Karl Storz SE facts for kids
Karl Storz SE & Co. KG is a German company that makes special tools for doctors. They create endoscopes, which are tiny cameras doctors use to look inside the body. They also make surgical instruments, which are tools for operations.
Dr. Karl Storz started the company in a town called Tuttlingen, Germany, way back in 1945. It's a family-owned business. After Dr. Storz passed away in 1996, his daughter, Sybill, became the head of the company.
In 1963, Karl Storz was one of the first companies to make an endoscope that used fiber optics. This is a cool technology that sends light through thin glass fibers. Later, in 1965, they started using a special lens called the Hopkins relay lens in their endoscopes. This made the images from inside the body even clearer.
About Karl Storz Today
Karl Storz is a big company with many employees around the world. In 2012, about 5,800 people worked for them. By 2018, this number grew to over 8,000 employees! About 3,000 of these people work at the main office in Tuttlingen.
The company has its main office and factories in Tuttlingen. They also have seven other factories and 47 sales offices in different countries. This helps them sell their medical tools all over the world.
Karl Storz also helps young people learn new skills. They train up to 150 apprentices each year in twelve different jobs. This means they teach young people how to work in the company and learn a trade.
Family Leadership
In 2019, Karl-Christian Storz, who is part of the family, took over running the day-to-day business. His mother, Sybill Storz, became the head of the company's supervisory board. Sybill Storz has received many awards for her great work as a business leader and for helping her community.
Karl Storz has offices in other countries too. For example, Karl Storz Endoscopy-America, Inc. was started in the United States in 1971. They also have Karl Storz Endoscopy Canada Ltd., which opened in 1995 to help customers in Canada. The company also has a group called Karl Storz Industrial Group that makes tools like borescopes for industrial uses, not just for doctors.
