Leading the way for 60 years..

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:

 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"!

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.

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”.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

The S-squeegee in 1966 was the beginning of what drives us forward and today we can proudly look back on innovations such as the nLITE telescopic poles and the HydroPower pure water cleaning system. Our goal has been and is to develop efficient and solution-oriented products that help you with all challenges – that will never change at UNGER!

The success story of UNGER tools began with the S-squeegee. Since then, we have developed many innovative solutions for commercial cleaning – most recently we launched the Green Label glass microfibre cloth on 2 May. We have set out when UNGER developed which innovation for you on a timeline!

23) How many product lines are there and what are they called?
To date, UNGER has introduced an impressive variety of product lines, each with its own advantages. These include the series: HydroPower, nLITE, ErgoTec, Ninja, StripWasher, OptiLoc, TelePlus, UniTec, Stingray, NiftyNabber, erGO!, OmniClean, SmartColor, WaterWand, AquaDozer, StarDuster, etc..

Thanks to carbon fibre technology, UNGER was able to fulfil the desire to combine water-fed poles with a modular telescopic pole. This is how the “nLite” system was created, a play on words made up of the components “light” and “enlightenment” that illustrates the lightness and innovation of the poles. Not only the product itself, but also the name has evolved through improvements – but the innovative power of “nLITE” remains.

In order to offer a comprehensive system, we began developing our own system in 2014, the HydroPower DI system, which not only improved performance but also handling. “Hydro” stands for water filtration, while “Power” emphasises the improved performance of the pure water filter. Fun fact: the idea for this filter actually came about on a beer mat.

Earlier window squeegees, mostly metal ones, were robust but not very ergonomic. In the 1990s, UNGER revolutionised the squeegee with the ErgoTec by replacing metal with plastic. This made the tool lighter, more ergonomic and adapted to the human hand, allowing for gentler cleaning.

UNGER tools all aim to be efficient and ergonomic to make your work easier. The safety aspect is just as important and OptiLoc telescopic poles fulfil this requirement. Instead of having to climb ladders, commercial cleaners can now safely clean surfaces at height from the ground. Thanks to the safety cone, UNGER tools sit firmly on the pole, minimising the risk of injury.

The robust and powerful ErgoTec window squeegee was a success right from the start. For even more flexible handling, UNGER also developed the ErgoTec Ninja, which is equipped with a larger ergonomic 2-component handle. More rubberised surfaces ensure optimum grip. The clip system introduced in 2011, which securely holds channels up to one metre long, explains the product name: the ErgoTec Ninja is elegantly reminiscent of a ninja sword and transfers its strength to our squeegee.

UNGER has the ideal tools in its portfolio not only for glass cleaning, but also for floor cleaning. The erGO! clean revolutionises the classic floor mop and floor spraying systems. By analysing the movements and stress points during floor cleaning, an ergonomic, body-friendly system has been developed that has enabled the typical S-movement with minimum effort since 2018.

Our absolute top seller is the ErgoTec window squeegee – it is the unrivalled heart of UNGER and a must-have for commercial cleaners. But even if you have decided on your favourite, we are always working on new tools that will inspire you and support you in your work. Stay tuned!

31) Which is the lightest UNGER tool?
Ergonomics is our top priority when it comes to our tools, as this is the only way they can provide you with optimum support at work. Over the years, we have optimised the weight of many products to protect your health. The ErgoTec carbon handle weighs just 73 grams. At 10 grams, the lightest glass scraper is the mini scraper.

32) Which UNGER tool is the heaviest?
Everything conveniently in one place: the autonomous HydroPower RO XXL trailer with reverse osmosis filter and 650-litre water tank weighs 800 kilograms and combines everything needed for pure water cleaning in one system.

In 2006, with the HiFlo pure water system, UNGER developed a system for the first time that enabled commercial cleaners to clean with pure water using water fed poles. The current nLITE system is constantly being developed further so that our tools can optimally support you in your work.

In one continuous piece and without extensions, UNGER’s longest pole measures 10 metres: the TelePlus telescopic pole. This allows windows to be cleaned with precision at lofty heights. The nLite Connect Ultra HiMod Carbon telescopic pole achieves an impressive length of 19.5 metres including extensions.

The most powerful filter for pure water production is the HiFlo RO60S. With an impressively high water production of over 750 litres per hour, it is particularly suitable for large areas. The high-performance filter is ideal for a cleaning professional with increased water output or for two employees without loss of capacity.