Harburg-Freudenberger - History of Success: 150th anniversary at the Hamburg-Harburg site
On 8th September 2005, Harburg-Freudenberger Maschinenbau GmbH will celebrate their 150th anniversary at their Hamburg-Harburg site.
Besides longstanding customers and sub-suppliers, numbered amongst the guests will also be people who have accompanied the Harburg works and their corporate groups during their long and changing history, as well as representatives from the world of politics, economy, commerce, and science. One of them will be Hamburg’s mayor, Mr. Ole von Beust. The senator for trade and industry, Mr. Gunnar Uldall will be giving a speech. Further guests expected include the president of Harburg’s Technical University, Prof. Dr. Edwin Kreuzer, his predecessor, Prof. Dr. Christian Nedeß, and the chairman of the parent company Lübeck-based Possehl, Mr. Uwe Lüders.
Since the works were founded in 1855 by German Julius Koeber, the product range of the machine-builder has always kept with economic developments. Koeber started with his ironworks producing rolling mills and crucible cast steel, and soon after built the first rubber rolling mill, specializing in 1890 in machinery for the processing of oilseeds and rubber. As early as in 1908, the company was awarded with the first price for a slew able cage press for oil seeds. The wellknown trademark HEB (Harburger Eisen- und Bronzewerke) originated in 1910 through the merger of the three firms, Koeber’s Eisen- und Bronzewerke, Harburger Eisenwerke AG, and Maschinenfabrik Eddelbüttel. Finally, in the 50s, the Krupp group increased their share in the Harburg company to 100%. When in 1998 the two steel groups, Thyssen and Krupp merged, this also influenced on the name of the Harburg works which until recently bore the name ThyssenKrupp Elastomertechnik GmbH. In spring 2005, the Lübeck conglomerate Possehl bought the engineering company.
In the course of their 150-year history, the Harburg works of Harburg- Freudenberger Maschinenbau GmbH have had great influence on developments in the fields of tires production and technical rubber goods as well as edible oils and fats of vegetable and animal origin. “We consider ourselves to be partners and promoters for the rubber and oilseed processing industries”, said the chairman of the board of management, Frank Horch.
Highlights from the rubber technology sector:
- 1972: The first hydraulic passenger tire curing press was presented at the Hannover trade fair.
- 1979: The first shear head extrusion line was presented at the K-trade fair in Düsseldorf.
- 1984: The company presented the first Unistage tire building machine P1+2, again at the K-trade fair in Düsseldorf.
- 1987: At the rubber conference in Nürnberg, the hammer head closing system used in the shear head technology was presented for the first time.
- 1999: Product launch of the column-type curing press on the occasion of the Tire Technology Expo in Hamburg and in
- 2004: Product launch of the first light-truck tire building machine PLT 3-23
- 2005: Installation and start-up of the first calander at a customer site.
Highlights from the edible oil sector (manufactured since 1957):
- Approx. 1500 screw presses for the production of oil and for the processing of animal byproducts
- Approx. 400 extraction plants and extraction equipment
- Approx.. 400 plants for the production of edible oils and fats
On 9th September the staff as well as the retirees of the Hamburg-Harburg works will celebrate the 150th anniversary of their company with a big party. Together with their relatives they can look forward to a program of entertainment with lots of music, international cooking and of course one or two surprises. Anna Heesch of the Hamburg TV station “Hamburg Eins” will present the program for these two days.
Since March of this year, Harburg-Freudenberger Maschinenbau GmbH is an affiliated company of the Lübeck-based Possehl Group which has activities worldwide. In the financial year 2003/2004, Harburg-Freudenberger achieved a sales volume of 150 million Euro. The company has a worldwide workforce of 1050 people.
