Gleason-Hurth
History of Gleason-Hurth
In July of 1995, Carl Hurth Maschinen and Zahnradfabrik was purchased by Gleason Corporation. Like The Gleason Works, Hurth was founded over 100 years ago and is rich in history and roots. Connections between the two companies go back as far as 1930 when Carl Hurth noted Gleason’s accomplishments in the spiral bevel machine area and even sent some of his people to visit the University Avenue site in 1938.
The following write up was taken from a history of the Carl Hurth Maschinen and Zahnradfabrik written by Otto Rogg, a skilled designer who left his mark on the mechanical engineering of Hurth well into the 60s. Mr. Rogg hand wrote his remembrances of the company as his contribution to Hurth’s 100 year anniversary celebration in 1996.
Carl Hurth was born on April 6, 1866 near Stuttgart, Germany. He was the second oldest of 5 sons and one sister. His father was in the textile industry and his mother came from a fishing and shipping family. When Carl was only 12 years old, his mother died tragically in an accident trying to help a neighbor harness a horse. At her death, Carl’s father, who was a strong and determined disciplinarian, very carefully and methodically planned Carl’s future direction in life.
At age 14, Carl graduated from secondary school, and was taken by his father to Esslingen to become an apprentice at the Mechanical Craftsmen School where steam engines, hydraulic fluid reservoirs and transmissions were produced. Fortunately this move was in line with Carl’s aspirations to become either a coppersmith, watchmaker or mechanic. Upon completion of his apprenticeship, Carl went to work for the Machine/Engineering Works of Eberhardt & Sons in Ulm.
From here he headed toward Munich and worked as a lathe operator for nearly 5 years. In addition to his job in Munich, Carl began taking night classes and drawing courses at the local Continuing Education School in Rosental. He began to develop a fascination with the calculation and drawing of gears. When he thought he had learned and seen enough in Munich, he went on to Sachsen in 1889 with the blessing of his employer. His goal was to work for F. E. Reinecker (Chemnitz), a leader in the European machine tool industry at the time. The company produced gear adaptation machines as well as other machines. He was employed there only as a locksmith, but his work-related experiences during this time would play a critically important role in his later career. From Chemnitz, he went on to Dresden and Berlin and then headed back to Munich.
In 1890, Carl returned to Munich for the second and last time. Shortly after his arrival, he married Dorothea Laichinger, the sister of a machine tool manufacturer, Ludwig Laichinger. He worked as a lathe operator in Laichinger’s shop which produced pewter mold castings for beer mugs, wine trophies and pewter plates. It was intrinsic to Carl’s nature to always look for a better way to accomplish a process or a task. He constantly strove to improve the manufacturing process, but his brother-in-law did not follow the same philosophy.
Consequently, in 1896, he left his brother-in-law’s shop and started his own business in an adjacent building. The was the birth of Maschinen- und Zahnradfabrik Carl Hurth. Together with one apprentice, Carl Hurth built a small workshop on the 2nd floor of a building adjacent to his brother-in-law’s shop. His machine inventory consisted of a small work bench, which was manually operated by a foot lever, and a manual table drill. If he had large jobs to do on the small work bench, his strength alone was insufficient and the apprentice had to assist in pressing the lever to get the work bench to operate consistently. This historical machine is still in the possession of the Company.
The business prospered and grew under Carl’s tutelage. Carl’s pace became legendary. It was known as "Hurth’s tempo". The day was never long enough. Every minute was used to full capacity. The room was literally "stuffed" with machines and vices. Inventory was so tight, that employees had to squeeze by all the machines and vices. So as not to waste a single minute, every employee, including supervisors and apprentices, had to take a piece of raw material which had been delivered to the courtyard back upstairs to the workshop when returning from lunch to eliminate any material backups.
In 1903, Carl’s fascination with gears took center stage and he manufactured his first gear. The business now began to specialize and focus on gear production. In 1911, the company developed its first gear cutting machine and Carl was successful enough to finally purchase his workshop.
At the beginning of the First World War, Carl and his workforce of 50 people moved into a larger and more modern factory. They produced gears and other spare parts for automobiles. During the World War, the staff grew to 500 people.
In the 1920s, under the leadership of Hans Hurth, Carl’s eldest son, production began on motorcycle transmissions and by 1930 was so successful, that the workforce now numbered 800 people.
In 1935, development began on shaving technology. Three years later, the first gear shaving cutter was delivered. The focus continued on gearing and in 1950 gear shaving machines were added to the line. In that same year, the Company moved into a larger industrial plant and business continued to prosper into the 1950s and 1960s. In 1969, the Company had 3000 employees.
At the age of 93, Carl Hurth passed away in 1958. His three sons and one daughter assumed leadership of the Company.
In 1975, the workforce numbered 2500. Success continued with a licensing of gear dip shaving cutters to Kobe Steel in Japan and a shaving production expansion in Brazil. The delivery of the 100,000th gear shaving cutter was also celebrated in the early 80s. During this time, the Company also moved to its present location on Moosacher Strasse and the business was divided into three units: transmission and gears, machines, tools.
In the late 1980s, business declined and leadership of the Company was turned over to Fritz Carl Anton Hurth, a grandson of the founder. Fritz officially took over in 1990. The workforce was reduced to 1200. In 1995, the Company decided that it was in its best interest to be acquired by Gleason Corporation. This strategic decision was a successful one. The merger brought complementary products to Gleason’s line of cylindrical gear products and was a significant contributor to the growth in sales and operating profits for both 1996 and 1997. The marriage of Gleason and Hurth has insured a stronger, more agile and diversified company better positioned to continue keeping a world in motion.
Gleason-Hurth became the competence centre for fine finishing of gears within Gleason Corporation. Products like shaving, chamfering, honing and threaded wheel grinding machines were developed or improved further on. Significant investment into the tools department has been driven the success of the Gleason Cutting Tools division’s success in Munich.
Gleason-Hurth is one of the three machine production facilities of Gleason within Europe and about 300 employees are designated everyday to serve customers around the world with high precision machines, highly competitive tools and outstanding After Sales Service performance.
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