Röcker (company)
The Röcker nail factory , later Wilhelm Röcker GmbH, was a factory for the manufacture of nails in Löchgau , Oberamt Besigheim , which existed from 1876 to 1974 . The company's sample collection later formed the basis for the holdings of the Löchgau Nail Museum.
history
founding
From 1871 the mill mechanic Ernst Conrad Röcker (* 1844) operated a machine powered by the water power of the Steinbach in a shed in Löchgau, with which he made calluses from strip steel for the soles of shoes. The calluses served to prevent the soles and heels of shoes from wearing out quickly .
In 1872 Röcker submitted an application to the municipal administration for the construction of a new workshop with a waterworks for the production of shoe nails east of the village on the new road to Besigheim, as the water power previously used by the Steinbach was only sufficient to operate one machine. The water law approval of the Oberamt in Besigheim was two years in coming and contained the requirement that he was allowed to damming the water of the Steinbach 66 cm high.
In 1875 the two-story house was accepted, the 78 square meter ground floor of which served as a workshop for setting up several pen machines. As early as 1876 he made further plans for the construction of a second water wheel, in which the water, unlike the first water wheel, was returned to the stream
Wilhelm Röcker
Ernst Röcker's younger brother, Wilhelm Röcker (1849–1907) completed a three-year apprenticeship as a locksmith in Bietigheim from 1863 . From 1874 he worked in his brother's business.
In 1876, in a workshop in Munich, he was supposed to build a machine suitable for the production of stretched shoe nails, so-called “Swiss nails”. Since the brothers could not agree on Wilhelm Röcker's participation in the company, this machine passed into the possession of Wilhelm to settle loan claims, who then went into business for himself.
In the period that followed, Ernst Röcker's debts grew steadily. So his factory had to be foreclosed in 1877. It was sold to the mechanic Karl Vogel from Obertürkheim for 7,500 marks .
Wilhelm Röcker had meanwhile founded his own business in his one-story house, which was 50 square meters with a workshop. Instead of the water wheels, he used a traction engine, as this achieved higher performance. In addition, he worked with a self-made machine, which was later referred to as the "coffee grinder", and a callus machine. After working alone for three years, he hired a worker in 1879. He worked daily from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. with a one-hour lunch break and two other small breaks. The local daily wage was 1.50 marks.
From 1879 to 1880 the proceeds rose from 4,867 to 10,736 marks. The largest buyer of the nails was the Denzel wholesaler in Ludwigsburg . This also provided the wire and was also the most important lender. Until 1887 the factory was enlarged and additional machines were purchased.
The nail factory benefited from the general economic development. Parallel to the upswing in the German shoe industry, the demand for the cheapest possible sole and heel nails grew. At the same time, an increase in the construction of factories and apartments at home and abroad led to an increased demand for wire nails and construction nails. Picking out and packing the nails was a family task. Bags were made at home and brought to the train station in Besigheim.
In 1891 Wilhelm Röcker bought the factory building that originally belonged to his brother for 18,500 marks. In addition to the cost of purchasing the factory, the machines also had to be adapted. A larger steam engine had to be purchased to cover the increased energy demand.
On the night of May 16, 1896, a fire destroyed the entire factory. On December 4th of the same year a new, larger factory building was built. In 1897 the factory was expanded with a wire drawing shop, a pickling shop and an annealing shop. This enabled Röcker to produce his wire in-house, benefiting from the price advantages of the raw material. In 1898 he began to replace petroleum lamps with electric ones. In order to meet the high demand for energy , Röcker bought an old mill on the Enz in 1901 and had it converted into a hydroelectric power station . By installing a third turbine, it was also possible to take over the entire power supply for the city of Besigheim.
The increasing demand for nails meant that in 1904 the company worked in double shifts, so that no major investments in the form of new machines were necessary. Almost 100 people were employed.
20th century
When Wilhelm Röcker died in 1907, his eldest son Wilhelm Röcker jun. Took over. (* 1880) the factory. In 1911 he decided to overflow the stream to make room for the expansion of the nail factory. The management position within the family changed constantly until 1910 due to illness or business trips.
After the factory had started to supply the retail trade directly in 1901, the sales market was able to expand significantly by 1914. The nails were delivered to central Germany and the Rhineland . Exports began to expand up to the outbreak of the First World War . The factory was expanded from 1918 to the Second World War . Since only a few raw materials could be supplied during the war and many workers were called up for military service, production had to be largely stopped. At least 17 prisoners of war were used in the company during the war . Between 1876 and 1972, Röcker manufactured a total of 4595 different types of nails.
In 1974 the company stopped production due to structural changes in the steel industry. One of the reasons was that there was no longer any demand for shoe nails and the construction industry had switched to screws . The 16,000 square meter factory site was converted into an industrial park to generate income. The power supply for the city of Besigheim was transferred to a separate company and continued to be operated by the family. In 1997 it was taken over by the Neckarwerke .
literature
- Thomas Schulz (Ed.): Löchgau. Contributions to local history. Self-published by the community of Löchgau, Löchgau 2004.
Web links
Coordinates: 49 ° 0 '1.77 " N , 9 ° 6' 52.33" O