Schwarzenberg washing machine factory
| VEB washing device factory in Schwarzenberg | |
|---|---|
| legal form | publicly-owned business |
| founding | July 1, 1948 (by expropriation) |
| resolution | June 1, 1990 (through reprivatisation) |
| Seat | Schwarzenberg / Erzgeb. |
| management | most recently (1984–1990) Winfried Döring |
| Number of employees | 3400 (1989) |
| sales | approx. 800 million marks (GDR) (1989) |
| Branch | Household appliance manufacturers |
The VEB Waschgerätewerk Schwarzenberg ( VEB WGW for short ) was the largest company for the development and production of washing devices in the GDR with its headquarters in Schwarzenberg / Erzgeb. The VEB WGW was the successor to the Krausswerke, nationalized in 1946 . In the course of development, the VEB WGW was assigned further companies, so that by 1989 a large company with around 3400 employees was created. With the monetary, economic and social union , the VEB WGW was re-privatized on June 1, 1990 and converted into a Waschgeräte GmbH. Various parts of the company were then spun off, with the part of the company spun off for washing machine production going bankrupt in 2000. The washing machine production in Schwarzenberg / Erzgeb. set.
Company history
Beginning as a plumber's workshop
In 1887, the plumber Karl Louis Krauss founded a plumber's workshop in Neuwelt (Schwarzenberg) for the manufacture of various products from tinplate , such as B. Oil cans, funnels and kerosene lamps. The cradle swing bath was also a product from this workshop. Due to the good sales and the profits made, Krauss was able to run its business by buying a building and a large property in Schwarzenberg / Erzgeb. expand.
The Krausswerke
history
In several construction phases, he enlarged his company, which now operated under the name Krausswerke . Forming sheet metal into finished products has been a specialty of Krausswerke right from the start. With the construction of a large hot-dip galvanizing plant in 1905, black sheet metal products such as washing tubs, bathtubs (including the so-called public bathtub ), hot water bottles and washing machine parts could be coated with permanent corrosion protection . - The founder's son, Friedrich Emil Krauss , took over the management of the plant from 1919. In 1937 the Krausswerke were recognized as a National Socialist model company by the Office for the Beauty of Work . In 1939, 900 workers and employees were employed in the Krausswerke, the number of which fell sharply again after being drafted into the Wehrmacht during the war years. At the end of the Second World War, on May 8, 1945 , the company still had 450 workers and employees.
Drum washing machine from Krauss
The company's founder, Karl Louis Krauss, began developing an all-metal washing machine based on the drum principle with coal-fired and manual drum drive in 1902. This first washing machine from Krausswerke became known as the Krauss steam washing machine . The term steam washing machine basically meant that the lye in the machine was brought to the boil. These washing machines could only be set up in a wash house, as larger amounts of steam escaped from the lid and the storage areas during the cooking phase. The air in the washhouse was full of steam. The plumes of steam had an unpleasant odor. Also because of the chimney connection required for the coal-fired furnace, the washing machine could only be operated in a wash house.
Progress through electrification
In 1923/24 households were electrified on a larger scale. 1927/28 z. B. in Berlin, half of all households have electricity. Electrification also led to a number of new developments in washing machines with significantly improved utility properties. The washing machines were driven directly by an electric motor. In addition to the traditional coal-fired furnace, the washing machine was now heated with gas or electricity. The Krauss company also came up with new developments. In 1923 the steam washing machine with an electric drive and reversing gear for the drum (change of direction of rotation) came on the market.
In 1935 the Krauss company brought out a new series of drum washing machines (type designation Turna ) with different capacities for laundry. The novelty of this washing machine was a pendulum-mounted drum with a spherical shape in a universal joint frame driven by an electric motor. All devices in this series could be supplied with coal, gas or electric heating. The Krauss washing machines were mostly equipped with a preheating container. In washing machines with coal or gas heating, the exhaust gases or flue gases were used to heat the water in the preheating container. In washing machines with electrical heating, the preheating container was placed on the washing vessel. The water heated in the preheating container could be used for rinsing or the next wash.
In addition to the range of washing machines, the Krausswerke produced spin dryers, laundry presses, bathtubs made of galvanized sheet metal, washing tubs, tumble dryers and the like. similar products.
