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THE CRADLE OF SCALE MANUFACTURING From Philipp Matthäus Hahn to Johs. Boss The family-run company Johs. Boss GmbH & Co. KG Precision Tool Manufacturer, with its JBO brand, is the oldest producing in- dustrial business in the town of Albstadt and the Zollernalb region in south-west Germany. In 2024, the company can look back proudly on 175 years of history. Orig- inally founded in 1849 as an “mechanical workshop for the construction of precision scales”, the company has spent the last 100 years instead dedicated to threads. To- day, its range of precision tools includes thread milling cutters, solid carbide tools, thread cutting and rolling dies, as well as precision thread gauges. The first written record of the village of Onstmettingen is from the year 1064, but its history goes back much further. In 1403, the village became part of Württemberg, and therefore converted to Protestantism after the Reformation. The poor soils of the Swabian hills led to meagre harvests, while the distribution of estates made the farm- A depiction of the area around the church in Onstmettingen from 1822 8

Johannes Boss (1827 — 1906)

One of these pioneers in scale making was Johannes Boss (1827-1906), the son of Maria and Ludwig Boss. His father ran a mill in the Thanheim valley, just a few kilometres from today’s company head- quarters. Ludwig’s son Johannes chose a different career. He completed an apprenticeship in Onstmettingen at the gunsmith Ferdinand Sauter. One of the rifles he made in this period is still owned by the family today. After completing his apprenticeship, Jo- hannes worked as a travelling craftsman, during which time he gained important experience for his own business later on. He spent time in the town of Pforzheim working for Ferdinand Oechsle, a renowned mechanic who invented the Oechsle scale. This device measures the density of grape must, making it possible to calculate the expected alcohol content of the future wine. Next, he worked at the university workshop in Darmstadt, which produced instruments for doctors and pharmacists. His years as a travelling craftsman took him as far as Göttingen in northern Germany and all the way to Vienna. He was initially accompanied by Gottlieb Kern, who would go on to found the scale producer Kern & Sohn. The knowledge of scale making gained in this period encouraged and enabled the young gunsmith to open his own workshop upon his return at the age of 22 in today’s Albert-Sauter-Strasse. The year was 1849. A table clock made by Johannes Boss as his test piece in 1843, on display at the Philipp Matthäus Hahn Museum. 12

Johannes Boss became a precision mechanic and set up his own business in the village producing precision scales and weights, which soon gained a reputation for reliability. The sign placed above the door to the workshop around 1889 read “J. Boss, Mechanikus”. The designation “Mechanikus” indicated that this was the workshop of a specialist, comparable to a modern day engineer – although this term and field of study did not exist at the time. One of the lathes used at the workshop Barometer It was believed that if the level of mercury reached the bottom area, there was a risk of earthquakes. 14

Business boomed in this period. So well, in fact, that Johannes Boss was able to grant loans to the people of Onstmettingen, as the village lacked a bank. Boss kept a loan book for these transactions that also listed the agreed rate of interest. The village’s first bank was founded in 1893 by a con- sortium of 49 people including Louis Boss. The first page of Johannes Boss’ loan book from 1861. 16

In 1872, he was awarded a King Karl medal for advanced manufacturing. The small work- shop was becoming an industrial factory. The accolade was signed by Ferdinand Steinbeis, who was the minister for the economy in the Kingdom of Württemberg at the time and gave his name to the Fer- dinand Steinbeis Foundation and a number of educational institutes. When managing his business, Johannes Boss constantly had an eye on the future. By the time of his death in 1906, his son Louis Boss (1850 — 1939) had already been work- ing by this father’s side for many years. 18 The workshop also made indexing heads. Certificate of the King Karl medal, awarded in 1872

Louis Boss (1850 — 1939)

At the age of 20 in 1870, Louis Boss entered the com- pany at a time of strong growth. The business recorded its first export orders, even if at that time, export simply meant selling goods beyond the borders of Württemberg. After outgrowing the workshop on Albert-Sauter-Strasse, the company purchased a second workshop on Wil- helmstrasse in the same year. It had also began manu- facturing machines for making pills and suppositories. The commercial register entry from 6 April 1886 accurately describes the precision engineering workshop’s main area of activity: “Johs. Boss manufacture of precision scales and weights, chemical and pharmaceutical utensils”. Louis Boss was not only a good engineer, but also an en- thusiastic photographer and pianist. He was a first person in the village to own a camera and a piano. A music book that he wrote, entitled “Louis Boss, mechanic and musician, Onstmettingen 1869” survives to this day. Louis Boss with family Catalogue, 1895 Probably the oldest photo of Wilhelmstrasse, with mould stains. 22

