Monti history

When Werner Montabaur, inventive genius, founding father, and the man who lent his name to the company, first came into contact with the field of surface preparation back in the 80s, he very quickly realized that the tools available at that time were far from capable of providing the result actually desired. This discovery almost immediately gave rise to the idea of developing his own technology and led him to establish MONTI Werkzeuge GmbH in Bonn in 1987. From the word go, Werner Montabaur worked very closely with Detlef Thomas, who later became a partner in the company. While Werner Montabaur took care of the production and further development of what were then totally unique surface preparation products, Detlef Thomas was responsible for marketing them, primarily in the markets of Asia and the Americas.

Just 12 months after the company was founded, the first 43 mm brush belt system, known as “MONTIPOWER” and targeted at the DIY market, is launched. In the beginning, all sales are handled through national and international DIY stores.

The first patented 23 mm belts (U92 and Decapower) for the brush belt system hit the market as power-drill and angle-grinder attachments and are used for both automotive (U92) and DIY (Decapower) applications. Whereas sales of the Decapower belts are particularly good right from the very start thanks to video promotion in DIY markets, primarily in France and Germany, successful application in car workshops initially eludes the U92 series. Only after the focus is shifted to the removal of underseal does the U92 brush belt system really take off.

The birth of the first pneumatic drive unit lays the foundation stone for the MBX® series. In combination with the patented Adapter System, MONTI creates a genuinely new product and is able to celebrate its first success with a machine designed in-house. The MBX® series quickly makes a name for itself in the automotive industry, achieving a level of recognition it still enjoys today.

The increasing level of demand from the marketplace and the growing group of users leads Werner Montabaur to develop different belts for the various application areas. In collaboration with another renowned German company, he creates the MBX® series of belts, which are still categorized today in line with the color-coding system he introduced back then (black, ocher, green and blue). This change and continued development of the MONTI product range sees the company finally break into the professional automotive tools segment.

As part of its efforts to expand its product range for the automotives sector, MONTI develops the patented Vinyl Zapper that removes vinyl, stickers and adhesive residues from acrylic paints, primarily on metal surfaces and glass. Parallel to this, MONTI moves into the sign industry.

The US’s MOTOR Magazine honors the MBX® series with the Top 20 Tools Award! A true accolade for our technology!

The launch of a user-friendly electric drive unit massively increases the number of prospective customers. On top of this, the new 11 mm belt also increases the range of applications. MONTI is on the rise!

In order to meet the level of demand in the US market, the subsidiary MONTI Tools Inc. is set up in Houston/Texas. The Texan headquarters control the group’s activities across the whole of North America.

Groundbreaking and cutting-edge: The patented Bristle Blaster® is the first hand-held brush belt system in the world that produces a quality of surface roughness and a result comparable to that achieved by sandblasting. The new Bristle Blaster® Technology opens up a path into a huge variety of different industries to MONTI and immediately develops into a second mainstay for the company in addition to the MBX® series. Consequently, a global network of importers and dealers is set up that focuses exclusively on selling and providing product training for the Bristle Blaster®

The MBX® is joined by the Die Blaster®, a machine that can be used in areas that are difficult to reach and yet still enables a rough surface to be created. The Die Blaster® has become indispensable in the automotive industry, especially for restorers of vintage and classic cars.

Up to this time, MONTI had been operating from three different sites around Bonn. 2012 sees the company relocate to Hennef and finally move into premises where the whole company is housed under the same roof. In addition to shorter distances between workstations and improved communication, the main benefit of this geographical merger is that everyone who works for the company now feels like they are part of one big family – the MONTI family.

Up to this time, MONTI had been operating from three different sites around Bonn. 2012 sees the company relocate to Hennef and finally move into premises where the whole company is housed under the same roof. In addition to shorter distances between workstations and improved communication, the main benefit of this geographical merger is that everyone who works for the company now feels like they are part of one big family – the MONTI family.