The Schunk Group of companies extends worldwide and has a history going back nearly a hundred years. It now has 60 subsidiaries in 26 countries. The company was founded in 1913 in Germany, and is owned by a foundation with its headquarters in Gießen near Frankfurt. In 2010 the Schunk Group achieves an expected (consolidated) turnover of 800 million Euro in 2010 and employed over 8000 people.

The companies that make up the group are independent subsidiaries operating in several areas of technology. The Schunk company was built up around cooling and mineral technology, and these are still core activities in the group, which spends considerable resources on developing and marketing products in materials such as graphite, sintered metals and ceramics. The Schunk Group also provides services in environment and climate simulation, electronics and automation.

The highly specialised products and applications produced by the Schunk Group are designed for the automotive industry, motor manufacturers, medical technology, the pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology, space technology and other highly technical branches of industry. Schunk companies are market leaders in many areas, for instance in power transmission, electric motors and mechanical seals. The Schunk Group holds more than 300 world patents and is expanding rapidly in a number of fields.

Schunk applications are also found in household appliances and white goods, electronic equipment in the home and a number of implements and garden tools. The common factor in all areas where Schunk companies operate is state-of-the-art technology and innovative solutions. The individual companies are to a large extent involved in R&D activities, in their own facilities and in collaboration with research institutes, universities and technical institutes throughout the world.