Fichtel & Sachs
Automotive manufacturer Schweinfurt Germany
Fichtel & Sachs was founded in Schweinfurt in 1895 and was a well-known German company, that produced also some prototype cars from the 1970s on.
History
In 1997, the automotive supplier was taken over by Mannesmann and renamed Mannesmann Sachs AG. As of 2001, Sachs belonged to ZF Friedrichshafen as a subsidiary company ZF Sachs AG. In 2011, ZF Sachs, like other Group subsidiaries, was legally merged with ZF Friedrichshafen AG and the independent business units integrated into the ZF divisions. Sachs has since become a brand of ZF Friedrichshafen AG. The head office for development, production and sales of products of the brand Sachs remained in Schweinfurt. The Schweinfurt plant is now (2017) the largest site of the automotive supplier ZF Friedrichshafen.
Sachs's father-in-law, Wilhelm Höpflinger , received a patent for the first usable ball cage still used today in the ball bearing industry. Fichtel & Sachs was one of the world's leading companies for rolling bearings, where Sachs registered over 100 patents, and for bicycle hubs before the First World War. the Riebe-Werke and the rolling bearing production of the German weapons and munitions factories DWM, both in Berlin, to the United Ball Bearings AG (VKF, from 1953 SKF GmbH). With the proceeds Sachs paid off the Fichtel heirs and invested in sustainable developments, such as clutches, small engines and shock absorbers, in 1930, the first Sachs engine was ready for series production. the little Sachs became famous for their reliability two-stroke engines with 98 cc that incorporated many German bicycle manufacturer in their models. Ernst Sachs dies in 1932 and his only son Willy Sachs takes over the company. In 1937, at the auto show, he presented the Saxonette, a 60-cc engine that can be fitted into the rear hub of bicycles.
At the beginning of the Second World War, the number of employees was again 7,000. During the war, there was no significant change in the product range. Almost every German tank was equipped with Sachs couplings. Among the 1944 over 7,000 workers were many forced laborers. At the end of the war, 67% of the production facilities were destroyed.
In 1956 the company presents the semi-automatic transmission Saxomat.
From the end of the Second World War until the mid-1980s, Fichtel & Sachs also produced single-cylinder two-stroke gasoline engines with capacities of 50 to 400 cubic centimetres, called StaMo. From 1953, a one-cylinder two-stroke diesel engine was built under license from Holder, which was initially used with 500, later with 400 and 600 cubic centimetres, especially in tugs and small tractors.Today's production program of the Schweinfurt plants of ZF Friedrichshafen AG includes drive components such as clutch systems, torque converters, dual-mass flywheels, electric drives and complete modules for hybrid vehicles, as well as suspension components such as shock absorbers and damping systems for cars, trucks, motorcycles and rail vehicles.
The Sachs 1 was a prototype of the Fichtel and Sachs AG for a small car for city driving, which should be economical, tiny, agile and yet spacious.
The idea for the Sachs 1 was created in 1973 in the course of the first oil crisis and was intended to open up new business areas. Furthermore, new areas of application for the Wankel engine were to be found. which was built by Fichtel and Sachs under license.
The Sachs 1 was presented to the company management in 1975 under the strictest secrecy and was intended solely as a technology carrier. And thus remained a prototype. The 3 seat car body was made at Porsche, as drive a Wankel engine served. The microcar program was stopped in 1976. The license fees for the Wankel engine were too high and endangered the economic success of the vehicle. In addition, the overall low penetration of Wankel engines was very low and the oil price normalized, leading to increased demand for larger vehicles. Another reason why the production of the Sachs 1 was never taken up was that Sachs had become a competitor of its customers by the production of automobiles from the supplier activity. In the long term, the supplied customers would have changed the supplier and thus Sachs cancelled all orders.
Also in 1990 another one-off Group C3 sports prototype the ex-Stenger C3 racer was used for hill climbs a unique car used for historic sports car racing.
