Martin - Deral a top quality partnership
It was more than 87 years ago, exactly on February 4, 1922 that Otto Martin, the founder of the mechanical engineering company MARTIN, laid the foundations for this company’s successful development. Ever since, the name MARTIN has been a synonym for wood-working machines of the highest quality. Trend-setting innovations, numerous awards and patents are part of the success story of this traditional Bavarian company. MARTIN has had a major influence on production conditions in the wood-working industry, in small workshops as well as industrial manufacturing facilities all around the world.
“The first wood-working machine was a combined circular saw, spindle moulder and slot-mortising machine with a wooden frame,” remembers Max Martin, the father of the current managing director and son of the company founder. Just a few years later, spindle moulders, jointers, combined planers and band saws were shipped from the production facility in Benningen. Also in 1925 MARTIN improved the customary construction of the machines, replacing the wooden frame with one made of a steel-concrete compound. With their high vibration-absorbing properties the new machines ran very smoothly and precisely, a characteristic that is still valued today.
In 1926, MARTIN made its first stand-alone spindle moulder and on November 2, 1930 Otto Martin moved his continually growing firm from Benningen to Ottobeuren, just a few kilometres away - where the company still has its headquarters today. The Depression of the 1930s did not leave MARTIN untouched: since many of their customers from the building and furniture industry cancelled their orders, Otto Martin was forced to look for new areas of opportunity for his company. As early as 1930 MARTIN was beginning to produce machines and tools for agriculture and in 1937 the first company-developed diesel tractor was delivered.
After the turmoil of the Second World War, Otto Martin realised that it was absolutely essential that the company begin to specialise and return its focus once again to the development and production of wood-working machines. The tractor production was finally discontinued in 1950, at the same time that production of the first combined jointer-thicknessing machine began. In that same year, the company started to establish export connections and a year later they presented their first display at the Hanover Fair. In 1954 the jointer-planer T50 received the coveted award for “good industrial design” at the Hanover Fair and then again, three years later, the company renewed this triumph with the T40 thicknessing planer.
By 1959 MARTIN was able to establish trade relationships with the United States, expanding this market with great success in later years. The year 1959 also brought the first completed delivery of the legendary T75, the world’s first sliding-table saw with a 45° tilting blade.
On April 14, 1964 Otto Martin, the founder of the company, died and both of his sons, Otto Martin, Jr. and Max Martin now continue the work of their father.
In 1972, on the occasion of their 50th anniversary, MARTIN was able to look back on numerous successful innovations, including the first spindle moulder to have a lifting spindle and an integrated scoring saw unit that can be adjusted while the machine is running.
As early as 1958, it was suggested that the new and very safe cutter arbor mounting for spindle moulders be adopted as the industry standard (DIN).
In 1991 MARTIN presented its T90 four-side planer with its patented collision protection. This machine was also awarded the EUMACOP award for “human work-place design”.
Then, four years later, MARTIN filed a patent application for its continuously adjustable spindle moulder table rings and in 1996 they were granted a patent for the first scoring saw that allows the user to comfortably and precisely adjust scoring height, position and width while the machine is running.
Peter Martin, the founder’s grandson, began his career with the firm in 2000 as assistant to the management and became managing director in 2001. Since then he has been responsible for engineering and design and technical operation. Since 2004, Sonja Martin, his wife, has also been working for the company, with overall responsibility for personnel and distribution.
In 2005 MARTIN presented the T92 moulder. This high-performance automatic grooving machine was the first to use frequency-controlled spindle engines to ensure high-grade planing and profiling results.
Just one year later, MARTIN once again proved its innovative strength with the presentation of a new generation of sliding-table saws, the T60 and T74. The T60, offered in three versions, is the first premium compact-size sliding-table saw world-wide. With the T60 version PreXision MARTIN once again set the standards: the unique blade of this saw can be tilted up to 46° to either side.
In 2006 more than 75% of the machines made by MARTIN were for export, mainly to countries of the European Union but also to North America, Australia and the Middle East. This figure shows very clearly how successfully these machines – made exclusively in Ottobeuren - can hold their ground in the global market.
With the beginning of the year 2007, MARTIN has set a new strategic course. The core fields of expertise, SAWING, PLANING and SHAPING are once again the company’s main focus, with less attention given to PROFILING. Their clearly stated goal is to secure and build up their position as the technology and quality leader for compact and premium machines in these three key areas. Spurred on by these goals, the company is moving forward into the future with confidence.