The Rudolstadt factory’s early days, which are the focus of the dissertation, coincided with a period in German history marked by a number of major economic crises. Inflation at the beginning of the 1920s, the stock market crash in October 1929 and the economic stagnation that followed had a lasting effect on German society. However, the X-ray tube factory demonstrates that such crises can also provide an impetus for structural change.

Founded as a partnership by a glassblower and an engineer, the factory, which supplied tubes to the X-ray industry, steadily expanded. In 1925, Siemens acquired the business and incorporated it into its Reiniger, Gebbert & Schall subsidiary. This move not only enabled Siemens, which was already a successful international company, to eliminate a smaller competitor; it also acknowledged Rudolstadt’s future potential. Siemens subsequently channeled a steady stream of investments into training and equipment at the location.

In 1932, the medical engineering department of Siemens & Halske in Berlin was merged with Reiniger, Gebbert & Schall to form Siemens-Reiniger-Werken (SRW). Until the end of World War II, SRW was the world market leader in many areas of medical engineering – a development from which the X-ray tube factory in Rudolstadt profited considerably. By transferring its Berlin X-ray tube production to Rudolstadt, Siemens increased production in Thüringen and invested substantially in infrastructure and workforce. There were two main reasons for this move: personnel and material costs were lower in central Germany than in Berlin and the Rudolstadt region already boasted a centuries-old tradition of glassblowing. Skill in glass production, long-established throughout the area, was a basic prerequisite for the manufacture of high-quality X-ray tubes. With the invention of the Pantix tube in 1933, the Rudolstadt researchers proved their innovative genius once and for all. The tubes enabled SRW X-ray technology to achieve a breakthrough worldwide. The construction and functionality of Pantix tubes, which became the industry standard, laid the basis for modern X-ray tubes. Continuously enlarging its workforce in the following years, the Rudolstadt facility had about 300 employees when World War II broke out.

The dissertation, which analyzes developments at the Rudolstadt facility from its beginnings until 1939, was written at the Center for Applied History at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany. It received considerable support from the Siemens Med-Archive and Archive head, Doris-Maria Vittinghoff in Erlangen. During the research project, not only documents held in West Germany but also the extensive files stored at the Rudolstadt facility itself and in Thuringian archives were examined and edited. This material has helped provide a multi-facetted picture of the facility’s first 20 years. During the GDR era, the Rudolstadt factory continued to operate as a state-owned company. Siemens re-acquired the facility after the Wall came down. As a result, X-ray tubes are still being produced at the location in the center of Rudolstadt – as they have been for 90 years.

 

May 18, 2010 | Dr. Florian Kiuntke