Our company history
1920–1939
How it all began
In 1919 the engineer Adolf Waldrich (until then a partner in the company H.A. Waldrich in Siegen) came to Coburg together with the engineer Emil Hardt. They took a small factory in the Gerbergasse with 20 employees and founded the firm “Globuswerke” in February 1920.
First they were engaged in the repair of machine tools, but soon they began to develop glass processing machines of their own. This branch of business developed so well that the existent rooms rapidly became too small. Therefore, they bought a building in Hahnweg (today’s head office) and relocated there in 1926. Emil Hardt left the company, which from then on was called “Maschinenfabrik Adolf Waldrich”.
Continuous new designs and the development of the hydraulic drive system were the final breakthrough. This patented innovation was first presented at Leipzig Trade Fair in 1936. The personnel grew to 240 employees.
The postwar period
Due to the consequences of the war, the number of employees was reduced to 50. Die Serienfertigung von Hobelmaschinen, die Weiterentwicklung des Produktionsprogramms sowie die ständige Vergrößerung der Fertigung, ließ die Belegschaft bis 1950 wieder auf 347 Beschäftigte ansteigen.
In the same year on March 5, the company founder Adolf Waldrich died at the age of 61. His son Otto continued to run the company successfully from then on. The planer range was expanded to include combined grinding and milling machines, and new markets were opened up with further new developments such as thread peeling and extruder screw milling machines.
The export ratio increased steadily. In 1955 the development of guideway and surface grinding machines set another course for the company’s history. Soon these machines became the main focus of the production program. Since that time, the company Adolf Waldrich Coburg was associated with the highest precision and reliability.
1940–1959
Culture film 1954
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1960–1985
The first gantry
By 1960 the number of staff had increased to 665. In December 1963 there was a serious gas explosion in which several buildings were destroyed. When the company was rebuilt, more offices and factory buildings were added.
The company had its largest workforce in 1970 with 1,000 employees. The market development required ever larger and more precise machines. This led to the first machine with an NC control system being delivered in 1971, followed in 1975 by the first portal milling machine with a table width of 5,000 mm and a clamping length of 18,000 mm. As a result, the first irreversible step was taken to becoming a heavy equipment manufacturer.
Another highlight was the delivery of the first portal milling machine with a gantry design to Kraftwerksunion in Mülheim, Germany, in 1973.
New Markets
The company was extremely successful when Otto Waldrich retired to private life and sold the company to the American Ingersoll Group in 1986. The market was divided up and the staff was reduced to approximately 400 employees within 6 years.
All members of the Ingersoll Group developed and produced milling machines. This was one reason why new approaches were sought in Coburg and the decision was made to enlarge the product range. Vertical turning machines were developed and new markets were entered for this purpose. In 1997 the first machine with a rotary table diameter of 2.500 mm was completed.
The model range of milling machines was expanded with the ValuTec and MultiTec products. In 1999 the first horizontal milling machine was installed. The MultiTec concept with its modular design and its broad range of applications attracted such great interest that it was aearded the Innovation Prize by the the Bavarian Minister of Economic Affairs, Otto Wieshau, in July 2001.
1986–2004
2004–2015
Successful years
The parent company Ingersoll in Rockford, Illinois, filed for insolvency in 2004. The companies Waldrich Coburg and Waldrich Siegen, which remained in the German group, were bought at auction by the Herkules Group as a package. While roll machining was declared to be the core business segment in Siegen, all activities in the milling machine segment were relocated to Coburg. It became a service point for Waldrich Siegen, Bohle and Waldrich Coburg milling machines.
In 2005 Beijing No.1 acquires the company and consolidates the Coburg site to a considerable extent. In five years, approx. 40 million € were invested in new production halls and machines, office space, repairs and social facilities. This development strengthens the confidence of the customers, who again recognize in WALDRICH COBURG a reliable and strong partner with perspective. This results in the most successful years in the company’s history.
In addition, WALDRICH COBURG Services GmbH was founded in 2006.
The TAURUS-Series
2015-Now
