By the time the First World War broke out, the company had developed into the largest employer in the German Southwest with 6,000 workers, a number that isn’t all that far from today’s figure (5,300 in 2003). One of the most successful products in imperial times was the silver-plated cutlery, for which the company had a patented procedure. In artistic terms as well, the incredibly diverse product range experienced its first heyday during the Jugendstil period around 1900. At the end of the 1920s, WMF secured the exclusive rights to V2-A steel, better known as 18/10 stainless steel and registered under the trademark “Cromargan”, a material well-suited for the production of household appliances and kitchen utensils. Thus the Swabians were the first to manufacture durable, stainless high-grade steel goods at a reasonable price. Easy-care and durable, Cromargan soon made its way into German kitchen cabinets in the form of pots and pans, bowls and cutlery. But it was only after the Second World War that WMF experienced the hoped-for boom in stainless steel household goods. The name Wilhelm Wagenfeld was closely connected with this development. Already well-known in the industry, the designer united absolute functionality with smart 1950s style, seen e.g. in his salt shakers and in egg cups that are stackable and made from a single piece. His Form 3600 silverware by contrast had a sharp-edged angular form, attracting attention above all due to the unusually short knife blade. After a time it seemed like the label would sink into the mainstream, but in the 1980s WMF again started placing emphasis on original designs, which in postmodern times didn’t always have to be as irreproachably functional as with the stricter Wagenfeld. Famous international designers such as Matteo Thun and Dieter Sieger, but also the fashion designer Pierre Cardin and the Danish product designer Ole Palsby, who alone created six different silverware patterns, contributed to the renovated profile of the WMF assortment. The collection includes glasses, candlesticks, spoons, saucepans, vacuum jugs and gift articles as well as very successful coffee machines. The products are sold in WMF shops usually located in city centres – a concept learned from Rosenthal. The strategy of offering designer products continues, featuring for example the Lounge bar accessories by James Irvine (k p.36) and the Kult table accessories by Sebastian Bergne.