Cable and connectivity innovator honours founder's legacy

As a member of the global LAPP family of companies, LAPP Australia is at the forefront of cable, connector and automation innovation, helping facilitate Industry 4.0 transformation for companies in a range of industry sectors.

The company was founded by technology pioneer Oskar Lapp, whose flexible coloured multi-core OLFELX cable was the first industrially manufactured power and control cable. His invention revolutionised connection technology and now forms part of the company’s 40,000 product strong range. This March, the company is celebrating the 100th birthday of its founder.

LAPP Australia General Manager Simon Pullinger said companies of the LAPP group have remained in continuous family ownership with the same spirit of innovation, quality and outstanding service since it was founded in 1959.

“The outstanding success of the local LAPP company is strong tribute to the innovation, and enduring family values of service, quality and integrity of a great inventor and passionate entrepreneur, who died in 1987 but whose family-owned company is now celebrating 100 years from the birth of its founder on March 20, 1921,” Pullinger said.

As with so many start-ups today, the Lapps’ business began from the garage of their house in Stuttgart-Vaihingen. Oskar Lapp took care of sales while Ursula Ida Lapp looked after the accounts, orders and logistics from home, while taking care of their young children. Ursula Ida Lapp is today Honorary Chairwoman of the company Supervisory Board and present at important events for the company.

“The relevance to Australia of Oskar Lapp’s legacy is profound. His inventions have helped shaped connection technology worldwide and continue to advance today,” Pullinger said.

“The establishment of LAPP Australia has given this country direct access to the best technologies relevant to the seismic industrial changes now shaping the world, such as Industry 4.0 and the need to futureproof rapidly evolving industries.

“His family-based legacies of integrity, service and innovation have continued the LAPP success story here,” said Pullinger, who is delighted to see the LAPP Australia organisation continue to grow since it was established three years ago to bring a new dimension to service for future-focused industries in Australia.

In memory of Oskar Lapp, the founding family set up the Oskar Lapp Foundation in 1992. The foundation provides young scientists with incentives to effectively engage them in cardiovascular research. The €12,000 Oskar Lapp Research Prize is presented annually, while the €20,000 Oskar Lapp Grant for equipment is awarded every two years.