The MONTI Story: From a Bonn Workshop to MontiPower®

MONTI Werkzeuge GmbH was founded in Bonn in 1987 by Werner Montabaur, who had come into contact with surface preparation in the mid-eighties and concluded that the tools of the day couldn't deliver the result the work actually demanded. He decided to build his own. From the start he worked closely with Detlef Thomas, later a partner in the company — Montabaur developed and produced, Thomas took the products to the markets of Asia and the Americas.

The first belts

Twelve months after founding, the first 43 mm brush belt system launched under the name "MONTIPOWER", sold through DIY stores at home and abroad. The first patented 23 mm belts followed — U92 for automotive work and Decapower® for DIY. Decapower® sold strongly from the start; the U92 found its market only after the focus shifted to underseal removal, and then it took off.

The MBX® era

The first pneumatic drive unit, combined with the patented Adapter System, created the MBX® series — MONTI's first machine designed fully in-house. It made its name in the automotive industry and still holds that recognition today. Growing demand led to application-specific belts, developed with a renowned German manufacturing partner and categorized by the color-coding system (black, ocher, green, blue) still in use. The patented Vinyl Zapper® followed for removing vinyl, stickers and adhesive residue from paint and glass, opening the sign industry. In the US, MOTOR Magazine placed the MBX® series in its Top 20 Tools Award, and a user-friendly electric drive plus a new 11 mm belt widened the range further. To serve North American demand, MONTI Tools Inc. was established in Houston, Texas.

The Bristle Blaster®

The patented Bristle Blaster® became the first hand-held brush belt system to produce a surface roughness and cleanliness comparable to sandblasting — and opened the door to pipelines, marine, rail and heavy industry. It quickly grew into the company's second mainstay alongside the MBX®, served by a global network of importers and dealers focused on selling and training. The Die Blaster® joined the range for hard-to-reach areas, becoming a fixture among vintage and classic car restorers.

One roof: Hennef, 2012

After operating from three sites around Bonn, the company moved to Hennef in 2012 — the whole company under one roof for the first time. Shorter distances, better communication, and the thing employees still mention first: everyone working in one place, as one family.

Today

MontiPower® has since grown into a group spanning the Bristle Blaster® (including electric, pneumatic, cordless and Subsea drives), MBX®, Vinyl Zapper®, Tercoo®, M-TESTCO® inspection instruments, Prepper® robotics and the drone-mounted Aeroblaster® — with MontiPower Americas in the US and distribution partners worldwide. The founding idea hasn't changed: build the tool the work actually demands.

Related

• About MontiPower®
• Mission, Vision & 10 Powers
• Bristle Blaster® technology