Engelbert Strauss

The Engelbert Strauss CI Factory, Schlüchtern, Germany

The CI Factory is home to Engelbert Strauss, Germany’s leading producer of utility wear and workwear. It shapes the local landscape and has made its mark as a cutting-edge manufacturing facility in the state of Hesse. The brand’s hugely popular workwear and fashion clothing have achieved veritable cult status. A family-owned business with international operations, Engelbert Strauss embraces state-of-the-art logistics, laser technology and robotics to offer practically limitless customisation options for shirts, trousers and shoes in every colourway imaginable.

The CI Factory has around 1,500 employees who benefit from this modern, high-tech workspace and feel-good environment. Floor to ceiling windows flood the stylish rooms with light and provide stunning views of the surrounding landscape. When it came to the staffrooms, Engelbert Strauss chose timeless, durable furniture from Thonet. These pieces add to the sense of well-being and help create a comfortable setting for breaks and meetings.

Coffee house tradition meets lunch break

High up on the fifth floor of the CI Factory is the company canteen with its own café, bakery and in-house coffee roastery. Engelbert Strauss focuses particularly strongly on the quality of the products used, many of which are sourced locally. Also sourced from the local area are the chairs from Thonet, a company with a long manufacturing tradition, and based close by in the town of Frankenberg. Here in the company restaurant, employees can pull up an elegant Thonet 118 wooden chair to sit, eat, talk and enjoy their breaks together. The 118 is a classic Thonet product. The principle behind it was introduced by Michael Thonet in the mid-19th century as he attempted to reduce a chair to the fewest elements possible. Sebastian Herkner’s design for the 118 is based on this idea, paying tribute to Thonet’s roots and taking this minimalism a step further. The famous designer has added clever details of his own for an air of understated sophistication. The 118 with moulded plywood seat features in a range of different stains and finishes at the CI Factory: black blue, bright green, subtle grey and a warm natural beech. Engelbert Strauss also opted for barstools (118 H) from the same range, which are perfect for a quick coffee break or catch-up at the counter.

The company canteen has been furnished with fully upholstered 520 chairs with armrests for an extra touch of luxury. This range of upholstered chairs is based on the iconic bentwood classic, the 209, a long-standing favourite of architects. For the 520, designer Marco Dessí filled the open spaces between the bentwood elements with comfortable upholstery. Within the furniture maker’s portfolio, the 520 is a chair that undeniably shares the Thonet DNA and creates an unmistakable Viennese coffee house feel. The 520 is also the perfect chair for meeting spaces, providing somewhere exceptionally comfortable to sit for a quick catch-up but also for longer gatherings too. Fabric coverings in iridescent olive blue and vibrant coral pink provide colourful accents.

Holding a meeting? Think Thonet!

Various versions of the S 166 from Thonet have been used in the CI Factory conference rooms. Its upholstered seat offers premium comfort, no matter how long the meeting or conference. There are in fact 130 of these chairs with seat shells in white, sky blue and lemon yellow, injecting a pop of colour and freshness to every meeting and providing creative inspiration. The S 166 can be tightly stacked (up to 17 chairs per stack) and features a patented linking technology, which is a space-saving way to connect the chairs safely and easily without tools. This makes the colourful chairs in the Engelbert Strauss CI Factory an exceptionally versatile seating choice.