{"id":10679,"date":"2019-11-27T09:24:47","date_gmt":"2019-11-27T08:24:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/niles-simmons.de\/?p=10679"},"modified":"2020-03-20T11:05:37","modified_gmt":"2020-03-20T10:05:37","slug":"hegenscheidt-mfd-the-long-history-of-our-sister-company","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/niles-simmons.de\/en\/hegenscheidt-mfd-the-long-history-of-our-sister-company\/","title":{"rendered":"Hegenscheidt-MFD: the long history of our sister company"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
The Hegen\u00adscheidt com\u00adpany site in Erkel\u00adenz in an aerial pho\u00adto\u00adgraph from 1954 Photo: Hegenscheidt-MFD<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wars move the eco\u00adnomy in seve\u00adral ways. The change of pro\u00adduc\u00adtion to arma\u00adments, the relo\u00adca\u00adtion of pro\u00adduc\u00adtion faci\u00adli\u00adties to \u00bbsafer\u00ab areas, the dis\u00admant\u00adling and rem\u00adoval of faci\u00adli\u00adties after a vic\u00adtory in the win\u00adner count\u00adries. In other cases, the peo\u00adple flee only with their know\u00adledge. 72 years ago, in 1947, the way of Hegen\u00adscheidt com\u00adpany from Rabi\u00adtor, Upper Sile\u00adsia ended in Erkel\u00adenz, which had been con\u00adque\u00adred by the Soviet army and had became Polish. This year, the com\u00adpany is cele\u00adbra\u00adting its 130th anni\u00adver\u00adsary there. The com\u00adpany has made a name for its\u00adelf in machine tool indus\u00adtry, espe\u00adci\u00adally with wheel\u00adset pro\u00adfile lathes for rail\u00adways. Today the com\u00adpany sup\u00adplies com\u00adplete auto\u00adma\u00adtic sys\u00adtems for wheel\u00adset main\u00adten\u00adance and manufacturing.<\/p>\n

The ori\u00adg\u00adins of the named Hegen\u00adscheidt family comes from Altena in West\u00adpha\u00adlia, from where Carl August Wil\u00adhelm Hegen\u00adscheidt moved to Gli\u00adwice in Upper Sile\u00adsia and foun\u00added a com\u00adpany for wire, nails and chains in 1852, where his son Wil\u00adhelm acqui\u00adred his first entre\u00adpre\u00adneu\u00adrial expe\u00adri\u00adence in this com\u00adpany, beofore he foun\u00added a firm for buil\u00adding fit\u00adtings in Rati\u00adbor in 1889. The date of birth of today\u2019s com\u00adpany Hegen\u00adscheidt. Wil\u00adhelm Hegen\u00adscheidt sold the com\u00adpany to Emil Blau in 1896 and inves\u00adted in the emer\u00adging Upper Sile\u00adsian heavy indus\u00adtry. His\u00adto\u00adri\u00adcally he is known as one of the co-foun\u00adders of this industry.<\/p>\n

Gene\u00adral view of the com\u00adpany in Rati\u00adbor in 1912, Photo: Hegenscheidt-MFD<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Accor\u00adding to the infor\u00adma\u00adtion of the future owner of the com\u00adpany, Ber\u00adnard Schon\u00addorff, Rati\u00adbor had the advan\u00adtage of being an agri\u00adcul\u00adtu\u00adral small town on the edge of the Upper Sile\u00adsian indus\u00adtrial area, where suf\u00adfi\u00adci\u00adent workers could still be found \u2013 this was simi\u00adlar to Erkel\u00adenz, which was cho\u00adsen as the loca\u00adtion in 1947 for the same reason. The\u00adreas well as here, accor\u00adding to Schon\u00addorff, employees of the core work\u00adforce were working part-time on farms as a second main\u00adstay, which hel\u00adped to ensure loyalty to the loca\u00adtion and com\u00adpany. For the pro\u00adduc\u00adtion of buil\u00adding hard\u00adware, the com\u00adpany incre\u00adasingly pro\u00addu\u00adced the auto\u00adma\u00adtic and semi-auto\u00adma\u00adtic machi\u00adnes its\u00adelf \u2013 thus the pro\u00adduc\u00adtion of machine tool was estab\u00adlished. Addi\u00adtio\u00adnal machi\u00adnes for mining and indus\u00adtry were added to the pro\u00adduct, in which the com\u00adpany finally spe\u00adcia\u00adli\u00adzed. This deve\u00adlo\u00adp\u00adment was par\u00adti\u00adcu\u00adlarly pro\u00admo\u00adted by the rail\u00adway lines, which were built with increased inten\u00adsity and were sent to Rus\u00adsia. The acqui\u00adsi\u00adtion of Hegen\u00adscheidt by Emil Blau, a talen\u00adted tech\u00adni\u00adcian and inven\u00adtor from Aus\u00adtria, also played a decisive role in this. Emil Blau\u2019s inven\u00adtion of a mecha\u00adni\u00adcal pro\u00adfile copy\u00ading sup\u00adport for machi\u00adning wheel pro\u00adfiles was pro\u00addu\u00adced until 1956. Com\u00adple\u00admen\u00adtary com\u00adpa\u00adnies such as an axle fac\u00adtory, wel\u00adding shop and a foundry were also acqui\u00adred. The Ger\u00adman Natio\u00adnal Rail\u00adway sup\u00adplied 60 per\u00adcent of its requi\u00adre\u00adments from Hegen\u00adscheidt, while exports pro\u00advi\u00added ser\u00advices to the for\u00adeign mar\u00adkets exclu\u00adsi\u00advely in Eas\u00adtern Europe, Rus\u00adsia, Bela\u00adrus, Ukraine in the Bal\u00adkans and China.<\/p>\n

