Jakob Dieffenbacher

Jakob Dieffenbacher

Jakob Dieffenbacher (born July 28, 1847 in Eppingen ; † June 27, 1929 there ) was the founder of the Dieffenbacher machine factory in Eppingen.

Life

Origin and early years

Jakob Dieffenbacher was born as the son of master cooper Jakob Dieffenbacher (1813–1878) and Eva Margaretha Heininger (1811–1879). After completing school in Eppingen, he learned the metalworking trade in Mannheim and came to the workshop of Carl Benz . He passed the master's examination and founded his own metalworking shop in Mannheim. In 1873 he returned to his hometown Eppingen, where he opened a locksmith's shop in the old town, on Bachweg , in the same year , for which he advertised with the following business recommendation : Hereby I make one admirable. local and foreign audiences the submissive announcement that I have moved my business from Mannheim here. At the same time, I recommend myself in the production of checkout cabinets, feed cutting machines, pool pumps, etc. and I will also take care of all repairs that affect my field. Eighty-minded J. Dieffenbacher, locksmith and mechanic asks for encouragement.

In the early years, the usual locksmith work such as locks , fences, steel doors and iron bars were made. Repairs were also carried out, especially on agricultural machinery and equipment. Before 1900, the locksmith's workshop was already producing series products such as cash boxes , cash boxes , stoves and ovens . Two of Jakob Dieffenbacher's four sons, Wilhelm and Friedrich, decided to join their father’s business. Before that, they had passed their master craftsman examination, Wilhelm at Krupp in Essen and Friedrich at Sulzer in Switzerland.

Development into a modern industrial company

The decision to develop the craft business into a modern factory was made soon after 1900. The advancing specialization in the company's own business and in the economy in general gave the decisive impetus for this. In 1910 the new factory building with adjoining residential building was completed on Heilbronner Strasse. At the same time, the company was renamed the J. Dieffenbacher Sons mechanical engineering institute . Although the sons Wilhelm and Friedrich had already taken over the management of the company, the company founder still had an influence on the fortunes of the company.

The product range now included fruit mills, milk separators, potato harvesters, seed dressers, straw presses, plows and harrows, grist mills, beet mills, beet cutters, circular saws and liquid manure pumps. All products that were in demand in rural Kraichgau in times of increasing mechanization .

In 1914 the name of the company changed again, it was now called Maschinenfabrik J. Dieffenbacher Söhne . Hydraulic oil presses and fruit presses have now become an additional specialty in the product range . The increased cultivation of oil seeds, fruit and wine created demand.

While the second generation continued to expand the business - 50 people were employed in the 1920s - the founder Jakob Dieffenbacher was able to follow the developments and achievements of his sons in retirement. He died in 1929, the year of a global economic crisis , at the age of 81.

family

He married Elisabeth Jung (1847–1882) on April 18, 1872 in Mannheim . The marriage had six sons, four of whom (Karl, Heinrich, Albert and Wilhelm) came to life, as well as the daughter Elisabeth.

literature

• Gerhard Dieffenbacher: Foundation and history of the family company Dieffenbacher Maschinen und Anlagen. 1st and 2nd generation. Eppingen 2000.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Karl Diefenbacher ( arr .): The sex of the Dief (f) enbacher. In: Michael Ertz (Ed.): Hundred Years of Evangelical City Church Eppingen 1879–1979. Eppingen 1979, pp. 126-158, here p. 150.