Láng L. machine factory ltd
László Láng realised early on that Hungarian industry would need equipment developed in Hungary, so in 1868 he founded his own factory in Pest. In 1873, the company switched to the manufacture of steam engines, and at the Vienna World Exhibition in 1873, their 49-horsepower steam engine was a great success, purchased by Archduke Joseph for his estate in Alcsút.
The company was a family business, so the factory, which employed 80 people, did not really feel the impact of the 1873 Vienna stock exchange crisis, and its operations continued uninterrupted, even expanding, buying a factory in liquidation on Outer Váci út, and moving the factory, which had been operating on today's Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út, to this location.
In 1875, the company produced machines and wagons worth a total of 1 798 317 forints, but in 1873 a fire broke out in the wagon factory, which caused a drop in production. The cost of the Margaret Bridge, which was being built at the time, was HUF 5 million. The products of the Láng machine factory were popular in the country, and many factories, mills and other plants bought their steam engines.
In fact, the company did not become important with its own patents and inventions, but bought foreign patents at a good pace and produced them at home. In the early days, the factory made steam engines, for which it bought the Colmann control patent in the 1880s, and Colmann-type equipment was manufactured by the company for 40 years.
The factory has also supplied abroad, with customers in Russia, Turkey, Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria. The initial steam engine of 46 hp in 1873 was far exceeded, and by the late 1880s they were producing machines with up to 2,400 hp, and were a great success at the 1896 Millennium Exhibition and the 1900 Paris World Exhibition.
A significant innovation in the product range was the production of steam turbines, which was started at the suggestion of the founder's son, Gusztáv Láng. Here, too, they did not rely on domestic development, but joined the Swiss Zolley Syndicate for the production of turbines developed by engineer Henrik Zolley, and from then on produced turbines of this type, with great success.
The company was forced to become a limited company in 1911, as it was forced to raise relatively large amounts of capital. The reason for this was that a calculation error had been made in the manufacture of a 10 000 hp steam turbine, and extra capital was needed to correct the error. In reality, however, there were many reasons why the company used bank capital (Magyar Általános Hitelbank) and converted to a joint-stock company: whether it was the lack of resources, as indicated here, the desire for growth, the need to solve succession problems, the separation of ownership and management, etc...
The company continued to grow during the First World War, from when it became involved in diesel engine production, and as a result of the wartime boom it bought the neighbouring Hazai Gépgyár Rt., employing 1,300 workers.
Between the two wars, during the Soviet Republic and during the Great Depression, production declined, and in the 1930s all kinds of unprofessional work was taken on just to keep the business afloat. With the break-up of the Zolley group, the steam turbine sector also had to change significantly, and the company switched to making Brown-Boveri turbines.
During World War II, it was a major military factory, producing and repairing diesel engines for the army. After the war, it was taken over by the Soviets and only returned to its owners at the end of 1945. However, the company was obliged to produce reparations, although in the early days they had to dismantle steam turbines from domestic power plants for shipment to the Soviet Union, and only later could they manufacture new products, also for reparations.
The company was nationalised in 1948, and Gusztáv Láng, who had led the company for 40 years, retired. The state-owned company continued to produce under socialism, accounting for 1/3 of the domestic energy machinery industry's output. By the 1980s, however, the product range had become obsolete and the company was in crisis. It was privatised in 1990, with the Swedish-Swiss owned company Asea-Brown-Boveri acquiring 75% of the shares. Production ceased at the Váci út plant and, although the company officially ceased in 2000, some of the successor companies' rural sites are now producing components for rolling stock in factories owned by Alstom Power Hungaria Rt.
Throughout its history, the company has been hit by a series of shocks, both large and small. The carriage works burnt down in 1873, which set back production. The biggest disruption was caused by a miscalculation that turned the family business into a limited company. In 1909, the company received an order for a 10 000 hp turbine unit. The huge machine was built, but after it was put into operation it was discovered that a sizing error had caused the vibration of the unit to be the same as its own vibration, causing the turbine to vibrate dangerously. Láng had to finance the cost of correcting the error, but the company was no longer able to finance this cost on its own.
