At the beginning of the first German democracy in 1919, the brothers Hubert and Leonhard Hofmann founded a company for the production of agricultural machinery in Windsheimer Spitalgasse, on the ground floor of the former vocational school.
In December 1925 Leonhard Hofmann passed his master examination, in November 1927 he moved to Schellenfeld, today’s Hofmannstraße. Investments increase significantly: with the new iron foundry and an assembly hall, the company presents itself in good shape.
In 1936, Hofmann builds another production hall for the production of ball bearing housings and band saws during the economic boom.
In 1939 the plant had 122 employees. The transition to a war economy – Hofmann becomes an armaments factory – initially takes place without major stagnations. However, production becomes increasingly difficult due to the shortage of manpower due to the recruitment of employees for military service and the shortage of raw materials on the market.
In 1945, manufacturing material and steel are very scarce and only available on government purchase orders. Kitchen stoves were initially made from old material and leftovers. But in 1946 a new foundry can be built already. In the course of the expanded production, parts of irons, vices and saw filing machines are manufactured.
After the currency reform of 1948, Hofmann participates in the 1st Munich Trade Fair. The production of drilling and woodworking machines is increased. The production of drilling machines is abandoned after a few years, as a market saturation of these products was foreseeable. Hofmann finally concentrates on woodworking machines and completely converts the production over to them.
A continuous expansion of the business in 1955 led to the construction of a larger foundry. In addition to its own requirements, this foundry also covers customer requirements and the casting of electric motors.
Hofmann expands its sales network, steady exports stimulate export business. 1982: Machines are delivered to the USA for the first time. The Munich Trade Fair honors the successful, innovative modernization of production in 1985 with the award of the State Prize with a gold medal for the thickness planing machine. This machine can – in 1987 – be further improved by a continuously variable, frequency-controlled feed speed.
The turn of the millennium brought forth the founding of the sales company Hofmann Maschinenfabrik GmbH in 2000. The combination of state-of-the-art production technology with experience is the hallmark of HOFMANN Maschinenfabrik. The competent and highly motivated employees also stand for this. Franz Firzlaff, today’s technical manager, starts as a skilled worker in 1976. He is a key figure in shaping the innovative state of the art and makes a decisive contribution to Hofmann being the innovation leader in many areas.
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