History

Feel the future – Understanding history

Was Heinrich Georg able to look in to the future in the late 1940s? Could he have foreseen that he would significantly advance metalworking with inventions such as the reinforcing steel straightening machine, the Lilput shear and the world’s first automatic straightening and cutting machine?

Of course Heinrich Georg did not foresee the future. However, he could feel it.

After all, anyone who creates something new to improve the present must believe in the future. What drives GEORG is looking ahead with our customers, partners and employees to develop future solutions that will last – not only today but also tomorrow. We owe this attitude to Heinrich Georg’s sense of the future.
His first machine inventions for straightening and cutting of iron have formed the base for our today’s globally active, medium-size and highly diversified high-tech company.

1948 – 1970

1971 – 1990

1991 – 2000

2001 – 2010

2011 – 2020

2021 – 2030

The start of something big

On June 20, 1948, Heinrich Georg officially took over his father's workshop and thus laid the foundation for today's company. The innovative company founder has a vision: based on his inventions of a machine and a shear for leveling and cutting monier iron, he wants to make it easier for people to rebuild after the Second World War. 

In 1955 the Hanover Fair quickly led to other European countries. With success, so that the straightening and cutting lines will soon go into series production and the application for grain-oriented electrical steel will be extended.

1948

Taking over his father’s toolmaker workshop – the birth of the Maschinenfabrik Heinrich Georg.

1952

Development of the first reinforcing steel straightening machine and an eccentric shear, the so-called 'Liliput shear'.

1953

By combining the two aggregates, the first automatic straightening and cutting machine is born.

1955

Successful participation at the Hanover Trade Fair. First customer contacts with other European countries are made.

1956

GEORG’s straightening and cutting machines are produced in batches.

1960

Delivery of the first GEORG cutting and punching line for a grain-oriented electric steel strip.

The machine factory conquers the world

GEORG is at the cutting edge early on. At the beginning of the 1970s, the electronic age entered the machine factory. Electrical controls replace mechanical functions. After the takeover of a neighboring machine tool company in Kreuztal, today's third pillar, highly complex special machine tools, was born.

In the 1980s, GEORG founded subsidiaries as well as sales and service offices in China and England - making it one of the pioneers in Asia.

1971

GEORG enters into the electronic era; electronic control systems replace mechanical functions.

1973

The electrical workshop is complemented with its very own ELECTRONICS DEPARTMENT.

1974

Acquisition of a neighbouring machine tool company and EXPANSION of the product range to include SPECIAL MACHINE TOOLS.

In the following years, we kept abreast with our professed goal of GLOBAL PRESENCE and customer proximity by ESTABLISHING our own SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES and REPRESENTATIVE OFFICES in every industrial country.

1985

Foundation of the GEORG Service Centre in Beijing to support our customers in East Asia.

1988

Foundation of GEORG UK in Bilston, near Birmingham.

Innovations shape the face

Keeping a close eye on the customer, the company always produces innovations and continuously develops its products to meet customer needs. As a result, the company is increasingly conquering a high worldwide reputation as an innovative and reliable solution provider for highly complex technological challenges in high-end mechanical engineering. As a result, the product range is further detailed and diversified.

At the end of the 1990s, the company ventured into North America and founded its own subsidiary in the USA in order to serve the local market in a better way.

1998

Foundation of the subsidiary company GEORG Manufacturing Service (GMS), Hickory, N.C./USA.

A new age begins

This decade is primarily shaped by the entrepreneurial family. At the beginning of this new century, Mark Georg, grandson of the company's founder, joined the management. Seven years later, he assumes overall responsibility for the company, while the second generation of entrepreneurs, Gerd Georg and Hans-Jürgen Patt, move to the supervisory board.

Mark Georg begins to make the fast-growing company strong against economic fluctuations and to put it on solid, independent feet.

In 2008, the company founder Heinrich Georg died at the age of 90.

2002

Outplacement of the control department for finishing lines and foundation of the GEORG Automation GmbH in Kreuztal, Germany.

2003

The 3rd generation enters into the management of the company! At the beginning of 2003, Mark Georg joins the long-time president Gerd Georg and Hans-Jürgen Patt.

2007

Relocation of the transformer department into the new office building. The departments of sales, mechanical design, electrical control and service are now united under one roof. Ultimately, our customers are the ones who benefit from shorter distances and better communication.

2008

The company celebrates its 60th anniversary. Employees and customers alike celebrated our successful long-term relationships.

2010

The management team keeps on growing: Gerd Georg and Hans-Jürgen Patt make the transition to the advisory boad. CEO Mark Georg is now Chairman of the board, which, consists of him and the four business unit directors of the following departments: Transformers (Bernd Peter Schmidt), Finishing Lines (Antonio Garcia), Machine Tools (Reinhard Helmer) and Corporate Services (Theo Helsper).

2010

For the purpose of expanding capacities as well as optimising material flow, GEORG invests in a completely new assembly shop.

Departure into the new digital time

GEORG is constantly driving change. In this eventful decade, the company continues to be technologically and economically future-oriented. Structures, processes and market presence are professionalized, a lot is invested in infrastructure, buildings, machines and personnel - for the first time, the worldwide number of employees exceeds the 500 mark.

A separate academy and an order-independent development department are founded. In this decade, GEORG remains true to itself and brings many innovations on the market, which lay the foundation for the company from pure mechanical engineering to intelligent process optimizer.

2011

The GEORG Group purchases a neighbouring production site incl. 600 sqm of office space. Here the GEORG AUTOMATION GMBH will continue to grow and we will start offering our customers complete automation solutions including switchgear engineering.

