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60 Years of Global Excellence in Cleaning Innovation

Since 1964, UNGER has been the reliable point of contact for cleaning professionals who expect maximum quality, efficiency and innovation from their glass and building cleaning products. Every year we have expanded and improved our range; today we are at the forefront of our industry. The secret behind becoming number one? Our relentless pursuit of developing innovative cleaning methods, outstanding quality, trust and excellent customer service, as well as our partnership with you!

Leading the way for 60 years..

SWIPE THROUGH OUR MILESTONES:

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UNGER-Zeitstrahl-für-LP-White-1985-2001
UNGER-Zeitstrahl-für-LP-White-2006-2012
UNGER-Zeitstrahl-für-LP-White-2014-2018
UNGER-Zeitstrahl-für-LP-White-2020-2023
UNGER-Zeitstrahl-für-LP-White-2024

Stay tuned for UNGER's 60th Anniversary Limited Edition, COMING SOON!

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60 years of UNGER, 60 years of cooperation with commercial cleaners from all over the world

In our anniversary year 2024, we want to celebrate this in style and give you a stage to share your experiences.

Frank-Illy

Frank Illy

Frank Illy, who now runs his own company, can look back on 35 years of professional experience in which UNGER cleaning tools have always accompanied him. He told us about the challenges he has faced and how UNGER has literally stuck by him.

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Franck-Lauret

Franck Lauret

He has been a commercial cleaner for 36 years, is the managing director of his own cleaning company and a 13-time glass-cleaning world champion. To find out how our superb window cleaning tools have supported him in his competitions, click here.

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Enrico-Gardoni-Interview

Enrico Gardoni

Enrico Gardoni is Italian. As a young boy, he helped his father clean windows and founded his own company in 1986. He would later replace the traditional cleaning equipment of that time – a cotton cloth and diluted chalk – with a washer and squeegee from UNGER. We asked whether he still uses them today.

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Kevin-Hargis-Blogbeitrag

Kevin Hargis

Kevin Hargis has been using UNGER products in the US state of Michigan for over 30 years. As a professional, he either relies on cleaning with “pure water” – or he uses UNGER washers and window squeegees. For this he now favours the tools from the Ninja series. He reveals why in this interview.

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Celebrate 60 years of UNGER with us and order our cool and exclusive designs now

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60-Facts

1) Who is the founder of UNGER?
1964, United States of America. Highly motivated, the young glass cleaner Henry Unger decides to realise his dream. He emigrates to Hamburg - with the new innovations for window cleaning from the USA in his luggage. His colleagues in Germany were so enthusiastic about the latter that Henry Unger, with the support of his wife Barbara, seized his chance and founded UNGER: From his mother-in-law's small attic, he built up the company that today spans the entire globe.

2) What is UNGER's philosophy?
In close dialogue with glass and building cleaners, we always strive to develop the best cleaning solutions for optimum results. Together we are working on the new generation of innovative possibilities to make cleaning even easier, safer and more efficient in the future.

3) Has UNGER's philosophy changed over time?
No. On the contrary, it has become more firmly established. UNGER has always been characterised by the continuous pursuit of innovation. A look back at our 60-year success story proves this: We keep developing innovative cleaning tools and keep finding new solutions for numerous cleaning requirements. In the future, we will continue to develop products that bring you, the glass and building cleaners, real benefits.

4) What does the UNGER logo stand for and how has it evolved over the years?
Our logo is characterised by the shape of a stylised window squeegee - THE recognition feature of every professional glass and building cleaner and THE pulse of UNGER. Here you can see the development of our logo over the years:

UNGER-Logo-Evolution

 5) Where does the claim "Quality Tools for Smart Cleaning" come from?
We work with business partners in over 80 countries around the world. Our customers have the same expectations everywhere: The best cleaning results! The highest safety standards! Minimisation of unnecessary effort! This is exactly what we work on every day, regardless of culture, language and location. And that's why we can promise: UNGER cleaning tools, these are "Quality Tools for Smart Cleaning"!

6) What distinguishes UNGER as a company?

UNGER is an owner-managed family business and is now run by the second generation: Dane, Jan and Mark. The brothers continue to uphold the principles of quality, trust and customer service, which has enabled them to develop UNGER into an international group that is continuously driven forward by a combination of tradition and innovation.

7) What makes UNGER unique?

First and foremost, our close relationships with our partners and users and our development of innovative products that are geared towards your needs. Our top priority is always improving productivity and safety. Henry Unger's passion and euphoria are kept alive around the world today by our employees and the “UNGER spirit”.

