Agricultural machinery in the GDR

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The construction of agricultural machinery was one of the most important branches of industry in the GDR in connection with the accelerated development of agriculture . In the 1980s it realized around 1.4% of the country's industrial production and around 6% exports to the Comecon countries .

history

The most important companies were expropriated and converted into state- owned companies (VEB) between 1945 and 1948 . At the same time, due to the high demand, in addition to traditional agricultural machinery manufacturers, companies in other industries were also geared towards agricultural technology. Conversely, some companies that were initially active in the agricultural machinery sector left this branch of industry. As far as they were not SAG companies ( Soviet joint-stock companies ), the companies were initially subject to the state governments.

From 1948 on the formation of associations of state-owned enterprises (VVB) took place, in which the larger companies were grouped according to branches. VVB Land-, Bau- und Holzverarbeitungmaschinen (VVB LBH) was formed as the central management body for the agricultural machinery industry in 1948, to which 15 agricultural machinery companies belonged in 1952. At that time, the tractor manufacturing companies belonged to the Association of Volkseigener Fahrzeugwerke IFA . In 1953 the VVB LBH was dissolved. The agricultural machinery industry received its own head office, subordinate to the Ministry of General Mechanical Engineering , with its seat in Leipzig. At the same time, further companies from other sectors were assigned to the agricultural machinery industry to expand capacity.

In 1956 the tractor manufacturing companies in Schönebeck, Nordhausen and Brandenburg were spun off from automobile and vehicle manufacturing and assigned to agricultural machinery. The head office was renamed Agricultural Machinery and Tractors . In 1958 it received the status of a VVB, which at that time had around 25,000 employees. Important tasks of this time were the specialization of the farms according to product groups and the provision of agricultural technology for the emerging large farms. From the mid-1960s onwards, agriculture demanded that products no longer be available as individual machines, but rather as complete machine systems for the continuous mechanization of agricultural processes. In the GDR, responsibility for machine systems was an important criterion for the profiling and economic organization of agricultural machinery.

In 1964 the tractor companies in Nordhausen , Schönebeck and Brandenburg and later the Cunewalde engine plant were reassigned to the automotive industry. From this point in time, 21 companies were subordinate to VVB Landmaschinenbau.

In 1970 the agricultural machinery industry was merged with the food and beverage machinery industry and the VVB Land- und Lebensmittelgütertechnik, based in Leipzig, was formed. At the same time, further companies from the territorially managed sector and companies from other branches of industry were assigned to this VVB. It was divided into the following 5 combines:

The Schönebeck tractor factory also started manufacturing agricultural machinery again in 1970. In 1973 it was assigned to the Combine Progress.

In the field of agriculture, from the mid-1960s, through the specialization of maintenance capacities, the rationalization means of agriculture developed, which was mainly active in the field of machines and equipment for animal husbandry.

At the beginning of the 1970s, a large number of small and medium-sized businesses, including former private or semi-public companies in the agricultural machinery and supplier sector, were classified as parts of the business or operations in the respective combine operations. The private companies had previously been transferred to public ownership.

In 1974 VVB Land- und Lebensmittelgütertechnik was dissolved and the above-mentioned combines were directly subordinated to the Ministry of General Mechanical Engineering, Agricultural Machinery and Vehicle Construction. At the same time, the Ascobloc combine was dissolved and the operations concerned were assigned to the Nagema combine. At this point in time, the three agricultural machinery combines realized around 88% of the sales performance of VVB, in which the combine Progress was involved with around 56%, the Weimar Combine with around 28% and the Combine Impulsa with around 16%.

In 1978 a new Combine Progress Agricultural Machinery was created , which now comprised the entire agricultural machinery industry in one economic unit. It consisted of the previous Combine Progress and the Combines Weimar and Impulsa, the trading combine agrotechnic, the foreign trade company Progress Agricultural Machinery and other companies from other areas of industry, in particular the supplier area for agricultural machinery. This economic unit was based in Neustadt / Saxony.

In 1984 the companies Kyffhäuserhütte Artern , Bäckereimaschinenbau Halle, Mühlenbau Dresden, Mühlen- und Maschinenbau Wittenberg and Apparatebau Nordhausen were spun off from the Combine Progress and assigned to the Combine Nagema. In 1990 the Kombinatbetriebe became independent and came under the responsibility of the Treuhandanstalt. On June 30, 1990, the Combine Progress was dissolved.

Development of employees in agricultural machinery construction in the GDR
Trend in sales and export performance in agricultural machinery construction

Establishments

The names and the status of the companies (legally independent company or part of a company or permanent establishment) have occasionally changed in connection with the economic and organizational measures. In the period from 1951 to 1977, many of the small and medium-sized enterprises that were taken over were classified as parts of existing state-owned enterprises.

Before the formation of the Progress Agricultural Machinery Combine in 1978, the agricultural machinery industry had 42 legally independent companies with around 51,400 employees. After that there were 75 companies with around 61,000 employees. With the economic organizational measures of the 1980s, the number of companies was reduced to 24 with around 56,000 employees. At that time there were around 300 operating locations in all districts and 113 counties.

In the overview of the most important companies and the period in which they belonged to the economic organization of agricultural machinery in the GDR, the best-known company name is used. These companies had the status of a VEB.

Sales shares of agricultural machinery manufacturing in the GDR in the individual market regions at the end of the 1980s

Products

In connection with the economic and organizational changes, the production program was designed as follows:

  • 1948 to 1956 agricultural machinery
  • 1956 to 1964 tractors and agricultural machinery
  • 1964 to 1970 agricultural machinery
  • 1970 to 1984 tractors, agricultural and food machinery
  • 1984 to 1989 tractors and agricultural machinery

From the mid-1970s onwards, the branch of industry had to push the development and production of supplies and consumer goods, among other things. This resulted in the following proportions of the product groups in sales performance at the end of the 1980s:

  • about 65% tractors and agricultural machinery, including spare parts
  • About 30% supplies, including diesel engines, gearboxes, cast and forged parts, hydraulic hoses, perforated sheets, roller chains
  • about 5% consumer goods, including car trailers, single-axle tractors, bicycles, assemblies for the automotive industry

literature

  • Klaus Krombholz : Agricultural machinery in the GDR - light and shadow . DLG-Verlag, Frankfurt / Main 2008, ISBN 978-3-7690-0717-6 .
  • Collective of authors: The nationally owned combine progress agricultural machinery Neustadt in Saxony and its companies 1945 - 1990 . Publication of the traditional association KOFO Neustadt / Sa. eV, Neustadt in Saxony 2005.
  • Klaus Schmidt (Ed.): Agriculture in the GDR - VEG, LPG and cooperations; how they became, what they were, what has become of them , Agrimedia GmbH & Co. KG, Clenze 2009