Metzeler
| Metzeler AG | |
|---|---|
| legal form | Corporation |
| founding | 1863 |
| Seat | Memmingen |
| Branch |
Car tire mattresses |
| Website | www.metzelermoto.de |
The Metzeler AG is a German tire manufacturer based in Memmingen (formerly Munich). The name Metzeler is best known today as a brand for motorcycle tires and mattresses .
history
1863–1900 founding period
In 1863 the businessman Robert Friedrich Metzeler founded a rubber goods trade in Munich. The range comprised technical and surgical articles, haberdashery and toys, weatherproof clothing, and air and water-tight utensils. In 1871, Metzeler decided to start producing rubber goods as well as trading and built his first factory in Schwanthalerstraße in Munich's Westend . As early as 1874 he became the “Royal Bavarian Court manufacturer for rubber and gutta percha ”. In 1881 the company became an open trading company , Metzeler oHG . As early as 1887, the capacities were no longer sufficient: A new plant was built at Westendstrasse 131–133, on the premises of which the Westend industrial estate is now located. New methods of rubber processing were developed.
With the advent of aviation, a new business area opened up for Metzeler: While the first balloons still had covers made of canvas, stuck inside and outside with hard-wearing paper or silk, Metzeler developed an air-impermeable fabric consisting of canvas, muslin and vulcanized rubber. On the occasion of the Paris World Exhibition in 1878, Metzeler supplied the envelope for the world's largest tethered balloon with a diameter of 36 meters. The onlookers could enjoy the view of Paris from a height of 500 meters.
This is how the Metzeler success story began in the air. However, it was continued decisively by the development of the automobile , which would have been unthinkable without modern tires. That is why Metzeler took an active part in the development of bicycle, motorcycle and car tires. In 1892 the Swiss Federal Office for Intellectual Property granted the patent CH4828 with the title “Rubber tire with arched cross-sections for bicycles u. like. ".
1901–1975 stock corporation
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On May 7, 1901, Robert Friedrich Metzeler converted his company retrospectively to January 1, 1901 into a stock corporation and became a member of the supervisory board . The company was called AG Metzeler & Co until March 10, 1933 . From 1933 the company traded under the name Metzeler Gummiwerke AG and from 1965 as Metzeler AG . In 1933, the first ready-to-use tire was produced from the synthetic rubber Buna - a success that must be seen above all in connection with the self-sufficiency that was sought at the time .
After the Second World War , two thirds of the Munich plant was destroyed in 1945. During the reconstruction, new business areas such as technical rubber articles and products for the growing leisure market were created in addition to the tire sector. The range of rubber and plastic products was constantly expanding, e.g. B. PVC floor coverings, rubber hoses, mattresses, rim and flaps, workshop materials, polyester articles, heels for the shoe industry, scuba diving articles, boat building for sport and leisure, sheets and foils made of various plastics, glue and paste, etc. Together with the area In the post-war years, Metzeler developed into a globally active group of tires for motorcycles, cars and commercial vehicles.
In 1972 there was a capital increase from 75 to 100 million DM. The additional 25 million DM were taken over by the chemical company Bayer AG . Bayer thus achieved a total of 35% stake in Metzeler AG .
1974–1987 Liquidation of Metzeler AG, division
In 1974 Bayer AG surprisingly took over three companies of the Metzeler Group: Metzeler Kautschuk AG in Munich, Metzeler Schaum GmbH in Memmingen and Metzeler Isobau GmbH in Bad Wildungen and Mannheim. This led to a serious dispute between the existing shareholders, Bayer AG and the Federal Cartel Office , which led to the dissolution of Metzeler AG the following year . In 1978, for economic reasons, a restructuring took place with the spin-off of Metzeler Automotive Profile Systems , Lindau . Tire production was concentrated on motorcycle tires and relocated from the Munich plant to the Breuberg plant in the Odenwald. In 1979 production in the Munich plant was finally stopped, whereupon the City of Munich acquired the site. In 1986 Metzeler Kautschuk GmbH was taken over by the Pirelli Group. The tire activities were combined in 1987 in Metzeler Reifen GmbH , based in Munich.
Metzeler elephant
The figure of an elephant first appeared in the company's history in 1906 at the International Motor Show in Berlin: Metzeler demonstrated the quality of its products there with the help of an elephant who tried in vain to trample on a tire. On August 21, 1951, a corresponding figurative mark was entered in the trademark register of the German Patent and Trademark Office (AZ: 30744593.3). Apparently, the elephant should be associated with the robustness and quality of the products offered by Metzeler (especially tires). In the years that followed, countless little blue rubber elephants were given out to customers as promotional gifts ; initially they were "hollow figures", later they were solid rubber figures. Most of the promotional gifts were produced by the Adam Fischer company, with the exception of the "key rings" (produced by the Schleich company ) and the "erasers". Today the Metzeler elephants are a rare collector's item.
Business premises in Munich
The Munich factory was initially located on Schwanthalerstraße and from the late 1880s on Westendstraße 131–133. Meztler continued to produce there until 1979. The housing association München West eG built around 100 apartments on the western part of the former factory premises in Munich . In 1982, in accordance with a resolution of the city council, an industrial park was built on the eastern section .
Metzeler today
The newly founded subsidiary companies of the former Metzeler AG developed into successfully operating companies in the following years: Today, Metzeler is one of the world's leading brands for motorcycle tires, with a market share of over 30% in Germany. In 2006 and 2008, readers of Motorrad magazine voted Metzeler “Best Brand” in the tire segment. Today, Metzeler Schaum GmbH , with 500 employees, is part of the British Vita Group . The company Metzeler Plastics GmbH , founded in 1989, also belongs to Vita .
The Metzeler Automotive Profile Systems GmbH has now become a market leader in body develops seals. After several previous owners, the private equity fund CVC has been the main shareholder since March 2000 . In 2007 the owner changed again. A competitor, Cooper-Standard Automotive , based in the USA, took over Metzeler Automotive Profile Systems GmbH . Since October 1, 2013, it has been operating as Cooper Standard GmbH .
Web links
- Metzeler patents in Esp @ cenet
- Website of today's Metzeler Schaum GmbH
- Website of the Metzeler motorcycle tires
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b http://www.dm-aktie.de/dmaktien/metzeler.html shares and historical securities
- ^ Poster for the Paris World Exhibition in 1878
- ↑ Patent CH4828 : Rubber tire with arch-like cross-sections for bicycles and the like. The like. Published August 15, 1892 .
- ↑ http://www.metzelermoto.de/web/about-us/presentation/default.page Website of Metzeler Reifen GmbH
- ^ Thomas Hofstätter: Munich (8th district)> "Metzeler" tire factory. Retrieved on June 7, 2020 (see last card here ).
- ↑ http://www.gewerbehoefe-muenchen.de/Westend/Allgemeines/geschichte.html ( Memento from August 18, 2001 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Memminger Zeitung from July 1, 2004
- ↑ https://www.kompany.de/c/de/hrb4153%20kempten%20(allgäu) ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