Although it was hit by a bomb in 1944 during World War II, it escaped the siege of Budapest without major damage, and the company fell into Russian hands almost unscathed.
Today, large-scale residential plans have been drawn up for the site of the former Láng Machine Works, and presumably only the boiler shop, boiler repair shop, brassworks and office building, which were built in 1890-1891 to the design of Ignác Alpár and have been protected as a historical monument since 1999, remain of the original factory buildings.
Sources
- Géza Bencze:The History of the Láng Machine Factory from its Founding to State Ownership in Studies from the Past of Budapest 33 (2006-2007)
- Géza Bencze: Eisele Boiler and Machine Works and the Láng Machine Works in: org/muemlekek/13/Lang-Gepgyar/index.html
- György Diószegi: History of the Láng-Gépgyár I. Budapest 1980/9
- György Diószegi: History of the Láng-Gépgyár II. Budapest 1980/10
- Ildikó Bacsa: The Láng Machine Factory was one of the most important factories of Hungarian industry - A residential park will be built in its place PestBuda 2022 July 12
- Ágnes Ságvári (ed.): The Major Capitalist-era Iron, Metal and Mechanical Engineering Archives of Budapest - Archives Documentation 8. - Archives Aids 3. (Budapest, 1984)
Date of foundation: 1868
Date of cessation: 2000
Founders: László Láng
Securities issued:
| Láng L. machine factory ltd |
Decisive leaders:
László Láng | |
Gusztáv Láng |
Main activity: steam engines from 1873, steam turbines, diesel engines from 1910
Main products are not set
Seats:
1868-1873 | Váci körút (Today Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út) |
1873- | Outer Váci út (1138 Budapest, Váci út 152-156) |
Locations are not set
Main milestones are not set
Author: by Domonkos Csaba
Date of foundation: 1868
Founders: László Láng
Decisive leaders:
László Láng | |
Gusztáv Láng |
Main activity: steam engines from 1873, steam turbines, diesel engines from 1910
Main products are not set
Seats:
1868-1873 | Váci körút (Today Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út) |
1873- | Outer Váci út (1138 Budapest, Váci út 152-156) |
Locations are not set
Main milestones are not set
Author: by Domonkos Csaba
Láng L. machine factory ltd
László Láng realised early on that Hungarian industry would need equipment developed in Hungary, so in 1868 he founded his own factory in Pest. In 1873, the company switched to the manufacture of steam engines, and at the Vienna World Exhibition in 1873, their 49-horsepower steam engine was a great success, purchased by Archduke Joseph for his estate in Alcsút.
The company was a family business, so the factory, which employed 80 people, did not really feel the impact of the 1873 Vienna stock exchange crisis, and its operations continued uninterrupted, even expanding, buying a factory in liquidation on Outer Váci út, and moving the factory, which had been operating on today's Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út, to this location.
In 1875, the company produced machines and wagons worth a total of 1 798 317 forints, but in 1873 a fire broke out in the wagon factory, which caused a drop in production. The cost of the Margaret Bridge, which was being built at the time, was HUF 5 million. The products of the Láng machine factory were popular in the country, and many factories, mills and other plants bought their steam engines.
In fact, the company did not become important with its own patents and inventions, but bought foreign patents at a good pace and produced them at home. In the early days, the factory made steam engines, for which it bought the Colmann control patent in the 1880s, and Colmann-type equipment was manufactured by the company for 40 years.
The factory has also supplied abroad, with customers in Russia, Turkey, Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria. The initial steam engine of 46 hp in 1873 was far exceeded, and by the late 1880s they were producing machines with up to 2,400 hp, and were a great success at the 1896 Millennium Exhibition and the 1900 Paris World Exhibition.
