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The merger in 1907 of two of Europe’s oldest electroplating and galvanising firms created the Langbein-Pfanhauser firm, whose roots go back to 1873 when Wilhelm Pfanhauser established in Vienna a firm supplying cyanide potash and other materials to other galvanising firms. By 1877 Pfanhauser had established a plant for the manufacture of coatings and subsequently developed proprietary processes for nickel-plating and other materials. By 1900 the firm had begun to manufacture a complete line of electro-plating equipment for domestic and foreign sale. Chemical engineer Doctor Georg Langbein established a chemical factory and laboratory for electroplating and metallurgy in 1881, in the Saxon city of Leipzig. It swiftly rose to prominence through the innovative techniques introduced by Doctor Langbein and by 1889 had established branches in Berlin, Solingen, Vienna, Milan and Brussels.

In 1920 the firm introduced the first fully-automated nickel-plating machines, and in 1933 the first nickel-chrome plating machines. It specialises in the development of proprietary plating processes, which it carries out in its own factories in Leipzig, Wiesbaden and Düsseldorf; it also licenses its technology abroad and sells the proprietary-designed equipment to carry on the work. With more than two thousand workers, it is the nation’s largest electro-technical engineering firm.

Founded in 1845 by Carl Philipp Fissler in Idar-Oberstein, the firm originally manufactured plumbing fixtures and fittings. However, in 1892 Fissler designed the first mobile field kitchen for the Prussian War Ministry, the famous “Gulaschkanone” and the emphasis of the firm changed to the manufacture of pots, pans and other kitchen equipment. The firm introduced its “neuen Metall” line of aluminium cookware in 1900, and in 1928 began the manufacture of electric cookers for commercial catering facilities; in 1930 the luxury liners Bremen and Europa were equipped with Fissler galley equipment throughout, and in 1936 the firm constructed the cooking facilities at the Olympic Village in Berlin. The firm has continued as a family concern under the direction of the heirs of the founder.

In 1919 Gottlob Bauknecht opened a workshop in Schorndorf for the manufacture of electric motors for the textile industry. In the latter 1920s the firm marketed a standardised, low-cost electric motor, the “Landfreund”, adaptable to a wide variety of agricultural applications. The firm also pioneered the manufacture and sale of electrically-operated kitchen equipment, introducing its “Allfix” stand mixer in 1939.

The origins of this firm date to 1683, with Markgraf Ludwig Wilhelm of Baden established an iron forge and foundry at Gaggenau. The old works was acquired by the entrepreneur Michael Flürscheim in 1873 and modernised to manufacture iron castings for domestic articles; an enameling workshop was also developed under the direction of Theodor Bergmann. In the 1890s the firm undertook the large-scale manufacture of bicycles but the development of robust enamel coatings for baking ovens – introduced in 1908 – became the basis of the firm’s success in developing a line of domestic gas-fired ranges and stoves. In the 1930s it introduced a line of wash boilers for domestic use and in 1938 the firm introduced its first domestic refrigerator.

This enterprise was founded in 1926 in Berlin through the amalgamation of five existing linoleum manufacturers – the factories of Hansa, Anker, Schlüssel, Adler-Werke and Rixdorf-Berlin. As such it represented nearly three-quarters of the total linoleum manufacturing capacity of the nation at that time. A programme of rationalisation was put in hand and production was soon concentrated in the former Schlüssel works in Delmenhorst, the former Adler-werke in Maximiliansau and in a new factory erected in Bietigheim-Bissingen. Corporate headquarters remained in Berlin.

At the present time the firm’s annual output of linoleum flooring is on the order of 150,000 square metres per annum, and it competes actively in both domestic and export markets.

The origins of this firm lie with the Barmer Teppichfabrik Vorwerk und Compagnie founded in 1883 by the brothers Carl and Adolf Vorwerk, which manufactured high quality carpets at its factory in the town of Barmen. The firm also undertook to manufacture its own looms, first under licence from foreign manufacturers, but from 1895 the firm produced its own designs which soon found a market in the expanding German carpet industry. In 1903 the firm moved its headquarters and manufacturing facilities to the city of Wuppertal. Under the direction of August Mittelsten Scheid the firm also began the manufacture of electric motors for appliances.

Following the Great War the firm entered the manufacture of vacuum cleaners under the trade name “Kobold”. At that time Engelbert Gorissen was the chief engineer of the firm; he was responsible for the design of the Kobold Model 30, a vacuum cleaner that could be marketed for the reasonable price of twenty Reichsmarks. By 1935 the firm had sold 100,000 examples of the Model 30; by 1941 it had sold more than 500,000. The firm also began the development and sale of other household appliances, such as electric cookers. It has contracted for the manufacture of directors for naval and antiaircraft guns, drawing upon its experience with electric motors and servo systems.