The business continued to grow. In 1904, construction began on a factory and residence at Schwabstrasse 26, the latter of which became known in the community as the “Red Villa”. Company founder Johannes Boss lived to see the inauguration in 1906. The previous workshops were closed. In 1904, Louis Boss’ son Karl (1874 – 1935) joined the business, repre- senting its third generation. The company now employed 15 people. Karl Boss was also a trained mechanic and, like his grandfather Johannes, worked as a travelling craftsman on the way to Vienna. Excerpt from the company letterhead in 1905 showing the “Red Villa” 24

The workforce in 1904 with Karl and Louis Boss (left to right) Precision scales continued to form the main focus of the business. The pharmacists scales used for chemical analysis achieved a precision of up to one ten-thousandth of a gram (0.0001 g). Production of the other products listed in the commercial register entry also continued. What had changed, however, were the production methods. The switch from a gas-powered to an electric motor that drove all the machinery in the workshop via a transmission was one of the first modifications to be made in the “Red Villa”. 26

Karl Boss (1874 — 1935)

The outbreak of the First World War in 1914 led to some hard-hitting changes. Precision scales were mostly made from brass. But the war effort meant that this material was now required to make munitions. There was also suddenly a massive demand for tools. Karl Boss had to react quickly. He decided to switch to producing thread cutting dies for producing external threads – a strategic decision that has continued to shape the company to this day. By the time this change was made, Karl Boss had long as- sumed responsibility for the company. According to a com- mercial register entry, Louis Boss formally handed over the management of the business to his son Karl in 1917. Then as now, the transition to the following generation went smoothly. Karl’s father Louis continued to work for as long as his health would allow, in a way that has always been typical of family business owners. Building up the production facilities for thread cutting dies was a major challenge. Particularly difficult were the switch from brass to steel processing and the hardening of the tools. In the initial period, the company experienced extraordinarily high reject rates due to cracks that arose during hardening. Back then, Johs. Boss was not the only or biggest company in Onstmettingen that produced cutting dies. In these early years, every worker produced around 50 dies per week. As these were generalists rather than specialist workers, they performed every step of the process themselves. By the end of the war, the business employed around 20 people, each working 48 hours a week. Including overtime, they would quickly reach 55 to 60 hours a week, at an hourly wage of 48 to 64 pfennig. The business took off and the company grew. But the in- flation caused by the war posed ever greater problems to businesses and workers alike. The high point of this crisis was the hyperinflation of 1923. Prices rose every day and achieved astronomic levels. At Johs. Boss, things got so bad that workers were paid their wages daily, which their wives then spent immediately on everyday goods. The subsequent currency reform, which converted 1,000,000,000,000 marks to 1 rentenmark, ended the crisis. The following period of growth for both Germany and the global economy, known as the “Golden Twenties”, also saw an upturn in fortunes for Johs. Boss. The workforce had grown to around 28 employees by the time the effects of the Wall Street Crash of 1929 began to be felt in Onstmettingen. Between 1929 and 1932, working times at the company were sometimes reduced to just a few days every month. The economic crisis in Germany created millions of unem- ployed and hastened the downfall of the Weimar Republic. As the National Socialists took power in 1933, a powerful force swept through the country. As the global economy regained growth and Nazi Germany geared its economy towards rear- mament, the company’s order books began to fill once again. Karl Boss lived to experience this for two more years before his death in 1935. 30

Richard Boss (1912 — 1993)

