Ernst Neumärker lays the foundation stone of today's company on 25 January 1894 in Düsseldorf. At first he works from a 3-room flat.
The business field is the trade of metal coffin fittings and the production funeral accessories.
He is a full-blooded entrepreneur and very successful with his business.
His guiding principle is "It must work!"
The company grows fast in the following years. The experience gained strengthened the company's self-confidence and it began to manufacture own coffin fittings. By 1910, the company already had its own iron foundry in Düsseldorf and further branches in Brussels, Milan, Chemnitz and Berlin.
The casting process is finally relocated to the newly acquired foundry in Hemer Westig in Westphalia in 1915. This is the origin of the company's long experience in iron casting and metal processing. The facility is expanded and, in addition to the foundry, includes a pressing and stamping plant, an electroplating facility and a paint shop.
Thanks to Ernst Neumärker's dedication, by the time the company celebrates its 25th anniversary in 1919, it employs around 1,000 people in 10 factories all over Europe. A large site is acquired in Kirchberg, where a sawmill and a mechanised carpentry workshop are built.
"In the Düsseldorf factory, the 200 hp steam engine that generates the electric power and light captivates the eye of the beholder," the press reported at the time.
Neumärker administration building in Düsseldorf in 1919
The foundry in Hemer increasingly produces waffle makers and flat irons for the upper-class households, making Neumärker one of the first manufacturers of electric waffle makers in the world. Many functional Neumärker appliances from this era still exist today.
In the Museum of Industrial History in Oberhausen you will find an electric Neumärker waffle maker dated 1925.
The Neumärker "Bügeltraum" (Ironing Dream) is a bestseller until the middle of the 20th century.
The chaos of the war with its consequences hit the company hard. In 1948, only 4 factories remained. In the years to come, almost all sites are closed.
Only the facility in Hemer remains of the large Neumärker group. The company increasingly concentrates on the production of electrical household appliances.
Exhibition stand in the 60s
The glory of the founding years is gone, but the company is kept alive. Maria Neumärker, the daughter of the company founder, runs the company until 1960, after which Heinrich Hellwinkel, by marriage, takes over the management until his death in 1966.
Charlotte Hellwinkel, his wife and Ernst Neumärker's granddaughter, temporarily runs the factory until her son Wolfgang Hellwinkel takes over the business in 1968. The struggling company is in serious need of renovation and has to reorient itself.
With the shut-down of the company's own iron foundry, the production of coffin fittings is now being gradually phased out. The production of household appliances is increasingly giving way to the manufacture of professional catering equipment.
"There has been a particularly strong demand recently for a special grill, of which thousands leave the factory every month in several versions" reports the newspaper on the occasion of the 75th anniversary in 1969.
With dedication and by specialising in professional catering equipment, Wolfgang Hellwinkel manages to bring the company out of the crisis. Over the next 30 years, Neumärker develops into a constant in the industry with a steadily growing range of products.
Wolfgang Hellwinkel at a trade fair in Düsseldorf in 1980
Neumärker owes its new success above all to the ingenuity of Wolfgang Hellwinkel. He realises many unique and unusual ideas that are not available on the market.
With the California Grill, Neumärker presents a multifunctional appliance with modular grill plates and attachments.
The Mix Potato is a decorative potato oven in a real oak barrel.
Wolfgang Hellwinkel develops a baking device for edible bowls for French fries already in 1992.
Concept for Neumärker advertising from 1990
Thanks to exceptional ideas, such as the waffle on a stick, and the reliable quality of the appliances made in Germany, the reputation of the traditional company also grew internationally around the turn of the millennium. In Germany, the handmade waffle makers and crêpe plates have been in use at almost every Christmas market or fun fair.
Wolfgang Hellwinkel, still known to many in the industry to this day for his straightforward personality and strong character, passes away unexpectedly in 2013, bringing his personal story of success to an end.
After the death of Wolfgang Hellwinkel, who had brought the company out of the crisis with diligence and commitment, his son Robin Hellwinkel took over the long-established company.
"When my great-great-grandfather founded our company in 1894, it was only a dream that this company could one day be 125 years old. It was very important to me to successfully continue this traditional family business and to lead my legacy into a stable future. In 2019, we would now like to celebrate my great-great-grandfather's dream together." - Robin Hellwinkel
As Managing Director, Robin Hellwinkel is organising an extensive modernisation of the Neumärker manufactory. The building of the over 100-year-old manufactory is being extensively renovated. During all the renovation work, great importance is attached to ensuring that the charm of the historic building, which reflects the company's tradition, is not lost.
Parallel to the preparations for the anniversary celebrations, the production capacity is expanded by around 1,000 m². Modern, flexible manufacturing islands are being set up in the "new" manufactory to optimise production processes and to increase the quality of work for the long-time employees.
A strong brand that looks back on a long and mixed past is facing the challenges of the 21st century. What does history mean to us? We do not overvalue our tradition, but the completed path of the company is our fundament. The decisions of the past shape the possibilities of the present and the opportunities of the future.