Changeover of production between 1939 and 1945
Instead of household appliances of all kinds, metal products for the armaments industry (aircraft parts, ammunition boxes, tropical suitcases, parts for bazookas and hand grenades, cartridges, steel helmets and canteens) had to be manufactured in the years of the Second World War until 1945. A few washing machines were also produced. While 70 Italians and French were already working as prisoners of war in the factories during the First World War, 297 foreign workers were employed in the Krauss works during the Second World War.
post war period
With the collapse of the German economy in 1945, production came to a standstill in most factories, including the Krauss factories. But soon the company owner Friedrich Emil Krauss switched to peace production with the intact machine park and the remaining material reserves. In August 1945 the entrepreneur was expropriated , sentenced to 12 years imprisonment and after 9 years released in 1954 in the Federal Republic of Germany .
The Krausswerke were dismantled from August 1945 to mid-1946 under the supervision of Soviet officers with around 80 workers as reparations and the machines were brought to the Soviet Union . After the arrest of the company owner, the Krausswerke were administered in trust. In 1946, the Soviet military administration approved the resumption of production with the few remaining pieces of equipment and material. With around 80 workers, metal suitcases and ore boxes were created for Wismut AG, mainly by hand . Special orders for the occupying power were also part of the production program. In 1947 and 1948 some sheet metal products such as forks, potato baskets and feed buckets were produced. From 1947 to 1948, almost 1,000 washing machines and extractors could be assembled from the semi-finished parts that were still available.
VEB washing device factory in Schwarzenberg
On July 1, 1947, the Krausswerke were renamed VEB Erzgebirgische Waschgerätefabrik . However, 70 percent of the production area served as the central warehouse of Wismut AG. These rooms could not be used again for production until 1958. Some leveling benches , beading machines and spot welding machines were restored from old machine parts . Companies that no longer had any prerequisites for production delivered presses or these were borrowed from companies in the (old) Federal Republic. The friction press that was not involved in the dismantling was also used again. These presses were a modest basis for a stamping shop. The stamping shop was expanded with additional drawing presses and eccentric presses in the 1950s.
The then superordinate economic organ, the VVB Eisen-Blech-Metallwaren, soon set the task of producing washing machines for the population on a larger scale. In 1952 the name VEB Erzgebirgische Waschmaschinenfabrik was changed to VEB Waschgerätewerk Schwarzenberg . This name was retained until the turn of the year 1990. The product range did not live up to the company name in any way until the mid-1950s. From 1949 to 1955 only 4,612 Turna washing machines , the pre-war model of Krausswerke, were manufactured. That was an annual average of around 660 devices. The main products were various sheet metal articles such as washing tubs, children's bathtubs, garbage cans, skylights.
Over the years, VEB WGW has developed into a high-performance company. The operation was expanded with new buildings and technological facilities. He produced an extensive range of washing machines in large numbers for the needs of the GDR and for export. The number of washing machines per 100 households was 95 percent in 1990. The VEB WGW had its own tool and special machine construction and a company for the production of plastic parts. In addition to the production of washing devices, hurricane lamps, camping equipment, soldering equipment, petrol cans and similar products were produced in the branch plants.
Milestones in washing machine production in the VEB WGW
VEB WGW developed and produced washing machines and drainage devices. Specifically, these were wave wheel washing machines, semi-automatic washing machines, washing machines and fully automatic washing machines based on the drum system, laundry presses and spin dryers .
The resumption of washing machine production after the Second World War took place in 1949 with the Turna model from Krausswerke. The Turna was a coal-fired washing machine with a spherical drum. The ball drum, driven by an electric motor, was gimbal- mounted in the washing container so that it staggered movements during the washing process.
Wave gear washing machines
In 1955, VEB WGW's first in-house development, the Combi wave gear washing machine , went into series production. The Combi also offered the option of spinning laundry using a spinner that could be used in the washing container. Instead of the wave wheel, a wind blade was attached, in whose air stream the laundry was pre-dried. This washing machine was a major advance because it was carried out fairly and floor was to the household power grid via earthed socket are connected. This was followed by further improved developments of wave gear washing machines in various designs. The latest development was the wave gear washing machine in compact version WM 600 , which was produced until the year 2000. The TS 60/66 small extractor could be stored in the washing container of the improved wave wheel washing machine .
Wave wheel washing machines produced in VEB WGW: Combi, Combi II, Reni, Bella, WM60, WM63, WM64, WM 66 , WM 600.
Drum washing machines / washing machines
In 1958, the production of drum washing machines (without a spin cycle) started at VEB WGW. In drum washing machines, the individual work steps up to rinsing can take place without repacking the laundry. In most cases, a spin dryer was used to drain the laundry after it was rinsed. The first semi-automatic drum washing machine produced in the VEB WGW was the TM 58. Washing with the TM 58 was still cumbersome because the respective operation had to be set by hand on a switch. The current washing temperature could be read on a thermometer. In the following years a whole range of drum washing machines, the so-called washing machines (with automatic program sequence), was developed and put into series production. For the GDR (as of 1987), the demand for washing machines was estimated at around 200,000 pieces per year, so that in 1988/89 a newly developed washing machine in compact design WA-k went into large-scale production.
