HERMSDORF - A GIANT AMONG EUROPEAN
PORCELAIN INSULATOR WORKS

Back in the late 1880's there was a joint stock company known as KERMISCHE WERK KAHLA, or the KAHLA PORCELAIN WORKS, with headquarters in Hermsdorf, Thuringen, East Germany. Its other factories were located in the towns of Gera, Kahla, and Sonneberg, all within a few miles of Hermsdorf. At least one of these plants produced high frequency ceramics for radio purposes, and it is believed that the one in Sonneberg (which went by the name of KOPPELSDORF) manufactured porcelain insulators because several pintypes have been found with their trademark (below).

KAHLA PORCELAIN WORKS established still another branch company in Hermsdorf, which began production on January 6, 1890, with just ten raking ovens. For the first two years, until 1992, the Hermsdorf plant manufactured only dinnerware. The factory was in a favorable business location, having been built on the water shed between two important water routes -- the Saale and the Elster Rivers. This was also conveniently near a plentiful supply of wood, which was essential as fuel, and labor was cheap in this poor woodland area.

The establishment of the HERMSDORF FACTORY came at a time when electrotechnology was undergoing a surge of rapid development. Thus, in 1889, the three-phase current motor was invented by M.O. DOLlWODOBROWOLSKI, in 1890, the first oil transformer was built by C.E.L. BROWN, and in 1891, the first three-phase current power transfer from Lauffen to Frankfurt on the Main followed with 15,000 volts. In the year 1892, the metal filament lamp was invented by K. AVER VON WELSBACH. All this progress led to a new epoch in the history of electrification, and the new transfer techniques with three-phase current proved to be a powerful impetus. With the tremendous increase in the demand for porcelain telegraph insulators, the HERMSDORF PORCELAIN FACTORY quickly prepared itself to meet this challenge. By the summer of 1892, it had succeeded in a complete change in production to that of electroporcelain.

There was a problem, however. Insulators, which up to this time had been used successfully for the transfer of energy, now were found to be inadequate for meeting the electrical demands placed upon them. So the research department at HERMSDORF got down to business in a hurry!

At about the same time, 1896-1897, fundamentally new forms of high voltage insulators appeared in the PADERNO BELL in Italy (see reference to this in "Foreign Insulators" column, April, 1990, issue of Crown Jewels of the Wire) and the DELTA BELL in Germany. The DELTA BELL especially represented a milestone in the evolution of these high potential insulators. It was developed in 1897 by Professor ROBERT M. FRIESE together with the HERMSDORF PORCELAIN FACTORY, protected by both domestic and foreign patents and further developed in field testing at HERMSDORF in the following years.

The name "DELTA" BELL comes from the triangular shape of the outer extended shell or skirt, which resembles the Greek letter DELTA for "D". This design controls the side discharge of electrically charged water particles. Take a look at the development path of the DELTA BELL through the years and notice the gradual transition from a delta to a tri-delta insulator, which is the technical and historical origin, of the HERMSDORF trademark.

Development of the DELTA BELL

In relation to HERMSDORF'S trademarks, it is interesting to note how these at first reflected the actual technical development of their insulators, but eventually had more and more of a highly imaginative conceptual relation to the real product. After only a monogram in baroque lettering (1903 - HP for HERMSDORF PORCELAIN) and a naturalistic representation of a pretty average looking insulator with the initials H.-KL. (1903 - for HERMSDORF-KLOSTERLAUSNITZ, the name of their railway station), which were used initially, the next trademark showed the DELTA BELL insulator with the word "DELTA" (1910). Between 1913 and 1920, this was followed by stylized representations of the large Greek letter Delta used with the letter "H" for HERMSDORF. In 1922, through a. merger of capital from several electroporcelain operations, the so-called HESCHO, with headquarters in HERMSDORF, was formed, which in 1923 resulted in the development of the tri-delta sign still in use today. That sequence of events was that the company called H. SCHOMBURG & SONS entered into a "interest union contract" with the KAHLA joint Stock company. This resulted in the formation of a sales organization called HERMSDORF-SCHOMBURG INSULATORS, which came to be known simply as HESCHO. Insulators have been found marked with the word HESCHO or with the tri-delta trademark. Other participating factories in this group were those of MARGARETHENHUTTE and FREIBERS, both of which were located in the state of Saxony, rather than in Thuringen as were HERMSDORF and H. SCHOMBURG & SONS. In 1954, the letters KWH were added to the trademark for the now nationally owned company "KERAMISCHE WERKE HERMSDORF", or HERMSDORF PORCELAIN INSULATOR WORKS. In its present form, this trademark enjoys national, and international protection in 18 states.

