Leadership in new hands
1950s / 1960s
In 1954, at a time of growth and expansion, Elektror faced a challenge: lack of space. Elektror therefore built a new plant in Waghäusel-Kirrlach. A bold step that made Elektror the most important metalworking company in the region.
As an enterprising entrepreneur, Karl W. Müller recognized early on that, in addition to expanding his own capacities, he also needed to constantly expand his customer base. He immediately recognized the potential of Hannover Messe Industrie (HMI), which was launched in 1954. From 1955 until well into the 1980s, Elektror had a permanent stand at the HMI and was honored in 2005 for its 50 years of continuous membership.
The award-winning fans were presented in a permanent sample exhibition at the Hanover Trade Fair in 1955.
Despite concentrating on fans, Karl W. Müller continued to work on a wide variety of products and applications. He was already working on the topic of energy recovery at the time and developed a charger for electric vehicles. Despite the triumph of the combustion engine in the automotive industry, it was already ahead of its time.
Karl W. Müller’s success story ended far too early and unexpectedly with his sudden death in 1959. This stroke of fate affected the entire Elektror family (now 300 employees), as he was universally loved and respected.
With his death, Elektror not only lost its founder and pioneer, but also the head and driving force behind the continuous development of Elektror. His foresight and continuity as well as his high standards for himself and Elektror products live on to this day and still form the foundation of Elektror.
Margarete Müller-Bull courageously stepped into the leadership role and thus secured the future of Elektror as a strong personality. She was loyally supported by Karl’s long-time companions. Her management style, which was not always easy, was characterized by trust. The employees had to face critical questions about projects and investments. But if they were coherent and well explained, she was enthusiastic and supported the decision with a “We’ll do it!”. Margarete Müller-Bull was significantly supported by the long-standing employees in sales and design who had already worked under Karl W. Müller. In this context, the work of the design managers Mr. Braunschweig and Mr. Hofer as well as the sales talent of Mr. Haußer should be emphasized. In addition, Mr. Luik faithfully supported her as an authorized signatory on the management board.
The 1960s followed on seamlessly from the successful era of Karl W. Müller with the continuous further development of the product portfolio and the first important transformation towards series production of large quantities was initiated.
1969 was a historic year. On December 4, the 500,000th Elektror appliance rolled off the production line in Waghäusel-Kirrlach. That was more than just a number. It was the result of hard work, ingenuity and tireless commitment.
