company . for other uses see blum disambiguation . julius blum gmbh type gmbh industry metalworking founded 1952 founder julius blum headquarters h chst area served worldwide key people gerhard e. blum general manager products furniture fittings revenue 1 656.17 million euros 2015 2016 1 number of employees 6 929 06 2016 1 website blum.com julius blum gmbh commonly referred to as blum is an international company that produces hinge lift and runner systems and the appropriate assembly tools for the cabinet making and furniture industry . 2 3 contents 1 description 2 history 3 production facilities and subsidiaries 4 products 5 research 6 apprenticeship training 7 environment 8 references 9 further reading 10 external links description edit blum is an international manufacturer of furniture hardware . 4 it is a family owned company based in h chst a municipality in the austrian province of vorarlberg . 5 production facilities are mainly located in austria but the company also has production plants in the united states in poland and in brazil . 6 7 blum supplies furniture manufacturers and hardware distributors in more than 120 countries worldwide . 2 97 % of its products are exported and its annual turnover is 1 656.17 million euros in 2015 2016 . 8 the company has 6 929 employees as of june 30 2016 . 8 in vorarlberg the company is one of the largest employers with more than 5 300 employees . 3 9 10 history edit the company was founded in 1952 by blacksmith julius blum in h chst . 11 the first product was a horseshoe stud which averts horses from slipping . then in 1958 the first furniture hinge was produced . the construction of concealed hinges started in 1964 and this essentially led to the entry into the furniture fittings industry . today blum products are exported to more than 120 countries . 3 4 7 8 julius blum died in 2006 and the family business continued to be run by his sons gerhard blum and herbert blum . today the company structure is as follows gerhard e. blum 26 % herbert blum 26 % and blum private trust 48 % . 8 anuba furniture hinge first concealed hinge production facilities and subsidiaries edit the company has seven factories in vorarlberg and additional production sites are situated in poland brazil and the united states . 2 3 8 in the 2014 15 financial year 50 % of the company s turnover was generated in the eu 15 % in the united states and 35 % in other markets . 10 one of seven factories in vorarlberg austria factory in north carolina usa factory in s o paulo brazil factory in jasin nearby swarz dz poland the company has 27 subsidiaries worldwide . 3 4 8 blum subsidiaries ranked according to the founding year 1977 blum sweden blum usa 1978 blum canada 1981 blum germany 1987 blum uk 1989 blum norway 1991 blum france 1992 blum poland 1993 blum czech republic 1994 blum hungary 1995 blum romania 1996 blum turkey 1997 blum australia blum russia 1998 blum brazil 2001 blum south east asia 2002 blum china 2005 blum ukraine 2006 blum hong kong 2007 blum mexico 2008 blum kazakhstan blum vietnam 2009 blum india 2010 blum new zealand 2011 blum north africa blum portugal 2012 blum greece 12 2016 blum azerbaijan products edit blum is specialized in the production of fittings and systems for furniture in particular for kitchens . the main business segments are lift hinge and pull out systems . 3 4 apart from its hardware solutions the company offers electrical and mechanical motion technologies for the opening and closing of furniture . 2 4 13 14 15 blum products are displayed at showrooms home design shows and fairs for the furniture industry such as interzum in cologne 16 17 18 and kitchen & bath industry show kbis . 19 research edit blum invests 4 % of its annual revenue in research and development . in 2014 the company holds around 52 patents and 1200 trademark rights in total . blum austria occupies second place in the invention rankings and ranks amongst austria s top ten patent candidates . 13 20 the company has set up training rooms laboratory kitchens and test drive areas to identify requirements of kitchen fitters manufacturers sellers and kitchen buyers . 3 4 research insights have resulted in new and improved products and concepts for storage space planning in kitchens . 4 7 blum has won several awards in product quality and design . 4 18 in 2013 the furniture manufacturer received the european inventor award in the industry category for its hinge system blumotion . the invention assures that doors drawers and lift systems close gently and silently . 