From Saddler Master to Global Player.

The seat manufacturer RECARO celebrates the company’s 100th birthday in Stuttgart, April 2006.

The success story of the present RECARO company began in 1906 in Stuttgart, as the 32-year old saddler master Wilhelm Reutter founded the company “Reutter, Wilhelm, Saddler. Spezialitat: Luxus- und Motorwagen, englische Geschirre” (Specialities: Luxury and Motor Vehicles, English Ware). Reutter quickly made a name for itself in the up-and-coming automobile industry which was largely positioned in Stuttgart: Bosch, Maybach and Daimler were the big names which wrote history and laid the building blocks for the present location of mobility, Stuttgart.

The business of the saddler master flourished, and in 1910 the company signed with the firm name “Stuttgarter Karosseriewerk Reutter & Co” (Stuttgart Coach Factory of Reutter & Co). The young saddler master was innovative and open to new mobility. In his workshop in 1912, the patented Reutter Reform Coach was produced, which later was called the Cabriolet.

Reutter produced coaches for Daimler-Benz, Horch, and companies that have long been forgotten. Not to be forgotten were other icons of the automobile industry with whom Reutter was closely involved.

Professor Ferdinand Porsche had the prototypes of the VW Beetle constructed by Reutter. Also, after the war, the Porsche and Reutter companies worked closely together. The coach company Reutter became famous worldwide with the Porsche 356. Reutter was also active for BMW and the German Postal Service. The coach for the BMW 328 sports car was also produced by Reutter as well as coaches designed to meet the needs of the Postal Service.

The foundation for the present company was laid in 1963, as RECARO was formed as a play on words – Reutter and CAROsserien (coaches). The first RECARO sport seat was introduced in 1965, and in motor racing, the company quickly became a recognized brand name.

In 1969 RECARO joined with the Keiper company. Even today RECARO operates with headquarters in Kirchheim as an independent member within the internationally active Keiper Recaro Group, active worldwide in a total of 16 locations.

The spirit of the driven, innovative and creative company founder Wilhelm Reutter, appear to also be reflected in the production of automobile seats. In 1965, RECARO introduced the first seat worldwide with a lateral guide, and in 1968 the first seat worldwide with an adjustable shoulder support was introduced onto the market. RECARO redefined sitting in the automobile. Until then, seats in automobiles more closely resembled home seating, not offering any side support. Thus RECARO began a new age. The designers from RECARO entered into discussions with researchers from medicine, ergonomics, and biomechanics. There were crash tests, and the limits of loads on the human body were defined.

From this close and ever more intensive collaboration with universities and specialized physicians, a store of knowledge and experience was collected by RECARO which is surely unique worldwide. RECARO had answered the questions "How should people sit?" and "How is the body correctly supported?" early on:

1971 RECARO introduced the first seat with integrated seatbelt

1973 RECARO introduced a full shell made of sheet steel as a seat structure

1977 The track-breaking innovation in ergonomics was introduced with pneumatic lumbar support

1984 The first vehicle seat with bracing on both sides was introduced

1991 RECARO introduced a vehicle seat with asymmetrical adjustment as a worldwide innovation

1996 was the introduction of the first racing shell with head protection

2004 The lightest serially-produced seat in the world at that time was brought onto the market as the carbon shell seat of the Porsche Carrera GT

From Saddler Master to Global Player, RECARO, relocated in 1973 from the tight spaces of Augustenstraße in Stuttgart to Kirchheim, had positioned itself worldwide as the partner in the automobile industry who fulfilled the most difficult demands and who continues to re-invent the mobile seat through revolutionary innovations. Today, RECARO is the exclusive supplier for the top models of Porsche, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Audi, Opel, Ford, and Volkswagen. The hybrid lightweight seat developed by RECARO was adopted in series production for the VW Golf R 32 and the Audi RS 4.

At the Geneva Automobile Show in the beginning of March 2006, RECARO, in collaboration with the Swiss company Rinspeed, presented a prototype for an automobile seat made of a gel mass, which conforms perfectly to the body and perhaps one day will also be a reality. In the near future, RECARO appears to have a seat in development which will automatically adapt to any person, regardless if he is short, tall, thin or heavy, and always travels in the correct position. This is no longer a utopia, instead, it is the unceasing development of many ideas from many years of research - the path from vision to reality is no longer far.