In 1875 Friedrich Küppersbusch of Gelsenkirchen established a factory for the manufacture of ovens for large-scale catering establishments and public institutions. By 1907 the factory at Gelsenkirchen-Schalke was the largest establishment for the manufacturing of cooking apparatus in Germany, employing more than two thousand workers. Following the Great War the firm began the manufacture of gas cook stoves and electric cookers for home use, introducing the latter in 1925, as well as branching out into industrial drying ovens. It remains one of the nation’s largest manufacturers of domestic and industrial ovens, with substantial markets abroad as well.

This enterprise was founded in 1888 by Karl Theodor Rösle, a metal artisan in the town of Marktoberdorf in Ostallgäu. The firm manufactured pots and pans which were marketed locally. Upon the death of the founder his sons Karl and Georg incorporated the business and expanded its product line; the firm had designed and sold a military mess kit as early as 1903, and in 1910 it introduced a line of enameled cookware for domestic use. In the following years chrome plating was introduced and a line of brass kitchen articles as well. In the 1930s the firm was among the first in Germany to manufacture cookware from stainless steel, and expanded into the manufacture of larger kitchen tools for professional and commercial use. It presently employs more than three hundred workers.

Karl Louis Krauß of Neuwelt in Schwarzenberg opened a workshop for the production of tinplate wares in the year 1887. His factory produced wares such as oil cans, funnels and petroleum lamps. Based on expanding demand for his products Krauß relocated the factory to larger quarters in 1905. The new factory was equipped for the manufacture of a wider variety of products, including those of black plate, such as washing and bath tubs, hot-water bottles and washing machine parts with corrosion protection. The firm was converted into a joint-stock enterprise in 1919.

In 1902 Krauß had begun development of a complete metal washing machine on the basis of the drum principle, with coal firing and hand operation of the drum. Marketed as a steam washing machine these products were sold to commercial wash houses. The growth of electrification in the period following the Great War encouraged the firm to develop a washing machine powered by an electric motor, and heated by gas or electricity. In 1923 the firm introduced a commercial washing machine with an electric motor and reversing gearing for the drum; by 1935 it was producing its “Turna” line of washing machines featuring an oscillating agitator. In addition to its washing machines the firm also manufactures laundry centrifuges for the drying of clothes, pressing equipment and ancillary equipment for commercial laundries. It presently employs more than nine hundred workers.

This firm was founded in 1869 in Döbeln by Johannes Großfuß, a local metalsmith, to undertake the manufacture of metal and enamel wares for domestic use, including wash basins, bidets, kitchen wares and ornamental metalwork. In 1914 the son of the founder, Curt Großfuß, took the leadership of the firm, and saw it through the turmoil of the Great War. During that period, in common with many other establishments, the firm was instructed to manufacture metal components for arms and munitions.

In the immediate postwar period the firm returned to its traditional product line of enamel and metal wares, which was supplemented in 1925 with the manufacture of inexpensive locking devices for industrial use. These required the firm to pursue metal stamping techniques which in 1937 were turned again to the manufacture of components for infantry rifles for the Heer.

The firm presently employs some four hundred workers in its factory in Döbeln.

This firm was founded in 1923 by Adolf Häfele to develop, produce and market builders’ hardware, locking devices and small tools to the woodworking industry. The firm opened its small factory in Aulendorf in December of that year, catering initially to the local furniture-making industry. Success caused the firm to relocate to larger facilities in Nagold, in the Schwarzwald, five years later. A salesman by training, Häfele recognised the advantage of regional sales facilities, and soon opened such in München, Hannover, Chemnitz, Berlin and Königsberg; operating on the wholesale level these regional facilities marketed not only the firm’s own products but also sold the products of other hardware firms on a wholesale basis. In 1933 the firm entered the export market, where it has gained great recognition through the adoption of illustrated catalogues for its products – substantial export sales have been garnered in all the nations of the PETA, and in the countries of southeastern Europe. In 1940 the firm tested the waters of the retail market by opening its first facility in Mainz; it has since opened a further seven retail stores in the vicinity of Frankfurt and Mainz.

The Löblich firm is one of the oldest and still-operating firms in the Austrian metalworking industry. It was founded in 1738 as a coppersmithy but today is a leader in the manufacture of boilers and commercial catering equipment. The firm was founded on 20 August 1738 by Josef Krottenthaller in Vienna; control passed through successive heirs until entering the ownership of the Löblich firm, who remain the owners to this day.

