Jürgen Polenz

Jürgen Polenz has arrived at the top of the world with his metal design manufactory / "Apple is our calling card"

"We have arrived at the top of the world," says Jürgen Polenz. Polenz Metall Design Manufaktur supplies exclusive metalwork around the globe. It all started in 1989 in a small barn. Even then, it was clear that Jürgen Polenz wanted to work for high-end customers. He had contacts with interior designers in Düsseldorf and quickly made a name for himself for high-quality metal design. Today, Polenz and his team fit out expensive yachts and build stores for Louis Vuitton, Dior, Burberry and others.

Supplier to Apple

And are a supplier to Apple worldwide. "We have an exclusive contract with Apple and are authorized to supply stores worldwide," says owner Polenz.

Managing Director Bernd Eggenstein has just returned from New York. He had looked at the two-storey Apple store in the subway station at the World Trade Center. "I walked through it and thought: This is really cool. Everything here comes from Lüdinghausen."

The collaboration began in 2008. Jürgen Polenz had, as he himself says, "loud-mouthedly" announced to Apple that "we can do better than that". Until then, the store design was of an American standard. "We put a system over it and delivered made-to-measure work," says Polenz. That convinced the American company.

You can even read in Steve Jobs' biography that the former Apple boss was not a fan of screws. He didn't want to see any screws in his stores. Polenz put this into practice. The specialists developed a system that allows screws to be tightened magnetically behind the wall covers.

Customized work and innovation

"What the Apple people appreciate about us is that we give them top priority. That we deliver on time, find a solution for every problem and are available to them 24 hours a day. And above all our quality. You won't find that in America," says Eggenstein, who is now a co-owner of Polenz. "We are innovative, bursting with ideas and have employees who enjoy working here and are willing to give a lot," adds Jürgen Polenz. Polenz and his team have recently developed a quartz composite panel made from bio-resin. Made from completely renewable raw materials. "Apple was looking for this and we made it," says Polenz. The panel is UV-resistant. There was nothing like it before. "With Apple, we're only scratching the surface here," the entrepreneur continues. "The product is particularly interesting for architecture. It opens up a huge market."

100 employees

Polenz employees give a lot. But the entrepreneur is also prepared to give a lot to his employees. "80 percent of the journeymen here also become master craftsmen," says Eggenstein. "We also quickly entrust the young people with their own projects and a lot of responsibility." Almost 100 employees work for Metall Design Manufaktur. "Thanks to the chambers of crafts, there are simply extremely well-trained people here," says Polenz, praising the local structures.

In the meantime, Polenz not only builds, but is almost a planning office. "We do metalwork that is so complex that not everyone can do it. So we do the planning ourselves and supervise the projects," says Polenz. "Of course, projects of this size are now normal for us. But every job challenges us to the limit until we have achieved the perfection we envision," says the 50-year-old.

Lüdinghausen stands out

Polenz remains committed to Lüdinghausen as a location. "We stand by Lüdinghausen," he emphasizes. He is also enthusiastic about the city as a place to live. "Lüdinghausen really stands out. It's the little cathedral. And once the market square is finished, it will be really good." The town is the right size. And the children grow up in a sensible environment.

Social commitment is important to the Lüdinghausen resident. The redesign of the Borg, the renewal of the mill wheel, the design of the art objects on the traffic circles - "we help where we can", says Polenz. And when housing for refugees was needed, Polenz offered his vacant properties. "My children picked up the refugee children for school. Now they are already well integrated," says the doer and helper. Nadine Wenge