Max Winkelmann (entrepreneur)

Max Winkelmann, around 1914

Max Winkelmann (born May 4, 1862 in Recklinghausen , † December 15, 1938 in Hamburg ) was a German businessman. He founded the Glasurit company , a manufacturer of varnishes and paints.

Life

Advertising poster of Max Winkelmann AG - "China-Lack Kristallweiß"

As a 19-year-old Winkelmann went to the USA and gained experience in the industry at the time, which later helped him with the production and assessment of paint and varnish materials. After his return, Max did his military service with the Imperial Navy in Kiel.

In 1888, Max Winkelmann founded a trading business for “ lacquer varnishes and paints in bulk” at Alte Gröningerstraße 23 in Hamburg, made from imported Chinese lacquer and pigments. By 1893 he had relocated his paint production to Banksstrasse 113/115 and had his Kristall-Weiss registered as a trademark. This first product from our own development was a success. It was initially used in shipbuilding to paint liners, and later also on Hamburg's trams.

In 1898, Max Winkelmann made the decision to sell his products under a uniform protective word. The Glasurit brand was registered and is still one of the best-known brand names for coatings and paints. In July 1903, Max Winkelmann bought a building site in Münster-Hiltrup to build a paint factory. Max Winkelmann's decision to establish a paint factory in Münsterland was based on the rail connection and the nearby canal. The site, which is now part of BASF Coatings, is still the largest employer in the region today . Max Winkelmann died on December 15, 1938 at the age of 73.

Individual evidence

↑ Information from Hamburg address books from 1890 and 1898 [1] . The Alte Gröningerstraße building area was destroyed in World War II and then built over. Both streets were in the southern warehouse district by the harbor.
↑ BASF Coatings company history. Retrieved December 2, 2018 .

personal data
SURNAME	Winkelmann, Max
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German businessman
DATE OF BIRTH	May 4, 1862
PLACE OF BIRTH	Recklinghausen
DATE OF DEATH	December 15, 1938
Place of death	Hamburg

[1] Information from Hamburg address books from 1890 and 1898 [1] . The Alte Gröningerstraße building area was destroyed in World War II and then built over. Both streets were in the southern warehouse district by the harbor.

[2] BASF Coatings company history. Retrieved December 2, 2018 .