Mold & Co.

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Signet Schimmel & Co. New York

The Saxon chemical company Schimmel & Co. was at times world market leader in the production of essential oils , essences, fruit ethers and chemical - pharmaceutical products as well as natural and artificial fragrances .

history

Beginnings

On September 1, 1829, the druggist Ernst Ludwig Spahn and the pharmacist Gottlob Eduard Büttner founded the Spahn & Büttner company in Leipzig to sell medicinal drugs . In 1838 Büttner left the company and the businessman Friedrich Edmund Louis Schimmel took his place. When Spahn also left, Louis Schimmel, now more together with his brother Eduard Hermann Schimmel, continued to run the company under the Schimmel & Co. company .

After the death of Louis Schimmel, the company was sold to Hermann Traugott Fritzsche (1809–1887) on September 1, 1854 , who became the sole owner thanks to the financial support of his friend Johann Erdmann Ferdinand Sechtling. Although he kept the old company, a new era began for the company. The unexpected rise to the world's leading company in the fragrance industry continued under the management of his sons Hermann Traugott (1843–1906) and Ernst Traugott Fritzsche (1851–1916) and later also in the third generation, under the management of Karl August (1871–1944) and his cousin Hermann Fritzsche (1884–1949), continued steadily.

Start of the production of essential oils

Berliner Strasse location

With the relocation of the production facilities from Hallische Strasse (since 1945: Georg-Schumann- Strasse) to the property at Berliner Strasse 2-4 in 1873, the company began to concentrate on the manufacture and sale of essential oils and essences. Essentially three methods were used for the extraction, steam distillation , extraction and cold pressing .

From the beginning, Fritzsche relied on modern scientific standards and worked closely with university research, in particular with the chemist Otto Wallach .

In 1879, Schimmel & Co. was the first company in the industry to open its own industrial test laboratory for the production of essential oils, in which, under the direction of the chemist Julius Bertram (1851–1926), such important scientists as Carl Freiherr von Rechenberg (1852–1926) and Eduard Gildemeister ( 1860–1938) or Heinrich Wienhaus worked.

The high quality of the essential oils from Schimmel & Co. has become the benchmark in fragrance production worldwide. Up until then there was room in this line of business for what I want to call a broad conscience, from now on this freedom of movement was restricted more and more, as the buyers made it a condition that the essential oils should be the same as those used by the chemists at Schimmel & Co. had to have determined properties of guaranteed pure goods. In this context I only remind you of the previously so extensively adulterated citronella oil, which is now no longer traded in any way other than on the basis of "Schimmel's test".

The results of the research work were not kept as secrets, as in other companies, but were published in the reports coveted by the industry and highly respected by university research at home and abroad, which have appeared since the establishment of the laboratory and are still one of the most popular among experts today enjoy legendary reputation.

In 1891 the construction of self-developed industrial distillation plants began. Based on the work of Otto Wallach and its further development by the house chemist Heinrich Walbaum , Schimmel & Co. was able to bring the world's first artificially produced neroli oil onto the market in 1895 . In 1906 Walbaum Muscon succeeded in isolating.

Move to Miltitz

Bird's eye view of the factory premises in Miltitz, 1901
Site plan of the factory premises in Miltitz

The rapid growth of the company made another move necessary. The Leipzig architect Max Bösenberg built a new factory with an attached housing estate for employees and workers in Miltitz . The company has been using a site here since 1884 for the large-scale cultivation of oil-bearing plants and roses.

On April 1, 1901, the new plant was put into operation. The new location comprised 1.2 square kilometers of real estate, the built-up area of ​​the production facilities was 25 hectares. One began to combine the manufacture of natural fragrance carriers with the large-scale production of natural and artificial fragrances and aromas , perfume oils, perfume bases, essences, extracts and aromas. One of the chemists working there was Frank Rochussen , author of the book “Aetherische Oele und Riechstoffe” in the Göschen Collection (1909).

Numerous domestic and foreign guests came to Miltitz in the following years to view the new production facility and to exchange experiences. A special highlight was the visit of the Saxon King Friedrich August III. in 1905.

The First World War and the subsequent period of inflation had an inhibiting effect on production due to a shortage of raw materials and labor, but could not do any lasting damage to the strong, global company.

