History of Mayser GmbH & Co. KG

On 27 September 1800, Leonhard Mayser founds "Hutmacherey Mayser". In the following years, the small hatmaker quickly develops to become a hat factory with several production sites in Germany.

In 1858 Leonhard Mayser's son, Friedrich Mayser, decides to take a spectacular step. He leaves the workshop environment behind him and is the first hatmaker in Germany to introduce extensive mechanized production. Together with his son Fritz, he further develops his own company, helps to finance other companies and plays a major role in industrialisation in Ulm. In 1875, the former craft enterprise has developed to become Ulm's second largest industrial enterprise.

The company has reached a size which makes greater financial leeway for future activities necessary. In 1886, the company becomes a stock corporation (AG). By the standards in Baden-Württemberg, Mayser is now one of the federal state's large stock corporations.

With the participation of Anton Seidl, the owner of the J. A. Seidl hat factory in Munich, the company is transformed into a GmbH (private limited company) in 1914. The partners are Carl Mayser and Anton Seidl, who takes over sole ownership of the Mayser hat factory four years later (1918).

In 1924, Anton Seidl introduces production of ladies' hats and is thus able to double production. The name Mayser, which stands for high-quality hats, is registered at the patent office in Berlin.

The competitor in the Allgäu region is bought out and integrated into the Mayser company.

In 1940, Curt M. Zechbauer, the son-in-law of Anton Seidl, takes over management of the company and transforms it into a general partnership.

The Wirtschaftswunder years bring Mayser one success after the other. The high point comes in 1963, when Mayser produces 3.5 million hats and sells them worldwide.

In 1954, Curt M. Zechbauer's son, Peter M. Zechbauer, acquires the licence of the American hat factory of Stetson for Mayser.

Social change and the associated change in fashion awareness see the demand for hats falling. The solution lies in diversification. The knitwear business division is thus added under the Mayser brand in 1970.

The step-by-step further development of the traditional production processes from hat and textile manufacture and experiments with plastics prepare the way for the new foam technology business division. Mayser thus enters a new technological field. Since then, Mayser has specialised in the development and production of special polyurethane-based foamed materials, vehicle interior systems and sound insulation material at the site in Lindenberg. Creativity and target-based research have since brought about a large number of innovative foam-based solutions.

Knowledge and experience from hat and textile production also lay the foundation for another innovative business field: thermal moulding of textiles. In addition to knitted textile fabrics for daywear and lingerie, textiles moulded by Mayser are also used in the areas of swimwear, maternity wear (nursing bras) and post-mastectomy (prosthetic pockets, prosthetic bras). Mayser achieves the breakthrough in 1979, when the company succeeds in moulding not only synthetic textiles but also washable cotton items.

In 1978, the success story of the safety technology business division begins. Mayser engineers develop an electrically conductive fabric which serves as the basis for pressure sensitive area switches. In cooperation with the BIA (Berufsgenossenschaft-liches Institut für Arbeitssicherheit), the first electric Safety Mat is produced. In 1980, Mayser produces the first tactile sensors – soon Safety Edges, Safety Bumpers, Control Units and signal transmission systems are added to the range of products.

With the take-over of the Safety Edge range of SICK, Mayser simultaneously advances to become the largest German manufacturer of tactile protective devices.

Restructuring of production leads to the hat production being relocated to the sister factory in Lindenberg.

With the miniaturisation of the safety edges, Mayser sets new standards: For the first time, Safety Edges can be used as Anti Pinch Sensors for automatically closing passenger car windows and for door safety in local public transport.

Mayser takes over Elge Sicherheitselektronik GmbH

The knitwear business division is sold

A production facility with a workforce of 100 is set up in Rožňava

 

The takeover of the Wampfler "Safety Systems" division makes Mayser the first choice for Safety Edges – from Miniature Safety Edges and NC normally closed Safety Edges to Optoelectronic Safety Edges.

With participation in m-pore GmbH, Mayser now also produces metal foam made of aluminium for heat exchangers and other innovative products.

Mayser receives the innovation award of the International trade fair for roller shutters, doors/gates and sun protection systems (R+T) 2006 for its transponder-based signal transmission system TRS.