Com\u00adpany foun\u00adder Wil\u00adhelm Hegen\u00adscheidt. Photo: Hegenscheidt-MFD<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After the Hit\u00adler regime became more and more powerful, the orders suf\u00adfe\u00adred a strong inter\u00adrup\u00adtion due to Emil Blau\u2019s Jewish ori\u00adgin. He died in 1932 and his widow offe\u00adred the com\u00adpany to Adolf Schon\u00addorff for take\u00adover with all assets and lia\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adties in exch\u00adange for an life annuity and left Ger\u00admany to Denmark.<\/p>\n

At the begin\u00adning of the 1930s, engi\u00adneer E.H. Adolf Schon\u00addorff took over the com\u00adpany, which had grown from 1200 employees in 1912 to 2500 in 1944 \u2013 but in Janu\u00adary 1945 the end was immi\u00adnent, when the Soviet army had sur\u00adroun\u00added the Sile\u00adsian indus\u00adtrial area. Only at Rati\u00adbor was a \u00bbgate\u00ab left open to the west, through which a large part of Ger\u00adman indus\u00adtry fled, which was able to make a sto\u00adpo\u00adver at Hegen\u00adscheidt, as Adolf Schon\u00addorf\u00adf\u2019s son, gra\u00adduate engi\u00adneer Bern\u00adhard Schon\u00addorff, remem\u00adbe\u00adred in 1964. The com\u00adpany had a 24-hour can\u00adteen, which was ser\u00adved by its own agri\u00adcul\u00adture, inclu\u00adding pig bree\u00adding; the refu\u00adgees were well cared and could stay overnight.<\/p>\n

But Hegen\u00adscheidt-Schon\u00addorff also wan\u00adted to go to the west before the con\u00adquest. With one metre of snow and 30 degrees below zero, a truck and car con\u00advoy for 28 fami\u00adlies was put tog\u00ade\u00adther, white\u00adwashed for camou\u00adflage, which Ber\u00adnard Schon\u00addorff led bet\u00adween the retrea\u00adting armed forces and the advan\u00adcing Red Army in the almost undis\u00adtur\u00adbed no man\u2019s land in such a way that they were \u00bbnot sub\u00adjec\u00adted to any nui\u00adsance\u00ab. They were taken to Erfurt in Thu\u00adrin\u00adgia, where Schon\u00addorff recei\u00adved orders from the Minis\u00adtry of Trans\u00adport in Ber\u00adlin to return to Rati\u00adbor, which had not yet been inva\u00added, to take out the 14 finis\u00adhed wheel-set lathes in the fac\u00adtory, because they were important for the lar\u00adgely des\u00adtroyed rail\u00adway infra\u00adstruc\u00adture. Schon\u00addorff had 33 rail\u00adway wagons at his dis\u00adpo\u00adsal and they even left the fac\u00adtory \u2013 the now libe\u00adra\u00adted Cze\u00adchos\u00adlo\u00adva\u00adkia, through which the train had to pass, clo\u00adsed the bor\u00adder. The com\u00adpany was over.<\/p>\n

Thu\u00adrin\u00adgia was occu\u00adp\u00adied by the Ame\u00adri\u00adcans, who, accor\u00adding to the Allied agree\u00adments, left it in July 1945, but who gave Hegen\u00adscheidt with a train of 80 wagons to take the com\u00adpany to the Ame\u00adri\u00adcan zone in Munich. But there was no cont\u00adact per\u00adson because of the evacua\u00adtion, no one went there.<\/p>\n

