Wefapress Beck + Co

Wefapress Beck + Co GmbH is a German manufacturer of thermoplastic materials headquartered in Vreden, North Rhine-Westphalia. Founded in 1895 as the loom shuttle factory "Westfalia" by the Dutch brothers Bernhard, Jan and Hermann Reerink, the company evolved from producing leather loom parts into a pioneer of technical plastics. In 1952, Kurt Günther Beck brought early polyethylene powder to Wefapress, and by 1955 the company became one of the world's first to press-sinter ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (PE-UHMW) into solid forms. Today Wefapress produces semi-finished products such as plates, round rods, profiles and cut-to-size pieces from PE-UHMW, PE-HMW, POM, PA, PET, PTFE and other engineering plastics, as well as custom CNC-milled and CNC-turned components for machinery, conveyor technology, food processing, chemical, pharmaceutical and beverage industries. The company remains family-owned, now led by the fourth generation with managing directors Gerrit Beck and Lutz Beck. It employs over 135 people at a 31,000 m² facility and operates subsidiaries in Waregem (Belgium), Johannesburg and Gqeberha (South Africa), with a partnership in Italy. Wefapress emphasizes sustainability, aiming to transition fully to sustainable raw materials and offering application-specific material advice.

The origins of Wefapress Beck + Co date back to 1828, when the Dutch entrepreneurs and brothers Bernhard, Jan and Hermann Reerink founded the oak bark tannery Reerink und Paschen in Vreden. In 1895, the same brothers established the company Westfalia in Vreden, which manufactured pickers (loom shuttle dampers) and spare parts for looms. The founding idea was to reuse leather scraps and waste from the tannery and from the belt factory Gebr. Reerink AG in Frankfurt-Bonames, founded in 1885. In the 1950s, Wefapress succeeded in producing pickers from plastic instead of rawhide. Kurt Günther Beck, who worked at Ruhrchemie in Oberhausen under Karl Ziegler and Giulio Natta on what is now polyethylene, brought the first experimental material to Wefapress in 1952. After lengthy experiments, the powdered raw material was pressed into plates using the press-sintering process, a method still used today. In 1955, Wefapress became one of the world's first companies to press PE-UHMW, and it exhibited at the K trade fair in Düsseldorf for the first time. By 1970, the company had gained international recognition for quality and innovation. In 2000, it founded plast-r-us GmbH & Co. KG and established a sales office in South Africa. In 2018, a partnership with Wikiplast Srl. in Italy strengthened its market position. The family business is now led by the fourth generation, with Lutz Beck and Gerrit Beck as managing directors. It has subsidiaries in Waregem (Belgium), Johannesburg and Gqeberha (South Africa).

• 2018

  Partnership with Wikiplast Srl. in Italy strengthens market position.

• 2000

  Founding of plast-r-us GmbH & Co. KG and establishment of a sales office in South Africa.

• 1970

  Wefapress gains international recognition for quality and innovation.

• 1955

  Wefapress becomes one of the world's first manufacturers to press-sinter PE-UHMW; first participation at K trade fair in Düsseldorf.

• 1952

  Kurt Günther Beck brings first experimental polyethylene powder to Wefapress; development of plastic pickers.

• 1895

  Founding of the company Westfalia in Vreden, producing pickers and spare parts for looms.

• 1828

  Dutch brothers Bernhard, Jan and Hermann Reerink found the oak bark tannery Reerink und Paschen in Vreden.

Premium manufacturer of technical thermoplastics, emphasizing quality, innovation, family tradition and sustainability.

• PE-UHMW plates

• PE-UHMW round rods

• PE-HMW semi-finished products

• POM semi-finished products

• PA semi-finished products

• PET semi-finished products

• PTFE semi-finished products

• CNC-milled components

• CNC-turned components

• Profiles and guides

1. 1Wefapress® | Kunststoffhersteller für Unternehmenwefapress.com
2. 2Wir stellen uns vor - das Team von Wefapress®wefapress.com
3. 3Über uns - Wefapress®wefapress.com
4. 4Nachhaltige Kunststoffe - Wefapress®wefapress.com
5. 5Wefapress Beck + Co - Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6Wefapress Beck + Co - Wikipediade.wikipedia.org