History
The early days
The history of König starts in 1966 in Lecco, north of Italy.
At that time, Lecco was the hometown of a large and established number of companies working in the iron and steel industry, involved in the different processes of steel production, transformation and treatments.
From geographical perspective, Lecco develops his region between lakes and mountains, close to some of the most reknown mountain passes and Ski resorts of Lombardy.
Specialized in steel production, close to mountains and in a snowy region. Probably there could not have been a better place to establish the brand which years later would have become the leading brand in the Snow Chain industry.
But let’s not jump history.
Starting from the 60s, the number of cars sold is sensibly growing year on year and the mass ski starts putting down roots at that time, recalling larger and larger number of people driving up to the mountains.
Winter tourism starts becoming more popular as ski resorts were established in some of the most beautiful valleys.
König decides to invest the know-how ripened in the steel industry into designing the most reliable and durable snow chains for vehicles’ wheels, with the clear assignment of providing safety to drivers using cars on winter roads.
Growing as solutions provider
After granting the product safety and reliability, it was then crucial for König to focus on the development of user-friendly mounting systems allowing an easier, more comfortable and quicker chain fitting.
And still today, that’s what König is known for.
With a massive product development strategy in place, König releases between the 80s and today a very large number of innovative solutions which are known and used still today. The “No Problem”, “Magic” and “Supermagic” systems are the most acclaimed ones and they’re still existing today.
The Thule era
In 2004 the swedish group Thule decided to invest in the snow chain business with the acquisition of the entire company assets.
That was the occasion for König to be part of a larger international group leading the automotive accessory business with a complete line of products focused in allowing people to transport their sport equipment on their cars. At that time, Consumer Snow Chains from were available also under the Thule brand on selected markets.
The pewag group era
On September 2nd 2015 the company started the integration within the pewag group, 100% focused on chain manufacturing for different applications segment.
Based in Austria, the pewag group is active over the 5 continents with over 80 active companies, from manufacturing to sales and services. The group represents the largest European manufacturer of chains for different applications, such as traction and forestry chains, lifting chains, tyre protection chains and conveyor chains.
Driven by a solid industrial background, inspired by the motto “Stiving for Excellence” and aiming to the highest customer satisfaction, the pewag group injects new energies into König and hosts the brand in a prominent position between the brands present in the group portofolio.
In 2018 the company Headquarter has moved to a new venture in Suello (Provence of Lecco). A completely new building designed with the scope to inspire employees and enhance their creativity with a modern and stimulating workspace.