Pelger The company was originally founded on 1 November 1919 as Pelger in
Rotterdam in the Netherlands by Mr.
Willem D. Pelger, with a
funding capital of 40
Dutch guilders The company started at the Zwanesteeg 4 in Rotterdam as a direct current
electric motor repair shop. In 1920 the first employee was offered a job. Direct current motors were in use in Rotterdam, as a result of the
direct current power supply instead of
alternating current supply in these early days of
electric grid. In March 1926 the company moved to the Paardenstraat 5 and in May 1929 they moved on to the Van Speykstraat 86–102 in Rotterdam. In 1936 a
centrifugal fan, brake motors and
small induction motors program from another manufacturer named HSM (short for: Heinke-Schuitema-Musselkanaal) in Musselkanaal was bought and brought to Rotterdam. Mr. K.W. Heinke, one of the former owners and
mechanical engineer of HSM also moved to work at the factory in Rotterdam. In the same year 40 off.
patents were applied for, with reference to three inventions: the
centrifugal switch, the
centrifugal fan housing and the principle of a
squirrel-cage rotor. The Pelger repair shop gradually evolved into a
factory designing and manufacturing special electric motors and centrifugal fans. After some time the two original company names Pelger and HSM were changed into a variant of the existing names: Holland Special Machines Pelger or HSM-Pelger.
Heinke & Schuitema Musselkanaal The company Heinke en Schuitema Musselkanaal (HSM) was founded on 1 March 1933 by Mr.
Konrad W. Heinke and Mr.
Etsko Schuitema as a company to manufacture and repair of electric machines. In 1935 per coincidence contact was made with Mr. G. Ph. van Gelder, general-representative, or sole distributor of this in origin
blacksmith fan manufacturer in
Musselkanaal and Mr. Pelger. The company was not performing very well and financially in trouble deep. Contact was made with this factory and as a result the company was bought, as well as the inventory and 5 employees moved to Rotterdam. Mr. Schuitema continues the company under E. Schuitema repair company of electric machines, which ends in 1947 as a result of his death. Mr. Heinke keeps all rights on the
casting patterns, which are based at: , en de .In 1936 the manufacturing and series production at the Pelger factory started. Mr. Heinke initiated further development and introduction of new models. Mr. van Gelder kept the sole distribution rights for the products. The sales and distribution of the products therefore stayed until World War II with Mr. van Gelder's company, Firma G. Ph. van Gelder in
Overschie. After
World War II a new sales organization was set up: Van Gelder & Pelger. On 9 June 1950 the company Pelger N.V. was founded with a funding capital of 500.000,-- Dutch guilders. In 1951 it was decided the sales and distribution of the produced goods would be done by the company Pelger itself, by means a separate sales office located at the Groenendaal 25 in Rotterdam.
World War II At the beginning of
World War II, the company had a narrow escape during the
Rotterdam Blitz, or bombing of Rotterdam. The limit of the burned down zone (
Dutch substantive: brandgrens) came very close to the factory, located at the Van Speykstraat 102. During World War II under the occupation of the German Regime the factory continued to work almost up to the end of the war. Mr. van Gelder had to end the cooperation on behalf of German orders received and went into hiding and stayed under cover. Also the name of the trade company Firma G.Ph. van Gelder could no longer be used and was replaced by Handelsonderneming H.S.M.-HOLLAND.In 1941 the factory was declared as enemy of the Germany Regime and in 1943 the factory was forced to work for the German industry. The company (the so-called ) raised an order to manufacture refrigerator motors for the company
Alfred Teves. The production of the motors was sabotaged by the employees and management, endangering personal lives. On 1st 1944 in small committee the 25 anniversary of the company was celebrated. A few days later during the Rotterdam Razzia (or
Roundup) on 6 November 1944 all the raw materials were collected from the factory and on 10 November all the machinery were collected and transported to Germany. Mr. Heinke who had German roots and
NSDAP sympathies, had gained the title of Rüstung-Inspektor der Rüstung und Kriegsprodukten in the Netherlands, assisted the transport. Mr. Heinke wanted to continue the development of the
repulsion motor, on which a patent was
pending for his own account. Mr. J. Vos an employee of the company and Head of the test laboratory was put to work as a forced laborer in
Zwickau. After the war Mr. Vos managed to find the machinery taken from the Pelger factory, as he stayed in contact with Mr. Heinke. He found the machinery were stored at the Tischlerei Max Siegert in Frankhausen, also Mr. Heinke's former home. The machinery which were in the possession of Mr. Heinke's widow, as Mr. K.W. Heinke died shortly after the war. The machinery were officially confiscated by the American Occupation Authorities in
Crimmitschau and were brought back to the Netherlands.
Emmen After moving premises within Rotterdam a couple of times to larger facilities, in 1957 the factory moved from the city of Rotterdam to the town of
Emmen. The factory location at the Van Speykstraat 102 in Rotterdam became to small and it was located too near to the city center. The available
subsidy in the Emmen region to attract new businesses and industries, the available areas on a new developed industrial estate and the high
unemployment in this region, initiated the move to the other part of the country and to relocate the factory. The available workers, although often poorly technically educated, could with help of the local technical schools and the company's own internal technical education be transformed to well skilled employees. In the years to follow, the management is being transferred to the sons of Mr. J.W. Pelger. Mr. K.D. Pelger becomes technical director of the factory in Emmen. Mr. W.C. Pelger becomes sales director of the Rotterdam sales office, which stayed in Rotterdam until 1971. The company grew to 130
Fte's in Emmen en 10 Fte's in Rotterdam. In 1969 the company Pelger was taken over by Mr. L Bood. Both Mr. K.D. Pelger and Mr. W.C. Pelger stayed on in the
board of directors as purchase director and sales director respectively.
Strike In 1972 a dispute arose between the Mr. L. Bood the
managing director and an employee Mr. A. Platje, member of the Dutch
communist party, about rights and obligations under the
labour law. The
unions got involved and strikes were initiated. The dispute ended up in the longest
strike in the electrotechnical industry in the Netherlands, which lastet for almost half a year and several court cases were held. The Dutch Union NVV (Nederlands Verbond van Vakverenigingen) with chairman (quote: we will strike until the company ceases) was not willing to amend their demands and as a result the company went into
receivership. This made an ending to the Pelger era and 102
Fte's lost their jobs. The company received national notoriety, due to all the publicity. To continue the employment of the workers a foundation was raised, named Stichting voor behoud van Werkgelegenheid: Combinatie Machines Apparaten en Constructies, or in short COMBIMAC. In the committee of the foundation the following people were appointed: Mr.
P.J.S. de Jong, former
Prime Minister of the Netherlands and
Minister of Defense. Mr. A. Jellesma, director of company W. Hubert & Co. in
Sneek and Mr. W. de Vries director of company Hydro-Holland in
Meppel. The company continued with 35 Fte's. In 1976 Mr. P.W. Glasmacher, working as a vice director at that time in the company, takes over the foundation and transfers it back into a company: Machine- en Apparatenfabriek Combimac B.V. In 1993 Mr. H.J. Robben en Mr. M.J.T. de Zwart, by means of a
management buyout, took over the company. == Products ==