About Krafthand

Krafthand

Krafthand is the technically oriented specialist magazine for the German motor-vehicle craft, published since 1927 by Krafthand Medien GmbH in Bad Wörishofen. Appearing twice monthly, the technology magazine serves independent and brand-affiliated car workshops as well as system workshops with editorial focuses on workshop practice, parts and systems, automotive technology, workshop law and business practice. With an IVW-audited distributed circulation of 28,477 copies, its own editorial workshop for research and practical testing, and a digital edition for smartphones and tablets since 2015, Krafthand has been the trusted advisor for automotive companies and workshop professionals for nearly a century. The name derives from the original title "Zeitschrift für das Kraftfahrzeug-Handwerk".

Overview

Krafthand is the independent specialist media concept for the automotive trade, a technical journal whose target group and readership are the free and brand-bound car workshops and system workshops of Germany. The editorial programme is built around the daily reality of the workshop: Werkstattpraxis covers the practical work of diagnosis, maintenance and repair; Teile and Systeme addresses the parts business and vehicle systems; Automobiltechnik follows technological developments from combustion engines to electric drives; Werkstattrecht provides the workshop-specific legal information that garages need; and Unternehmenspraxis covers the business management of workshop enterprises.

The magazine appears twice a month, with 24 issues per year including double issues, in German, with the print ISSN 0023-4435. The IVW-audited distributed circulation is 28,477 copies, and the publisher's media data cites a print run of 22,000 copies. A multi-member specialist editorial team is responsible for the content, and for research and practical tests the editors have their own editorial workshop at their disposal, a distinctive feature that underpins the magazine's claim to practice-tested journalism. Regular Krafthand special editions take up current topics of the automotive industry, and the magazine publishes professionally relevant excerpts from the Verkehrsblatt, the official gazette of the transport ministry, in full.

The publisher is Krafthand Medien GmbH, based at Walter-Schulz-Straße 1, 86825 Bad Wörishofen in Bavaria. The editor-in-chief is Torsten Schmidt. The brand extends beyond print through the online presence at krafthand.de, newsletters and the digital magazine available for iOS and Android since October 2015.

History

Krafthand was first published in 1927, in the Weimar Republic, as the "Zeitschrift für das Kraftfahrzeug-Handwerk", the journal for the motor-vehicle craft. The 1920s saw the automobile spreading beyond its elite beginnings, and the emerging trade of motor-vehicle repair needed its own professional medium. The magazine gave the young craft technical guidance, business advice and a collective voice, establishing a relationship with its readership that has lasted for nearly a century.

The title accompanied the German automotive trade through the upheavals of the twentieth century: the motorisation of the 1930s, the destruction of the Second World War, the economic miracle with its mass motorisation, and the technological revolutions of the late twentieth century, from electronic ignition and fuel injection to ABS and airbags. Through each transformation, the magazine maintained its focus on the workshop professional, translating technological change into practical knowledge for the mechanic, the master craftsman and the workshop owner.

The publishing house developed around the magazine into Krafthand Medien, a specialist media company whose portfolio includes the Krafthand-Truck magazine for commercial vehicle workshops and fleet management and the bd baumaschinendienst magazine for construction contractors, alongside a specialist book publishing arm with titles on automotive technical knowledge. The company's founder, Walter Schulz, and his widow Erna Schulz, who established the Walter Schulz Foundation for cancer research in 1980, shaped the company's identity as an independent, family-influenced media house.

In October 2015 Krafthand became available as a digital magazine for smartphones and tablet computers on iOS and Android, extending the print tradition into mobile reading. The Krafthand Technologie Award was established to honour innovations for the workshop industry. With the 2026 media data documenting 17 issues per year and a continued focus on workshop practice, parts and systems, automotive technology, workshop law and business practice, the magazine enters its second century as the reference medium of the German automotive craft.

Content and Sections

The content of Krafthand is organised around the workshop's working year, with the topics and publication schedule planned around the industry's rhythm. Workshop practice articles address diagnosis, maintenance and repair across all vehicle systems: brakes, clutches and transmissions, engines, exhaust aftertreatment, air-conditioning service, lighting systems and driver assistance systems. The magazine's own editorial workshop enables practical tests of tools, equipment and procedures, giving readers tested guidance rather than manufacturer claims.

Parts and systems coverage follows the aftermarket business: parts trade developments, stationary versus online parts distribution, tyre service and sales, lubricants and operating materials, filter technology and the strategies of original equipment manufacturers in the aftermarket. Automotive technology features track the industry's transformation, with electric vehicles, battery and charge management, and digitalisation among the recurring themes. The workshop law section publishes the relevant excerpts from the Verkehrsblatt and explains the legal obligations of garages, while business practice articles address the management challenges of workshop enterprises, from skilled-labour recruitment to digital claims management and value-based repairs.

Special editions and supplements, from the Bundesliga calendar to the annual wall calendar and the workshop catalogue, complement the regular issues. The Krafthand Technologie Award coverage honours the innovations shaping the workshop of the future. Trade-fair reporting, notably from the automechanika in Frankfurt, keeps readers connected to the industry's meeting points.

Publisher and Organization

Krafthand is published by Krafthand Medien GmbH, based at Walter-Schulz-Straße 1, 86825 Bad Wörishofen, Bavaria. The company is a specialist media house for the automotive trade, with a portfolio comprising the Krafthand technology magazine for the motor-vehicle craft, the Krafthand-Truck specialist magazine for commercial vehicle workshops and fleet management, and the bd baumaschinendienst magazine for construction contractors, plus a specialist book publishing programme. The editor-in-chief of Krafthand is Torsten Schmidt, and the head of media sales is Klaus P. Lang.

The magazine appears twice monthly, with 24 issues per year including double issues, in German, with the print ISSN 0023-4435 and an IVW-audited distributed circulation of 28,477 copies. The 2026 media data lists 17 issues per year with supplementary digital channels. The magazine has been available as a digital edition for smartphones and tablets on iOS and Android since October 2015, complemented by the online presence and newsletters.

Digital Presence

The digital home of Krafthand is krafthand.de, the magazine's online portal, which carries current news, articles, topic pages and the digital editions of the magazine. The site extends the twice-monthly print rhythm into continuous coverage of the automotive trade, with sections on workshop topics, parts and systems, automotive technology and business practice. Topic pages such as the Kfz-Werkstatt section gather articles, interviews and surveys, including the "Kfz-Profis reden Klartext" series giving workshop entrepreneurs a voice on the industry's challenges.

The digital magazine for smartphones and tablets, available on iOS and Android since October 2015, brings the full print layout to mobile devices. Newsletters keep subscribers informed between issues, and the media data and advertising information are published online for the magazine's advertising clients. For suppliers to the automotive trade, from parts manufacturers and tool providers to workshop equipment companies and service providers, the combination of the print magazine, the online portal, the newsletters and the digital editions offers a targeted platform reaching the workshop professionals who decide on purchases for Germany's car workshops.