A kitchen, the heart of every home, should not be only a place of functionality but also a place of comfort, pleasure and joy – something that Rotpunkt Küchen can help to create.

Germany-based Rotpunkt Küchen produces modern, high-quality kitchens, exported worldwide from its production facility in North Rhine-Westphalia. The company, which employs some 300 qualified employees in production, logistics and administration at its headquarters in Bünde and at the Getmold plant nearby, seems to meet the demand for a contemporary, feel-good kitchen.

Design, function and quality are key at Rotpunkt Küchen, as are partnership and collaboration with kitchen dealers and an innovative and sustainable focus. As of last year, Rotpunkt Kitchen’s production is one hundred per cent climate neutral, thanks to the use of green electricity and investments in sustainability projects. The company reviews its CO2 emissions each year and takes measures to continuously reduce its carbon footprint.

“We don’t simply follow every single trend without thinking, but observe and listen carefully before deciding about extending our product range. That means you can plan your own individual kitchen so that it is not only functional but also visually appealing.

We manufacture standardised but custom kitchens, precisely to individual specifications. No two of our kitchens are alike,” says Sven Herden, Managing Director for Sales and Marketing.

Solid roots

The company is proud of its heritage – in 2020, Rotpunkt Küchen celebrated its 90th anniversary, nine decades of development based on innovation and customer focus.

Rotpunkt was founded as a cigar box factory in 1930 by Heinrich Rabe and Wilhelm Meyer in Bünde, the traditional hotspot of the German tobacco industry. A decisive milestone came in the 1950s when the owners decided to switch to kitchen production, a move that determined the business’s future: the company was the only major box producer that was able to make a successful leap into a new sector.

“There have been several other turning points that pushed the business further,” says Mr Sven Herden, highlighting major steps that have made the company what it is today – a progressive, medium-range modern kitchen maker with a firm footing in international markets.

“In the early 1980s, the Rotpunkt brand was launched, and in the 1990s the decision to colour coordinate the carcasses became a major differentiator. In 2005 we launched handleless units, a move that has further driven growth.

Another significant decision was made in 2015 when the management started to seriously look at environmental impact and switched to different types of raw materials.”

Today the company is still located in its original (but substantially expanded) premises and its state-of-the-art technologies combined with the ‘human touch’ of its skilful people produce kitchens designed to meet the demands of modern life in Germany and beyond – about 80% of the output is sold in export markets. The same Rotpunkt Küchen package is available in all markets and final customers anywhere have access to the complete offering.

Greenline focus

In Germany, the company enjoys a sound market position, being in the top ten kitchen makers in terms of turnover. Sven Herden says: “We don’t strive to become Number One, we consider ourselves to be a niche producer, sitting somewhere in the middle of the price range: our kitchen is not an entry-level product but neither is it outside an average customer’s financial means; it is regarded as an ‘affordable luxury’.”

“Our manufacturing process is set up to accommodate most of the wishes of the final customer, in other words, our kitchens are standardized but bespoke at the same time – the customer may choose any dimension, any colour, keep it as simple as they like, or have a 100% bespoke product.”

In terms of both colour concepts and materials, Rotpunkt Küchen sets the bar a bit higher than the average kitchen maker. Innovation is deeply rooted in the company’s philosophy and new and innovative designs are launched every year, says Mr Herden, noting that customers now look not only for a stunning design, impressive functionality and high quality but also at sustainability.

Over the last few years, its environmental footprint has been high on the company’s agenda. In 2020, Rotpunkt Küchen’s production facilities reached 100% carbon-neutral with a full switch to green energy and the environmental focus is reflected in the very products themselves.

In 2015, the company started to use a new generation of chipboard types containing corn and other annual plants resulting in a weight reduction of 30%, and in 2020 switched to the greenline BioBoard Gen2 consisting of up to 90% of recycled wood and meeting the stringent F4star eco-label standard. Today, 80% of Rotpunkt Küchen’s products are made of greenline chipboard.

Controlled Growth

The company focuses on other aspects of sustainability too: in addition to company-wide energy management certification in accordance with ISO 500001, achieved in 2018, Rotpunkt Küchen has also begun to promote e-mobility. All employees and their family members can receive subsidized bicycle leases.

Recently, Rotpunkt Küchen started to work with their suppliers to help them achieve carbon neutrality in their production so that the material itself is carbon-neutral.

As the global pandemic recedes, the company is now planning the next stage of its development. In line with increasing demand, an investment of double-digit million euros amount is planned in expanding its Bünde headquarters, as a recognition of the company’s stability in the kitchen industry and its home location in North-Rhine Westphalia. The land has been purchased and construction should start this year.

“The pandemic in fact boosted our financial performance, as people invested heavily in home improvements. We will be reporting the best two quarters ever in the company’s history, despite new challenges arising from disruptions in the supply chain,” affirms Sven Herden.

“The continuous corporate growth is projected to continue in the future as well. The focus will shift to the end consumer, to better understand their needs and reflect those in the products. Controlled, steady growth is the way forward.”

from left to right:

Heinz-Jürgen Meyer & Andreas Wagnerand      Managing Partners,
and Sven Herden, Sales & Marketing Manager