Conversion into a stock corporation

Schimmel & Co.AG shares dated July 11, 1927 for RM 1000

On May 18, 1927, Schimmel & Co. merged with the Leipzig company E. Sachsse & Co. to form a stock corporation with a share capital of 6 million Reichsmarks . The shareholders were all family members.

In 1928 the Hamburg company Anton Deppe Söhne was bought up and incorporated into the group as Schimmel & Co. AG Department Anton Deppe Söhne, Hamburg .

In the time of National Socialism there was a significant decline in foreign business from 1934 onwards. The procurement of raw materials caused increasing difficulties. Attempts were made to compensate for these deficits by increasing the production of synthetic products.

Hermann Fritzsche joined the NSDAP in 1933 as a member of the management team, but informed the party in an official letter in 1935 that, as a staunch Protestant Christian, he rejected both the attitude of the German Christians and Alfred Rosenberg's racial ideology .

Fate after World War II

The Miltitz plant survived the Second World War largely unscathed. Before the end of the war, on April 30, 1945, the US occupation forces gave the company management permission to resume production. In July 1945, goods worth 186,000 Reichsmarks could already be produced.

After Leipzig was taken over by the Soviet Army , the company's own Miltitz estate was expropriated on September 18, 1945 and the production facilities were confiscated . The confiscation was temporarily lifted on May 20, 1947. Despite persistent negotiations, the managing directors were unable to avert the impending expropriation. On July 1, 1948, the company was nationalized by the Saxon state government.

The VEB mold Miltitz was in 1956 Miltitz VEB chemical plant renamed. In 1984 it was incorporated into the VEB Riechstoff-Fabrik Wolfen .

The company Schimmel & Co. was re-established in the Hamburg branch . In 1956 it was one of the co-founders of the German Association of the Fragrance Industry . The history of the German fragrance industry published by this association states: After this war, the company in Miltitz was under communist rule and its business was geared towards the communist economic bloc. The development continued worldwide. Wherever there was no arbitrary state rule and where one worked under market conditions, it was possible to advance research and development. You could build on the knowledge that originated in Miltitz.

Production in Miltitz after the fall of the Wall

New building of the successor Bell Flavors & Fragrances

Miltitz Aromatics GmbH was founded in 1992 and has been located in the Bitterfeld-Wolfen Chemical Park since 1993 . As a further successor company, Miltitz Energie- und Dienstleistungsgesellschaft mbH was founded in 1993, which went into bankruptcy in 2006 under the name Miltitz Duft und Aroma GmbH .

In 1993, the US company Bell Flavors & Fragrances took over the former parent plant of Schimmel & Co. from the Treuhandanstalt with the VEB Chemisches Werk Miltitz , which now operates under Bell Flavors & Fragrances Duft und Aroma GmbH . The number of employees, which was around 800 before the fall of the Wall, has now risen to over 250 again.

In 1998 the company reorganized the schimmel library founded in 1878 , which since then, with its 30,000 volumes and the complete series of company reports, is the largest specialist library of its kind in the world.

The company archive is now in the Saxon State Archives in Leipzig . From April 25 to July 27, 2012, the State Archives Leipzig presented an exhibition on the history of this important Leipzig company under the title Rose Blossoms and Lavender .

distribution

The significant success of the Schimmel & Co. company was based in particular on its global sales network. As early as 1871, the third son of the owner, Paul Traugott Fritzsche, opened a branch in New York City under the name Fritzsche Brothers, Inc. , from 1934 under the name Schimmel & Co., Inc. , the leading company in the fragrance industry in the USA rise.

In 1898 Schimmel & Co. owned 30 trading agencies on almost every continent . The following branches were founded in Europe:

The company also had its own print shop for advertising and information brochures in various languages. Great emphasis was placed on product samples for exhibitions and in-house sales representatives .

social commitment

The company management always felt obliged to special social commitment towards its employees and employees. The working conditions were regulated by work and company regulations, which also regulated working hours and continued wages and care in the event of illness. In 1901 the daily working time was 10 hours, from 1920 eight hours a day. The six-day week applied until 1920, after which work was only carried out on Saturdays until 1 p.m. In addition, they founded their own company health insurance .

With the construction of the new plant in Miltitz in 1900, spacious residential and garden facilities were created for workers and employees. From 1902 the company had its own fire brigade, a singing and sports club. There was a sports and tennis court, a bowling alley and a private swimming pool for employees on the factory premises.

