Choose Country & language

Our Company

KARL STORZ has been promoting progress in medical technology with passion and innovation since 1945. Founded as a two-person business in Tuttlingen in the Black Forest, our company has been an international leader in the world of endoscopy for many years.  

Now in its third generation, our company employs 8,800 people around the globe – with 3,000 employees in the Tuttlingen region alone. With more than 15,000 products for human and veterinary medicine, we help save lives, detect cancer at an early stage, enable minimally invasive surgery and much more.  

Human health and a passion for innovation is our daily motivation. In doing so, we stand for visionary design, precise workmanship and clinical effectiveness.  

Dive into our company history here! 

Learn more about our product portfolio!

A focus on the future – our company strategy

Our North Star vision for future developments:

"We enable our healthcare partners to perform at their very best every day to improve patients' lives around the world. As an independent family-owned company, we continuously think in generations instead of quarters."

Our mission describes the direction of our path: 

"We act as a solution-oriented and innovative partner in close cooperation with our customers. The experience and knowledge of our workforce allows us to expand into new markets, products and industries.​" 

Our overall strategic objective 2025+ is valid for the current strategy cycle: 

"We are a recognized market leader for high-quality and innovative solutions that offer our customers and our company a unique added value. Building on our success, we sustainably increase our sales and profits."  

What is important to us – our corporate values

Health and Safety 

The well-being and safety of our patients, our partners in the healthcare sector and our employees worldwide are always at the center of our activities.

Social responsibility

We value the enviroment and give something back to society.

Courage

We openly share our ideas and encourage strong and prudent decisions.​

Integrity

We are trustworthy, act in accordance with the law, are dedicated and accountable.​

Self-reflection and continuous improvement

We are a learning organization and accept our mistakes in order to learn from them.​

Respect

We treat everyone with respect and promote diversity.

Facts and figures at a glance

Company foundation:

1945
Family company: Third generation
Branch: Medical technology
No. of employees: 8,800
Business areas: Human  & Veterinary Medicine
Turnover in 2022: 2.05 billion Euro
Products: More than 15,000
Property rights: More than 10,000
Training centers: More than 100
International presence: 70 subsidiaries in more than 40 countries
Production sites: Germany, USA, Switzerland and Estonia

Our Top Management Is Setting the Sails

KARL STORZ is a global company that has deep roots in the South German town of Tuttlingen and is active worldwide on all continents. Meet our management team:

In 2019, Karl-Christian Storz took over the management of the KARL STORZ family company, and he has been ambitiously setting the sails ever since. Having spent many years in various roles at KARL STORZ, the physicist represents the third generation at the helm of the medical technology company.

Karl-Christian Storz is prioritizing the expansion of global business activities and the future-oriented digitalization of products and services. To this end, he is pushing for a user-centric approach and is optimally preparing processes, structures, and the entire company for the future.

Teamwork and cooperation are essential to him. His leadership style is based on clearly defined values, open-mindedness, and a passion for the healthcare industry.

Bringing in expertise stemming from diverse roles in consulting, the automotive industry with responsibility for operational excellence, the establishment of his own company, a position on the supervisory board of a mechanical engineering company, and as chairman of a technology foundation, Bernd Hermann joined KARL STORZ in 2017. Staying grounded and authentic is particularly important to him. What drives him? Working together with all his colleagues to further the goals of the KARL STORZ company and to prepare it for the future. To recharge his batteries, he engages in many kinds of sports. His all-time favorite is to climb up mountains and then ski down.

Holger Mann has been in international personnel management since starting his career in 1993. In various roles, he has collected comprehensive knowledge in the entire field of human resources. Over the course of his career, he has worked at both German and international companies and has become familiar with the needs of globally active family companies.

Before joining KARL STORZ, he was managing director of the German subsidiary of an international automotive supplier. Holger Mann aims to introduce modern human resources instruments to make KARL STORZ the employer of choice in medical technology. In his free time, he likes to enjoy nature while riding his racing bike.

Growth oriented? Absolutely! At ease with constant change and development? Sure! Passionate about agile structures and teaming? Definitely!

Thorsten Molitor embodies all the attributes of a modern, experienced leader. As a fan of the SC Freiburg soccer team, which competes in the German top league, and Master’s degree holder in physics and business administration, he lived in Singapore for years, where he successfully strengthened the position of KARL STORZ, particularly in the Asian market, before returning to Germany to first head Global Sales and Marketing as Executive Vice President and, since 2022, additionally taking on responsibility for Global Research & Development. He has been an important member of Team KARL STORZ for more than 15 years.

Stefan Ort joined KARL STORZ in 2016. As in-house counsel with a passion for compliance and the law, he is responsible for KARL STORZ securely navigating a highly regulated environment in compliance with all legal requirements. Employees identifying with their work and collaborating as a team is particularly important to him. In his free time, he enjoys sports and music.

Michael Tröndle has been contributing his experience, loyalty, and extensive expertise to KARL STORZ since 1994. As the head of both Finance and IT, he ensures, with his expertise, that our company operates on a sound basis. Michael Tröndle is appreciated not only for his professional expertise, but also for his open, transparent, and trust-based leadership and communication style, which promotes collaboration across areas and thereby advances the company’s goals.

Our Commitment to Professional Sports

We pursue ambitious goals. But with passion and team spirit, everything is possible. The same is true in professional sports, which we are proud to support. For many years, we have been the main sponsor of the Schwenningen Wild Wings ice hockey team from the Black Forest. So, we get to cheer not only when our company makes progress, but also when the team scores another win.

Click here to find out more about our commitment to the environment and society