VA Tech Elin EBG
The VA Tech Elin EBG went from the established 1892 F. Pichler works out and existed since 1908 as an ELIN corporation for electrical industry since 1959 as ELIN-UNION AG for electrical industry and since 1997, the infrastructure division of the Austrian technology company VA Tech . With its takeover by Siemens in 2005, it is now part of the Siemens group, whereby the division for hydropower plant construction, VA Tech Hydro , had to be spun off for antitrust reasons and was sold to the Austrian company Andritz AG in June 2006 .
history
Until 1918
In 1892 the then 26-year-old engineer Franz Pichler founded the F. Pichler works in Weiz, Styria . Electrical machines were produced, including dynamos for nickel plating and direct current shunt dynamos in the first workshop on Birkfelderstrasse.
In 1897 the company was renamed "Weizer Elektrizitätswerke Franz Pichler & Co" after the entry of Ing.Cornel Masal, which had become necessary due to a lack of equity . A first large factory hall with an area of 350 m² was built. The company, which is active in the emerging technology branch of electricity , expanded and opened its first field offices and posts.
The competition with Siemens and AEG , which were already large at the time, soon faded the financial strengthening from the contribution of the engineer Masal. In 1900, the Viennese "Society for Electrical Industry" entered the company as a silent partner . The new connection created sales offices in Vienna and the further expansion of the factory in Weiz was pushed ahead. New machines and tools have been acquired, and in the following years, several new developments have come about, such as 800 kW - generators , multi-pole DC machines and the cooling fins patent.
In 1908, Pichler decided to convert the company into a stock corporation in order to raise more equity. From then on, the company was called "ELIN Aktiengesellschaft für electrical industry" and already offered a wide range of services from electrical machine and switchgear construction to drive and welding technology .
During the First World War , sales to private customers fell significantly, while arms orders came in with increasing frequency. The company manufactured projectiles , motors and transformers for the Austro-Hungarian army and even received a secret order to manufacture electrical equipment for submarines . At this time, the factory was connected by rail, which replaced the tedious transport to the train station.
1918 to 1938
After Franz Pichler had succumbed to a heart attack in August 1919 , engineer Emanuel Rosenberg , who became known among other things for the invention of the cross -field welding machine , became his successor.
After the global economic crisis in the years after 1929, which caused the company major sales problems, the production of electric cookers was added to the range after several acquisitions . A squirrel-cage rotor , known as the " Robax motor ", was also developed.
1938 to 1945
In the course of Aryanization by the National Socialists after the annexation to the German Reich , the Weizer and Vienna management were completely re-staffed. ELIN was also merged with Schorch-Werke AG from the Rhineland , which resulted in changes in the organization and production that had a negative impact on the company. With the beginning of the Second World War, there were large arms orders for submarine equipment, motors, transformers and welding converters for the navy and the army.
Since 1945
In occupied post-war Austria, the Soviet military administration transported almost all machines and tools. The damaged factory buildings were rebuilt under the engineer Karl Widdmann, who took over the management of the factory. In 1946 ELIN was nationalized , with the factories in Penzing , Ottakring and Weiz becoming the property of the Republic of Austria. The remaining factories led a kind of life of their own under the Russian administration until they were returned in 1955 as USIA companies . However, after a reorganization and through the procurement of foreign loans, ELIN was soon able to carry out major large-scale projects again. For example, the Glockner- Kaprun power plant project , in the construction of which ELIN played a major role, was completed.
In the course of the sectoral consolidation of nationalized companies, the AEG Union was merged with ELIN in 1959 under the name "ELIN-UNION AG for electrical industry" . This was followed by streamlining and further expansion of the Group's production facilities and the construction of a new central administration building in Penzing. The cheap production competition meant that the company had to calculate even more tightly in order to have enough funds free for new acquisitions, which also came at the expense of employee wages. The capacity utilization of the production facilities decreased as major customers invested less. Further restructuring in the production area was necessary.
In 1967 and 1971, contracts were signed with the Siemens group which, in addition to splitting up the generation program, also provided for reciprocal supply and access to licenses. ELIN started a major renovation program that included the merging of the Viennese production facilities into the Vienna- Floridsdorf plant and the expansion of the Weiz factory. At the same time, unprofitable branches of production were closed, making ELIN the largest Austrian company in the heavy current sector and active in almost all areas of electrical engineering and electronics.
The oil crisis at the beginning of the 1980s led to a global economic slump, which was noticeable in the nationalized industry through a sharp decline in orders. The enormous competitive pressure, the loss of market shares, rising costs with falling income and the low investment activity of the Austrian economy forced a reorganization of the "ELIN-UNION AG" in 1989. The company became the "Elin Energieversorgung Ges.mbH" (EEV) and the "Elin Energy Application Ges.mbH" (EEA) split. A "Service Ges.mbH" was also founded. In 1997 the company was merged with the Upper Austrian Elektro Bau AG from VA Tech to form “VA Tech Elin EBG”.
The now infrastructure division of VA Tech was taken over by Siemens AG together with the rest of the VA Tech group in 2005 ; In 2006 VA Tech Hydro was split up: The hydropower plant construction and the generator production were sold by Siemens to Andritz AG in February 2006 for reasons of antitrust law . The “Combined Cycle” division of VA Tech Hydro was incorporated into the newly founded Siemens Power Generation Anlagentechnik GmbH in Linzerstrasse (Vienna-Penzing). The electronics division ( frequency converters ) was sold by Siemens and is now part of the STI ( Schneider Electric / Toshiba Inverters) joint venture .
Former board members
- Jürgen Wild (* 1961), Chairman of the Board of Management (2004/05)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.andritz.com/de/ANONIDZ0DA0D6C4560DE25D/hydro/oohm-hydro-about-us2/hydro-about-us-history-page.htm ( 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.
