Quality through experience - Our milestones

Meaningful events on the timeline of Abend Maschinenbau

Founded in 1931 as a cylinder and crankshaft grinding company, the company Heinrich Abend has increased, due to the mechanical processing, so that the processing options have assumed ever larger dimensions.

1897

Lorenz Abend, the father of Heinrich Abend, as an employee of Benz & Co.

1915

The Benz - aircraft engine type Bz IV
made by Lorenz Abend

This 6-cylinder aircraft engine from 1915 produced a ground power of 230 hp with a total weight of 370 kg. This corresponds to a power-to-weight ratio of 1.6 kg/hp.

This engine was one of the best proven German aircraft engines, of which a total of 6,429 were built.

The model of this engine (see picture below) was built by Lorenz Abend, the great-grandfather of the present managing director of Motoren - Abend GmbH.

Lorenz Abend was already employed by Carl Benz before 1897 (see photograph above) and was, among others, one of the privileged masters who accompanied Carl Benz's funeral procession.

1925

Heinrich Abend passed the master craftsman's certificate in iron turning on May 16, 1925

1931

Foundation of the Abend company at Ludwigshafen am Rhein

Heinrich Abend

1947

Start of construction of a new production plant at the current site in Mannheim-Käfertal on a parcel of land, 6000 m² in size.

1955

Construction starts on a 500 m2 assembly shop as well as a new test station for combustion engines of up to 500 PS capacity.

1960

Construction of an additional assembly shop covering 750 m2 for mounting and dismounting of engines in vehicles, as well as a sub-level facility for a new 400 m2 spare parts depot. Putting a new MSO crankshaft grinder with a swing diameter of 750 mm and a length of 4000 mm between centers into operation.

1970

A cylinder grinding machine type Naxos with a grinding diameter of 720 mm and a length of 8000 mm between centers is put into service.

1971

40th anniversary and dedication of the new body shop and Simca dealership. Abend Maschinenbau

1972

Heinrich Abend dies and is succeeded by his daughter Edith Breitenreicher (née Abend) and Roland Breitenreicher as general manager.

1984

Commissioning of the “Schmalz" dual-column surface grinding machine with a grinding range of 2500x1200x850 mm.

1989

The "Engine Repair" department is spun off to become a new company.

1991

The subsidiary "PMT-Messtechnik GmbH" with CNC 3-D coordinate measuring machine x-2000 y-1000 z-1000 mm is founded.

1994

A "Löser" belt grinding machine with a grinding diameter of 1000 mm and a length of 8500 mm between centers and attached superfinish station is commissioned.

1997

DIN EN ISO 9002 certification.

1998

Reconstruction of production hall to accommodate a gantry crane and base plates for a new turning lathe.

1999

Peter Breitenreicher, the third generation, takes over.

2000

The entire electronic data processing system is converted to a high-performance network linked to the Internet.

2002

Implementation of an ERP system capable of satisfying the high quality standards; update of the machinery inventory by adding a GEMINI GHT 4 - 720 x 4000 turning lathe.