One of Germany's first machine factories: steam engines, rolling mill equipment and machine parts, as well as its own blast furnace, puddling and sheet rolling operations
Mechanische Werkstätten Harkort & Co.
Wetter a. d. Ruhr · Olpe · Magdeburg · Berlin · ElberfeldNew on Amplifa
About Mechanische Werkstätten Harkort & Co.
The Mechanische Werkstätten Harkort & Comp. were founded on 18 September 1819 by Johann Heinrich Daniel Kamp and Friedrich Harkort in the ruins of Wetter Castle above Wetter an der Ruhr and ranked among the first machine factories in Germany. Modeled on English examples and initially staffed largely by English specialists, the company manufactured steam engines; by 1821 ten different models were already on offer. In addition, the factory produced machine parts, rollers, furnaces, stair railings, flat irons, grave crosses and rolling mill equipment. From 1826, a blast furnace was built at the Wetter site, in 1827 a puddling and rolling mill as well as a sheet rolling mill, and in 1829/30 the Henriettenhütte blast furnace works near Olpe was added. The materials included iron, steel and copper, which was processed at the copper hammer mill in Hinsbeck. Branches existed in Magdeburg, Berlin and Elberfeld. In 1906 the operation was taken over by the Märkische Maschinenbauanstalt Ludwig Stuckenholz and in 1910 was absorbed into the Deutsche Maschinenfabrik AG, the later Demag.
- Site
- Wetter a. d. Ruhr
- Processes
- Manufacture of steam engines, Manufacture of rolling mill equipment, Sheet rolling (sheet rolling mill), Puddling and rolling mill, Blast furnace operation (blast furnace, Henriettenhütte blast furnace works), Copper hammer mill, Manufacture of machine parts, Steam engine manufacturing
- Materials
- Copper, Iron, Steel, Sheet metal
- Founded
- 1819-09-18
- Employees
- 325
- Industries
- Mechanical engineering, Mining/metallurgy, Iron processing
- 01
Blast furnace operation
- 02
Puddling and rolling
- 03
Sheet rolling
- 04
Copper hammer mill
- 05
Manufacture of machine parts
- 06
Assembly of steam engines and rolling mill equipment
Materials and Processes
Iron
Basic material for blast furnace operation, puddling and rolling mills, and machine manufacturing.
Steel
Material of the sheet rolling mill and rolling mill equipment.
Copper
Material processed at the copper hammer mill in Hinsbeck.
Sites
Wetter a. d. Ruhr
DEMain works: machine factory, sheet rolling mill, blast furnace, puddling and rolling mill
- Materials
- Iron, Steel
- Steam engine (1819)
- Sheet rolling mill
- Blast furnace (1826)
- Puddling and rolling mill (1827)
Olpe
DEBlast furnace works (Henriettenhütte)
- Materials
- Iron
- Blast furnace works (1829/30)
Magdeburg
DEBranch/operation
Berlin
DEBranch/operation
Elberfeld
DEBranch (Julius Blank)
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacture of steam enginesAssembly | – | – | – | – | Metal |
| Manufacture of rolling mill equipmentAssembly | – | – | – | – | Metal |
| Sheet rolling (sheet rolling mill)Forming | – | – | – | – | Steel, Iron |
| Puddling and rolling millForming | – | – | – | – | Iron, Steel |
| Blast furnace operation (blast furnace, Henriettenhütte blast furnace works)Casting | – | – | – | – | Iron |
| Copper hammer millForming | – | – | – | – | Copper |
| Manufacture of machine partsMachining | – | – | – | – | Metal |
6 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam engine | – | 1 | – | 1819 | Wetter a. d. Ruhr |
| Sheet rolling mill | – | – | – | – | Wetter a. d. Ruhr |
| Blast furnace | – | 1 | – | 1826 | Wetter a. d. Ruhr |
| Puddling and rolling mill | – | – | – | 1827 | Wetter a. d. Ruhr |
| Blast furnace works (Henriettenhütte) | – | – | – | 1829 | Olpe |
| Copper hammer mill | – | – | – | – | Hinsbeck |
Additional services
History
- 1819
Foundation of Mechanische Werkstätten Harkort & Comp. by Johann Heinrich Daniel Kamp and Friedrich Harkort in the ruins of Wetter Castle; one of the first machine factories in Germany.
- 1821
Ten different steam engine models on offer at prices of up to 23,000 talers.
- 1826
Construction of a blast furnace in Wetter.
- 1827
Construction of a puddling and rolling mill.
- 1829
Construction of the Henriettenhütte blast furnace works near Olpe.
- 1834
Departure of Friedrich Harkort on 10 January following financial difficulties; Johann Heinrich Daniel Kamp takes over the management.
- 1837
Hermann Kamp joins the firm.
- 1841
Julius Blank joins the firm Kamp & Co. as managing commercial officer.
- 1851
Otto and Hermann Kamp as well as Julius Blank take over the firm from Johann Heinrich Daniel Kamp.
- 1853
Julius Blank becomes sole owner of the firm Kamp & Co.
- 1865
Death of Julius Blank; sons Heinrich Blank and Julius Blank Jr. become partners, Alfred Trappen becomes authorized signatory.
- 1869
50th anniversary with 25 salaried staff and 300 workers, attended by Friedrich Harkort.
- 1873
Conversion into a joint-stock company due to capital shortage.
- 1896
Resignation of Heinrich Blank; Alfred Trappen continues to run the firm.
- 1906
Takeover by the Märkische Maschinenbauanstalt Ludwig Stuckenholz under the direction of Wolfgang Reuter.
- 1910
Merger with other companies to form Deutsche Maschinenfabrik AG based in Duisburg, later Demag.
- 1973
Demag is taken over by Mannesmann.