The Early Years of Kurt Neuberger KG

Freiburg, spring 1946. The city still bears the scars of the war after an allied bombing attack on November 27, 1944 has destroyed parts of the Old City and the neighboring districts. In 1946, the city is under French occupation, and the initial cleanup efforts have just begun. The first streets and beaten pathways make their way through the ruins. Meanwhile, Kurt Neuberger is also re-establishing his livelihood, joining forces with two associates to found Kurt Neuberger KG. In his workshop, he grinds cylinders and repairs motors from old tractors, cars and trucks. His business enjoys high demand to start, as there are few other cylinder grinding businesses. Not to mention that new vehicles are hard to come by. Business is good.

Thanks to the currency reform of 1948 and the period of post-war economic expansion known as the Wirtschaftswunder (economic miracle), Freiburg begins to flourish again. Rubble is removed, new homes and wide streets are built, and city traffic increases. And yet, Kurt Neuberger’s company begins receiving fewer and fewer motor repair commissions. This is in part because new cars are again being produced in Germany and in part because automobile manufacturers are offering refurbished replacement engines – developments which deprive the cylinder grinding business of its economic foundation.

Kurt Neuberger sets out in search of a new business idea and finds an opportunity to expand his operations into the field of tools manufacturing. He begins looking for suitable employees and in 1953, he signs a rental contract for a factory location on Freiburg’s Habsburgerstrasse. Equipment in the new production site is somewhat makeshift and in the wintertime, the coal heater in the basement is prone to malfunction. But the plant on Habsburgerstrasse marks an important milestone: the first Kurt Neuberger KG production facility.

There is still no talk of pumps back then. Kurt Neuberger KG produces thread cutting machines and drilling machines, staying afloat thanks to additional wage labor on the side. Although working conditions are not always easy, the employees are dedicated and help the company fight for every commission. They work on gearboxes for automatic feeders, ground rings for the ring spinning machines needed to produce rayon and manufacture compressors, among other pursuits. While the customer base includes companies from a range of industries, the monthly earnings are just enough to cover employees’ wages.

Kurt Neuberger himself is often described as irascible, but collegial, and is on a first-name basis with all of his employees. He places great importance on being able to pay his staff at the end of each month. In return, the factory’s personnel display a great degree of loyalty, working on weekends, putting in overtime and ensuring that the factory building is kept reasonably warm even on holidays. New employees are added over the years. Despite the sometimes poor equipment and less-than-comfortable working conditions, they recognize the potential of the diversified company. And this includes Erich Becker.

Becker joins the company in 1962. He is originally tasked with improving the machine tools, but the experienced design engineer quickly recognizes that the future of Kurt Neuberger KG lies elsewhere. Aware that the company is simply too small to compete with larger manufacturers, he begins brainstorming for newer, more inventive business ideas. Not long after, he encounters the diaphragm pump, marking a new chapter in the company’s history.