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History

Since 2005, MAG has brought together renowned brands from the US and German machine tool industry such as Cincinnati, Lamb, Cross Hüller, Ex-Cell-O, Giddings & Lewis, Hüller Hille, Fadal, Witzig & Frank, Hessapp, Boehringer and Modul to form a dominant, successfully operating global company.

History, made by MAG

For more than 200 years, machine tool engineering has been shaped by the strong brands that today comprise MAG. Beginning early in the 19th century, highly talented engineers and mechanics in the U.S., Germany, and Switzerland developed new technical solutions, invented machine tools, and founded machine factories. Their success and experience led to the consistent development of new products which were always a step ahead of the market and its needs. In 2005, the accumulated competence and expertise of these long-standing companies were brought together to form MAG, making us one of the most effective and experienced global providers of innovative engineering products and services.

1798	Foundation of “Gebrüder Honsberg für den Handel mit Werkzeugen aller Art” – historically seen as the beginning of MAG. Initially a producer of saw blades, Honsberg came to be one of the most prolific innovators in the areas of special machines, machining centers and flexible manufacturing systems.
1844	Foundation of Boehringer in Göppingen, Germany. The company has a long-standing tradition of innovation in its rich history, including the first VDF-standard lathe in 1928, and the development and production of the Unimog in 1946.
1859	Foundation of Giddings & Lewis in Wisconsin, USA. John Bonnell’s small machine shop in Fond du Lac, which used to supply the region’s booming sawmills and malt mills, became the first manufacturer of commercially available NC-machine tools.
1865	Foundation of Witzig & Frank Maschinenbaugesellschaft mbH in Leonberg, Germany (then known as Kaspar Martin’s "Mechanische Werkstätte"). Since 1954, the company has developed several patented multi-station machining centers.
1884	Foundation of Cincinnati Screw & Tap Company in Cincinnati, USA. MAG Cincinnati has supplied the world’s most important industries with innovative metal-cutting equipment and is now the market leader in composite processing technology.
1898	Foundation of Cross in Detroit, USA. The company revolutionized machine building with the world’s first transfer line, and later, as Cross Hüller, installed the world’s largest Agile System.
1914	Foundation of F. Jos. Lamb in Detroit, USA. Having started out with the manufacture of metal construction parts, a number of technological achievements have made the company one of the leading manufacturers in machine building.
1919	Foundation of EX-CELL-O Corporation in Detroit, USA. The company’s outstanding achievements include pioneering developments in the field of coldforming technologies. Today, the focus is on system solutions for the automotive industry.
1923	Foundation of Vorrichtungsbau Hüller in Ludwigsburg, Germany. The automotive and truck industries profited regularly from the innovations created at Hüller. Manufacturing systems, such as transfer lines and agile systems, were influenced significantly by developments made in Ludwigsburg.
1946	Foundation of Hessische Apparatebau GmbH – Hessapp – in Wiesbaden, Germany. With the development of the first vertical lathe in 1954, Hessapp established its reputation as a pioneer in the field of vertical turning. In the early 1990s, Hessapp was one of the first companies to apply motorized spindles in lathes. Groundbreaking single and double-spindle machines were developed for production of parts of all sizes and in different volumes.
1947	Foundation of Maschinenfabrik Diedesheim, later Hüller Hille GmbH, in Mosbach-Diedesheim, Germany The company that used to repair machine tools and manufacture of spare car parts grew into a renowned machine factory. Today, MAG Hüller Hille is known as top supplier of high-performance machining centers.
1958	Ex-Cell-O acquisition of „Werkzeugmaschinenfabrik Göppingen“ and installation of a new manufacturing plant in Eislingen/Fils.
1961	Foundation of Fadal Machining Centers in California, USA. Francis deCaussin and his sons Adrian, Dave, and Larry opened the Fadal factory in Los Angeles, California. Specialists in vertical machining centers, they were recognized as first-rate suppliers for the renowned “Surveyor Moon Landing” project shortly afterwards.
1966	Kearns Richard was formed in 1966 when the companies George Richards and WH Kearns were purchased by Staveley Machine Tools. Kearns Richard built Horizontal Boring Machines, Vertical Boring Machines and Crankpin Turning Machines. Kearney & Trecker bought the UK machine tool company Marwin Machine Tools, based in Leicester, forming KTM. Marwin built long bed vertical and horizontal profile milling machines (Profilers) mainly for the Aerospace industry. In 1988 KTM changed the name to FMT (Flexible Manufacturing Technology).
1989	Foundation of Georg Fischer FMS Drehtechnik AG in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. Succeeding the machine tool business of Georg Fischer +GF+ founded in 1802, important technical milestones have continuously been set. These include development of the world’s first hydraulic copy lathe in 1938, the first NC lathe in 1968, and the first double-spindle CNC lathe in 1998.
2005	Foundation of MAG Powertrain Honsberg, Cross Hüller, Ex-Cell-O and Lamb, with their centuries-old history and revolutionary developments in machine building are brought together under one roof as MAG Powertrain. MAG Powertrain is positioned for a successful future as a major player with its core businesses in system solutions, agile systems and transfer lines.