Two RAMPA employees standing in a steel warehouse and exchanging ideas. The picture is meant to symbolize that at RAMPA there is an exchange at eye level across several generations.

RAMPA history: From the first RAMPA inserts to today

Once upon a time... - Is how many stories begin. Our story also starts like this, the only difference being that in our case it is not a fairy tale. Quite the opposite: Once upon a time, an idea, conceived by our founder Hermann Brügmann (timber merchant, born in Hamburg in 1841), paved the way for our family business, which is still going strong today. Well over 100 years have passed since the first RAMPA inserts were created, and a lot has happened at RAMPA in that time. Today, we consider ourselves a dynamic and at the same time, tradition-conscious, family-run company from the district of Herzogtum Lauenburg, which is making the path attractive for the next generation of employees, customers and shareholders.

Our roots continue to be a big part of RAMPA identity, therefore; we invite you on a journey into RAMPA's past. Back to where it all began, right up to present day, where we are still at your side to assist you and provide expert help and solutions!

When it all began? Even before 1907!

While 1907 is the year of our foundation, the groundwork for today's RAMPA was laid even before then. Our founder Hermann Brügmann, together with his son Hans Hermann Nicolaus Brügmann, first started his own timber trade and later a carpentry business in Hamburg-Bergedorf.

It was through their work as carpenters that they came up with the idea of RAMPA inserts: Father and son continually asked themselves whether it was possible to develop a connecting piece for two wooden elements that would allow a connection that could be detached over and over again. They set out to find an answer. A short time later H. H. Nicolaus Brügmann developed the first RAMPA insert. He named it the A-insert and applied for a patent in 1910.

By the way: To this day, RAMPA type A inserts for use in furniture construction and other areas of wood construction are available to purchase from us. In addition to the possibility of detaching the connection, other advantages are also the high stability and the huge load-bearing capacity of the connection. There are good reasons why we set the standard for DIN 7965 with the A-insert.

Let's go to Schwarzenbek!

RAMPA's threaded inserts were very well received and became established in the furniture construction market. Over time, it became clear: We had to expand in terms of space and personnel to achieve higher production capacities and to meet the demand! Therefore, in 1955 we moved our production facility from Hamburg Bergedorf to Schwarzenbek. The zone border subsidy available at the time supported the decision to settle in Schwarzenbek.

Let's go to Schwarzenbek!

RAMPA inserts for wood - What else would you like...?

We went beyond threaded inserts for furniture construction or for wood construction. We recognised the advantages and potential of stable and permanently detachable connecting elements for plastic and metal as well. We therefore expanded our product range during the 1950s to include the appropriate threaded inserts and screws for use in plastic processing and metalworking. Because even then it was true: We act according to needs and are enthusiastic about the variety of possibilities!

Hello world, would you like some RAMPA inserts?

In 1971, we expanded our sales activities beyond the borders of Germany for the first time and established our first international business relationships. The first generation change followed: Hans Brügmann continued to run the company for four more years until 1975, when he handed it over to his son Hans-Jochen Brügmann, who had been involved in production as an engineer since the end of the 1950s.

The cornerstone for our versatile portfolio was laid in 1978: RAMPA significantly expanded the product range and became the international market leader in the field of threaded inserts.

We grow, expand and build new!

In the eighties and nineties, not only did our customer base continue to grow, but we as a company expanded as well: In 1983, we built an extension in Schwarzenbek, thereby expanding our production capacity. After the expansion, we quickly ran out of space again, therefore, in 1995 we opened another location in Büchen, where we built our warehouse and some offices. Today, we still benefit from the large warehouse, as it enables us to guarantee a high level of stock availability...

Our current owner Kristina Brügmann joined the company in 1988, initially building up our merchandise portfolio and further driving the globalisation of sales.

Hello world, would you like some RAMPA inserts?

The cornerstone for our versatile portfolio was laid in 1978: RAMPA significantly expanded the product range and became the international market leader in the field of threaded inserts.

We grow, expand and build new!

Our current owner Kristina Brügmann joined the company in 1988, initially building up our merchandise portfolio and further driving the globalisation of sales.

Our first RAMPA store is online!

In terms of construction, things calmed down a bit for a while, but we continued to develop steadily: In 2004, we opened our first digital RAMPA store. This online shop was the first opportunity to buy threaded inserts and matching screws online. It was important to us even then to act in a future- and demand-oriented way!

Thanks to good cooperation with the municipality of Büchen

In 2008 we built again and expanded the location in Büchen. On top of that, we bought another neighbouring plot of land. To this day, it has been a pleasure cooperating in and with the municipality of Büchen. We are very thankful for this.

RAMPA has never stood still...

...This is can be seen, for example, in 2009, when there were two major events at RAMPA:

• We added twelve new product groups and customised items to our portfolio.

• A relaunch was undertaken for our digital RAMPA store.

In 2011, RAMPA Tec. was founded in Canada, launching direct sales in North America.

RAMPA has never stood still...

...This is can be seen, for example, in 2009, when there were two major events at RAMPA:

• We added twelve new product groups and customised items to our portfolio.

• A relaunch was undertaken for our digital RAMPA store.

In 2011, RAMPA Tec. was founded in Canada, launching direct sales in North America.

RAMPAs 2010s: Even more development and optimisation!

• In 2012 , we introduced a new production method for threaded inserts, which we still use today - cold forming. We also opened our Polish site.

• In 2013-14, we received our first ETA approval and CE marking. We also expanded our sales activities in France and Belgium.

• In 2016, we put our CAD designs online for the first time so that our customers can access our CAD drawings for RAMPA items from anywhere.

• In 2017 , we implemented a harmonised European standard for threaded inserts with the help of KIT to make it even more convenient to use our inserts.

• In 2018, we successfully developed the 30 and 330 series threaded inserts, which are now very popular and patented due to the 30-degree threaded insert, including the RAMPA type SKD30 and type SKD330 inserts. Innovation in connection technology has always been and will always remain a matter close to RAMPA's heart. For example, the RAMPA insert type SKD330 was a disruptive breakthrough in the threaded inserts market, as the approach of multiple external threads had previously been unheard of.

• 2019 already saw the next market launch with our tested 1-click -RAMPA- lifting equipment for wood construction.

• In 2020, our ETA calculation tool was launched on the RAMPA website. We also took 6th place in the Innovation Award for Production Technologies in the USA. A great result.

• Since 2020, not only our inserts are called "RAMPA", but also our company as we have changed our name from "Hans Brügmann GmbH & Co" to "RAMPA GmbH & Co. KG".

Cornerstone for a modern future: Our new building in Büchen

The latest chapter in our RAMPA story began in late summer 2021, when ground was broken for our new building. Since then, the numerous trades have continued to work diligently to build a new building next to our large warehouse and offices in Büchen.

All departments, including production, have moved into the new building. Only the warehouse remains on the neighboring building. With our new building, we have laid a solid foundation for a modern future. Click here for more information, please visit our construction diary!

What’s next? Only time will tell. We are looking forward to developing further as RAMPA team. Also in future, we will continue to be enthusiastic about the variety of possibilities and, in the spirit of our slogan "Good idea. Let's make it!", to the challenges ahead.

Would you like to learn even more about present day RAMPA? Take a look at our "About us" page or get an impression of our commitment to greater environmental and social responsibility. Would you like to find out more about RAMPA as an employer near Hamburg? Here is more information about working at RAMPA .