THE 1920S

The company „MEIKO Maschinen und Apparatebau“ is founded. Great cleaning starts with the founders’ vision of „making the world a cleaner place“. MEIKO builds the very first professional dishwashing machine (the „Standard DRP“ model) which becomes a huge seller all across Europe. The company lays the foundations for high export sales right from the start. Today, exports account for 60% of its sales.

Between 1927 and 1950, MEIKO produced machines with wonderful names such as Konstanze, Monika and Erika. Monika was the successor to the original „Standard DRP“ model.

MEIKO starts making „emptying, washing and disinfecting machines“ for hospitals and care homes. After the war, the models initially retained the same basic look. It wasn’t until many years later that their design was completely overhauled. Nowadays they are generally referred to as bedpan washer-disinfectors.

People are looking for new solutions to deal with larger amounts of dishware, especially in restaurant and catering environments. The aim is to run the dishwash area smoothly and efficiently and avoid piles of dirty dishware. To meet this challenge, MEIKO launches a new product in the early 1940s: rack type dishwashing machines. They are an immediate hit, and they continue to sell well today. At that time, the focus was still firmly on automatic machines and appliances.

MEIKO doesn’t escape unscathed from World War II: on 27 November 1944, the company is completely destroyed by an aerial bombardment and production is temporarily shifted to Zunsweier. The following years are particularly tough. Some employees have been captured as prisoners of war, and the company struggles to rebuild things from scratch. Some of those held in captivity return to the company after their release.

The post-war period sees the company engage in some very different kinds of work. Faced with a scarcity of resources, MEIKO workers strip down railway freight cars and passenger carriages that were destroyed in the fighting to reuse their parts. Work also comes from the occupying powers, including contracts to clean up the debris along railway lines and rebuild the prison in Offenburg. Getting hold of the materials needed to make machines is extremely difficult. MEIKO Ettenheim specialises in taking apart the remains of old aircraft. Aluminium is particularly sought-after as a raw material for making pots, pans and spaetzle presses. A brisk bartering trade is up and running. Oskar Meier spends a period working as the factory manager at the company Nestler in Lahr, which made pots and pans.

The EE60 heralds a new generation of hood type dishwashing machines – and it takes the market by storm. Its success stems from how it makes life so much easier for machine operators. The magic word ergonomics is already on people’s lips. The goal is to put less strain on people in the workplace – and that’s a philosophy that MEIKO continues to pursue today. But the company focuses on more than just washing dishes. MEIKO has started making special washing machines to clean handsets from public telephone booths for the German Post Office, and even comb washers for a comb manufacturer! It is also reaching out beyond high-volume production to place more of an emphasis on tailored solutions for individual customers.

MEIKO sees the establishment of a „representative body under the works council constitution act“ to take charge of employee representation.

Things are also moving fast in terms of machine development: the ST 60 and ST 80 front-loading machines are launched as a compact option for confined spaces with ergonomic loading at table height.

MEIKO also launches its new MD 20 model to wash bottles on maternity wards and sterilise them with UV technology, which proves to be another big seller.

New materials start to change the way MEIKO works. Stainless steel and plastics gradually replace the more corrosion-prone brass as the best materials for making its machines. The first pot and pan washers are showcased at Internorga in Hamburg and MEIKO becomes the first German machine maker to offer rack type dishwashing machines with motorised curved tracks and an extensive range of tabling systems. As well as introducing the first plastic peg rack for commercial dishwashing machines, MEIKO also adapts its dishwashers for ocean-going vessels, prompting the first deployment of a BA K80 flight type dishwashing machine on a German Armed Forces warship.

The company mourns the loss of Oskar Meier, an extraordinarily creative visionary and a managing director with a human touch. The company’s fate now lies in the hands of Heinrich Menges and Rosel Meier. It’s an emotional time for everyone who works at MEIKO, but they press ahead with even more new developments and space needed between innovations. The company puts serious thought into how they can make life easier for its customers and solve the challenges they face. This leads to the development of the water hydraulic dish rack lifting and lowering device for improved ergonomics as well as laboratory washers and washer-disinfectors.

MEIKO celebrates gaining some 80% of the refectory dishwashing market and develops a range of new conveyor and automation systems. Other areas of the business are also developing fast, and the company launches its first electronic variable speed conveyor drive. Tests are also being conducted on a range of drying, extraction and steam condensation systems. The company is awash with inventiveness and ingenuity, but only a few of the ideas are put straight into practice. Some things require further development and will re-emerge at a later point in time.

With the oil crisis driving innovation, engineers develop and launch the first system designed to recover waste heat in conveyor dishwashing machines. MEIKO continues to focus on minimising the use of resources. In 2011, it receives the Baden-Württemberg Environmental Technology Prize for its M-iQ flight type dishwashers. This range of machines offers unparalleled efficiency and economy and proves to be a tremendous success. Oskar Meier would have been delighted with the creative flair and ingenuity shown by his engineers.

A spontaneous idea and a rough sketch by design engineer Willi Ritzenhoff heralds a major change in the world of fully automatic dishwashing machines. After trying a few things out on paper, Ritzenhoff and his engineering colleague Waldemar Kunzelmann make some rough calculations and take them to their production foreman Zind. He is convinced they have hit upon something worthwhile. That’s what prompted the company to embark on the design and manufacture of the world’s first fully automatic dishwashing system, which was launched soon after. At its heart was the company’s proprietary „hedgehog“ conveyor technology which handles clearing, turning and sorting tasks. The new system makes it possible to wash cutlery, plastic dishware and toughened glassware fully automatically.

The production of medical devices has been one of the company’s greatest successes ever since the 1930s. MEIKO has positioned itself as a market leader, making its brand name synonymous with cleanliness and hygiene. The year 1975 sees the launch of the new bedpan washer-disinfector KD-AP. As well as fulfilling all European wastewater directives, it is easy to install and boasts a modern design. The wash process is now controlled by a software programme instead of relying on a human operator. The machine also includes physical monitoring of the disinfection process. Bedpan washer-disinfectors are also known as washer-decontaminators and disinfection appliances.

Research and development co