50 years of dedication and development: Paul Tribelhorn takes his leave into retirement

Half a century of shared LEIBINGER history

Another extraordinary anniversary is being written in the history of Paul Leibinger company. Paul Tribelhorn, one of the company’s longest-serving employees, is taking his well-deserved retirement after 50 years with the company. His career over the years coincides with a defining era in LEIBINGER’s development. The journey they have travelled together over five decades shows how shared values, strong family ties, long-term dedication and a passion for precision have shaped both the people and the company.

A family, an era, a company

Paul Tribelhorn's father, Remigius Tribelhorn (in the second assembly line in the background) was present when LEIBINGER opened another plant for numbering machine production in Renquishausen in 1966.

The Tribelhorn family is inextricably linked with LEIBINGER’s 75-year history. Paul Tribelhorn's father was one of the first employees hired when the LEIBINGER site in Renquishausen (a village close to Tuttlingen) was opened in 1966. Paul himself began his training there as a precision engineer in 1975. “These complex mechanical systems – that work with the highest precision in the smallest of spaces – continue to fascinate me to this day. It was for this reason that I was determined to pursue this career,” he recalls.

Paul Tribelhorn began his training as a precision engineer at LEIBINGER's production site in Renquishausen (district of Tuttlingen) in 1975.

Even back then, LEIBINGER’s unique industrial numbering machines were attracting international attention. During this time, the company founded its first foreign subsidiary in the United States. Paul’s brothers Ansgar and Matthias also shared his enthusiasm for precision and embarked on their careers in the family business. Together, the family has more than 150 years of service with the company.

Opportunities for growth and development

LEIBINGER actively creates the right environment in which such ambitions can grow and flourish. The company values the skills of its employees and invests in targeted training and development. At the same time, investments are made in the latest technologies to support their abilities and open up new opportunities. This philosophy from the founding days of the company makes for an impressive legacy.

Enduring values

Since its foundation, LEIBINGER has embodied a corporate culture based on collaboration, esteem and reliability. These values are passed on from generation to generation. The long tenure of many employees bears witness to this.

Paul Tribelhorn corroborates this from his own experience: “The working environment, the company’s appreciation of my work and the sense of family have always motivated me to overcome technical challenges. LEIBINGER is a family-owned company with both heart and mind.”

This continuity endures. Christina Leibinger is the third generation of the family to lead the company, and she is fully committed to carrying on its leadership. LEIBINGER remains firmly in family hands. A fact that inspires a sense of security and creates opportunities, while strengthening confidence in Tuttlingen and in the company’s international locations.

Three generations: founders Paul Leibinger, Günther Leibinger and Christina Leibinger shape the company's history. Since its foundation in 1948, LEIBINGER has remained in family hands – continuity that ensures security and strengthens confidence.

Half a century of experience

Paul Tribelhorn embarked on his career in the production of numbering machines and, with brief interruptions for the CNC casing production, remained loyal to the field until his retirement. His speciality is the design and development of control cams. He gradually expanded his knowledge in the area of special designs and applied it skilfully in the metalworking sector.

The production of LEIBINGER numbering machines continues to this day to be precision work, which has always been carried out with the utmost care by trained employees.

“It was an exciting journey to experience the evolution of the company first hand,” says precision engineer Tribelhorn. “From the very first numbering machines, which we built with comparatively simple machines in a way that was essentially handcrafted, to the state-of-the-art industrial CIJ printer systems with inks developed and produced in-house, which were launched in 1996. Today, we are one of the leading companies in this field worldwide. It has been a process of continuous development, marked by many exciting milestones.”

LEIBINGER has continued to thrive since the introduction of industrial CIJ printing systems in 1996. Today, the company is a global market leader and continues to set new standards in CIJ technology with the IQJET.

CNC trailblazers

In the late 1970s, LEIBINGER was among the first companies in the Tuttlingen area to use CNC technology in manufacturing. The investment in what was then a groundbreaking technology has had an enduring impact on production. Today, Hermle’s state-of-the-art CNC manufacturing centres dominate production. Paul Tribelhorn mastered a large number of these machines for decades, with the utmost precision as a result.

As early as the late 1970s, LEIBINGER was one of the first companies to use CNC technology. Paul Tribelhorn was involved in this development – from the first machines to the most advanced CNC production centres.

From a small site to a global centre

The move to Tuttlingen in 1999 was a major challenge. By relocating, LEIBINGER was able to consolidate all its expertise at a single location. “The move was quite an achievement. Reorganising everything not only challenged us, it also opened up enormous opportunities. Processes were improved and workflows made more efficient. By the time everything was up and running, we were extremely proud of our success,” recalls Technical Director Axel Stehle.

In 1999, all LEIBINGER locations in the Tuttlingen district were brought together in a new complex in Tuttlingen. A major feat for the employees at the time, the move has proven to be a visionary and well-founded decision.

Masters at work

A further milestone was the decision to no longer outsource sheet metal production to external suppliers, but instead to do it in-house. The question was: can we increase quality and flexibility even further?

LEIBINGER takes a very pragmatic approach to answering questions like this, consistently relying on the expertise of its employees. In 2014, for example, a state-of-the-art 2,200 m² sheet metal production facility was built, significantly expanding the company's vertical range of manufacture. Paul Tribelhorn viewed this growth step in a very positive light: “It’s both rewarding and fun to work for a company that doesn’t just talk about good ideas, but actually turns them into reality. If you’re committed to quality, you have to be proactive.”

Today, the production site at the company's headquarters in Tuttlingen encompasses a fleet of some 60 CNC machines. The combination of decades of expertise and cutting-edge manufacturing and automation technology enables the highest levels of quality and efficiency.

People always come first

For Paul Tribelhorn, LEIBINGER was more than just an employer. “People always come first here. My father experienced this first hand with the company’s founder. My brothers and I continue to experience this today with the Leibinger family. And I hear it time and again from our many co-workers. This is why LEIBINGER is held in such high regard as an employer worldwide.”

Gratitude and recognition

CEO Christina Leibinger expresses her heartfelt thanks to Paul Tribelhorn for his decades of commitment: “His many years of dedication, loyalty and wide-ranging expertise have played a valuable part in LEIBINGER's success. We are proud to have had Paul Tribelhorn as a member of our team for so long. But we wholeheartedly support his well-deserved retirement.

What has united us for the last 50 years continues to do so. And this is precisely what makes LEIBINGER so unique.”

The Leibinger family has always been committed to ‘Made in Germany’ production in the Tuttlingen district. Christina Leibinger (left) is the third generation of her family to run the company. She prioritises the importance of valuing employees.

LEIBINGER remains on course with a proven commitment to its core values and a clear focus on sustainable growth. A reliable family business that has been demonstrating for over 75 years that traditional values and innovation go hand in hand.