2011

Modernization of the ground floors in the assembly halls of works II. During running production the ground floors are renovated and prepared for higher loads.

2012

At the occasion of a customer day GEORG machine tool division presents the first GEORG ultragrind roll grinder.

2012

In this year we start with the construction of the new GEORGhouse.

2012

New investments are made in machinery of our manufacturing division.

New heavy cranes are invested in the assembly halls of our machine tool division.

2013

Our colleagues from finishing lines and machine tool divisions move into the new GEORGhouse where at the same time the GEORGacademy opens its doors.

In spring we have started our cooperation with the munical children day care located right opposite the GEORGhouse.

2014

GEORG is growing in all its business areas with regard to quality and quantity. (Large) orders from market leading companies e.g. for the world’s fastest edge-trimming line for can body stock (AluNorf, Germany), new roll grinding machine (Baosteel, China), slitting and cut-to-length lines for aluminium (KUMZ, Russia & ALNAN, China), GEORG precision cut TBA 1200 for the world’s biggest transformer producer (TBEA, China).

2015

With this machining center GEORG is again setting new world standards. Turning, drilling, milling, grinding and exact measuring of large-size workpieces up to 250 to on one machine in one set-up.

2015

Introduction of a comprehensive service concept GEORG protectionworld.

Introduction, organization and marketing of various services.

2015

Enterpreneur award for GEORGacademy

Award received for the training concept established in 2014 as best-practice example within North-Rhine Westphalia.

2016

Take-over of the American machine builder Capco Machinery Systems Inc. and establishing the new company Georg Capco Inc. in Roanoke/Virginia, USA.

Establishing a common daughter company GEORG & UEBACH GmbH in Kreuztal for production of welded, bent, notched and laser-cut parts.

2016

Development and installation of the first GEORG roll grinder with CBN-technology in a hot rolling mill.

Inauguration of the worldwide first complete machining center for heavy workpieces with integrated 2-point measuring system (GEORG ultraturn MC) at Siemens Dynamowerk, Berlin.

2016

Further modernizations of our production machines in our own mechanical manufacturing workshop at our headquarter in Kreuztal.

2017

Inauguration of the third GEORG ultraturn MC at Doosan Skoda, Pilsen.

Introduction of the GEORG precisioncut TBA400 robot line – the first core cutting line for strip widths of up to 440 mm with robotic E-stacking systems.

2017

Entering a strategic partnership with the Swiss GÜDEL Group for common developments in the area of automatic core stacking technology for power transformers.

2017

Receipt of the so far biggest single order from a Chinese customer in our company’s history for our finishing lines division covering slitting and cut-to-length lines for aluminium.

2018

70th company anniversary - What started it all: Heinrich Georg's development of the Liliput shears

2018

70th company anniversary: The team from the very beginning.

2018

The anniversary year was celebrated as Oktoberfest with the employee families.

2018

GEORG enters the way from a machine buílder towards an intelligent process optimizer.
All product units work with all efforts on new products and solutions. The developments are presented and discussed during a great customer day, the GEORG TechFair.

2018

GEORG Tech Fair: Numerous visitors from all over the world exchange ideas about the future of the digital age.

2018

Extension of the workshop in Plant 1: View of the expanded mechanical production on Siegener Straße

2019

The robot technology finds its way into the GEORG production systems for the transformer industry.

2019

The Business Unit Machine Tools enters the development and production of horizontal traveling column milling machines.

2019

At the EMO 2019, the latest innovations, the GEORG ultramill H and the GEORG smartcontrol, were presented to the interested trade audience.

2019

The digital twin in action.

2019

Move into the newly established, order-independent development department, GEORGinnovation.

2019

Development of the own GEORG control for grinding machines with world standard.

2019

GEORG receives several awards as a top employer in mechanical engineering.

2019

View into the parent-child office in the GEORGhaus.

2019

GEORG receives environmental award.

2020

The year of Corona pandemic

2020

After virtual pre-acceptance, in-time delivery of five roll grinding machines with state-of-the-art control system GEORG smartcontrol for the Chinese Baowu Steel Group Corp., Ltd.

2020

Intensified investment in product development and digitalization.

Keep Improving

The world is changing at a rapid pace. The start of the new decade will be marked by numerous crises, some of them in global and climate policy. Technological development is also continuing at a rapid pace, as shown, for example, by the entry of AI into professional and everyday life. However, the crises also bring opportunities, for example the need to help shape the energy transition with new ideas and products.

In these times, GEORG once again proves its ability to innovate and adapt. Products and services are reviewed and aligned to be even more marketable. Old products are dropped, new ones are added. Markets are being conquered and further expanded. The path of digitalization of own processes and the automation of products and services is steadily progressing.

2021

In order to better meet the growing market requirements, GEORG is creating a central service unit. Here, the competences from all product areas are bundled so that the requirements for modernizations, trouble shooting and strategic service can be met even better. In this course, the remote service will also be expanded.

2022

GEORG expands its business activities on the North American market. In addition to the subsidiary in Roanoke/Virginia, the company opens an office in Atlanta and strengthens its sales and service activities. As a result, the order intake from North America grows considerably.

2022

The company is launching new products on the market that are even more closely geared to future needs in terms of electromobility and the shortage of skilled workers. Highly automated cutting systems, e.g. for service centers, are just as much a part of this as the further development and modularization of the roll grinding machine series.

2023

In 2022 and 2023, the company recorded the highest order intake in its history. The company was founded by Heinrich Georg on June 20, 1948. The 75th anniversary is celebrated extensively with customers and employees, with a particular focus on the future.

top