In May 1896, Anton Herkenhoff and Joseph Dues established the Dues and Herkenhoff Machine Works. In November of that same year, Dues left and Herkenhoff renamed the business to the Minster Machine Company. The local oil industry provided a good business. In 1905, Herkenhoff patented an improved friction clutch intended for oil pumping, and for several years an expanding line of clutches were the mainstay of the Works' business.
In 1916, Minster introduced their "Hi Duty Drill Press" line. This product line was fairly successful, but in the mid-1920s they sold the line to NATCO and focused instead on stamping presses aimed at the appliance and automotive industries. These stamping presses required good clutches, a technology well understood by Minster.
The company continues to manufacture metal presses and related machinery for the material forming industry.
Information Sources
- The history page of the Minster Machine Co. website provided much of the information here.
- Thanks to Sergei R. Huffman of NATCO/Carlton for telling us about NATCO and Minster, and providing the serial-number information.
- Machine serial numbers from 1927 to 1947 may found here