1857 - Maschinenfabrik Augsburg AG
On October 4, 1840, Augsburg was in a fit of enthusiasm. With the inauguration of a railroad line between Augsburg and Munich, the future had also reached this city. After all, the railroad – as no other technical achievement – was considered to be the symbol of a new era. It stood for technological progress and new industrial production methods. At almost the same time, the Sander’sche Maschinenfabrik was founded.
Ludwig Sander was a businessman who had set himself the goal of supplying Augsburg cotton and weaving mills with textile machines. But he understood his company as a type of “general company” that – in keeping with the times – offered its customers “all types” of machines, including steam engines, water wheels, turbines, gears, rolling and hammer mills, steam boilers, gas and heating apparatuses as well as printing machines. In 1844, Sander handed over leadership of his factory to mechanic Carl Reichenbach and businessman Carl Buz, who renamed it the C. Reichenbach’sche Maschinenfabrik. Both turned out to be exceptionally effective, above all, in the development of printing machines.
The high-speed presses constructed by Reichenbach achieved international significance. Buz concentrated on steam engines. This “double specialization” had the advantage of making the company less dependent on the whims of a single market segment, as was the case with many other mechanical engineering companies. Between 1844 and 1860, the number of employees climbed from 44 to 340, an increase of seven times over. Due to their company’s rapidly growing sales, however, Buz and Reichenbach’s capital resources soon could not cover the necessary investments. They thus decided to convert the Reichenbach’sche Maschinenfabrik into a stock corporation. On November 10, 1857, the Maschinenfabrik Augsburg AG was born.
Under the leadership of Franz Haniel in the 19th century, the Hüttengewerkschaft und Handlung Jacobi, Haniel & Huyssen grew in many areas. Haniel had given concrete form to a vision: for the first time, both production and processing of iron and iron goods were in one hand. But Haniel wanted more: his company should control the entire value chain – from the natural resources of coal and iron ore all the way to the finished product. Advanced technology was the key to this. Early on, Franz Haniel had discovered the great industrial potential of the steam engine, particularly as it was used in England. He wanted to use this engine to secure his company’s coal production so that the raw materials needed for iron smelting would be ensured. Haniel and the Hüttengewerkschaft were also trendsetters in the steamship business of the age.
When Franz Haniel died on April 24, 1868 at the age of 88, the Hüttengewerkschaft und Handlung Jacobi, Haniel & Huyssen had an impressive lineup of business activities in industry, mining, trade and shipping. To avoid inheritance disputes by the families of the founders, the company was turned into a stock company in 1873. This was called the “Gutehoffnungshütte, Actienverein für Bergbau und Hüttenbetrieb”. The shares were owned by the descendents of the four founders and the company continued to flourish. From 1880 on, the first “Hüttenzeche Oberhausen” (Oberhausen coal mine) was running at full throttle. It fulfilled yet one more of Haniel’s dreams: from natural resources of coal and iron ore to finished products, everything could finally be made by one company.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