After losing a large part of their cus\u00adto\u00admers and pro\u00adduc\u00adtion faci\u00adli\u00adties, the Schon\u00addorffs and employees moved fur\u00adther west, asking the VDW (Ger\u00adman Asso\u00adcia\u00adtion of Machine Tool Manu\u00adfac\u00adtu\u00adr\u00aders) to look for part\u00adner com\u00adpa\u00adnies where pro\u00adduc\u00adtion could be re-esab\u00adlished, if they had func\u00adtional machine tools. Seve\u00adral com\u00adpa\u00adnies, such as those in D\u00fcs\u00adsel\u00addorf, Karls\u00adruhe and Gie\u00ad\u00dfen, were eli\u00admi\u00adna\u00adted because they had been dis\u00admant\u00adled by the Wes\u00adtern Allies. In Erkel\u00adenz they finally found the drill rig manu\u00adfac\u00adtu\u00adrer Alfred Wirth & Co., who then built new wheel\u00adset lathes for the Hegen\u00adscheidt com\u00adpany, which its\u00adelf ope\u00adra\u00adted as a sales and con\u00ads\u00adtruc\u00adtion office. Initi\u00adally it had to stay with this type of machine, because the other pro\u00adduc\u00adtion plants in Rati\u00adbor had not moved along. Based on the expe\u00adri\u00adence gai\u00adned in the sec\u00adtor of axle jour\u00adnal bur\u00adnis\u00adhed tech\u00adno\u00adlogy, addi\u00adtio\u00adnally fine rol\u00adling machi\u00adnes were built.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Hegen\u00adscheidt-Com\u00adpany in Erkel\u00adenz in a nowa\u00addays view, pho\u00adto\u00adgra\u00adphed from the air. On the right you can see the rail\u00adway sta\u00adtion. Photo: Hegenscheidt-MFD<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 1964, Hegen\u00adscheidt employed 100 sala\u00adried employees and 150 workers in its own com\u00adpany in Neus\u00adser Stra\u00dfe, wher\u00adeby the 15-tons wheel\u00adset lathes con\u00adtin\u00adued to be manu\u00adfac\u00adtu\u00adred by the workers and by Wirth. A high per\u00adcen\u00adtage of the com\u00adpany\u2019s own employees were engi\u00adneers and desi\u00adgners who, among other things, deve\u00adlo\u00adped the worl\u00add\u2019s first fully auto\u00adma\u00adtic wheel\u00adset lathe. Inno\u00adva\u00adtions were also made in the field of rol\u00adling machi\u00adnes, pri\u00adzes were won and the com\u00adpany made con\u00adti\u00adnuous progress.<\/p>\n

In 1995, the spe\u00adcialty rail equip\u00adment sup\u00adplier Voss\u00adloh-AG purcha\u00adsed Hegen\u00adscheidt, until Pro\u00adfes\u00adsor Hans J. Nau\u00admann acqui\u00adred the com\u00adpany in 2001. From 1970 to 1982 he was alre\u00adady a share\u00adhol\u00adder and mana\u00adging direc\u00adtor of Hegen\u00adscheidt, adding to it with the purchase of its machine tool com\u00adpa\u00adnies owned in the USA and Ger\u00admany. The result was the emer\u00adgence of the Niles-Sim\u00admons-Hegen\u00adscheidt Group (NSH-Group). His son, John Oli\u00adver Nau\u00admann, has also been a mana\u00adging direc\u00adtor of the group for seve\u00adral years. The group is broadly posi\u00adtio\u00adned in the machine tool and mecha\u00adni\u00adcal engi\u00adnee\u00adring indus\u00adtry at a num\u00adber of loca\u00adti\u00adons world\u00adwide with pro\u00adduc\u00adtion faci\u00adli\u00adties, sales and ser\u00advice offices.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wars move the eco\u00adnomy in seve\u00adral ways. The change of pro\u00adduc\u00adtion to arma\u00adments, the relo\u00adca\u00adtion of pro\u00adduc\u00adtion faci\u00adli\u00adties to \u00bbsafer\u00ab areas, the dis\u00admant\u00adling and rem\u00adoval of faci\u00adli\u00adties after a vic\u00adtory in the win\u00adner count\u00adries. In other cases, the peo\u00adple flee only with their know\u00adledge. 72 years ago, in 1947, the way of Hegen\u00adscheidt com\u00adpany from\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","entry","no-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/niles-simmons.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/niles-simmons.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/niles-simmons.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/niles-simmons.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/niles-simmons.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10679"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/niles-simmons.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10679\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10746,"href":"https:\/\/niles-simmons.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10679\/revisions\/10746"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/niles-simmons.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/niles-simmons.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/niles-simmons.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}