Early years    Between the world wars    Fiat subsidiary    Decline and restart  
1. Literature

2. External Links

3. References

The Karosseriewerke Weinsberg (in English Bodywork Weinsberg, short KW), today a German Tooling Company based in Bretzfeld, but originally founded and located until 2011 in Weinsberg, Germany. The company was a former coachbuilder, known especially as a manufacturer of recreational vehicles. The cities name Weinsberg was used as brand name from 1969 to 1992.

Early years

In 1912 the company was founded in Weinsberg by plaster master Gustav Alt and master bricklayer Wilhelm Schuhmacher with funds of 80,000 German gold mark. On the factory grounds in the south of Weinsberg old town, the today so called city Seebach, a factory building was created. First product of the new company were horse-drawn carriages manufactured by 35 hired saddlers, carpenters and wheelwrighters in traditional construction. The same year also the production of automotive coachwork started, which were manufactured each as a custom product in similar way as the carriages made of wood and leather. In 1913 the company achieved a total of 119,300 Marks. In 1914 the former copartner Franz Eisenlohr from a Reutlingen hotel opperator family acquired the company.^[1]

The same year World War I interrupted normal production. By order of the Ministry of War of Württemberg, KW produced horse-carts for military purposes. After the war, the production of these field wagons was continued; a few hundred took the French Armed Forces as war reparations. Until the beginning of the World War II military carts were delivered to Nazi Wehrmacht.

Between the world wars

In 1920, production of automobile bodies was resumed, for the time being as usual made of wood and leather. In 1922, a first office building was created. KW's opening balance sheet of 1924 was total of 340,300 Goldmark. Since 1925 car manufacturers urged to replace the outer wood planking on the wooden frame gradually change to sheet metal, and tinsmiths joined to the saddlers, carpenters and wheelwrighters. KW was one of the first coachbuilding companies who introduced this new technology. In 1925 KW got the first coachbuilding serial order from NSU Motorenwerke near Neckarsulm. In the following years, KW manufactured bodies for all leading and many smaller car manufacturers, including for Auto Union, BMW, Citroën, Daimler-Benz, Ford, Magirus, Opel, Wanderer and many others.

From 1930 also Fiat issued large orders. In 1931 on only bodies for 1500 taxicab bodies for use in Berlin. Further major contracts enabled KW to expand; in 1937, sales increased to 3,545,600 Reichsmark and a workforce of 699 persons were achieved. For about 4500 Weinsberg citizens thus the KW was the most important employer.

Fiat subsidiary

In 1938 owner Eisenlohr had been largely overthrown of disagreements with the Nazi Regime and had largely disempowered in the company management sold the company to Fiat, which already acquired in 1929 the Heilbronn facility of NSU. KW remained as a independent company but owned by Fiat. The following years huge production of Fiat automobiles like the Fiat 500 "Topolino" was manufactured in Heilbronn and Weinsberg.

In World War II, KW were clamped again for military production. In addition to a small series of Kübelwagen were aluminium airplane parts dominated the production, like structures for the Messerschmitt Me 410 and Me 262.

The number of employees, in 1944 still 729, declined in 1945 to 114, correspondingly sales of 4,233,500 deceased to 1,093,200 Reichsmark. In the years after the end of the war things like spoons, furniture fittings and signs were made from the remaining aluminum; the joinery made furniture and radio casings, and the wagon farm vehicles. Vehicle repairs for Fiat and the United States Army and special bodies for US Army vehicles were also part of the program.

With 1946 sheet metal cabins for Büssing trucks restarted the mass production. 1950 in Weinsberg, the body for the Gutbrod Superior station wagon was built. In the same year, the last wooden frame body of KW for a Fiat 500 C was produced. In later 1950s and 1960s, KW built the Fiat 500 variants, Fiat Neckar, Fiat Jagst, and Fiat Weinsberg (Fiat Coupe Weinsberg 500). Also cooperation with Porsche, as early as 1933 by the construction of a early VW Beetle prototypes for NSU and Ferdinand Porsche started, was continued in the 1950s, for example, with the paint of thousands of sports cars in Weinsberg. 1955 began with the production of sunroofs the construction of a comprehensive automotive accessories and item production, the fender, interior slots, Taxi cab dividers and other more.

In 1958, KW made targeted investments in the tool and fixture construction business; tools had already been made for personal use. In 1969, KW introduced the first self produced recreational vehicle, based on the Fiat 238 that sold well. Under the brand Weinsberg followed by other models based on Fiat, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen models. In 1974 construction of special vehicles such as ambulance, rescue and emergency followed, single samples had already been sporadically built before.

In 1970, Fiat decided to cease production in Germany and limit itself to a sales and service organization. The KW was sold to Deutsche Treuhandgesellschaft, which later joined KPMG.

Decline and restart

By late 1980s the business went well. As early in the years 1961 to 1965, the press shop, tool and fixture construction were moved in two new built workshops on a site next the Crailsheim–Heilbronn railway line.^[2] With 1983 the remaining operations were relocated into three new created buildings at this site. As a result, the Weinsberg urban areal of 2.1 hectares (5.1 acres) was freed up for new use, which was rebuilt with residential and retail space by 1994 after the relocation and the subsequent demolition of the old KW buildings. The cityscape of Weinsberg was changed decisively.^[3]

Was on the 75th anniversary in October 1987 still "a steady upward trend" noted with a sales total of 85 million DM and 550 employees (two smaller subsidiaries in Heilbronn included).^[4] With 1988 due bad economic situation of the customers in the automotive industry, KW followed them filing short-time working for a part of the workforce.^[5] Also in March 1988, the 50 percent entry of Prechter GmbH of German-American entrepreneur Heinz Prechter (American Sunroof Corporation)^[5] who completely acquired KW in 1989,^[6] and could not stop the decline.

In August 1992, the recreation vehicles and rescue vehicles (and with it the brand Veinsberg) was sold to Tabbert Industrie AG (later named as Knaus Tabbert).^[7] The company specialized in manufacturing parts and fixture and toolmaking. Due bad economic situation, after steady staff reduction in April 2002 insolvency was filed. After more than three years a new investor Surikate GmbH from Bad Rothenfelde who inquired the company by 1 August 2005.^[8] From 454 employees in 1988^[9] remained 75 in August 2005.^[6] The number of employees of KW rose after the entry of Surikate GmbH by the year 2009 to 85 at. On 11 March 2009 after huge losses in 2007 and 2008 and a sales decline over 60% in January 2009, KW filed insolvency again.^[10][11] With still 23 remaining workers in December 2009 the Bretzfeld located Wolpert Group Karosseriewerke Weinsberg acquired KW.^[12] In 2011, the KW were moved to Schwabbach, a suburb of Bretzfeld.^[13]

Literature

• (German) H. Dieter Schmoll and Ingrid Bartenbach: 75 Jahre Karosseriewerke Weinsberg 1912–1987. Weinsberg, 1987

External Links

• www.kw-weinsberg.de Karosseriewerke Weinsberg website

References

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• 1990s alternative metal
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• 1990 San Diego State Aztecs football team