Garry Lowe: Briton with perfect MAPAL genes

One of them is Garry Lowe, the other his colleague John Claypole. On behalf of Dr Dieter Kress, the two begin making preparations for the foundation of an independent British MAPAL subsidiary as early as 1983. A veto by senior partner Dr Georg Kress initially halts the project.

In 1993, however, the time has come: following insolvency proceedings at Hahn & Kolb, nine employees, leaded by John Claypole and Garry Lowe, move to the newly founded MAPAL UK. Lowe is in charge of internal sales, Claypole becomes Managing Director. The site in Rugby, south-east of Birmingham, right from the start includes a repair workshop and in 1995 the company also starts producing fine boring tools. Business goes well and MAPAL UK grows from year to year. Garry Lowe is still proud of the fact that “we have never made a loss for Dr Kress”. On the contrary, a new company building is built on a greenfield site in 1998, which has to be extended two years later. 

The recipe for success - as in Germany - includes closeness to customers, which is why highly trained representatives are soon employed throughout England. And a familiar working atmosphere exists that keeps loyal and committed employees in the company for a long time. “We respect people and different ways of working and tell everyone that the door is always open. Everyone is part of the MAPAL family,” describes the keen amateur golfer Garry Lowe his philosophy. 

Last but not least, MAPAL manages to overcome major challenges such as the 2008/2009 financial crisis, the coronavirus pandemic and Brexit. Although the UK's withdrawal from the EU in 2020 initially leads to “a lot of paperwork”, it does not cause any significant problems in the long term. This is also because, in Garry Lowe's eyes, MAPAL's most important unique selling points remains unaffected by Brexit - outstanding product quality and customised solutions from a single source. “There aren't many companies out there that can offer what MAPAL does for its customers.”