for FISCH-Tools’ senior partners Helmut and Josef Eberhard

Johann Eberhard GmbH (Ltd.) – FISCH-Tools is taking great delight in the fact its two senior partners, Helmut and Josef Eberhard, have been awarded the Golden Medal of Honour of the State of Styria by state governor Hermann Schützenhöfer for their sustained commitment and spirit of innovation.

“We are very pleased to receive this prestigious award. It is a special recognition of our life’s work”, said the two senior bosses. To this day, both of them can still be found at the company on an almost daily basis. Helmut and Josef Eberhard’s list of contributions runs long, and both of them have undertaken pioneering work. They led the family business founded as a blacksmith in 1946 to worldwide success with the production of forged drilling tools, and began exporting them to Germany in the 1960s. New, additional markets in the form of other European countries and the USA were soon opened up, laying the foundations for the FISCH® brand‘s global success. Helmut Eberhard recalls a particularly special large order: “The Egyptian railways ordered several thousand drills for attaching and laying new sleepers. It was one of the first major contracts that came from a completely different direction.” In 2014, Helmut Eberhard was awarded the Austrian “Handelsmerkur” (a distinguished business award) for his life’s work, his strong business acumen and his entrepreneurial vision.

Export successes and apprentices based in tradition

Export successes meant that investment in their site became necessary. Helmut and Josef Eberhard opened new business premises in 1999. After the production halls had been expanded, the construction of a new head office in St. Josef complete with a logistics centre followed just a few years later. The two bosses have always placed great emphasis on apprenticeships, and a total of 150 apprentices have been trained at the company across the last 30 years.
“Apprenticeships have a long tradition here at FISCH®-Tools. We want to offer young people a future-oriented specialist career with plenty of opportunities and prospects”, explains Josef Eberhard. Almost all of the apprentices from across the years, both in the commercial and the technical fields of the business, have come from the region and have remained at the company as skilled workers. This is also attested to by service periods of up to 35 years.

The largest premium tool manufacturer

FISCH-Tools is currently the largest premium manufacturer of forged drilling tools in Europe. Its products are sold in 46 countries, and its export rate is over 80 percent. Today, the company is being led forward on a course of lasting success by technical director Andreas Eberhard and commercial director Christoph Riegler.

With product enhancements and innovations such as the FORSTNER SPEED GRINDER, a unique sharpening device for cylinder head drills, or BLACK SHARK, a new generation of Forstner drills, the company has managed to bring high-end products for professionals, industry and do-it-yourself enthusiasts onto the market. Their most well-known and best-established product is the ultralight ice drill, which is used on ski slopes, steep terrain and scree. Furthermore, they continue to invest. A new production hall is under construction, and investments in other high-tech machines are planned.

Governor Hermann Schützenhöfer (left) and member of the Styrian government Doris Kampus (right) thank Josef Eberhard (2nd from the left) and Helmut Eberhard for their sustained commitment and spirit of innovation with the Golden Badge of Styria. [Photo credit: © Robert Frankl]