Seppelfricke

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Seppelfricke is a German entrepreneurial family. The business activities spanned the production of stoves and ovens, fittings and ceramics. According to a study by Internet studies, the Seppelfricke family is one of the 4,000 richest families in Germany.

history

The Seppelfricke company, founded in 1920, has an important place in the economic life of the city of Gelsenkirchen. On the occasion of the 90th anniversary in 2010, the then Mayor of Gelsenkirchen, Frank Baranowski, said, "The company belongs to Gelsenkirchen like Schalke 04."

The metal works Gebr. Seppelfricke developed from the smallest beginnings. When in 1908 the chessman Johann Seppelfricke sen. found the miner's death by falling in the shaft, he left behind his wife Wilhelmine, two daughters and five sons. While Johann, the eldest of the sons, was 16 years old, the youngest, Otto, was only born 4 months after the father's death.

Wilhelmine Seppelfricke

It is thanks to the mother that she did not surrender to the difficulty of her present tasks. All sons learned a trade; The choice of profession was coordinated in such a way that later cooperation in a joint company was possible. In 1913 the locksmith Johann Seppelfricke was called up for military service. At the beginning of World War I, he volunteered for aviation, which was still young at the time, received training as a pilot and, due to his good performance, was employed as a flight instructor as early as 1916. Wilhelm, the second oldest of the brothers, was drafted into the airplanes as a fitter in 1917.

After the end of the war, Johann and Wilhelm Seppelfricke returned to Gelsenkirchen with the firm intention of starting their own company as soon as possible. On March 19, 1920 - Johann was 28 years old at the time, his brother Wilhelm 21 years old - the trade was registered as "Schlosserei und Metallgießerei Johann Seppelfricke" in the main role of the city of Gelsenkirchen. The young company could not be equipped with large capital; The young owners, however, had great confidence in their craftsmanship: Johann acquired the master craftsman's certificate from a locksmith and Wilhelm acquired the letter from a metal former. In March 1920, the production of fittings and bearing shells began in a former bakery on Schalker Strasse. Sufficient demand was secured due to the rapid rise in residential construction in the post-war period.

The French troops marching into Gelsenkirchen on January 11, 1923 and the passive resistance that flared up as a result of the occupation of the Ruhr, which almost brought many mines and industrial companies to a standstill, could not harm the young company. Rather, an expansion of the operations had to be planned, as the rooms on Schalker Strasse were soon too small. A new metal foundry, which was extraordinarily modern for the time, was built on the parental property on Schlosserstraße. This plant flourished, so that one soon had to look for another location, as no expansion was possible on site. An abandoned furniture factory in Heßler offered itself as a settlement site. Production was relocated to Haldenstrasse in 1925, where the main plant and administration can still be found today. This was the first valve factory in the Ruhr area in Gelsenkirchen. It soon became apparent that the metalworks were loosening the city's monostructure, which was one-sidedly geared towards coal and heavy industry. In the course of the expansion, the younger brothers Alois, Heinrich and Otto Sen. also joined the company as employees. All five brothers had an equal share in the company's capital.

The factory received a boost from the manufacture of fittings from pressed brass . This new manufacturing method meant a considerable improvement in quality. In 1929 the company was once again threatened by a setback that could have given the company the fatal blow - the factory building was destroyed by a large fire. But the company bosses had a factory building under construction at their disposal, in which production started up again after a short time. The sales situation then developed so well that the Seppelfricke company survived the effects of the global economic crisis without any significant impairment of business. while in Gelsenkirchen a third of the population had no work. At the beginning of the 1930s the company was one of the leading valve manufacturers in Germany. The workforce had meanwhile grown to 800 men.

After the operation on Haldenstrasse no longer allowed for expansion, the land and factory buildings of the disused sheet metal factory Hermann Franken AG near the city port on what is now Kurt-Schumacher-Strasse were acquired. The new large company continued the success of previous companies. 1000 people were working at Seppelfricke when production came to a standstill due to the bombing of World War II. The two systems in Schalke and Heßler were almost thrown back to their starting point.

After the end of the Second World War, work was resumed in the heavily destroyed factory facilities, initially with 140 employees. The stimulation of the housing market and the need to catch up after the shortage during the war soon led to a good economy at Seppelfricke again.

In addition to the continuation of the tried and tested pressed brass fittings, new production areas were opened up. While Plant I in Heßler continued to manufacture fittings and metal castings, Plant II at the city harbor began specializing in the manufacture of heating and cooking appliances from 1946. Due to the high quality of the built-in fittings and the good technology, these products were well received by retailers and consumers. Seppelfricke was able to achieve a high market share, especially in the gas appliance sector (gas stoves, gas stoves, gas stoves). Since these products were aimed at end customers, the level of awareness of the Seppelfricke brand could be increased significantly. With the establishment of Plant III in 1949, the ceramic plant, the activities were further diversified. In five modern tunnel ovens, each 110 m long, sinks, sinks, foot tubs, shower trays, urinals and other sanitary ceramic products made of noble fire clay and porcelain were fired.

At the beginning of 1955, Nienborger Metallgießerei GmbH in Nienborg ( Ahaus district ) was incorporated into the company association as Plant IV. Plant IV deals with foundry products and the production and processing of fittings. In 1970 the group had a total of 2300 employees. The company's founder, Johann Seppelfricke, died in the first post-war years when the plant was still in the process of being built. The company's fortunes were therefore shifted to the generation of sons in the years that followed. In Plant I, Hans-Wilhelm Seppelfricke for the metal casting department, Otto Seppelfricke jun. responsible for the manufacture of fittings, the management of the stove and furnace plant was in the hands of Aloys Seppelfricke and Werner Seppelfricke. Aloys Seppelfricke received the Federal Cross of Merit in 1988 for his social commitment. Klaus Seppelfricke was responsible for the ceramics factory.

Seppelfricke gas stove

In 1994 the Seppelfricke company was split up into the three business areas of fittings, metal casting and heating and kitchen technology. In 1995 the Dutch Atag Holding NV took over the heating and kitchen technology division. At the same time, the company was renamed Seppelfricke Haus- und Küchentechnik GmbH . In 1996 the fittings division was sold to Aalberts Industries NV .

In 2001, the brand and sales of Seppelfricke Haus- und Küchentechnik were bought by the Italian Antonio Merloni SpA and incorporated into the German subsidiaries EBD and Foron Hausgeräte GmbH . This resulted in EFS Hausgeräte GmbH , based in Duisburg , in September 2001 (the abbreviation EFS refers to the company names of the parent companies EBD, Foron and Seppelfricke). In December 2009, EFS Hausgeräte filed for bankruptcy. Until EFS went bankrupt, the following products were offered: Cookers and ovens as built-in and floor-standing devices for electricity and gas, with stainless steel and glass ceramic recesses; Extractor hoods; Dishwashers and refrigerators and freezers (some can be built in), fridge-freezers.

Remaining companies

The metal casting division is still managed today by the Seppelfricke family in the two companies Seppelfricke GmbH and Seppelfricke Gießereitechnik GmbH & Co. KG . The fittings division still exists today and manufactures gas, heating and drinking water fittings. It operates under the name Seppelfricke Armaturen GmbH in Gelsenkirchen.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.netstudien.de/reichsten-vermoegen-deutschland.htm#.Xh2rLi1oRBw
  2. ↑ https://www.waz.de/staedte/gelsenkirchen/vom-hinterhof-auf-den-weltmarkt-id3701934.html
  3. ↑ The material pressed brass ,, 2013.
  4. ↑ Marita Jüngst: EFS files for bankruptcy. In: Rheinische Post , December 23, 2009 ( online for a fee ).