RAUCH celebrates its 100th company anniversary
As a family-owned company led now by the fourth and fifth generation, RAUCH Landmaschinenfabrik GmbH can look back on a 100-year history. The great-great-grandfather Franz Rauch paved the way into agricultural technology as a master blacksmith. Today, RAUCH is an international manufacturer of fertiliser spreaders, seed drills and winter spreaders. With two core competencies, exact metering and precise spreading, RAUCH has established itself in agricultural technology.
Once upon a time, a very long time ago
To be precise, it was in 1880 that Franz RAUCH, the founder of our company, had a vision. But let's tell the story from the beginning. And this is how it all began:
When Franz Rauch started his own business in 1880, he had to start small. His first forge workshopis a makeshift.
But soon Rauch is successful not only as a blacksmith, but also as a trader. After the turn of the century, his family business begins producing innovative equipment for agriculture.
RAUCH - a family business from the beginning until today
Already in the early years, the family helped considerably in building up the company. While Franz Rauch's wife and daughters took care of the house, farm and store, his sons Johann and Josef followed in their father's footsteps as blacksmiths and applied for patents for important inventions at an early stage (harrow tine fastening). The second oldest son Hermann completes a commercial apprenticeship. He will continue to run the company in the second generation. Even today, direct descendants of Franz Rauch in the 5th generation are still active in the company as managing directors and associates.
Beginning of the 20th century
After years of hardship during the war and after the war, the Rauchs started looking ahead again in 1918. With the purchase of the property of the Sinzheimer Altenburg brewery, the RAUCH agricultural machinery factory was born in 1921. The dream of the original founder Franz Rauch had come true!
Like today's generation, he would certainly be very proud if he could see how his dream has developed over the subsequent 100 years through enormous hard work and creative inventions and further developments into one of the world's most modern and innovative agricultural machinery factories.
RAUCH: Good ideas by the dozen!
Under the name "Gebrüder Rauch GmbH, Fabrik landwirtschaftlicher Maschinen und Geräte" Franz Rauch's sons Hermann (merchant) and Josef (master blacksmith) register their business in August 1921.
At first, the new industrial enterprise starts mainly with the production of harrows and plows. The passionate and progressive innovative spirit of the family was already evident here. As early as 1918, they received a patent for a harrow tine attachment as well as a utility model for a connecting piece on plow frames in 1913.
This RAUCH spirit of innovation has been successfully maintained to this day: RAUCH holds more than 150 groundbreaking patents, is the winner of numerous Agritechnica innovation medals from the DLG (German Agricultural Society) and has received numerous awards at many international exhibitions.
The first RAUCH fertiliser spreader
In the mid-1920s, the RAUCH agricultural machinery factory is still small and the build-up is hard. But step by step, the product range is expanded, including grape mills and straw cutters. An own gas station (until 1954) is another source of income.
The crises of the following years (e.g. global economic crisis in 1929, differences with the new regime of the National Socialists) are mastered with a lot of verve, ambition, diligence and courage.
Then, in the mid-1930s, one of the most important milestones for RAUCH is set: the first fertilizer spreader is manufactured. With its still simple design, it is now possible for small farms to use mineral fertilizer on a larger scale, and soon the RAUCH fertilizer spreader becomes a best-seller.
From horse to tractor
The company continues to grow until the late 1930s and initially also at the beginning of the Second World War. In the last year of the war, however, operations come to a complete standstill because "non-essential" companies are deprived of labor and raw materials and production facilities are confiscated.
In the "zero hour" at the end of the war, Rauch has to start from scratch a second time. Slowly, the company recovers from the consequences of the war and the RAUCH workforce grows again.
The then junior managers Gerhard Rauch (mechanical engineer) and his brother Alfred (businessman) set the course for a renewed expansion of production.
The motorization of agriculture over the years also has consequences for fertilizer spreader production: while the "horse-drawn fertilizer spreaders", which are usually pulled by horses, lose their importance, the future belongs to the "mounted fertilizer spreaders", which are mounted on the tractor. This further development makes the company known far beyond the region in those years.
