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In 1954, back when Germany became football world champion for the first time, Fritz Murtfeldt set up a trading company to sell all types of industrial products for the mining and heavy industries. At that time, plastics weren't even heard of in mechanical engineering. Only Lignostone, a synthetic resin compressed wood product, was available for some very specific mechanical engineering applications where - much later - plastics would be used.
Although conditions were primitive compared to now - goods were delivered by bicycle, for example - , Fritz Murtfeldt was proved right even back then: Thanks to a lot of energy and initiative, his business was successful and continued to grow.
It was in 1958 that Murtfeldt first came across an ultra-macromolecular polyethylene until then used only in the textile industry. A green plastic material, it showed very good wear properties and excellent resistance to acids. This latter would give it its name: Material "S" (for 'Säure', the German word for acid) was born. Its high chemical resistance led to early applications, especially in the steel industry. Then Murtfeldt introduced this unique material with its high abrasion resistance and extremely good slide properties to the mechanical engineering industry. The rest, as they say, is history:
Today, Material "S" is by far the most widely used material for any materials handling applications. Since its inception more than 40 years ago, no other material has been able to offer anything near its unbeatable combination of slide properties and wear resistance in engineering applications. Back then, its range of applications continued to grow. Slide profiles were developed which, in turn, later led to our chain guides, belt guides and guide rails. At that time, to complement their range, Murtfeldt also offered heat-resistant insulation materials specifically for applications in the electrical, steel and glass industries.
In 1963, with the purchase of a circular saw, production began. Soon, Murtfeldt changed from pure sales to processing. Before the Sixties were over, the industrial products trade had been discontinued. Production, first set up in a defunct bakery, grew apace. In 1969, a building in Dortmund was purchased as an operating base accommodating production, sales and administration. Intended to last for years, it was outgrown after three years of successful growth. A new plot of land in Dortmund was acquired, a first building project completed in 1973. This move led to further development for the company since production and warehousing were at last able to keep up with the steady increase in demand. By now, Murtfeldt had become a company specializing in plastic materials with good slide properties and high abrasion resistance. More building projects followed to provide the basis for further growth and secure jobs.
Having started with four employees in 1954, today we number more than 200. Our production facilities and warehousing cover about four acres (16,000 sq.m). Our range of products and services is one of the widest available in the market. Manufacturing custom parts and profiles to order at low cost even in very small runs has been one of our strengths since way back in the Seventies. Our broad standard range of chain guides, belt guides and slide profiles as well as our fully automatic, maintenance-free chain and belt tensioners have achieved worldwide recognition. As early as 1994, Murtfeldt was awarded the DIN EN ISO 9001 certificate, confirming even then our high quality standards. We were also one of the first companies to receive the DIN EN ISO 14001 environmental audit.
By now, Murtfeldt's activities had long since spread beyond Germany's borders. In 1989, MATA, our subsidiary in the Netherlands, was opened. In 1991, Murtfeldt Plasty, our Prague subsidiary, was set up to serve the Czech market. In 1993, Murtfeldt Italia followed, based in Varese near Milan. In all other countries with strong engineering industries, Murtfeldt's business interests are looked after by legally independent representatives.
As in our past (briefly described above) so, too, in our future: People are what's most important. They are what we concentrate on - our business partners, our clients, our suppliers, our staff. To continue to meet the demands of our clients who are, after all, our ultimate employers - that remains our main challenge in the future as it has been in the past. We look forward to it.
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1963/64:
Our First Slide Rail Brochure
1968/69:
Our First Product Catalogue
One of our current brochures:
"Engineering Solutions"
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