Geha works
| Geha GmbH
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| legal form | GmbH |
| founding | 1918 in Hanover |
| Seat | Brilon |
| management | Michael Zulauf |
| Branch | Office supplies |
| Website | www.geha.de |
The Geha-Werke (short for Ge brotherly Ha rtmann-Werke) in Hanover were to its acquisition in 1990 by the Herlitz manufacturer of stationery and office supplies.
Foundation and advancement
The company was founded in 1918 by Heinrich Hartmann (born February 1, 1892 in Haste , † March 4, 1971 in Hanover) and his brother Conrad Hartmann (born December 16, 1896 in Haste, † October 18, 1977 in Hanover) in the two years Later on, the city of Linden, incorporated in Hanover, was founded as a trading and shipping company for office supplies . Only later were these goods produced in-house. For this purpose, a representative company building was set up in what was then the Klein-Buchholz district on Podbielskistraße , and the company's development took off rapidly. In 1925, 200 employees were employed, in 1936 there were 390. In that year the production facility was significantly expanded: a large building with a tower according to plans by Ernst Zinsser was built, which is now a listed building . Even before the Second World War , two more large-scale production facilities were built in the same district due to the expansion of production, especially for office machines . From 1943, as a result of the war economy, the production of office supplies was switched to armaments supplies. From then on, the factory produced cartridge cases, lead bullets and aircraft compasses.
After the Second World War , the representative factory building was confiscated by the British occupying forces from 1945 and used as the seat of the military government in Hanover. The company was not returned until 1949, and production started in the same year. The maximum number of employees was 1,900 in 1965, and at the beginning of the 1970s after the construction of Plant 3 it was even 2,500 for a short time. The square in front of the company building on Podbielskistraße was renamed Geha-Platz because of the company's economic importance for the city.
In 1964 a branch was opened in Milan (Italy) and another in 1968 in Brussels (Belgium). From 1972 Geha also produced copiers (including the Geha 1800) and daylight projectors . In 1982 document shredders and from 1990 projectors were added to the range.
Products
In 1939, Geha-Duplex, the first carbon paper with a printed back (in green) was developed. The company became well known for its fountain pen , which was produced from 1950 and was the first in Germany to have an ink cartridge . Until the 1980s the Geha “filler” was the main competitor for the corresponding products from the Hanover-based market leader Pelikan . The Geha fountain pens are characterized by a special cartridge format with a rear and front ink outlet (rear outlet specially for Geha, front outlet for other fountain pens). They also had a system known as a reserve tank : By operating a slider under the spring bar, a small additional supply of ink could be used.
descent
Like Pelikan, Geha expanded its range to include numerous writing, office and IT materials in the 1970s and 1980s. This expansion and other causes such as For example, the economic effects of the 1973 oil crisis brought the company into financial difficulties, and declining sales in 1975 and 1982 led to several months of short-time work . After several attempts at renovation were unsuccessful, the former competitor Pelikan took over Geha-Werke in 1990. In the 1990s, Pelikan stopped production on the former Geha factory premises, and the buildings were either demolished or converted into business premises. On October 1, 2005, Geha-Werke GmbH in Garbsen, with products for modern presentation technology and document shredders, was incorporated into Pelikan Vertriebsgesellschaft mbh & Co. KG in Hanover.
What remains is Geha as a trademark of Pelikan Holding and the subsidiary Geha GmbH based in Brilon . Today presentation systems ( Geha direkt ) and printer accessories ( German Hardcopy AG ) are sold under the brand name Geha . Fountain pens and accessories are only sold under the Pelikan brand .
According to the Geha.de website, "Geha GmbH Brilon ceased its business activities on September 30, 2012". Sales of projectors, screens and presentation furniture were stopped in mid-2012. Only printer accessories, document shredders and laminating devices and foils are offered.