A significant innovation in the product range was the production of steam turbines, which was started at the suggestion of the founder's son, Gusztáv Láng. Here, too, they did not rely on domestic development, but joined the Swiss Zolley Syndicate for the production of turbines developed by engineer Henrik Zolley, and from then on produced turbines of this type, with great success.
The company was forced to become a limited company in 1911, as it was forced to raise relatively large amounts of capital. The reason for this was that a calculation error had been made in the manufacture of a 10 000 hp steam turbine, and extra capital was needed to correct the error. In reality, however, there were many reasons why the company used bank capital (Magyar Általános Hitelbank) and converted to a joint-stock company: whether it was the lack of resources, as indicated here, the desire for growth, the need to solve succession problems, the separation of ownership and management, etc...
The company continued to grow during the First World War, from when it became involved in diesel engine production, and as a result of the wartime boom it bought the neighbouring Hazai Gépgyár Rt., employing 1,300 workers.
Between the two wars, during the Soviet Republic and during the Great Depression, production declined, and in the 1930s all kinds of unprofessional work was taken on just to keep the business afloat. With the break-up of the Zolley group, the steam turbine sector also had to change significantly, and the company switched to making Brown-Boveri turbines.
During World War II, it was a major military factory, producing and repairing diesel engines for the army. After the war, it was taken over by the Soviets and only returned to its owners at the end of 1945. However, the company was obliged to produce reparations, although in the early days they had to dismantle steam turbines from domestic power plants for shipment to the Soviet Union, and only later could they manufacture new products, also for reparations.
The company was nationalised in 1948, and Gusztáv Láng, who had led the company for 40 years, retired. The state-owned company continued to produce under socialism, accounting for 1/3 of the domestic energy machinery industry's output. By the 1980s, however, the product range had become obsolete and the company was in crisis. It was privatised in 1990, with the Swedish-Swiss owned company Asea-Brown-Boveri acquiring 75% of the shares. Production ceased at the Váci út plant and, although the company officially ceased in 2000, some of the successor companies' rural sites are now producing components for rolling stock in factories owned by Alstom Power Hungaria Rt.
Throughout its history, the company has been hit by a series of shocks, both large and small. The carriage works burnt down in 1873, which set back production. The biggest disruption was caused by a miscalculation that turned the family business into a limited company. In 1909, the company received an order for a 10 000 hp turbine unit. The huge machine was built, but after it was put into operation it was discovered that a sizing error had caused the vibration of the unit to be the same as its own vibration, causing the turbine to vibrate dangerously. Láng had to finance the cost of correcting the error, but the company was no longer able to finance this cost on its own.
Although it was hit by a bomb in 1944 during World War II, it escaped the siege of Budapest without major damage, and the company fell into Russian hands almost unscathed.
Today, large-scale residential plans have been drawn up for the site of the former Láng Machine Works, and presumably only the boiler shop, boiler repair shop, brassworks and office building, which were built in 1890-1891 to the design of Ignác Alpár and have been protected as a historical monument since 1999, remain of the original factory buildings.
Sources
- Géza Bencze:The History of the Láng Machine Factory from its Founding to State Ownership in Studies from the Past of Budapest 33 (2006-2007)
- Géza Bencze: Eisele Boiler and Machine Works and the Láng Machine Works in: org/muemlekek/13/Lang-Gepgyar/index.html
- György Diószegi: History of the Láng-Gépgyár I. Budapest 1980/9
- György Diószegi: History of the Láng-Gépgyár II. Budapest 1980/10
- Ildikó Bacsa: The Láng Machine Factory was one of the most important factories of Hungarian industry - A residential park will be built in its place PestBuda 2022 July 12
- Ágnes Ságvári (ed.): The Major Capitalist-era Iron, Metal and Mechanical Engineering Archives of Budapest - Archives Documentation 8. - Archives Aids 3. (Budapest, 1984)