Machine factory
As a machine factory , numerous companies of the call engineering . Many have or used this designation in their names - for example the large companies MAN (Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg), Zürcher Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon or the plant manufacturer Andritz .
overview
The motherland of the machine industry is England , where James Watt improved the steam engine in 1777 and it was soon used in mining and as a source of power e.g. B. was used in spinning mills . From the early industrial revolution that began there until around 1900, England had an absolute primacy in the field. From around 1850 machine production also developed in continental Europe, u. a. in north-west and south of Germany, in Bohemia and in Switzerland.
The most common design of the factories was the form of long, high halls (see picture) in which the units to be assembled were placed next to each other. On the ceiling there were rope hoists or flexible cranes, on the edge workstations for finishing and drafting, on the floor there were also rails for products from heavy industry .
Only later was the division of labor organized and the factories divided into special assembly halls or units. Large-scale assembly line work was introduced in the United States around 1900, and Henry Ford refined it for automobile production in 1913. Control by punch card machines has been around since 1900 ( much earlier in weaving ), and more flexible, computer-controlled planning and production ( CAx , CIM, SSP) has been gaining ground since 1960 .
Current numbers
In Germany , mechanical engineering has over 6,500 production companies with around 900,000 employees, plus another 300,000 abroad. About 60% of production is exported. Around 130 billion euros in sales are generated, which amounts to an impressive 150,000 euros per capita. The large companies make up only a few percent, however, 95% are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMB) with less than 500 employees.
The German comparative figures from 1957 are: 5,200 companies with 820,000 employees, annual sales 19 billion DM , export quota 35%, importers 1 billion DM.
In Austria the ratios are similar, the number of companies is around 500. In Switzerland , the machine industry is the most important export branch. Structurally, it is made up of more than 90% of small and medium-sized companies, the few large companies have the corporate form of groups .
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Since 2003, the industry grew lt. Industry statistics again, but now from the economic crisis severely affected. Many of the smaller machine shops have specialized in niche markets , with investments in Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) and rapid manufacturing processes increasing as well .
19th century - using the example of Chemnitz and Hanover
Mechanical engineering is one of the most important industrial branches of production in Germany . For example, the company founded by Johann von Zimmermann in Chemnitz in 1848 was the first factory in mainland Europe to build machine tools . Chemnitz thus became the cradle of German mechanical engineering and remained the most important such location until 1945 . Other global players in mechanical engineering emerged here, such as the Richard Hartmann machine factory , the Union and Glauchau machine tool factories or the Wanderer works .
Initially, the industry was strongly regionally concentrated, but thanks to the construction of the railways , there was a noticeable upswing in some structurally weak areas. The production companies in Hanover were predominantly handicrafts (2-3000 foremen and approx. 5000 assistants) and only about 50 factories, of which about 10 were car and mechanical engineering with about 500 employees. But from 1843 to 1862 13 large companies were founded in the city alone, including 3 foundries . The long-demanded accession of Hanover to the German Customs Union also gave an industrial boost in 1851 .
Development in the 20th century
(first half should be added)
During the Second World War , the machine factories were heavily involved in the war economy . After 1945 they were often down and only the German and Austrian economic miracle brought a noticeable upswing. From around 1965 onwards, computer-aided design (CAD) and manufacturing (CAM) began, which from around 1980 onwards became computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) and the increasing use of industrial robots . This not only increased productivity , but also increased flexibility and the possibility of so-called fast production . At the same time, the importance and number of technical testing institutes such as the regional TÜV organizations or university-based testing institutes such as the TVFA in Vienna or the MPA in Darmstadt grew .
After some ups and downs, the economic statistics between 2003 and 2007 showed noticeable increases in the turnover of machine factories, but the economic crisis in 2008 set them back by up to 30%. For 2010, the VDW expected production to rise again. This then happened.
See also
- Industrial revolution
- Assembly line work , assembly hall
- Production planning and control (PPS), mechatronics
- Capital goods industry
- Association of German machine tool factories , VDMA industrial association
Sources and web links (provisional)
- Neuer Brockhaus Volume 3, Wiesbaden 1959/60 (introduction and development)
- J. Hann, Science and Technology , Christian-Verlag Munich 1992
- Lexicon of World History (Industrial Revolution), Compact-Verlag Munich 2002
- Machine industry in Austria - the TOP 72
Single receipts
- ↑ Chemnitz - cradle of German mechanical engineering ( Memento of the original from February 19, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ History of the City of Hanover, p.321f
- ↑ VDW: Production increased again at the end of 2009
- ↑ Sales development in German mechanical engineering from 1991 to 2013 (in billion euros)
