Dietmann (piano factory)
| Dietmann pianos | |
|---|---|
| legal form | Ltd. |
| founding | 1955 |
| resolution | 1989 |
| Seat | South Africa |
| Number of employees | 50 (1989) |
| Branch | Musical instruments |
Dietmann (after the takeover of Piano Manufacturers of South Africa ) was a manufacturer of pianos and grand pianos based in Wellington, South Africa .
Company history
After the Second World War, Philipp Dietmann recruited the German piano maker Oscar Schindhelm for his manufacture in South Africa . Since he had lost his own factory in World War II, he and his two sons settled in Wellington. Production started in 1955. The company grew and produced about 30 pianos per month. The company had to move due to the larger capacity and the piano production rose to more than 4000 per year. The company name changed to P. Dietmann Pianos (Pt.) Ltd , until it was later merged into Piano Manufacturers of South Africa . At its peak, 20 pianos were made every day, which were delivered to Germany, France , the Netherlands , Italy , Spain , Greece , Israel and Iran , among others . Manufactured piano brands were: Shindhelm, Dietmann, Görs & Kallmann, Otto Bach, Fritz Kuhla. Instruments were also manufactured on behalf of the Ibach company .
The company was dissolved in 1989 due to economic difficulties. At that time, a total of 74,000 instruments were manufactured.
Brand name
When the manufactory was dissolved, the piano entrepreneur Bennie Dekker acquired the naming rights for further piano productions in the South African city of Pretoria . Until 1991, the name Dietmann was also used at times as a brand name for instruments by the piano manufacturer Kemble & Co. , founded in London in 1911 .
Web links
- Interview with Philipp Dietmann (archived, in English)
- Details about the company (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Jan Großbach: Atlas of the piano numbers . 10th edition. Edition Bochinsky, 2005, ISBN 3-937841-15-6 , pp. 96 .