Quality and Environmental Policy

By specifying our Quality and Environmental Policy we are documenting our unlimited willingness to maintain the high quality standard of our products and services and to expand it further while adhering to the zero fault strategy.

The Continuous Improvement Process is a fixed element of the company culture in order to further optimise all processes and to constantly question what has been achieved so far.

A successful company is based on motivated and skilled employees, which is a key element of the strategic alignment of RECARO.

We put an high impact on economical handling of the resources and environmental protection. It is an ethical obligation to bring economics and ecology therms in agreement.

In this way we are facing the constant requirements to meet the demands and expectations of our customers, the market and the environment, while taking into account the economic result the company in cooperation with our employees.

We commit ourselves to fullfill relevant environmental laws and regulations.

A name that has become a benchmark, a synonym for quality, a symbol for value, a mark of trust, and a note for luxury in its purest form. RECARO has been the world’s most renowned seat maker for over 100 years.

The company’s mission statement – “we want to be the best, in the development, production and distribution of premium, complete seat systems and specialists when it comes to ergonomics, styling, quality, safety and innovation” – is therefore no coincidence. This philosophy of understanding tradition as an innovative force and exposing even the most mature products to changing times determines the actions of the company and its employees. Visible in the shape and design of the products, you will feel the benefit of how perfectly crafted RECARO seating functions. It becomes “understandable” when you enjoy top quality materials to engage all your senses. It becomes tangible when your experience the luxury that turns quality into lifestyle.

RECARO, therefore, is not just manufacturer of “sports and ergonomic seats”. RECARO is more. More than leather, material and metal, RECARO is the feeling of owning something special. RECARO is enjoyment, pleasure and lifestyle – a “touch of luxury”. This is RECARO’s secret and recipe for success. This success, however, is based on authentic, experienced and binding values and benchmarks: Absolute customer orientation, a high degree of innovation, maximum professionalism, process stability combined with ecological ethics and high brand awareness. This brand credibility is a key component of RECARO’s company culture. RECARO has a clear identity and well-defined brand performance, creating a competitive edge in the automotive supply industry of the future. What’s more, consumer awareness has developed to such an extent that a vehicle is only a quality product when equipped with the right brands.

RECARO is the only seat manufacturer with brand distinction inside the vehicle and is more visible to the consumer than any other car seat manufacturer. For customers, RECARO seats and cars go hand in hand. They buy them because they know, and above all, trust the brand. RECARO thus fulfills the wishes of the consumer; it provides the answers to changing markets and the right solution for the complex challenges facing the automotive industry – now and in the future.

Responsibility

RECARO does not see itself purely as a manufacturer, but rather as more of a partner – a partner to the automotive industry and to everyone associated with the company. This ambitious claim shapes collaborations with customers, importers, dealers and suppliers just as it does the company's attitude toward its employees.

And just like every good partnership, RECARO sees itself in several roles: If you need valuable input, RECARO can be your ideas contributor. If you're intent on taking alternative routes, RECARO is your creative partner. If the challenges get tough, RECARO is your problem solver. If you want to break new ground, RECARO is your innovative leader. If you're looking for open, critical dialogue, RECARO is your discussion partner. If you want a trusting and reliable sparring partner, RECARO is a team player. If you value fairness and honesty, RECARO is the ideal partner for a future together.

Its greatest assets and most a crucial success factors for the RECARO brand are its employees. They work for "their" company, contributing a wealth of ideas, ambitious innovation and percerviring with team spirit. The same goes for RECARO's worldwide, long-standing distribution partners. An "extended arm" of the company, they operate in the market with the same ideals and vision in the sense of RECARO. They offer their customers an optimal combination of sales and advice. This, for sure, is another reason why you will find RECARO products wherever the focus is on people.

There are many good reasons for RECARO to be proud and give something valuable back to its employees: optimum transparency and an open information policy throughout the company. Company targets, for example, are therefore published internally every year – to create a basis for motivating and getting employees to identify with the company, the brand and also as a platform to establish personal targets with the employees. RECARO wants its employees to be able to participate in the company's development, as only people who know what they want have goals and visions, which in turn stimulate their performance. Drivers of both personal and company success, creating secure jobs.

RECARO and its employees – a perfect symbiosis. The balance between giving and taking.