From the 19th century to the 1960s
The predecessor of today's Sondermaschinenbau Engelsdorf GmbH was founded in the late 19th century. Within a few decades the drilling machine factory had earned an international reputation and shipped pillar drills and universal milling machines from Engelsdorf all over the world. That line of tradition only broke at the end of the 1960s, when changes on the world market called for a fundamental restructuring. The company was absorbed into a state-owned combine, traded as Sondermaschinen- und Vorrichtungsbau Engelsdorf and produced machines for the electroceramics industry, presses and systems technology among them.
Reunification turned everything around
Like many other companies in the former East Germany, the business had to fight for its existence right after reunification: when the markets opened, sales collapsed from one day to the next. But while others were still looking for their bearings, the people in charge had long since switched to the offensive. Producing presses in the 3 t to 45 t range opened up new markets in Switzerland, England and Italy.
Privatisation and a new start as SME
In 1993 the company was privatised and taken over by the Bavarian machine builder Autefa. That changed the direction of production once again, this time towards custom machinery. Among the things built here were systems for handling wine bottles and palletising lines for a well-known US drinks producer in Australia. After Autefa became insolvent in 2003, EMG was bought out of the insolvency and refounded as what is today SME Sondermaschinenbau Engelsdorf GmbH.
History makes you inventive
Through all the changes of more than 120 years, two things have stayed the same: the Engelsdorf site, and a depth and breadth of know-how in developing and building systems that is well above average. It is what lets us handle even the largest technical challenges with confidence. Our many-sided history has not only made us strong. It has also made us inventive.
