On the Brink of Success: KNF Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary
The first grand celebration in KNF’s history is also a sign of things to come. In 1971, KNF – then still known as the Kurt Neuberger KG machine factory – celebrates its 25th anniversary in the city of Mengen’s festival hall. Attendees enjoy a fabulous party with prominent guests, music, magicians, clowns and lots of delicious food.
At the time, KNF is on the brink of success or, as Erich Becker puts it in his speech: “The company has just come of age.” Until this point, KNF’s history is a typical reflection of life in post-war Germany. The company had started as a workshop for repairing combustion engines in response to demands for this type of work in the 1940s and 1950s. KNF had managed to keep pace with economic developments and when it took the bold, decisive step of creating its own range of products, it had set the course for success.
By the time of its 25th anniversary in 1971, KNF has accomplished this goal and is producing 800 to 1,000 diaphragm pumps and compressors every month, primarily for use in laboratories. Great changes are on the horizon for the company over the next few years. And this can be felt in the air that evening. Besides prominent figures from business and politics, the invited guests include representatives from KNF’s distributors in countries such as England, Finland, Belgium, Norway and Sweden. Representatives from the company’s first foreign subsidiary in France are also in attendance. The event has a bit of an international flair to it, providing a small taste of the rapid global expansion to come.
Even the plans to “consolidate acquisitions, extend the product range and increase production” that KNF has set out in an announcement to mark the 25th anniversary goes on to be fulfilled more quickly than envisaged. Just one year later, KNF makes its breakthrough into industry with its double diaphragm technology and considerably expands its production capacity.
During the party, a trade association representative gives a speech praising the positive working environment within the company. She says the staff were like a “real family” in which everyone is encouraged to contribute their thoughts and sometimes even take part in decision-making. Although the KNF family has grown a lot since then, this sentiment still applies today, 50 years later. Many of the staff – including Horst Brändle, Alexander Gagg and Klaus Lakies, who are honored for ten years of service at the party – stay at KNF until their retirement and help shape the company’s future.
The anniversary celebrations continue into the early hours of the morning. It is an unforgettable evening for everyone in attendance, perhaps due in part to the noticeable spirit of optimism in the festival hall.
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