Eisen- und Hammerwerk Teningen (EHT)

1931 - 2014

Eisen- und Hammerwerke Teningen (EHT) GmbH

After Saaler AG declared bankruptcy, Emil Tscheulin and the Theisen family founded the "Eisen- und Hammerwerke Teningen (EHT) GmbH" together on 14 November 1931. Theisen and Aluminiumwerke Tscheulin GmbH each received 50% of the business shares, Ernst Saaler was employed as managing director. At the beginning, EHT hired 25 blue-collar workers and 8 white-collar workers. In 1938, the number had risen to 135 blue-collar workers and 25 white-collar workers. The product portfolio of Saaler AG was carried over and included red brass and gray cast iron parts, tools and equipment for field, foresty and grassland, machines, machine elements and devices, particularly for gas generation, gas scrubbing and the chemical industry.

EHT in World War 2

Alongside the existing product program which was still in production, there were also direct orders from the Wehrmacht (German armed forces between 1935 and 1945) at this time. The number of staff grew to 183 employees at times between 1939-1945. This included 53 forced laborers. EHT employed 68 persons by the end of the war, the production facilities remained undamaged.

Postwar period

After the war and throughout the course of the postwar "economic miracle", the situation at EHT slowly improved as well. At the beginning, production of agricultural tools was even resumed. By 1948, the company employed 154 staff. After the death of Tscheulin, the Theisen family took over 95% of the business shares in 1953, the Aluminiumwerke Tscheulin GmbH kept 5%.

Employees, dated 1951

Gas scrubber

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The birth of the bending machine

Development of die bending machines was initiated at the beginning of the 50s, which proved to be one of the most important decisions of the company and the foundation for press manufacture today. The first bending machine was brought to market in 1954 and marked the beginning of EHT press brakes and guillotine shears. Ernst Saaler was managing director into the 60s, then Eduard Theisen took over the management. The plant already had around 300 employees in 1967.

Production of bending machines around 1966 (photo: archive of Armin E. Möller)

Cylinder production around 1956 (photo: archive of Armin E. Möller)

Hanover Trade Fair 1967

Production of guillotine shears around 1966 (photo: archive of Armin E. Möller)

The team working on guillotine shears, around 1940

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Site development and cooperation with TRUMPF

While the delivery time for a press brake was about 13 months in the 70s and 80s, this could be greatly reduced when the first series machine EcoPress was introduced in 1993. The company was renamed EHT Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH in 1992. Construction of a new hall and paint shop was started in April 1999, which was then opened in 2000. A sales collaboration was agreed between EHT and TRUMPF from 2003 to 2012. At that point, the press force of TRUMPF bending machines was restricted to 320 metric tons. The EHT machines completed the TRUMPF bending portfolio. During the period of sales cooperation, EHT VarioPress machines were named TrumaBend S-Series, which later became the TruBend Series 8000.