The company’s only vehicle, the director’s BMW, had to be handed over to the Wehrmacht together with a chauffeur. After training to become a mechanic at the family business, Richard Boss (1912 — 1993) successfully passed his master craftsman’s examination before receiving additional commer- cial training. This prepared him for his future role in managing the company, which came much earlier than expected. Fol- lowing the sudden death of his father in 1935, he was forced to take over and run the company at the age of just 22. This was the same age as Johannes Boss when he founded the family business in 1849. The technological opening of competing businesses during the Third Reich allowed Johs. Boss to learn about and introduce thread milling technology. The company employed 30 people in 1938, including around ten mechanics, ten trained workers and eight apprentices. The business produced both thread cutting dies and die stocks. The following year saw the outbreak of the Second World War. As Johs. Boss was seen as vital to the war effort, many of its employees were spared conscription. The company’s only vehicle, the director’s BMW, had to be handed over to the Wehrmacht together with a chauffeur. But there was no chauffeur at the company. This meant Richard Boss had to drive the car himself to Ulm. Upon arrival, the army wanted to commandeer both the vehicle and its driver. He convinced the officers against this by explaining that, as the head of an important company for the war effort, he had to return home immediately. But he couldn’t fail to notice how the soldiers had cut open his beautiful new car and fitted it with a flatbed. The workers who were sent to the front line were initially replaced by women. Later, as was the case throughout the German economy, the business put prisoners of war to work in production. The end of the war brought yet another dramatic watershed. Even before French soldiers marched into Onstmettingen on 24 April 1945, the company was frequently forced to stop production due to power cuts. The working hours lost were made up during the night. The company’s production machines then stood still for several months. As businesspeople were recommended to join the Nazi party, Richard Boss was forced to work in a forest following the end of the war. Only after this was he allowed to reassume his position at the company. 34

The victorious powers took anything they wanted from the company’s assets. In the period following the war, the busi- ness therefore suffered mainly from the loss of machinery and tools. Although the French allowed the restart of production in March 1946, the business lacked machinery and steel. In late 1946, the Allied Control Council in Berlin authorised the complete liquidation of the company, and its fate appeared to be sealed. There was even a delegation from India that travelled to inspect the business together with a French con- trol officer from Schwenningen. But Richard Boss and his 25 employees never gave up. They secretly transported machin- ery and equipment on a heavy flatbed truck to a quarry and hid it there. Heinz Meintel, who back then was an apprentice mechanic in his first year of training, remembered how small machines would suddenly appear in the production hall when orders had to be processed, only to disappear just as quickly overnight. This game of cat and mouse went on for some time. When the French representatives once again came to collect another machine, they were cleverly tricked by Richard Boss, master craftsman Wilhelm Thoma and thread grinder Karl Conzelmann. Instead of taking the new and modern Lindner FS 30 thread grinding machine that was vital for processing orders, they were deceived into taking an older version that had been highly praised by employees. This struggle did not end until 1949, when the liquidation order was lifted. Celebrations for the company’s 100th anniversary 36

Production in the 1950s Day-to-day business remained difficult for a long period. The workshop was heated with a coke oven until 1949 when central heating was installed. Advances came in the form of new machinery and the switch from transmission to individual drive. The gas required for heat treatment was in short supply. As a result, hardening took place at night, as this was the only time that the gasworks could supply the business for this energy-intensive process. Over time, the situation grad- ually improved. This was particularly apparent in the growth of the workforce, which rose to 55. Richard Boss maintained good relations with customers and business partners. One of his greatest achievements was the setting up of the sales department in the early 1950s. He developed a group of representatives based on an existing network of contacts, made up of family-managed manufactur- ers of complementary precision tools. Having seen the signs of the times, Richard Boss’ actions led to further growth and constantly rising sales. 1956 marked the start of a new era that would have a decisive influence on the business to this day. A group of mechanics from various businesses came together after hours to work overtime together to switch the machines from transmission to individual drive. Richard Boss noticed one young and proficient master mechanic in particular: Rudolf 38

Richard and Heinz Boss

Left to right: Master craftsmen Rudolf Conzelmann and Richard Boss with their mechanical engineering team, 1983 Richard Boss’ son Heinz began his career by training to become a mechanic at the family business. After studying mechanical engineering in Konstanz and working for a year at the grinding machine manufacturer Reishauer in Zürich, he returned to Johs. Boss in 1962. Here he took responsibility for production engineering, where his developments included a brand new kind of taps for producing thread cutting dies and later also for thread ring gauges. The mathematical knowledge he gained in his degree allowed him to solve complex problems in tool engineering, such as calculating the distortions that arise through the milling of spiral-shaped threads with grooved thread milling cutters precisely to the micrometre. 42 The mechanical engineering under Rudolf Conzelmann was specially geared towards serving the needs of Johs. Boss, and continued to grow. Of particular note were the automatic grinding machines for tooth faces, chamfers and spirals. The company produced the controllers for all of these special machines itself. Mechanical engineering also turned into an additional source of business. Above all, it was the special machine for producing thread cutting dies that gave Johs. Boss a major competitive advantage.

