Hugo Güldner, co-founder and namesake
of Güldner Motoren-Gesellschaft mbH. |
The gradual takeover of Güldner Motoren-Gesellschaft mbH in Aschaffenburg by 1929 caused a major change in the Linde Company: It helped the engineering company to grow into a major machine builder, which started out in the 1960s to garner the world market for industrial trucks, especially forklifts. The Linde -Güldner connection goes back to 1904, when Carl von Linde founded Güldner Motoren-Gesellschaft mbH along with Hugo Güldner and other partners, and took a seat on the Supervisory Board. |
In 1908 the Linde Company took on partial ownership of this company for the first time. When Güldner began to have financial problems in 1925, the Linde Company purchased additional shares. Then, during the Great Depression of 1929, Güldner came under complete ownership of Linde.
Starting in the late 1930s, tractors became the company’s main product group aside from engines. But in 1952 its tractor business was in the red, a situation that was not changed by the introduction of air-cooled diesel engines in 1954 either. Güldner made a technological leap into the future in 1955 with the continuous hydrostatic drive, which was first installed in the "Güldner Hydrocar" transport vehicle.
In 1969, Linde ceased production of tractors and diesel engines in order to concentrate on the high-growth sectors of industrial trucks and hydraulics. Over the ensuing years, this division developed into one of the Linde Group’s main support pillars with strong sales and income. |