SKF Steyr, former Kaserne?

[Camp Upshur]

Gentlemen,
Today I passed the SKF factory in Steyr and could not help but notice that the main office/facade is of the classic military architectural style.
Was this a former Kaserne? or perhaps always a manufacturing facility?
Reichwerke Hermann Göring??
Any observations welcome.
Thanks,
Steve

[Bertill622]

Hi Steve!
There is no mention of a SKF factory in Steyr, please see the link below
http://www.skf.com/group/our-company/or ... index.html
The link below points to the direction of the Reichwerke Hermann Göring
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichswer ... %C3%B6ring

But I agree with you about the classic military architectural style.

Best regards,
Bertill.

[Camp Upshur]

Thank you Bertill.
I’ve since been able to discern that SKF has been in Steyr since 1988. The plant formally was ’Steyr Wälzlager GmbH’ also a producer of precision bearings. As to the ‘Dritten Reich’ period, or if it was a former Kaserne I’m still uncertain.
It’s been many years since I’ve last posted......Geoff are you still out there?
Best Regards,
Steve

[Bertill622]

Hi Steve, thank you for you for your reply!
Another lead could be the history of FAG, that was and is still a famous producer of the same products that SKF makes and German.

Keep us posted, nice subject!

Best regards,
Bertill.

[Geoff Walden]

Thank you Bertill.
I’ve since been able to discern that SKF has been in Steyr since 1988. The plant formally was ’Steyr Wälzlager GmbH’ also a producer of precision bearings. As to the ‘Dritten Reich’ period, or if it was a former Kaserne I’m still uncertain.
It’s been many years since I’ve last posted......Geoff are you still out there?
Best Regards,
Steve

Hey Steve, how's things? Great to see your posts again! I had seen your very interesting post, and I had no doubt that was once a Wehrmacht kaserne, but I could find nothing on it. The only kaserne I could find in Steyr was a WWI (or prior) post that was torn down recently. I'm sure there must be some info on this SKF location somewhere.

I was interested because of SKF, one of the largest bearing manufacturers in Schweinfurt, where I worked for 7 years. As Bertill mentioned, FAG (previously Kugelfischer AG) is the largest in Schweinfurt, but I don't know if they would have any useful info on their competitor SKF (which was called, interestingly, VKF during the war - for United Ballbearing Factories - since the Allies didn't want to appear to be bombing a Swedish company).

Best, Geoff

[ianbli]

Here's a reference to an "Artill[erie]-Kaserne in Steyr" - does this help? (Source is Oberösterreichische Nachrichten, March 26, 1946, p. 6)

[Bertill622]

Gentlemen, some information about ball bearing production during WW2,

https://www.econhist.gu.se/digitalAsset ... golson.pdf

Best regards,
Bertill.

[Frech]

The SKF complex was built in 1938/39 just for industrial use by the "Steyr Wälzlager GmbH" which as a division of the "Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG. There were no barracks anyway.

The "Artillerie-Kaserne" was built in 1905 in an other quarter of Steyr and still in use until 1945 and from 1964 until 1999. It was completly demolished last year.

There were barracks in a former industrial site from 1938 until 1945 used bei Flak-Sturm-Regiment 38.

There was a former "Jäger-Kaserne" too which is used for a technical college since the 1920ties.

I have added a pic from Google Maps where you can see all three of this sites.

Kindest regards

Christian (living in Steyr for 56 years)

[Bertill622]

With all respect, there was never a SKF factory in Steyr.
There was "Steyr Wälzlager GmbH" and there was "The Kugelfischer," today known as FAG.
Those 2 were the major ball bearing manufactories at that time.
But SKF, Svenska Kugellager Fabriken, never had a production facility at that time at that place.
In mine opinion we should stop addressing this matter as SKF, because they never were there.
The raw material to produce high quality bearings came from Sweden and due to Allied pressure,
stopped somewhere in the end of 1943, beginning of 1944.
So for sure there was a connection between SKF and the German war effort.
But there never was a SKF factory in Germany or Austria producing bearings during WW2.

Best regards,
Bertill.

[Geoff Walden]

But there never was a SKF factory in Germany or Austria producing bearings during WW2.
Best regards,
Bertill.

Even though it was called VKF during the war, instead of SKF, the VKF works in Schweinfurt were most certainly SKF. The Schweinfurt VKF works had been funded and designed by SKF, and were initially called SKF. SKF provided raw materials to VKF throughout the war. The machine tools were from SKF as well, and were replaced during the war.

Here is a photo showing the Tag der Arbeit parade in Schweinfurt on 1 May 1933, with a "float" provided by SKF (not VKF) and F&S (Fichtel und Sachs, one of the smaller bearing factories). I have a 1937 bearings catalog from VKF, and it shows this same SFK logo. VKF and SKF were the same company.

[Frech]

With all respect, there was never a SKF factory in Steyr.
There was "Steyr Wälzlager GmbH" and there was "The Kugelfischer," today known as FAG.
Those 2 were the major ball bearing manufactories at that time.
But SKF, Svenska Kugellager Fabriken, never had a production facility at that time at that place.
In mine opinion we should stop addressing this matter as SKF, because they never were there.
The raw material to produce high quality bearings came from Sweden and due to Allied pressure,
stopped somewhere in the end of 1943, beginning of 1944.
So for sure there was a connection between SKF and the German war effort.
But there never was a SKF factory in Germany or Austria producing bearings during WW2.

Best regards,
Bertill.

It´s a SKF factory NOW for exactly 30 years: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svenska_Kullagerfabriken

Regards

Christian

[Bertill622]

Dear gentlemen,
@ Geoff, yes I am aware of that, and thank you very much for your additional information.
@ Christian, Yes it is. Thank you also for your reply.
@ ianbli, thank you as well for your reply.

Sweden during WW2 was a neutral country, but in reality they cooperated with Germany, not only regarding the delivery of
complete bearings, but also the delivery of raw material, so Germany could produce those bearings.
High quality steel.

Once again thanks, for making things clear.

There was much more exchange from goods, raw materials, airplanes, radar, etc between Germany and Sweden
during WW2, that most people are aware of.
And that trading involved huge amounts of money as well.

Best regards,
Bertill.