Steierform | History

Graphic design by the Dormann / Thormählen family, Max Steier GmbH & Co. KG

Graphic Max Steier, former company headquarters in Berlin

Graphic of former exhibition stand from the 1960s, Max Steier GmbH & Co. KG

History of Max Steier GmbH & Co. KG

Innovative self-adhesive technology and plastics processing

1936 Founding

In 1936, Max Steier founded a trading company in Berlin for the distribution of glucose and sugar derivatives, supplying the food industry. In the turmoil of war, Berlin had to be abandoned, and Max and Gertrud Steier moved to Elmshorn, closer to their customers.

1950

In 1950, while searching for a packaging material for food additives, a new plastic suitable for this purpose was discovered in the USA: polyethylene (PE). The first welding machine for processing this material was purchased in Switzerland at that time, and so the trading company slowly transformed into a plastics processing company.

1952

In 1952, Max Steier's son-in-law, Carsten Thormählen, joined the company and, together with his wife Eva Thormählen, née Steier, continuously expanded the production business.

1958

Since 1958, in addition to plastic films, self-adhesive materials for industrial applications have also been processed.

1979

In the third generation, Monika Dormann and Michael Dormann, both business graduates, continued to expand the company from 1979 onwards, establishing it as a leading enterprise and expert partner for the automotive and electrical industries and mechanical engineering

1988

As early as 1988, the company entered the SMD technology market together with its customers in the electrical industry. Steierform belt connectors are a household name on the market. Steier has also been a reliable partner for banks, insurance companies, service providers, industry and trade for decades with its stock products and custom-made items. Under its Steierplast brand, Steier supplies sales-promoting products such as ring binders, folders and sleeves, and under the Steierform brand, it supplies innovative self-adhesive technology with technical die-cuts and blanks as well as labels for many different applications.

1994

The first quality management certification was obtained in 1994.

2008

With the arrival of Karl-Christian Dormann, a graduate industrial engineer and fourth-generation member of the family, in 2008, the StePS production system was implemented.

2025

Start of climate-friendly construction of a new production plant with low energy consumption thanks to efficiency building level 40.

Heating is provided by heat pumps and electricity is generated by a photovoltaic system. The KfW requirements for the life cycle of climate-friendly new buildings are met.

90 years of Steier - tradition and innovation

At the family-owned company Steier, innovations to secure jobs in the region and investments in state-of-the-art production facilities are top priorities for growth in the German and European markets.