Mechanical workshops Wilhelm Albrecht

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The mechanical workshops Wilhelm Albrecht ( MWA ) were founded in 1926 by the inventor , engineer and entrepreneur Wilhelm Albrecht in Berlin-Tempelhof . The logo he designed has become an internationally known trademark for complete equipment systems for image-synchronous sound recording and processing in film and television studios since the 1950s.

History of the MWA

The early years

Initially, the company dealt with the development and production of kits for radio receivers and delivered them initially to end users, later in a more advanced form to industrial radio manufacturers.

Workshop in Tempelhof

In 1936 the company moved to larger factory premises on Juliusstrasse in Berlin's Neukölln district . In the following years, development and production concentrated on equipment for communication technology . In 1944 the production facilities were partially damaged by a bomb attack.

The first post-war years

In the remaining workshops and with the inventory of materials and machines saved after the end of the war, items for everyday use at the time were initially manufactured (e.g. tobacco cutting machines), but repairs were also carried out on damaged industrial equipment.

Entry into film sound technology

This also resulted in contact with the companies of the Berlin film industry that remained at the time. As early as 1946, MWA received an order from Berlin's Kaudel-Film to design and manufacture an optical sound camera (LTK 1) and other equipment for image-synchronous sound recording and editing of feature films . In addition, stationary as well as transportable sound mixing consoles were developed and manufactured for the work processes in the film studios .

LTK 1 (1946) - Optical sound camera with closed film rolls
MTK 1 (1950) - Magnetic sound camera

However, Albrecht soon realized that the future of film sound processing would be the magnetic sound process, which had already been experimented with in the USA , rather than the optical sound technology that had been used throughout. He developed the first magnetic film drive in Europe, the so-called magnetic sound camera (MTK 1).

Development from 1950

Original MWA advertisement
Display of the MWA
Letter of thanks from UfA 1950

The MTK 1 was delivered to the UFA -Studios Berlin-Tempelhof at the beginning of 1950 and used there for the synchronization of feature films and for the complete sound recording of new productions. After a public screening of the MTK 1, the UFA praised it as a “masterpiece of modern film equipment construction, in addition to new territory in sound film technology” (see letter from UfA of April 4, 1950).

Technically, the breakthrough had now been achieved, but unrestricted supplies to film studios around the world could only take place after a protracted patent dispute had ended. Numerous further developments of the MTK 1 followed up to the travel model MR10 - also supplemented by the camera table KT 2 and the production of amplifiers and extinguishing devices. The columnar magnetic tape players represented an essential adaptation to the needs in studios - starting in 1950 with the MB 1, followed by numerous successor models up to the MB 51, which were used worldwide for decades in film and television studios.

Parallel to the constant further development of magnetic sound equipment - later also for the new medium of television - Albrecht participated in key constructions for record technology .

In 1956 the company was converted into a GmbH . Wilhelm Albrecht and his wife Helene, who had been in charge of the commercial area since 1945, were appointed managing directors with sole power of representation; Ing.Günter Kieß appointed technical director. The latter held this position until 1991. He extensively documented essential MWA devices and systems.

In 1961 the company moved to larger premises on Neukölln's Maybachufer. After the company's founder passed away in 1962, his widow Helene Albrecht took over the general management, which she held until 1974.

The continuous and innovative further development of the sound drives, which were soon supplemented by image scanning and projection drives as well as complete control systems and additional devices, was groundbreaking for the changing production processes in film and television studios and strengthened the company's position on the international market.

In 1974 Margret Albrecht, daughter of Wilhelm and Helene Albrecht, took over the overall management of the company.

MB 43
MB 43, 1978, DB Studio, England

After expanding the development capacities - also using state funding for research and development - and renting additional operating rooms as well as optimizing the production processes and creating additional sales channels, the production and delivery capacities were doubled within six years. In 1980 Wilhelm Albrecht GmbH was included in the ADAC travel guide “Technical Sights in Germany”.

History from the 80s

In 1984 Helene Kunow-Albrecht and Margret Nilsson-Albrecht sold their shares to Berliner Elektro Beteiligungen, which enabled the successful listing on the stock exchange as Berliner Elektro Holding AG.

Studio Hamburg, 1986

It was soon foreseeable that digital computer technology would largely replace the conventional analog magnetic sound process. As a result, under the management of Ing.Peter Stroetzel (managing director with sole power of representation since 1990), the laser optical sound camera LLK 3 for the production of optical sound negatives was developed, manufactured and sold to film studios and photocopiers all over the world from 1996 onwards. However, after the medium of picture film with applied optical soundtrack was replaced by digital video technology, this market was soon saturated.

In 2002 Stroetzel, who took over the company shares from Berliner Elektro Holding AG in 1997, filed for bankruptcy. The continuation of the company was finally taken over by MWA Nova GmbH. The more than 75 year old logo was retained.

Web links

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See letter from Ufa (Universum-Film AG Film-Studio Tempelhof) from April 4, 1950
  2. ↑ See various articles in the FKT magazine, available there in the online archive
  3. ^ Willi Paul: Technical sights in Germany, Volume V , Berlin, ADAC Verlag GmbH, ISBN 978-3-87003-163-3 , pp. 114 and 115
  4. ^ MWA Nova. Retrieved April 14, 2019 (UK English).