Development of the trademark

After World War II, when the Socialistic movement began to take hold in East Germany, the member companies of HERMSDORF were designated as VEB'S, a term indicating that they were "works owned by the people". These VEB'S, were then put together into a so called KOMBINAT or "combine". Today this KOMBINAT has several insulator manufacturing plants in various locations in what has been known until now as East Germany. These are:

VEB KERAMISCHE WERKE HERMSDORF (insulators, lightning arresters, bushings etc.)

VEB ELEKTROKERAMISCHE WERKE SONNEBERG (insulators, pflug gaps, bushings ro 36 KV etc.)

VEB ELEKTROPORZELLANWERK "MARGARETHENHUTTE" GROSSDUBRAU (insulators, housings) Note: H.SCHOMBURG & SONS was bought out by this company.

VEB PORZELLANWERK KLOSTER-VEILSDORF (low voltage insulators, ceramic parts, etc.)

In the near future, KERAMISCEIE WERKE HERMSDORF will no longer be known as a KOMBINAT but will become a production corporation. This will be indicated by the letters AG (for joint stock company) or GmbH (for limited liability company) following the name. Each of its member companies will be a profit center.

In January, 1990, KERAMISCHE WERKE HERMSDORF celebrated its 100th birthday! On the occasion of this anniversary, a special article appeared in the HERMSDORF TECHNICAL JOURNAL entitled "Ninety Years of Successful Development under the Symbol of 'Tri-Delta'". (Yon will recall that even though the HERMSDORF factory itself was first established in 1890, the DELTA BELL was not developed until 1897). This article was authored by DR. HARRI STREUBEL, MESSERS. H. DRESSELS, F. KERBE and G. DASCH.

I recently had the opportunity to borrow a rare hardbound HERMSDORF catalog dated 1905. It contains no fewer than 112 full size drawings of the pin and non-pintype insulators that were being offered at their plant in Altenburg, Saxony at that time. I have chosen a few interesting styles to show you, but sadly, in the process of copying and reducing them to 1/4 size, they have come out quite dark, even though the catalog originals are beautifully done. This wonderful book is truly museum quality! Many thanks to CHRIS HEDGES (Kansas City, MO) for sharing. I remind him on a regular basis that he is to call me when/if he grows tired of it. The pencil rubbing of the HP trademark is taken from the back cover of the book and varies slightly from the one shown for 1903 in the chart.

Selections from HERMSDORF'S 1905 catalog (above) with a
pencil rubbing taken of trademark on back cover (below)

During its record long years of insulator production, HERMSDORF offered many styles and sizes of insulators, which were not only used locally, but shipped to far comers of the world. Shown below are a few typical styles you may see in collections or at shows. Now, at least, you will be able to recognize and date a HERMSDORF trademark when you see one! HERMSDORF is considered by some to be the birthplace of porcelain insulators in Europe.

	Found on telegraph lines in Australia
	Used to supply power for ski lift in the Swiss Alps
	This one stayed close to home on a house in Germany
	U-2079 comes from Bogota, Colombia. New find!
	Ordered by OTE of Greece for use on its telephone lines

My sincere thanks to DR. HARRI STREUBEL (of HERMSDORF'S Department of Standardizations, Product Testing and Quality Control), who answered all my questions and also sent me the article from the HERMSDORF TECHNICAL JOURNAL; to ARNE STRINDEMARK, President of IFO ELECTRIC of Sweden, who willingly identified HERMSDORF trademarks, and put me in touch with DR. HARRI STREUBEL in the first place. (MR. STRINDEMARK has been in the insulator business for 27 years and has served as President of EUROC, or European Federation of Electroceramic Manufacturers); to MR. H. DRESSELS (of HERMSDORF'S Public Relations and Historical Records Department) for the gift book entitled UNSER WERK, which means "Our Factory"; and finally, to Carol McDougald, for wading through all these long unfamiliar words so you could read them!