100 Years of HegerGuss

100 years of experienced and living history

With two world wars and four different currencies.

The Heger and Müller Iron Foundry OHG was founded on March 11902. Karl Heger and Ludwig Müller acquired the local bark mill and refractory clay factory to set up their own business. Although Karl Heger knew: "The times at present are not exactly favorable for starting up a new business."

Though not the youngest, the entrepreneur did not leave anything to chance. From the start, Karl Heger introduced an absolute novelty of American journal entry accounting which until very recently was still part of the curriculum in schools.

Karl Heger and Ludwig Müller managed the company for twelve years. During this period the workforce grew to more than 100 employees. What companies call their mission today sounded like this back then: "We guarantee a good, clean and tight-sealing casting mold and will provide a precisely calculated low price, because it is always our objective to advance the company with the most attractive pricing and top quality."

Karl Heger died in 1914. The widow of the company's founder,, Christine Heger, took over the company and a few years later Ludwig Müller left the company.

Jakob Heger, one of nine children, gradually took on the role of his father. Lina Heger represented the company, resolutely and with poise.

The production range consisted of cast agricultural implements and industrial cast molding, as well as the production of cast moldings suitable for enameling. The range of products was continuously expanded. End tubes, liquid manure pumps, brackets, sanitation casting, monolithic stall equipment, cast iron staircases, machine castings for the chemicals industry, cylinder casting for steam turbines and steam compressors, machine casting for the electrical engineering industry, cast-iron furnaces, setup rods for railway applications and even oven gratings.

Jakob Heger and his younger brother Hans, who started working at the company in 1926, started a specialist factory for butcher's equipment. Despite the Great Depression, they were able to put people into ongoing work positions. Only in 1944 was this company discontinued. The reason: ingredients for meat and sausage products were too scarce.

For years suspension storage products were high in demand. There was steady growth in the universal fruit and winepress market from the 1930s to the mid-1950s. The strong screw winepress with a hydraulic press was registered as a Reichspatent for the German Empire. Even after the war, Heger and Müller were market leaders in the area of hydraulic twin-rod fruit presses.

As early as 1950 plans were being made for employee housing. After the untimely death of Jakob Heger, Hans Heger 1948-65 ran the company alone and was the initiator of the employee housing workgroup. Except for one house, all the homes on Heidestraße are the property of original owners' descendants.

Hans Heger's wife Josephine was the acting company president for a long time after his death.

Before Hans Heger returned to Enkenbach at the age of 26 years, he was also a successful test and factory driver for the Patria WKC motorcycle brand. He most likely could have had a brilliant motorcycle racing career.

In 1966 Hans-Jakob took over sole leadership of the company after his father's death. Not only did he inherit the entrepreneurial talent of his father, but also was also a philanthropist, supporting development of basic infrastructure at the village of Doblopinar in Anatolia (Asia Minor), the original home area of many Turkish migrant workers which had come to work at HegerGuss.

Starting in 1954 the company focussed more and more strongly on equipment building: pipelines, warehouse containers, agitators, twin screws, steel and special grade steel presses. Starting in 1978 only high-grade mechanical components are cast of the highest technical standard. Starting in 1989 the company operates under the name HegerGuss.

Hans-Jakob Heger recognized the value of the region to his company. Art and culture are supported, a collection of contemporary Palatinate art gets its start; and as the president of the Pfalzmetall industry association, contributed far beyond his company..

In 2002, on the occasion of the company's 100th anniversary, Hans-Jakob Heger handed full management control of the company to his son Johannes, who had already been a company vice-president since 1995. In his hands the company meets the challenges of the present day, which calls for an advance and innovative approaches, not only in terms of technology but also in how the company is run. HegerGuss works with the most recent developments, works in cooperation with universities and also develops its own knowledge management software.