8) Where is UNGER based?

UNGER Germany GmbH’s headquarters is located in Solingen, in the heart of the Bergisches Land region and halfway between the cities of Düsseldorf and Cologne. This industrial region has excellent infrastructure, which enables us to operate internationally and supply customers worldwide. We also have sites in other EU countries, the UK and the USA.

9) Why was Solingen chosen as the headquarters, and how has it developed?

Solingen is widely known for its metal industry – and a large proportion of our cleaning tools were formerly made of metal. Since 2013, UNGER has been located at Piepersberg 44, where our Centre of Excellence houses research facilities, a training centre, a showroom and our logistics and production centre, which covers around 4,500 square metres.

10) And from where is the business in the USA managed?

We founded our business in the USA (UNGER Enterprises) in Mount Vernon in 1978 and moved it to Bridgeport in Connecticut nine years later. We have expanded the company headquarters there several times – because as UNGER grows as a company, so does the investment in our global business.

11) Which regions are serviced from which location?
UNGER Enterprises conducts its business in the USA, South America and Canada from Bridgeport in Connecticut, while all other regions worldwide fall under the responsibility of UNGER Global in Solingen.

12) How old are the employees at UNGER?

The average age at UNGER Germany is 44 years, which corresponds exactly to the average age of employees in Germany. Our youngest employee is currently 19 years old, while our oldest has already celebrated his 65th birthday.

13) What success has UNGER had in the last 10 years?

We have achieved a great deal! In addition to numerous new products for pure water cleaning (such as the HydroPower Ultra, RO pure water filter and nLITE), traditional glass cleaning (Green Label, OptiLoc and others), interior cleaning (Stingray) and floor cleaning (erGO! clean), we are extremely proud of our digital channels which were revamped in 2019. Our fresh looking, new website, Facebook and YouTube in multiple languages, various newsletters and Instagram help us stay in touch with you!

14) How long has the longest employee been with UNGER?
Some employees have already been working at UNGER for a long time. The employee who has been here the longest has been on board for 40 years now. And we are pleased to say congratulations on this fantastic anniversary!

15) Who is currently on the UNGER management team?
It’s important to us that managers recognise and promote the strengths of each employee to make UNGER stronger as a whole. Our hierarchies are extremely flat and everyone contributes to our success. You can find our current management overview here:

karl-schmid

Karl Schmid
Managing Director

jochen-wagener

Jochen Wagener
Vice President Global Window Category Management

frank-buenger

Frank Bünger
Director Human Resources

dietmar-bernstein

Dietmar Bernstein
Director Product Management

patrick-van-de-graaf

Patrick van de Graaf
Sales Director EMEA & AP

michael-reinartz

Michael Reinartz
Director Supply Chain

ewald-engles

Ewald Engels
Director Operations & Quality

16) Who were the first retailers to sell UNGER products?
Walter Hammel and his colleague Walter Hasenkampf were the first to distribute UNGER products and the “American method” with washer, squeegee and pole. With their help, Henry Unger managed to establish his method in Germany and achieve a high level of recognition among building cleaners.

17) What is the process like from ordering to arriving at your door?
If your retailer orders products from UNGER Customer Service, their order is automatically sent to the dispatch department. While the person is still receiving his or her order confirmation, an employee in the warehouse is already packing the items so that they can be dispatched quickly. This ensures that your specialist retailer always has UNGER products in stock and that you can try out the tools live on site.

18) Which retailer is the furthest away - and which is the closest?
The shortest delivery route for UNGER products is to Hygienic in Wuppertal, which is only around four kilometres away from Solingen. Filta in New Zealand, the retailer with the longest delivery route, is 4,500 times further away: The UNGER products travel almost 18,140 kilometres around the world to facilitate glass and building cleaning in the distant city of Auckland.

19) What was the first UNGER product?
UNGER has set milestones with numerous innovations over the past 60 years. One window cleaning tool that has been highly valued by cleaning professionals from the very beginning is the S squeegee. It achieved its first success in 1966 because it used stainless steel instead of brass and a spring mechanism for quick channel replacement.

20) What was the first product series?
Launched in 1973, OptiLoc was the first product series from UNGER. Tools could be easily and securely attached to the telescopic poles. Commercial cleaners were able to clean high windows with a washer and window squeegee without a ladder 52 years ago, as they still do today, because we have optimised the OptiLoc telescopic poles time and time again. They are a real favourite for cleaning work at heights.