Friedrich Landwehr
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Two names
There are two names which are associated with the establishment in 1949 of the company now known as RT-Filtertechnik. These are Dipl.-Ing. Wilhelm Binder, development engineer at Binder Magnets in Villingen, and Dipl.-Ing. Friedrich Landwehr, father of the current proprietor and managing director of the company, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1999. To the former we owe the idea, and to the latter its realisation.
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building Seemooser Horn
building Seemooser Horn
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Difficult beginnings
The founding period was marked by the hardships of war. It was extremely difficult to obtain premises or even a piece of land for a new firm. The town of Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance offered a plot containing a destroyed building directly adjacent to the grounds of Dornier, which had also been completely bombed out.
In spite of the annual rent of DM1,500 and the total lack of municipal assistance with its initial start-up, the company´s first registered office was established here. The first months were devoted to the purchase of equipment, organisation of accommodation and compliance with the regulations of the factory inspectorate. At the end of 1948, 3 workers were taken on to clear the ruins before the actual firm had even been founded, as production had to start in order meet the expenses. In the spring of 1949, an application was finally made to set up a firm for the production of electrical equipment.
In June 1949, a licence was granted by the department of trade and industry of the Württemberg-Hohenzollern region to found the company Regeltechnik Friedrichshafen Dipl.-Ing. Friedrich Landwehr.
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Electrotechnical equipment
Production began with the manufacture of coils. This period was dominated by Wilhem Binder, who was the main source of technical know-how, information on raw materials, knowledge of the market and economic affairs and customer demands.
Right to the end of 1949, the company was dogged by teething problems, struggling to meet the expense of wages, rent, expansion and the purchase of resources and raw materials such as insulated copper wire with its meagre order volume.
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Prof. Dr. Thoma
MFK filter housing
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The start of hydraulic systems: magnetic filters
Amid this desperate situation at the end of 1949, Professor Dr. Ing. Hans Thoma, then world-famous in the field of hydraulics and father-in-law of Friedrich Landwehr, paid a visit to the new firm in Friedrichshafen in the company of Mr. Binder. Together they laid the foundations for the company´s present specialism of:
Magnetic filters - hydraulic filters
Prof. Hans Thoma developed the first magnetic filters as early as 1930, for which he applied for a patent in 1943. After the war, he continued this development work in Switzerland. Prof. Thoma placed all his know-how at the firm´s disposal and secured all the support he could for the future. It soon became clear that, as Friedrich Landwehr wrote in a letter to Prof. Hans Thoma, "there is potential in the filter sector, and this is our chance of survival".
In the summer of 1950, the first specimen filters were already made available to firms for test purposes. The response was highly positive, as reflected in the enthusiastic letters of recommendation from well-known firms such as Maschinenfabrik Meer in Mönchengladbach, Gebr. Heller in Nürtingen, Maschinenfabrik Jahn-Regulatoren-Gesellschaft in Offenbach am Main or Ludw. Von Roll´schen Eisenwerk in Switzerland during the period between autumn 1950 and spring 1951.
This upswing was reinforced in 1952, when the company Dr.-Ing. Erich Dinglinger AG Filtertechnik in Bremen took over the marketing of the magnetic filters. It was mainly owing to this connection that large numbers of ships soon began to be equipped with lubricating oil and fuel filters by Regeltechnik Friedrichshafen. What´s more, the magnetic filters were used for a wide variety of functions, e.g. in hydraulic oil circuits or for filtering grinding water, while so-called magnetic plugs were developed and sold for virtually all German makes of car. Hand-held magnetic tools were soon added, and the existing production of coils and transformers continued. Despite all these positive developments, there were still problems, the ruined building being a particular cause of concern. In July 1954, the factory inspectorate ordered the firm to close within 14 days unless working conditions were improved immediately and basic safety standards were applied at the plant.
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New building Seemooser Horn
Building in Berg
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First signs of growth
Fortunately, this threat did not get as far as being implemented, and in 1955 the ruined building was thoroughly overhauled. However, the company soon outgrew this building too.
A new building was needed, and in 1964 the company was finally able to move into a newly built factory in Friedrichshafen, Buchholz 4. This paved the way to a further process of continuous development which lasted until the end of the eighties.
During this time, the company made an excellent name for itself in terms of product quality. Increasingly, efforts began to be concentrated on customised filtration problems. The company´s achievements in the mobile hydraulics sector in particular showed that it had the potential to offer successful solutions in this difficult field: technical expertise, individual customer care and optimal advice became the basis for this success and for further growth.
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Specialisation in hydraulics
Today, the company boasts a number of long-standing customer relationships. Take the company Dr.-Ing. Erich Dinglinger Filtertechnik in Bremen (now Polo Filter), for example, with whom it still enjoys a successful cooperation. Or the Liebherr Group, whose custom was obtained in 1960 and which is now the most important business partner of RT-Filtertechnik GmbH.
The company´s competence on the market owes much to its intensive practical experience in the mobile hydraulics sector.
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FTW building
RT building in Berg
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The new generation
The retirement of the company founder Dipl.-Ing. Friedrich Landwehr led to the renaming of the company to REGELTECHNIK FRIEDRICHSHAFEN GMBH in 1990. At this point, his son, Dr. Gundolf Landwehr, joined the company, thus ensuring its continuity and laying the foundation for future developments.
At the end of 1992, the company founded the subsidiary FTW Fluidtechnik GmbH in Kromsdorf near Weimar, which specialises exclusively in filter elements. At the same time, other important steps were taken towards the future. Within the space of 10 years, the proportion of trained specialist personnel doubled and the proportion of certified engineers quadrupled, with the workforce increasing steadily.
In June 1999, the company celebrated its 50th anniversary, and took this opportunity to show the market and customers in particular its increased emphasis on the core competence of filter technology. The name was changed to RT-Filtertechnik GmbH, and the new image of the company is accordingly designed to reflect this specialisation.
The long-planned handing over of the reins to a new generation during this year created further possibilities for extending the fund of know-how within the company and increasing the motivation of its staff. The current sole managing partner is Dr. Gundolf Landwehr, who, together with a management team, is responsible for the sales, customer service, research & development, production and materials management departments, which concentrate exclusively on filter systems and oil maintenance (RT-Filtertechnik GmbH) as well as filter elements (FTW Fluid Technik GmbH).
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Objectives
The primary objective and corporate philosophy remains unchanged, i.e. to provide customers with optimally adapted systems for solving their filtration problems. In addition to its strong position in the mobile hydraulics sector, the company is increasing its activities in the field of hydraulics as a whole and further intensifying cooperation with its customers. A key target is the improvement of filter elements, together with ongoing efforts to increase productivity through improved integration of filters in customer systems.
Future objectives include a continued expansion of customised oil maintenance systems incorporating an attractive range of oil inspection services, as well as an active and innovative role in the development of the filter market.
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