Over 100 Years of Mechanical Engineering – Tradition and Vision
Max Simmel GmbH & Co. KG was founded in 1918 – shortly after the First World War – by mechanical engineer Max Simmel in Ebersteinstraße, Pforzheim.
Max Simmel, born on 13 June 1885, came from the well-known Simmel family of sculptors in Pforzheim. He studied in Ilmenau, Thuringia, and initially worked as a mechanical engineer for AEG in Berlin.
In 1918, he established his own business in Pforzheim, initially manufacturing refrigeration machines for butcher shops and breweries, hand-operated spindle presses with capacities of up to 70,000 kg, as well as automatic trimming and beading machines for sheet-metal packaging (“tin cans”).
At the beginning of the 1930s, he produced proofing presses for letterpress printing (Korrex presses) as well as semi-automatic thread-forming machines. Around 5,000 machines were manufactured within 20 years.
During the Second World War, the manufacture of presses was prohibited. The company therefore specialised in tool manufacturing. On 23 February 1945, the factory in Ebersteinstraße was also largely destroyed in the air raid on Pforzheim.
Max Simmel rebuilt his company at Kaiser-Friedrich-Straße 24a. Korrex presses were renowned worldwide in the printing industry. In 1951, the vocational school founded in Pforzheim purchased a Korrex press for its workshop for letterpress printers and typesetters for DM 2,600.
By the end of the 1950s, the company employed more than 90 people and produced up to 30 machines per month. By 1960, exports already accounted for around 60 percent of production.
A new production hall was built in Darmsbach in 1963.
In 1968, the letterpress market collapsed by almost 90 percent within just six months. In response, the company switched to offset proofing presses and, with around 60 employees, manufactured up to four machines per month.
In 1969, the product portfolio was expanded to include the first rolling machines and was continuously developed over the following years.
At the age of 85, Max Simmel handed over management of the company to his daughter, Irmtraut Blanc. He passed away three months later. In 1995, Rainer Blanc joined the company management as the third generation.
In the 1990s, the market for offset machines declined sharply. The company therefore focused on the development and manufacture of ROLLOTRONIC® thread-forming and beading machines. A total of 65 machines of this type were built.
In 2011, Max Simmel GmbH & Co. KG was forced to file for insolvency. The reasons included special-purpose machines that were not economically viable and a limited spare-parts business due to the exceptional durability of its machines.
In 2013, the company was acquired by IFUTEC GmbH, based in Karlsbad-Langensteinbach. Under the name Max Simmel Maschinenbau GmbH, contract manufacturing was initially continued, after which the focus shifted to mechanical engineering, ROLLOTRONIC® systems and the retrofit of forming machines for rotationally symmetric components.
In 2019, the first fully electric ROLLOTRONIC® requiring no compressed air or hydraulic was successfully developed and launched. Since then, several systems have been built and delivered
Today, the company continues to develop additional machine variants for special applications. The focus is on short delivery times and proven standard systems, some of which are available directly from stock or as demonstration machines
Contact
Visit us:
Max Simmel Maschinenbau GmbH
Draisstraße 19
76307 Karlsbad
+49 (0)7202/93 12-10
+49 (0)7202/93 12-11
info@max-simmel.de