Iron Foundries in Denmark and in Aalborg Before Henning Smith
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1 2 Henning Bender From Birth to Global Expansion De Smithske 1834 - 2009 DESMI Metallic Industries for 175 years 1 © DESMI and Henning Bender 2009 Editor: Henning Bender assisted by Henrik Sørensen and Bodil Kyvsgaard Author: Henning Bender Translator: Marie Bender Foltmann Photos: DESMI and the City Archives of Aalborg assisted by Liljan Nørgaard Jensen, photographer Layout and graphic design: DESMI Marketing Book jacket and cover: DESMI Marketing Font: Minion Pro. Printing: Suzhou Huafang Printing Co.,Ltd. No.7 DongWu 2 Road Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China Binding: Suzhou Huafang Printing Co.,Ltd. No.7 DongWu 2 Road Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China ISBN 978-87-89590-29-5 EAN 9788789590295 2 Henning Bender From Birth to Global Expansion De Smithske 1834 - 2009 DESMI Metallic Industries for 175 years 3 4 Table of Contents Foreword.................................................................................... 9 Introduction . ................................................................................. 11 1833-1856. The Birth of Danish Industries. 13 Summary 1833-1856 . .................................................................... 13 Who was H. Smith? . .......................................................................... 15 Family background . ............ 15 Network. 15 Life and death in Aalborg. 16 Iron Foundries in Denmark and in Aalborg before Henning Smith . .................................. 17 The cupola furnace . ............ 17 F. W. Meyer’s iron foundry in Aalborg 1807-1824. 17 A. F. Heidemann’s Iron Foundry in Hjørring 1830-1920. 18 The Iron Foundry of Henning Smith in Aalborg 1833- . ............................................. 19 Privilege December 21st 1833 . ... 19 Privileges for iron foundries in Denmark 1828-1833. 21 Factory Buildings – Aalborg Factory Court. 22 Johan Georg Galster . ........... 22 The city where no factory can ever survive . ................................................ 23 Henning Smith and Aalborg Factory Court. 23 Production 1834-1856. 25 Machine fabrication. 25 H. Smith falls behind B&W . ..... 26 Cast iron items . ................ 27 Norresundby iron foundry and machine workshop - Gabrielsværk . ........................... 28 Management and employees 1834-1856. 29 1856-1875. The Driving Force of the Industrialization of Denmark . ............ 31 Summary 1856-1875 . .......................................................................... 31 Winds of Change after Henning Smith Died in 1856. 32 The Financial Crisis 1857-1858 . ................................................................. 32 The First Difficult Years 1858-1860 . .............................................................. 33 Partners and Managing Directors 1856-1875. 34 Progress from 1860-1875 . ...................................................................... 37 Cast iron . ..................... 37 Steam Engines Second Time Around . ..................................................... 40 The Local Newspaper’s Description of Det Smithske in May 1870. 40 Lack of room. 43 Other Metal companies in Denmark. 43 Nationally . .................... 43 Locally. 43 Staff, Salary and Working Environment . .......................................................... 44 A Trade Association against Socialism? . ................................................... 45 Wages and Consumption . 45 5 1875-1900. Lack of Capital and Skilled Labour. 49 Summary 1875-1900 . .......................................................................... 49 Corporations in Denmark 1872-1875. 50 From I/S Det Smithske to A/S De Smithske. ...................................................... 51 The Net Capital of the Corporation 1875-1900 . .................................................... 52 Algade and the ‘Parrot Garden’ . ................................................................. 53 Algade . ....................... 53 The Parrot Garden. 53 ’We Danes Are not Meant to Run factories’. 54 Lack of credit in Aalborg . ....... 54 Shortage of skilled labour in Aalborg . ..................................................... 54 Production 1875-1900. 55 Castings. 56 Steam Engines . ................ 59 Boilers . ....................... 59 Is De Smithske for Sale?. 61 Employment and Salary in De Smithske. 62 New Managing Directors 1893-1896 . ..................................................... 62 Conflicts in the labour market. 63 Lockout in 1897 . ............... 64 Lockout in 1899 . ............... 64 Status by the Turn of the Century . ............................................................... 65 1900-1935. Known Throughout the Country for Church Bells . .................. 67 Summary 1900-1935 . .......................................................................... 67 The Iron and Machine Industry in Denmark 1900-1935. 68 The 3 biggest companies in the metal industry in Aalborg . ................................... 69 Buaas’ factories. 69 De Smithske’s Ship Repair and Aalborg Shipyard . .................................................. 70 De Smithske’s repair shipyard in the new harbour 1838-1902 . .................................. 70 De Smithske’s repair shipyard in the eastern harbour 1902-1912. 71 De Smithske Did Not Establish a Steel Shipyard. 72 Aalborg Shipyard . 73 Church Bells . 75 The first church bells . ........... 75 Danish church bells. 75 Public baths, central heating systems and church bells . ...................................... 76 Church bells in Southern Jutland . 77 In General 1900-1935 . ......................................................................... 79 Key Figures and Staff. 79 Managing directors . ............ 80 Employees. 80 Peace and No Conflicts . ........................................................................ 82 1935-1977. Progress in Between Two Relocations. 85 Summary 1935-1977 . .......................................................................... 85 A New Direction in 1936. 87 The old premises . .............. 88 The new premises 1936-1977. 89 6 Egenfeldt’s Strategy for the Future in 1936. 90 Second World War and the German Occupation . .................................................. 91 The Postwar Year 1945-1959. 94 125th Anniversary June 9th 1959. 97 1960-1975 Good Times Become Even Better than Good. 97 Return in De Smithske 1939-1976. 98 Production, expansion and daughter companies (1960-1975) . ................................ 98 Daughter Companies. ..