Heinrich Alfred Gautschi
Heinrich Alfred Gautschi (born March 10, 1871 in Menziken ; † March 21, 1955 there ) was a Swiss industrialist and pioneer in aluminum technology.
Live and act
The son of a foreman did an apprenticeship as a mechanic after attending the district school . In 1897 he took over a mechanical workshop in Fleurier . In his workshops he produced, among other things, metal goods for sawmills and for the watchmaking industry. After getting to know the then new and light material aluminum , Gautschi manufactured belt pulleys for the watch industry from this metal for the first time in 1899. As a result, he also received orders from the vehicle industry for engine housings, which he manufactured in a newly built aluminum foundry.
In 1903 he moved his company Gautschi & Jequier to Gontenschwil , where he concentrated entirely on the processing of aluminum goods . From this company the aluminum goods factory Gontenschwil AG emerged in 1905 .
In addition to an aluminum foundry, Gautschi set up a test rolling mill for the production of aluminum foil . In 1905 Gautschi founded a stock corporation. On April 15, 1905, he patented the so-called paper or book rolling process for aluminum foil. The process basically consisted of rolling a thin sheet of aluminum, then dividing it into two halves, which were then rolled again on top of one another. The process was repeated until a package of 64 foil sheets was reached. The new type of foil was initially used primarily for packaging and replaced the tinfoil , i.e. rolled out tin , which had been used for a long time . The first big order comprised the monthly delivery of 1.6 million snuff packs and came from Germany .
In addition to the production of aluminum foil, the manufacture of rolled products made of aluminum was started in 1911, such as wire, rods and angle profiles. In addition, numerous other articles were made from aluminum, such as kitchen appliances. The palette ranged from cutlery and tourist cookers to steam pots and was expanded many times over the following decades under the direction of Gautschi. In 1936 the cookware company Ferdinand Sigg AG in Frauenfeld was taken over.
Further examples of the diversification of production in these years are lathes, light metal windows, roofing, wall cladding, tilting and rolling gates as well as slat blinds and railing constructions. In 1928 a new type of vertical extrusion press was purchased, which laid the foundation for the company's international reputation. Gautschi's entrepreneurial vision is shown, among other things, in the fact that, among other innovations, he manufactured products for the aviation industry at an early stage .
Gautschi campaigned for the social concerns of the workforce in his company at an early stage. In 1908, for example, he founded a workers' welfare fund, and in addition to regular pay, he introduced bonuses. The company founded by Gautschi still exists today and belongs to the Alu Menziken Group whose majority shareholder until 2007 was the Gautschi family. In 2007 the Gautschi family sold the majority of the Alu Menziken Group to Montana Tech Components AG .
literature
- Gautschi, Alfred: The aluminum industry. Zurich Economic Research 5. 120 pp. And 5 tables. Law and political dissertation at the University of Zurich. Rascher & Cie., Zurich. 1925
- Gautschi, Alfred [ed.]: 50 years of aluminum Menziken. Festschrift to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the stock corporation 1905–1955. 142 p. Fig.Aargau. 1955.
- Schuh, Günther, Thomas Friedli u. Michael A. Kurr: Process-oriented reorganization. 204 S. Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich / Vienna. 2007. ISBN 978-3-446-40720-6 .
- Portmann, Paul Ferdinand: AG Sigg, metal goods factory, Frauenfeld. In: Thurgauer Jahrbuch 56: 92-98. Huber Frauenfeld. 1981. ISSN 1420-3634 .
- Bahnmüller, Martin u. Peter Siegrist [Ed.]: 100 years of ALU Menziken - a century in Oberwynental: 1897–1997. 103 S. Menziken: ALU Menziken Holding. 1997. ISBN 3-9521405-0-3 .
Web links
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Gautschi, Heinrich Alfred |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Swiss industrialist and pioneer in aluminum technology |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 10, 1871 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Menziken |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 21, 1955 |
| Place of death | Menziken |