In 1922 a support fund for workers and employees was established. In 1929, on the occasion of the company's 100th anniversary, the company's management founded a pension fund to support retirees and surviving dependents. For this purpose, the Hermann and Ernst Fritzsche Foundation was endowed with registered capital of 200,000 Reichsmarks.

Fonts (selection)

  • Friedrich August Flückiger, Hermann Traugott Fritzsche, Ernst Traugott Fritzsche: The business and factories of Schimmel & Co., Leipzig-Prague and Fritzsche Brothers, New York-Garfield in 1893 . Gröber, Leipzig 1893.
  • Library catalog . Schimmel & Co., Leipzig 1897.
  • Practical rules for the preparation of liqueurs, brandies, punch essences, arac, cognac, rum, fruit u. Lemonade syrups etc. on the cold route. Using the products of Schimmel & Co., Miltitz near Leipzig (...) In addition to an appendix about the nature of the main ingredients: ether, oils, paints, fuel, water, etc. Miltitz near Leipzig 1904.
  • Carl Freiherr von Rechenberg: Theory of the extraction and separation of the essential oils by distillation. Basics of a general theory of distillation . Self-published by Schimmel & Co., Miltitz 1910.
  • Report from Schimmel & Co. in Leipzig. Factory of essential oils, essences and chemical preparations . Leipzig 1878–1901.
  • Report from Schimmel & Co. in Miltitz near Leipzig. Factory of essential oils, essences and chemical preparations . Miltitz 1901-1912, 1913-1927.
  • Report by Schimmel & Co. Aktiengesellschaft Miltitz district Leipzig on news in the field of liqueur, lemonade, sugar confectionery and related industries . Schimmel & Co. AG, Miltitz 1928-1932, 1933-1948.
  • Schimmel & Co. workplaces in Miltitz near Leipzig. Pictures from Miltitz near Leipzig presented by Schimmel & Co. Miltitz in 1924.
  • Karl Fritzsche: The career of Schimmel & Co. Aktiengesellschaft over a period of 100 years (1829–1929) . Schimmel & Co., Miltitz near Leipzig 1929.
  • September 1, 1829-1929. The jubilee of Schimmel & Co. Aktiengesellschaft Miltitz near Leipzig . Schimmel & Co. AG, Leipzig 1929.
  • Eduard Gildemeister, Friedrich Hoffmann: About essential oils . 3 volumes, Schimmel & Co. AG, Miltitz 1929–1931.

literature

  • Peter Guth: Roses are conquering the world market. The former company Schimmel & Co. in Miltitz between past and future . In: Leipziger Blätter , No. 42 (2003), pp. 89–91.
  • Diana Härtrich: Country idyll and industrial architecture. On the structural representation of the Saxon global company Schimmel & Co. In: Denkmalpflege in Sachsen ISSN  0943-2132 , (Yearbook) 2013, pp. 101–113.
  • Ronald Piech: From a soap factory to a global company. The changing fate of Schimmel & Co. AG in Miltitz . In: Leipziger Blätter , No. 48 (2006), p. 72 f.
  • Georg Schwedt: Beguiling fragrances, sensual aromas . Wiley, Weinheim 2008.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Karl August Fritzsche: Address to celebrate the 100th anniversary. In: Jubelfeier , p. 8.
  2. ↑ Bertam headed the laboratory until 1900.
  3. ↑ From 1900 Gildemeister managed the new systems in Miltitz. From 1917 to 1926 he was the head of the entire factory.
  4. ↑ Authorized signatory Richard Leuteritz in his speech to celebrate the 100th anniversary - In: Jubelfeier , p. 14.
  5. ↑ Frank Rochussen (born March 18, 1873 in Sydenham near London; † 1955 in Erlangen), went to school in Bonn and studied chemistry at the University of Bonn from 1892, completing his doctorate in 1897 with Julius Bredt with the dissertation "About alpha-substituted homocamphoric acids" .
  6. ↑ Quoted from: Georg Schwedt, p. 189.
  7. ↑ L. Kasek: Bell Flavors & Fragrances or Miltitz as a booming industrial location.
  8. ↑ Schimmel & Co., Miltitz, 1824–1955