The success of the firm began in the 1850s, when it concentrated its efforts in the manufacture of copper pots and pans, heating and cooking appliances; the firm sold its first products to the Imperial court in 1858, and they were officially named purveyors to the Imperial Court in 1893. In the years before the Great War the firm had begun to construct large kitchen appliances for commercial establishments, but with the introduction of stainless steel following the conclusion of hostilities the firm as able to take a leading role in the manufacture of such items. The firm supplies equipment to many diverse customers, among them the Trans-Siberian Railway, to whom the firm supplied samovars to equip the railway’s dining cars. In 1937 it introduced the “Mustapha” steam-fed coffee brewing machine, which won a gold medal at the Paris world exposition. In addition to its commercial business, the firm also supplies the Heer with kitchen and hospital equipment.

This firm was organised in 1851 by the partners Ferdinand Müller und Carl Flügge to manufacture sanitary equipment, fixtures and fittings. Its works are located in Hamburg, and through the years it has specialised in supplying its products to the shipping and shipbuilding industry. In 1930 it acquired the assets and goodwill of the firm of Bamberger, Leroi und Compagnie of Frankfurt and organised a branch factory there to support the industrial and commercial markets.

This concern came into existence in 1940 through the amalgamation of the Wiener Emaillirwerke und Metallwaarenfabriken and the firm of Ditmar-Brünner AG, two of the major enamel manufacturers in Lower Austria. It is a manufacturer of enamel, decorated, tinned and galvanised dishes of all kinds, kitchenware, and aluminium cooking pots, lamps and light fittings. It presently employs five hundred workers at its factory in Wien-Floridsdorf.

In 1896 the brothers Peter and Henry Weil established a factory for the production of bicycles, Peter Weil und Compagnie, located in Rödelheim. Its products were marketed under the names “Weil-Räder” and “Torpedo-Räder”. In 1906 the firm added to its product line typewriters, which were also marketed under the name “Torpedo”. The firm prospered in the years before the Great War, during which it, like many other German firms, produced munitions. In 1921 the firm was converted to a joint stock company as Torpedo-Werke AG.

In 1927 the firm introduced the “Torpedo Standard”, a new model of typewriter featuring segment change-over. The firm also introduced the manufacture of accountings machines, mechanical calculators and drawing machines. A majority of the firm’s shares were acquired by the American Remington-Rand Company in 1931. In 1938 the manufacture of bicycles was transferred to a new factory in Frankfurt, with the production of business machines remaining in Rödelheim.

A manufacturer of metal components and machine parts, this firm was founded in 1911 by Karl Göhring as Preß- und Stanzwerke GmbH in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. A second works was constructed in 1913, in Stuttgart-Möhringen. In 1916 the firm acquired the shares of Apparatebau Hansa GmbH, and following the conclusion of the Great War the enterprise was reorganized as a joint stock company in the current style.

The firm manufactures numerous steel and light alloy pressings for the automotive and aviation industries. In 1942 the firm opened a new factory in Burglengenfeld for the production of sanitary fittings, faucets and plumbing accessories. Between its three factories it presently employs more than one thousand workers.

In 1876 Friedrich Küppersbusch founded a workshop for the production of coal-fired stoves and cooking ranges; by 1898 the firm had expanded to include domestic and industrial cooking ranges, stoves and ancillary appliances. By 1907, gas cooking stoves had been added to the line and the firm, with more than two thousand employees, was the largest manufacturer of cooking appliances in the nation.

The firm was able to weather the turmoil of the Great War and resume its growth in the postwar period. Electric cooking apparatus, laundry boilers for domestic and commercial use, and industrial drying ovens were all added to the product line in 1920s, and the firm retained its premier position in Germany’s household appliance industry, directing much of its efforts to expand exports to central and southeastern Europe. In 1935 the firm opened a branch factory at Wels in the Austrian provinces. The firm’s manufacturing complex at Gelsenkirchen presently employs more than three thousand workers and the branch factory in Wels a further five hundred.

In 1898 the engineers Hermann Göhring and Oskar Hebenstreit joined in a partnership to found in Dresden a machine works for the construction of drying ovens for the metal products industry. In 1907 the firm moved to new facilities in Radebeul and was converted into a joint-stock company. From this time the firm expanded to become a major manufacturer of baking ovens for bread, biscuits, waffles, biscuits and rusks. In 1925 the firm merged with the nearby works of Waffelfabrik Haubold und Richter, a manufacturer of waffle baking machines – and in the following year introduced its first electric waffle baking machine aimed at the home market. The firm’s success continued with the introduction of other home electric appliances and at the present time the firm has attained an international reputation for its products. The current work force numbers approximately five hundred.

In 1905 Julius Kopp founded in Bregenz a factory for the production of kitchenwares, the Metallflanschwerke Bregenz. During the Great War the firm contracted with the Imperial and Royal Army for the production of mess kits for the Austro-Hungarian forces. In 1930 the firm was converted into a joint-stock company under the current style, and embarked upon the production of household electric cookers, boilers, commercial kitchen equipment and stoves. In 1939 it introduced a line of such products using stainless steel. The firm employs approximately four hundred workers.