically important German industrial manufacturer rather than as a contemporary consumer brand. Its best-documented areas are umbrella-frame production, the 1982 takeover of Knirps, and the Kora 1 motor glider project. Information about current operations, leadership, ownership, financial performance, product availability, and an official website is not established in the supplied sources.

Kortenbach & Rauh was founded in Solingen by the business partners August Kortenbach and Carl Rauh. The exact foundation date is not identified in the available reference material. Solingen was then part of Prussia, and the company emerged within a regional industrial environment known for metalworking and related manufacturing. The company’s documented industrial scope included steel manufacturing and umbrella production. It became particularly prominent as a producer of umbrella frames and was regarded as one of Germany’s leading manufacturers in that specialized field. Umbrella frames require formed and assembled metal components capable of repeated opening and closing, and this activity aligned with the company’s broader metalworking expertise. The supplied sources do not describe individual frame models, factories beyond the Solingen base, production volumes, or export markets. Kortenbach & Rauh later expanded its involvement in the umbrella sector through the acquisition of Knirps in 1982. Knirps was described as a traditional umbrella company, and the takeover is the principal documented corporate transaction in Kortenbach & Rauh’s history. The available material does not specify the financial terms, the exact legal structure of the transaction, or how the acquisition affected Knirps’s branding and distribution. It does establish that Kortenbach & Rauh’s activities extended beyond component manufacturing into the ownership or control of an established umbrella business. During the 1970s, the company was also involved in the production of the Kortenbach & Rauh Kora 1. This aircraft was an unusual motor glider designed and built in Germany for training purposes. Its configuration combined twin booms with a pusher propeller, a layout that distinguished it from more conventional light aircraft. The Kora 1 illustrates the breadth of the company’s engineering capabilities, but the sources do not indicate that it developed into a large-scale aviation business or provide details about production numbers, operators, or later development. The available historical record is limited. It does not establish a current headquarters beyond the historical Solingen base, present ownership, current management, operating status, financial performance, or an official corporate website. Consequently, Kortenbach & Rauh is best documented as a historical German manufacturing enterprise whose principal known fields were steel goods and umbrella frames, supplemented by the Knirps takeover and the Kora 1 aircraft project.

• 1982

  Takeover of Knirps

  [1]Kortenbach & Rauhen.wikipedia.org

  Kortenbach & Rauh took over the traditional umbrella company Knirps, extending its involvement in the umbrella business beyond frame manufacturing.

• 1970

  Kora 1 motor glider project

  [1]Kortenbach & Rauhen.wikipedia.org

  During the 1970s, Kortenbach & Rauh produced the Kora 1, an unusual German twin-boom, pusher-configuration motor glider intended for training.

• Founding in Solingen

  [1]Kortenbach & Rauhen.wikipedia.org

  August Kortenbach and Carl Rauh established the manufacturing business in Solingen, then part of Prussia. The available source does not give a precise year.

Historically positioned as a German metalworking and umbrella-frame manufacturer, with additional engineering activity in experimental and training aircraft.

• Umbrella components

  Umbrella frames

  Umbrella frames were Kortenbach & Rauh’s best-documented core product area. The company became one of Germany’s leading manufacturers of umbrella frames, applying its metalworking capabilities to the structural mechanisms used to open, support, and fold umbrellas. The available sources do not identify specific frame series or technical specifications.

• Umbrellas · 1982

  Knirps umbrella business

  Kortenbach & Rauh acquired the traditional umbrella company Knirps in 1982. The transaction brought an established umbrella name into the company’s documented business portfolio. The supplied material does not provide a detailed list of Knirps products under Kortenbach & Rauh’s ownership or clarify the later ownership history.

• Motor glider · 1970

  Kortenbach & Rauh Kora 1

  The Kora 1 was a motor glider produced in Germany during the 1970s for training use. It employed an unusual twin-boom airframe and a pusher-propeller arrangement. The project was an engineering departure from the company’s better-known steel and umbrella activities; available sources do not document production volume or commercial success.

• 1982

  Acquisition of KnirpsM&A

  Background

  Kortenbach & Rauh was already associated with umbrella-frame manufacturing and acquired the traditional umbrella company Knirps.

  Action taken

  The company took over Knirps in 1982.

  Aftermath

  The takeover connected Kortenbach & Rauh with an established umbrella business. The available reference does not state the transaction value, ownership duration, or subsequent business results.

  Source

1. 1Kortenbach & Rauhen.wikipedia.org