Re-inventing the wheel:
Gustav Meister, paving the way between tradition and modernity
In 1938 the trained millwright took over his father’s company and ran it up until the outbreak of war. During the Second World War, the factory stood idle, but afterwards business boomed once more, with many mills needing to be rebuilt in the post-war period.
With the support of a relative, Albert Knieb, Gustav Meister extended the production programme to include cereal cleaning machines. At the beginning of the 1950s, however, demand fell as a result of a law that promised compensation for the de-commissioning of milling operations. Gustav Meister knew exactly what to do: in order to secure a good future for the company, he had to re-invent the (milling) wheel. In a far-sighted move, he decided, along with his son Hans-Christian, to take on the manufacture of the wire sieves previously ordered for use in the cleaning machines. The company already employed skilled workers such as metalworkers and lathe operators, so nothing stood in the way of the construction of the first loom. They also invested in a crimping machine, whereupon manufacture of the first industrial sieves began.
Gustav Meister managed to bridge the gap between tradition and modernity: he used the specialist knowledge that had been passed on to him, while at the same time looking to the market of the future. Courage based on experience – that is the path that was to take Gustav Meister GmbH far.
From 1962 onwards, under the leadership of Gustav Meister, Gustav Meister GmbH also expanded in terms of space: the construction of new manufacturing facilities and offices in the Blankenauer Straße and the installation of recreation areas for the workforce happened during his reign. In 1974 the company reached another milestone in its history: the patented sieve-stacking system made of high-grade plastic became a market leader. Hans-Christian Meister played a leading role in this, having supported the senior director since the 1960s and brought new impetus into the company.
