Four Generations of Textile Tradition
The tradition of ribbon weaving at Stuhr dates back over 100 years to 1905. The location in Wuppertal is no coincidence. The Wupper valley is considered the cradle of weaving art and developed into a textile metropolis over centuries. Let’s take a look at the key events of Stuhr ribbon weaving and shed light on the history of Wuppertal as a textile city. Both stories are intriguingly intertwined.
A Look Back at Stuhr Ribbon Weaving
Ribbon Weaver Anniversary
Andreas Stuhr celebrates his 33rd service anniversary as a ribbon weaver.
Back to the roots
Purchase of new shuttle looms in Japan. With these, the ribbon factory reconnects with its more than 100-year-old tradition and the company’s DNA.
Pandemic
From March, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a total of 15,000,000 meters of elastic bands for masks were produced. Production was 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.
Superlatives in Ribbon
Stuhr ribbon factory produces 2,500 kilometers of ribbon annually using a process patented by Julius Boos Jr., on a 40-ton press. The manufacturing tolerance is 0.125 microns.
End of the Old Shuttle Looms
The last eight shuttle looms from the inventory of Rudolf Homberg Textile Works are transferred to the Kafka Museum Weaving Mill after more than 50 years of loyal service.
Patent
Stuhr ribbon factory receives a patent for the multi-chamber tube in the needle-Jacquard process.
Renovation of the Old Weaving Mill
On November 8, the building permit for the renovation of the now 111-year-old, 30.80 meters long and 12.8 meters wide weaving mill is granted.
Sale of the Printing House
The textile printing house founded by Andreas Stuhr in 1995 – Stuhr + Wienert Band Production – is sold to a colleague from Wuppertal after 20 years.
New Production Process
Air-jet weaving is introduced in production using Dornier Airjets.
The Era of the Stuhr Brothers Ends
Wolfgang Stuhr retires after 35 years as the head of the company. His brother Eberhard had to step down from the management 10 years earlier due to health reasons.
New Management
With Andreas Stuhr, the fourth generation takes over the management of Stuhr ribbon factory.
Ribbon Weaver Examination
Andreas Stuhr successfully completes his examination as a ribbon weaver before the IHK Wuppertal.
New Production Site
Purchase and conversion of the 6,000 m2 large Mordhorst site at Höhenstraße 61–63.
Purchase of Rudolf Homberg Textile Works
The purchase of Rudolf Homberg Textile Works in Wuppertal-Langerfeld shapes the future DNA of Gebr. Stuhr GmbH.
Founding of Gebr. Stuhr GmbH
On January 5, Gebr. Stuhr GmbH is registered in the Wuppertal Commercial Register.
Change at the Top of the Company
The brothers and namesakes Wolfgang and Eberhard Stuhr take over the reins of the weaving mill. In the same year, 40 Jakob Müller needle machines NB 2/40 are acquired. These will have worked faithfully for almost 50 years until their sale to Bosnia in 2023.
Death of the Company Founder
The company founder August Becker dies.
New Company Leadership
Werner Stuhr, the son-in-law of the founder, takes over the management of the family business at the headquarters at Stürmannsweg 28 in Neviges, district of Dönberg. This will be elaborately renovated in 2016.
New Beginning
Two years after the end of World War I, a new beginning starts.
Commencement of Business Operations
The August Becker ribbon factory starts its operations. With 12 shuttle looms, ribbon is produced. These looms will work faithfully until 1975.
Construction of the Weaving Hall
On February 16, the building permit for the 30.80 meters long and 12.80 meters wide weaving hall is granted. This weaving hall will shape the fortunes of the company and family until the present day. It still stands in new splendor at the same location, at the end of Wuppertal-Dönberg.
Wuppertal, Rise and Fall of a Textile Powerhouse
1527
The Wupper valley is granted the monopoly for dyeing and bleaching. The foundation for becoming a textile metropolis is laid. The Bleacher Festival is still celebrated annually in Wuppertal.
1780
The secret of Turkish red dyeing reaches Wuppertal.
1804
Patenting of the Jacquard loom in Lyon (France) – the second textile stronghold of ribbon weaving besides Wuppertal.
1848
Friedrich Engels, son of a Wuppertal textile entrepreneur, and Karl Marx write the Communist Manifesto. This work will change the world, but not only for the better.
1899
Construction of the Wuppertal Suspension Railway in the Wupper valley. This industrial monument symbolizes the prosperity of the textile location Wuppertal. Today, Wuppertal has, next to Cologne – an old Roman city – the most architectural monuments. A large part is based on the success of the textile industry in what were then Barmen and Elberfeld.
1900
70% of all residents of the Wupper valley live from the textile industry.
1958
The 47-meter-high ENKA Glanzstoff high-rise is completed. The 15-story building is a symbol of Wuppertal’s significance as a textile powerhouse. Today, it is owned by the world’s largest aramid manufacturer, Teijin.
1971
The needle loom is invented by Jakob Müller AG Frick in Switzerland. This marks the decline of the shuttle loom. The total industrialization of the ribbon industry begins. It will destroy thousands of jobs worldwide.
1984
The largest ribbon weaving mill in Europe at the time – Textilwerke Rudolf Homberg Langerfeld – files for bankruptcy. The difficult years of the textile industry in Wuppertal reach a tragic climax. There are losers and winners.
2018
The old ribbon weaver school in Wuppertal, the “Training Center of the Rhenish Textile Industry,” closes. Three of the four generations of the Stuhr family learned their craft in this school.
2019
Two significant textile companies, Julius Boos jr. GmbH from Wuppertal and ALGE Elastik GmbH in Lustenau, close their doors forever. In both bankruptcies, Gebr. Stuhr GmbH takes over both machinery and business.
2023
Only a few ribbon weaving mills in Wuppertal are still operating successfully, one of them being Stuhr ribbon factory. However, almost all ribbons processed in Europe today still come from the Wupper valley.