Company
MEKRUPHY GMBH was founded in 1988 and is the only German company that specialises in the development, production an distribution of high quality scientific apparatus for schoolchildren. The family-run company based in Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm, Bavaria has received numerous international awards for its products.
In October 2006, the company granted a Worlddidac Quality Charter. This coveted international award honours outstanding educational products in conjunction with excellent business performance and customer service. For our PRIMARY 1 experiment set, we received the SEAL OF QUALITY of the Worlddidac Foundation in 2008. In the same year, MEKRUPHY GMBH was accepted into the UMWELTPAKT BAYERN (Bavarian Environmental Pact) in recognition of its outstanding commitment to environmental protection.
Foundation
In 1976, Maths and Physics teacher M. Peter Mettenleiter and school lab assistant Klaus Kruse started to develop a practice-oriented student experiment system in line with demand for Mr Mettenleiter’s own classes at Schyrengymnasium Pfaffenhofen/Ilm. It took until 1988 when the company was officially established. The company name is an acronym for:
- ME – Mettenleiter
- KRU – Kruse
- PHY – Physics
The correct pronunciation of our company name is /me’kru:fi/.
Company management und staff
To this day, the founder of the company M. Peter Mettenleiter coordinates the product development and strategic business planning. Managing Director Dr. Andreas Mettenleiter is mainly responsible for customer service, marketing and distribution while Managing Director Thomas Gigl is in charge of purchasing, staff and finances. MEKRUPHY currently employs 24 staff members at the HQ in Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm and at the branch in Puchheim.
Chronicle
A short history of MEKRUPHY:
- 1976: The first Physics experiment set is developed at Schyrengymnasium in Pfaffenhofen, tested in several school classes and presented at teacher training days
- 1977: M. Peter Mettenleiter and Klaus Kruse launch the company Mekruphy (since 1988 Ltd.) to be able to supply other schools with experiment sets
- 1989: On time for the education trade fair Didacta in Stuttgart there are eight distinct Physics experiment sets with the characteristic black PUR inserts
- 1994: The first German international school in South Africa receives MEKRUPHY equipment
- 1995: The exerpiment set ENERGY is developed with the Chair for Didactics of Physics at University Erlangen (Prof. Werner Schneider)
- 1997: The experiment set RADIOACTIVITY makes hazard-free student experiments with preparations under the exemption limit possible. Two years later the CHEMISTRY experiment sets are developed in collaboration with Chemistry teachers.
- 2000: Klaus Kruse leaves the company on health grounds. Dr. Andreas Mettenleiter becomes the new managing director.
- 2004: The first computer-assisted experiment set is developed in cooperation with Addest
- 2007: The new company building in the industrial park Kuglhof is inaugurated
- 2008: The new experiment set PRIMARY 1 is honoured with the Seal of Quality. Mekruphy is accepted into the Bavarian Environmental Pact.
- 2010: A new MNU engergy case is presented in collaboration with the MNU federation to honour the Science Year “The future of energy”
- 2013: The experiment set KINDERGARTEN is introduced
- 2014: Worlddidac Award for the experiment set system Biology
- 2016: Worlddidac Award for the experiment system Addestation MGA
- 2018: Worlddidac Award for the experiment system Chemistry
- 2019: Thomas Gigl becomes second managing director. Production and storage moves into the new extension building at Kuglhof.
- 2020: The plastic production at the site in Puchheim, Bavaria is acquired. The first two experiment sets for GEOMETRY expand the range of products to 62 experiment sets from kindergarten level to A level.
Learn more about MEKRUPHY:
Here at MEKRUPHY GMBH we are dedicated to instil a fascination for the natural sciences in children and arouse and foster their innate curiosity. By doing so, we hope to increase the regard in which science is held by society and to sow the seeds for effectively combating the lack of qualified specialists in education, research and enterprise at an early stage.
By performing their own experiments students discover new scientific phenomena and patterns for themselves and can try to explain their findings using prior knowledge and experience. To achieve this aim, our company make sure they have the best and most suitable scientific equipment available to them. This is carefully designed for the age group using appropriate materials and colour.
Our maxim is:
“Give the best to the students and lighten the load on the teachers.”
Expertise and practical relevance
We have always been involved renowned educators and didactic specialists in developing and exhaustively testing the experiment sets and the accompanying experiment guides from the outset. Thanks to our close cooperation with schools and universities, our company has accumulated a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of how to design scientific experiments for schoolchildren and how to successfully master the challenges of the modern classroom.
Awards & Auszeichnungen
Mekruphy was honoured with the international coveted Worlddidac Award for its exerpiment sets in 2014, 2016 and 2018.
“ … I particularly enjoyed the comprehensive explanation surrounding the background of each experiment. This makes one feel well-prepared and able to address all of the children’s questions. To promote the children’s sense of orderliness, it would be advisable to have a picture of the instrument in its corresponding place. This way, the children can independently tidy up their experimental instruments.* Initially, I tested the “Magnetism” experiment kit with the preschool children. From the start, all the children were quickly enthusiastic about the experiment and showed great interest in magnetism. They asked many questions and would have liked to carry out further experiments that day. In summary, I can recommend the “Magnetism” experiment kit because it offers a wide variety of experiments, allowing one to specifically promote and support children’s curiosity and desire to explore. I am fully impressed by the “Plants” experiment kit because it is in line with our nature concept and playfully sparks children’s interest in this important area of “nature.” With the accompanying booklet for Kindergarten 4, it is possible to provide the children with a slow introduction, adjusting the difficulty levels from experiment to experiment. The age group for this experiment kit is diverse, making it useful for younger children as well. The magnifying glasses, in particular, were definitely a highlight for our children, as it was not only extremely fascinating for them to explore a world that is normally hidden from their eyes, but they were also very proud to work with these beautiful instruments. Overall, it can be said that this suitcase is definitely worth it and makes children’s eyes shine.
Eva Maria Pitsch, Hipp Naturkinderhaus, 85276 Pfaffenhofen