VDW - German Machine Tool Builders Association

Eleven industrialists, senior managers from the German machine tool industry, met for the first time at the Kastens Hotel in Hanover on 7 December 1891. They were following an invitation from Privy Councillor Dr. Ernst Schiess of the eponymous machine tool factory in Düsseldorf. The aim of the meeting: “To strengthen the mutual relations between the premier manufacturers of machine tools”, to quote the old minutes. This is just as true today. The association and its member companies have a chequered history behind them. Many firms no longer exist, while others have changed their names, their structures and/or their ownership. The sector, however, has evolved most impressively. Today, it ranks among the world’s leading vendors and exporters.