Radio
Tonfunk was a manufacturer of radio - and later television sets from Karlsruhe .
history
Company history from 1945 to 1971
Tonfunk was started immediately after the Second World War in 1945 by the technician Dr. Kurt Lämmchen and the businessman Eugen Benner founded in Karlsruhe. In 1947 the company was entered in the commercial register and a GmbH was founded. The company moved from Benner's house, where it was previously located, to the company building at Werderstrasse 57. Tonfunk's first series model was the Magic Flute . Three years later, further products were added with the Violetta and Meisterklang models .
An extension of the radio equipment was an additional receiver for television sound, with which the radio equipment from 1953 could be equipped. Two years later Tonfunk was able to sign a contract with the Quelle mail order company . As a result, around 50% of production was intended for mail order . Already in the period 1958/59 the company had a turnover of around 35 million Deutschmarks .
In 1964, Dr. Kurt Lämmchen sold his shares in Tonfunk to Max Grundig . Grundig thus held 51% of the shares. The 100% takeover by Grundig finally took place two years later, after Eugen Benner also sold his shares in the company. The production of radio sets was stopped this year.
In the period that followed, Grundig initially invested six million DM in the location and from now on also manufactured televisions in Karlsruhe. Already in spring 1967 in the then new industrial park Killisfeld a new production facility with administration building and siding opened.
Tonfunk GmbH was finally dissolved by Grundig in 1971.
The Grundigwerk
The Grundig factory in Karlsruhe also manufactured color televisions from 1974 onwards and has meanwhile employed up to 1,100 people. According to the appropriate planning, this number should be increased to up to 3000. At the end of the 1970s, however, there was a massive drop in consumer electronics prices . Grundig and the Karlsruhe plant also felt this clearly. Ultimately, the plant had to be closed in 1981. At that time, around 650 people were still working in the Karlsruhe plant.
present
The Deutsche Verkehrswacht in the city and district of Karlsruhe today operates the city transport museum in the former factory building on Werderstrasse.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Entry by Tonfunk in the online project www.radiomuseum.org, accessed on July 12, 2017
- ^ A b Günter Friedrich Abele: Historical radios: a chronicle in words and pictures . tape 1 . Füsslin 1996, ISBN 978-3-9803451-4-9 , pp. 170 .
- ↑ a b c Jürgen Schuhladen-Krämer (2012): Entry of the Grundigwerk in the Stadtlexikon Karlsruhe , accessed on July 12, 2017
- ^ The Karlsruhe Transport Museum on the homepage of the City of Karlsruhe, accessed on July 12, 2017