History of the company

Foundation, first deliveries of the equipment, change of the owner, the First World War

Foundation

Anton Ohlert, the Russian merchant of German origin, had started his business with setting up foreign trade between Germany & Russia. He exported timber & furs from our country abroad & imported metal products & small-scale mechanization equipment from abroad.

Success in business inspired him to set up a company. Thus, in 1871 he registered his company in the Trade register of Berlin (Germany) named, in accordance with the tradition of those years, after the founder of the company – Anton Ohlert.

First deliveries

One of the first major contracts for the delivery of the German equipment to Russia was the sale of the consignment of “Singer” sewing machines. This happened 25 years before the construction by the world-renowned manufacturer of his own factory in the city of Podolsk near Moscow.

Change of the owner

In the early 20th century, due to external circumstances, Anton Ohert had sold his company to the Ulrich family. The descendants of this family, by the way, also belonging to the German community in Moscow, to this day are the owners of the company.

The Company still bears the name of Anton Ohlert as a tribute to the founder.

The First World War

The First World War unleashed in July, 1914 & the subsequent October revolution forced the company owners to suspend their activities & trade between the two countries until 1922.

A new partner, deliveries of metal & the second downtime a decade long

A new partner

After a new state – the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics – emerged in place of the Russian Empire most of the world powers refused to recognize it. However, the management of the Anton Ohlert Company decided otherwise & established cooperation with the USSR.

Metal products for the Soviets

Starting with the year of 1922, due to the efforts of the Anton Ohlert technicians, regular deliveries of metal & steel products to the USSR were commenced.

A decade of downtime

The fruitful cooperation lasted less than 20 years when in 1941 everything turned upside down. Nazi Germany attacked the USSR & all trade relations were suspended.

The second forced break in the Anton Ohlert activities lasted for the whole decade, until 1951.

he war did not pass without a trace for the company. The building where the head office was located in Berlin S.W.68, Kohstr, 9, was completely destroyed in the course of numerous bombardments & shellings.

Recovery of business & visits to the USSR, office in Moscow, accreditation & deliveries of the equipment

Resumption of trading & visits to the USSR

The echo of war in the Anton Ohlert business subsided only early in fifties of the 20th century. In 1953 the management of Anton Ohlert in the person of Klaus Katling & Andrea Camanecchi made a few visits to Moscow. The result was not long in coming – the start of the company commercial activity was ahead of setting up diplomatic relations between the USSR & Federal Republic of Germany. New orders began to arrive a year later.

Towards the end of 50s the company moved its headquarters to Cologne (FRG), closer to the Trade mission of the USSR, to encourage business relations. The office in Berlin received the status of a branch.

Office in Moscow

High-profile official visit of Konrad Adenauer, the FRG Chancellor, in 1955 & meeting with Nikita Khrushchev & Nikolai Bulganin, the Soviet leaders, initiated the USSR & FRG diplomacy. After that in 1957 Anton Ohlert opened a permanent mission in Moscow.

During this period the address of residence was changed 4 times:

• 1957–1977 - “Metropol” hotel;
• 1977–1982 - Pokrovsky boulevard, 4/17;
• 11982–1992 - Mytnaya str, 1;
• 993 until now – 1st Shchipkovsky per., 20.

Accreditation

Obtaining accreditation from the Ministry of Foreign Trade in 1957 stimulated a new level of trading activity. After Siemens Anton Ohlert became the second German company which obtained the official license to conduct economic activities on the USSR territory.

Delivery of the equipment

Weakened by the war the Soviet economy needed modern industrial equipment. This determined the vector of the Anton Ohlert company activity development for many years to come. Until the early 90s the company had supplied a great number of machines & installations for the light & food industry.

The major contracts:

• “Hauni” machines for the production of cigarettes (1975)
• Molding machines “Winkler und Dunnebier und Machinenfabrik und Aizengiserai, Noivid” for chocolate bars & candies (1984)
• 60 complete lines for the production of cans
• 30 complete lines for the production of aluminium & plastic tubes, plastic bottles & filling shampoo & other cosmetic products
• 30 complete lines for “Soviet champagne” filling
• 40 lines for the production of toothbrushes, cream packing & perfume filling as well as other complete lines for the cosmetic industry
• Lines for roasting, extraction & packing of instant coffee
• Lines for the processing of fish, batching of fish sticks, preparation of ready-to-eat meals & baby food from fish
• Lines for praline candies – to the “Karl Marx” factory in Kiev for the “Night Kiev” candies & to the “Babaevsky factory” in Moscow for “Night Moscow” candies
• 20 cracker lines (1988)