Economic miracle - "comet"-like rise
In the 1960s, the so-called "Wirtschaftswunder“ (economic miracle) also enters the next round at RAUCH. The company focuses on new products and production methods. A milestone is the entry into series production.The start is made in 1963 with the Komet I single-disc centrifugal fertilizer spreader, which is not only suitable for fertilizing, but also for sowing grain. In 1966, RAUCH presents the first Komet ZS twin-disc fertilizer spreader, which makes boundary spreading at the edge of the field more precise and the spread pattern even more uniform.
RAUCH also succeeded in entering the winter service sector with the Komet S centrifugal spreader for sand, salt or grit, which became a real bestseller. Since 1945, the company has more than doubled in size. From a small blacksmith's shop, the company has developed into a respectable medium-sized enterprise with 130 employees.
RAUCH: a long-standing, faithful and reliable partner in the agricultural machinery industry on all continents.
An important step into the future for RAUCH in the late 60s is the strengthening of exports.
The share of exports increased dramatically in 1967 with the start of a partnership with the company KUHN Machines Agricoles in Saverne, Alsace, which is still maintained today. KUHN took over the representation of RAUCH fertilizer spreaders in France and other countries such as Great Britain and Italy, and today the sales network is worldwide.
In parallel, RAUCH continues to promote exports and by the end of the 70s, machines are already exported to 14 European countries. Today RAUCH delivers products to 43 countries, the export quota is about 70%. In some countries, RAUCH has been working with the same importers for decades.
RAUCH specializes more and more in the fertilizer and winter service spreaders in the 1970s
Fertilizer spreaders alone account for around 60% of annual production. Another important masterpiece of Gerhard Rauch is the twin-disc centrifugal spreader "Komet ZSN" presented in 1972. Its particular practical advantage over the competition was that it was particularly low, with a filling height of less than 1 m, and could therefore be filled directly from the trailer. A real revolution in its day and a sales hit for a long time. At the beginning of the 1980s, RAUCH made another significant advance: the ZSB twin-disc spreader enabled working widths of up to 24 m to be achieved.
At the beginning of the 1980s, another major milestone is set under development manager Norbert Rauch:
the AERO mounted pneumatic spreader with the world's first electronic fertilizer spreader control system QUANTRON. Farmers and also environmental protection are delighted with more targeted and economical fertilization with the system, which is ideally suited for tramline operation. And RAUCH technology can now also be used on large farms. Unfortunately, production had to be discontinued at the end of the 1990s due to low demand. With the demands for environmental protection, economy and efficiency increasing again in recent years, the call for a mounted pneumatic spreader became loud again. RAUCH has reacted and from autumn 2022 it will be available again with updated technology: AERO 32.1 with initially 27/28/30 m working width incl. ISOBUS technology and MultiRate (18, 21 + 24 m working width to follow).
From a blacksmith's shop to a modern agricultural machinery company
Under the innovative management team of Hermann Rauch (Finance, human resources and production), Robert Rauch (Purchasing), Joachim Rauch (Sales and marketing) and Norbert Rauch (Research and development), the fourth generation continued to set the course for successful development in both agricultural and municipal technology. With pioneering advances in plant nutrition, the family business has become known for efficient and precise use of fertilisers and continues to strive for the top with forward-looking investments.
In 2016, the fifth generation, Martin Rauch (Production and IT), joined the management team, and Hermann Rauch (Finance), supported since 2017 by Wilfried Müller (Sales and marketing) and Volker Stöcklin (Research and development), represent a new dynamic level of management.
"Resource-efficient use of fertilisers, but at the same time increasing yields, form the challenges for the future. With a 100-year company history, we are aware of the changes in agricultural technology and strive for forward-looking changes, especially in the areas of sustainability and environmental awareness," says Managing Director Martin Rauch.
RAUCH, ihr Partner für eine präzise Pflanzenernährung und für die Sicherheit auf der Straße
Nur mit einem stetig wachsenden Vertriebsnetz, Hand in Hand mit den Werksvertretungen und den engagierten Importeuren und Handelspartner von RAUCH, ist es bis heute gelungen, die Landwirtschaft mit RAUCH-Maschinen effizient zu gestalten. Partnerschaften, die über die Jahre gewachsen sind, sind das Fundament für den Erfolg.
Ein großer Dank für das Engagement und die Verbundenheit gilt besonders den Mitarbeitern des Familienunternehmens. Nur mit einem motivierten und qualifizierten Team lassen sich solch hohe Maßstäbe nach Effizienz und Ökologie in der Landwirtschaft erzielen.