20 apprenticeship training edit mechanical engineering at blum blum austria started its own apprenticeship system in 1970 . 12 the four year program is a combination of class participation and practical training in the company . students are able to learn high tech professions in metal and plastics processing . 2 4 21 22 vocational training is common within central europe as young people are split at the age of 15 either to academic schools or to apprenticeships . 2 9 eight training programs are currently offered mechanical engineering toolmaking cnc technician plastics engineering design engineering electrical engineering production engineering materials engineering in 1995 blum usa introduced the in house training program apprenticeship 2000 according to the austrian model . the company cooperates with businesses in the community and the central piedmont community college cpcc . 2 21 22 as of september 2015 the company trains 298 apprentices 14 of which are in the united states . 10 blum apprentices frequently take part in global competitions like worldskills in which they have received several certificates of excellence . 3 22 blum is actively involved in a variety of initiatives with educational and training organisations such as the buckinghamshire new university foundation course for kitchen designers . 23 environment edit blum started to install energy management systems as early as 20 years ago . the company has been certified to several international standards including iso 14001 3 iso 9001 24 and iso 50001 . 25 references edit a b http www.blum.com facts . a b c d e f g rusnak andrew march april 2015 . perfecting motion . charlotte business journal . a b c d e f g h i legg john september 17 2013 . furniture & joinery production . furniture production visits blum . a b c d e f g h i andiva yvonne march 2015 . fitted kitchens . construction review . blum spends 10m for equipment . charlotte business journal . 14 april 2008 . retrieved 7 january 2014 . http www.blum.com plants a b c thorpe amelia october 2012 . smooth operators . ekb business . a b c d e f facts and figures . julius blum gmbh . a b blum austria trip part 1 employee investment the furniture makers company . www.furnituremakers.org.uk . retrieved 2015 10 30 . a b c blum turnover up again in the 2014 2015 financial year . julius blum gmbh . retrieved 2015 10 30 . margarethe endl 30 january 1997 . us tochter von julius blum strebt milliardenumsatz an . wirtschaftsblatt in german . retrieved 7 january 2014 . a b the history of julius blum gmbh . julius blum gmbh . retrieved 2015 10 30 . a b blum welcome boost in the 2013 2014 financial year furniture production magazine . www.furnitureproduction.net . retrieved 2015 10 30 . legg john september 9 2013 . blum s fittings innovations at sicam . furniture & joinery production . retrieved october 30 2015 . bathroom & kitchen update blum on future storage . www.bathroomandkitchenupdate.com . retrieved 2015 10 30 . bathroom & kitchen update blum innovates at interzum . www.bathroomandkitchenupdate.com . retrieved 2015 10 30 . blum to showcase product innovations at interzum 2015 . my office magazine . retrieved 2015 10 30 . a b red dot online winners of the interzum award intelligent material & design 2015 jury of experts granted top award to just nine entries . en.red dot.org . retrieved 2015 10 30 . c1 control character in title at position 32 help blum introduces legrabox and ambia line kbis pressroom . kbis pressroom . retrieved 2015 10 30 . a b european inventor award 2013 goes to julius blum gmbh from austria advantage austria international advantageaustria.org . advantage austria . retrieved 2015 10 30 . a b dual training made in austria the blum apprenticeship 2000 program . ostaustria.org . retrieved 2015 10 30 . a b c apprenticeship 2000 trains workers for coming decades charlotte business journal . charlotte business journal . retrieved 2015 10 30 . encouraging new talent . designer kitchen & bathroom . january 2015 . the blum quality cycle . julius blum gmbh . retrieved 2015 10 30 . blum s energy management system certified with the new iso 50001 architecture and design . architecture and design . retrieved 2015 10 30 . further reading edit german sterreich nachrichten wirtschaftsblatt.at charlotte search results subscription required mercury news search results subscription required external links edit wikimedia 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