The Customization Group Story
Company founded
Where it all started. Brothers Daniel and Philipp founded Picanova in this very garage in the south of Cologne.
New Headquarters on Hohenzollernring
In 2009, we made a big move that would help us grow and thrive for years to come. We left our humble beginnings behind and moved into a new, modern headquarters in Cologne, where we could expand and build our team. And as the years went by, our office space grew and evolved, and today it's the vibrant, bustling workplace of over 100 talented employees.
First site in the US
The facility in Miami, established in 2010, has a history of expanding to accommodate its growing production. In 2019, the facility moved to a spacious 7000m² location to better serve its customers across the East Coast and Midwest of the USA, as well as Eastern Canada. At peak season, the facility employs up to 200 people to keep up with the demand.
New office and wood supplier in Latvia
In 2012, we established our production facility in Riga to produce wooden frames for our canvases. We also set up a new office in the city to further support our operations. By sourcing our wooden frames from our facility, we can ensure the highest quality and consistency in our products. Our Riga facility and office have been instrumental in supporting the growth of our business.
New production facility in Ehrenfeld, Cologne
We moved the site of our Cologne production several times to keep up with the growing demand, before arriving at this location in 2014. The state-of-the-art facility in Ehrenfeld had over 10,000m² of floorspace, and produces thousands of custom products every day – each one completely unique. It was an important centerpiece of TCG until our European production was concentrated in Szczecin in 2023.
World Market Leader
Picanova GmbH is proud to be recognized as one of the industry leaders in the field of individual wall decoration, with a focus on the photo canvas. For the first time in 2015 we were listed in the prestigious Encyclopaedia of Germany’s Global Market Leaders, highlighting our commitment to excellence and our innovation in the personalised wall art sector.
New production site in Phoenix
Our production facility in Phoenix was opened in 2019 with a production area of 2000m², and in 2021 the floorspace was already increased to 5100m².
The Phoenix site serves all West Coast and Western states of the US, along with Western Canada.
Expansion of production site in Poland
By 2021 we’d already had a manufacturing presence in Szczecin, Poland, for several years – but growing demand for our products called for a significant expansion. Our Polish facility now has 15,000m² of production space – and supplies all our shops in Europe and even some further afield.
Launch of The Customization Group
We are excited to share our new company name: The Customization Group. With this new name, we want to reflect the company's development over the last years, as we significantly extended our services and offerings.
New office in Moldova
In 2018, we opened our first office in Chisinau, Moldova. In 2021 and 2023, we expanded our presence by opening a major new office in the heart of the city, within the technology hub IT Park. This new office is essential in providing technical support for our projects and has been an excellent source of new talent joining the global team.
To be continued...
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“We brought an idea to life, starting from a little garage in Cologne – and over the years, with a lot of diligence, a lot of skill and a bit of luck, we’ve become a real global player. Even in a year as challenging as 2022 we’ve enjoyed great success, and we’re very grateful for that.”
Philipp Mühlbauer
Co-Founder