Company founder celebrates 80th birthday
In June 2014, Gerhard Würschum, the founder of Würschum GmbH, turned 80. After an apprenticeship as model maker which was followed by studying engineering at the University of Applied Sciences in Esslingen, Würschum started work at Liebherr located in Bad Schussenried. The first stationary mixing towers were developed there and Würschum dealt with fundamental questions about the preparation of concrete mixtures and the availability and distribution of concrete at the construction site.
The question concerning an exact dosage of the chemical admixtures was one of the new requirements. It was precisely this question that led to the business idea of Würschum GmbH Metering Systems. The foundation took place in 1961.
International expansion
It did not take long before various models of admixture metering devices were developed. Yet in the late ‚60s, the first powder pigment metering systems were added. The company employed already twelve people in the early ‚70s and the construction of the first factory hall as well as expansions became necessary. During that time, the first steps for diversification in other sectors were taken – a second pillar was created with the development of filling machines involving customers from the chemical industry, paint and varnish, cosmetics and the food industry.
Gerhard Würschum soon realized that export business was essential too and therefore he even learned English at the age of 40. When in 1988 and 1990, his sons and present-day general managers and owners, Hubert and Volker Würschum, joined the company, this strategy of innovation and expansion was consequently continued. Today the export share accounts for more than 60 %.
After his official retirement in 1999, Gerhard Würschum has still taken part in fundamental strategic changes until today, for example, the decision to move into a commercial area that is likewise situated in Ostfildern-Ruit, after 53 years.