The company building in 1968 Automation brought both massive time savings in production and a major increase in quality. This was decisive, as inno- vations in external thread processing made the company vul- nerable to stagnating demand on the global market. Through a combination of rationalisation and constantly improving quality, Johs. Boss continued to grow and succeed against its competitors. After seeing off local competition that quickly gave up, the company fought its way to the top of the inter- national market too. JBO became the market leader for thread cutting dies in Europe. Heinz Boss remembers how he would sometimes “coinciden- tally” meet with Head of Production Erich Conzelmann and Rudolf Conzelmann to discuss a machine that was no longer producing economically. In these joint brainstorming sessions, they designed a groundbreaking machine technology that is partially still in use today in single or double-shift operations 50 years later. As time passed and requirements changed, it became clear that the company’s building on Schwabstrasse was no longer 44

Heinz Boss

EMO 1985 Heinz Boss had assumed responsibility for the business long before his father’s death. The recession of the early 1980s and the following technological shift towards CNC machines had a lasting affect on the company’s only product – thread cutting dies. There was already a large thread gauge manufacturer in Germany at the time. In order to be competitive, we needed rationalised and temperature-controlled production, with the most modern and precise fully automated machinery and outstanding specialists. At a visit to a trade fair in 1984, Heinz Boss asked a good cus - tomer what he needed urgently. The answer was clear: “Okay, make me 20 M6 thread plug gauges.” This was the spark that led to the production of thread gauges. The company added a comprehensive range of these products to its production and sales portfolio. 30 years later and after multi-million- euro investments, this product group now makes up the majo- ri ty of JBO’s sales. Heinz Boss still remembers this decision in 1985: “Looking back today, it is almost unbelievable that we had the courage to produce thread gauges and were so successful in doing so. Good things come in threes, and the introduction in 1985 of the IBM 36, the world’s first multi-user computer system, was the icing on the cake for JBO. Sales, bookkeeping, payroll and product calculation went digital – a massive step forward. That year also saw JBO exhibit at a trade fair with its own stand for the first time at the EMO in Hanover. JBO has returned for every exhibition ever since. Linear and rotary units, which the company had manufactured in its automation division since the 1960s to rationalise its 48

The rifle made by company founder Johannes Boss. JBO celebrated its 150th anniversary in the Onstmettingen festival hall in December 1999. 50

Heinz and Melanie Boss

In 1999, coinciding exactly with the company’s 150th an- niversary, Heinz Boss’ daughter Melanie became the sixth generation of the family to join the company. She had just completed her degree in industrial engineering and spent a year working for MTU in Friedrichshafen and London. That same year, the company purchased a license to produce drill thread milling cutters. This tool combines the processes of drilling, counter sinking and thread milling. Drill thread milling cutters and combination tools were added to the product portfolio in the year 2000. This was followed by a gradual expansion of production ca- pacity and the construction of additional production halls at the company’s premises in 2002 and 2008. This made it possible to combine the warehouse and shipping in a single storey, creating space for an open-plan office and a modern break and training area. International sales were energised by participation in interna- tional trade fairs, visits to dealers and the establishment of exclusive representations abroad. JBO is now present in over 60 markets around the world. Since 2008, marketing has been setting new benchmarks with the JBO catalogue, the new trade fair stand and the company website. Melanie Boss is a naturally born organiser who can turn her hand to anything. In 2013, the company began producing carbide tools (PCD, CVD-D and PcBN). The introduction of the new line of inno- vative SHARK thread milling cutters in 2021 has helped JBO achieve a leading position on the global market. 54

CELEBRATIONS AND TRIPS AT JBO Lochmühle, 2015 Meersburg on Lake Constance Mehliskopf, 2017 Triberg near Freiburg, 1937 Schwägalp-Säntis, 1960 Retirement celebration for Hans Schlachter and Erich Conzelmann, 2006 56

Johs. Boss GmbH & Co. KG Precision Tool Manufacturer Johannes-Boss-Strasse 9 72461 Albstadt Germany phone +49 7432 9087 0 contact@johs-boss.de www.johs-boss.de © 2024

175 YEARS OF JBO: THE THREAD OF SUCCESS AND PRECISION