Drum washing machines / washing machines produced in VEB WGW: TM 58, TM 62, TM 64, WA 66, WA 662, WA 68, WA electronic02, WA-k, WA-ke.
Washing machines
The development of a fully automatic washing machine with floor mounting ( WA 61 ) for the household, which began in 1958, went into series production in 1961. Drive, heating and program sequence are controlled electrically. Washing, rinsing and spinning formed a continuous, fully automatic process. The assembly of the container with drum and drive motor was still rigidly mounted in a frame in this fully automatic washing machine, so that floor mounting with stone screws was necessary. The spin speed was 350 / min. The device had a preheating container with an electric heater. It provided hot water for the first and second rinse. The device had to be permanently connected to a power grid.
In 1966, a fully automatic washing machine without floor mounting in a narrow design with the type designation WVA 66 (successor WVA 68) was presented. The washing drum was loaded with laundry from above (top loader). The container assembly with the drive system was suspended in springs to compensate for the unbalance forces during the spin cycle so that the device could be operated without being attached to the floor. The spin speed was 850 rpm. The device was mobile on retractable rollers. The electrical connection was made to a standard 10 A protective contact socket .
Standard washing machine series
In 1974 the standard washing machine series (SWM series) was transferred to series production. This series contained washing machines WA (without spin cycle) and fully automatic washing machines WVA (with spin cycle) based on uniform components. This series was continuously developed and supplemented with new devices. It was the main production until 1990. The variety of types can be seen in the graphic. With the introduction of the SWM series, the VEB WGW created a new, modern production facility in the existing structure, whereby the low room heights and the production facilities distributed over several floors made the technological process more difficult. Nonetheless, production was carried out at an internationally comparable level at that time in many production stages. The production departments were largely linked by continuous conveyors. All large components such as the drum or housing were manufactured on transfer lines. Test tapes for the final and long-term testing of the devices were available. A new paint shop with electrophoretic primer and electrostatic topcoat was put into operation to paint the housing . The washing machine types WVA-VE and VA861E were fully electronically controlled devices with laundry imbalance detection and correction. They also included a diagnostic system for service.
Transfer line for drum assembly
Transfer line for housing production
Partial view of the final assembly line
Long-term testing of the SWM devices
Spin dryers (small spin)
In 1960 a small extractor with the type designation TS (table extractor) 60 was transferred to series production in the VEB WGW. This small extractor was a useful addition to the wave wheel washing machines, which could also be stored in their washing containers. The necessary small dimensions of the sling were made possible by a rigid structure and an inflatable air ring that was placed under the sling. In this way, the entire spinner performed the vibrations required to compensate for laundry unbalance. The capacity of the spinner was 1.5 kg of dry laundry and thus corresponded to the capacity of the wave wheel washing machines. The production of the small extractor was relocated to the VEM Spinnflügelwerk Neudorf in 1986 .
Number of items produced
Quantity and prices ( Mark (GDR) ) of some washing machines from 1949 to mid-1990
| Device group | Start of production | average price | Quantities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turna (pre-war model) | 1949 | 650.00 | 30,466 |
| Wave gear washing machines | 1955 | 640.00 | 5,317,205 |
| Washing machines | 1958 | 1450, - | 3,707,600 |
| Washing machines | 1961 | 2500.00 | 1,288,096 |
| Washing machine (fully electronic) | 1986 | 2700.00 | 277.399 |
| Small slings | 1960 | 280.00 | 3,400,000 |
| Total number of washing devices | 14,020,766 |
swell
- Historical brochure: Louis Krauss, metal goods factory in Schwarzenberg , April 1912, author unknown
- Material from the Schwarzenberg Castle Museum: A century of washing devices from Schwarzenberg , author unknown
- Private customer prospectus collection
Web links
- The Krausswerke - Friedrich Emil Krauss , private website of Maximilian Lehmann
- Oldiewash: washing through the ages
- GDR economy. It could have been worse - 6 pages of the history of the washing machine factory on "Zeit online"
Individual evidence
- ↑ Friday newspaper of March 14, 2003, Jan Rosenkranz: Das Mufu-Ding. With the WM 66 you can heat sausages and pickle fruit. That's a lot of function for a washing machine ; Retrieved November 24, 2009
Coordinates: 50 ° 32 '28.4 " N , 12 ° 47' 42.7" E