The GELO Story
GELO Company Museum and History
It is well over a century ago that three brave men decided to set up a sawmill in Weißenstadt. Today the company still works in the same place, but under completely different conditions. Come with us on a little journey through time and explore the history of the GELO company
Early Years of GELO
It was in 1898 that three residents of Weißenstadt joined forces to establish a sawmill in the town: the timber merchant Friedrich Gebhardt and two brothers, the merchants Friedrich and Wilhelm Lochner. Production began shortly thereafter in the newly built factory with 12 workers. The initial facility consisted of a sawing room with two frame saws, a steam engine, a boiler, and a circular saw.
In 1904, the first planing machine was installed, and at the same time, a crate factory was added to the plant. From 1909, GELO also produced wood wool, enabling the company to employ 60 workers by the outbreak of the First World War.
eventful years until 1945
Am 25 November 1918 A terrible fire destroyed the entire Gebhardt & Gebr. Lochner company within a few hours. In the summer of 1919, the factory was able to start up again after the fire disaster, larger than before:
Now there were 4 sawmills working in the sawmill, and 6 wood wool planing machines and 8 rope spinning machines were producing wood wool in the wood wool factory.
On January 1, 1929 , Christian Küspert Sr. purchased Wilhelm Lochner's share of the business. In the following years, new land was acquired, the first hot-air drying plant was built, and a narrow-gauge railway line was laid across the expanded storage area. GELO survived World War II largely unscathed until April 10, 1945 , when the company was severely damaged by bombs that landed in close proximity: all the windows were destroyed and the roofs were badly damaged.
Post-war period and years of modernization
Despite the difficult post-war situation, 1948 a big celebration was held to mark the company's 50th anniversary.
On the occasion of this anniversary, the company owners decided to donate a new 12 o'clock bell to the Jakobus Church in Weißenstadt out of gratitude.
Extensive modernization measures were carried out in the 50s and 60s , after the completion of which Gebhardt & Gebr. Lochner was one of the most modern sawmills in Germany: Among other things, a large gantry crane was erected, the saw hall was partially automated and a huge sawn timber sorting plant was built.
In 1976, production was once again adapted to advancing technology: an automatic double edging circular saw and a continuous cross-cut saw were installed. In addition, the first chipper and new drying chambers were built.
renaming as GELO-Holzwerke
After the Lochner family left the company Gebhardt & Gebr. Lochner, the fate of the company lay solely in the hands of Christian Küspert Jr. from 1982 onwards .
The company, now called GELO-Holzwerke, continued its modernization efforts: In the presence of 250 guests from business and politics, GELO commissioned a fully mechanized, microprocessor-controlled log yard on April 4, 1986. This more than doubled the sawing capacity overnight.
However, on June 27, 1992, disaster struck GELO: In the evening, a major fire destroyed almost the entire production facility. A year of operational shutdown and arduous reconstruction began. After a record construction period of just 10 months, GELO was able to resume operations in July 1993 .
In the new chipping plant, the heart of the company, the round wood is processed using a profiling line with a circular saw combination at the highest feed speed.
GELO’s sawmill technology is once again an international leader.
100 years of GELO – fit for the future
In the summer of 1998, GELO was able to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the company in the company's circle of all employees and many loyal customers, in the presence of many prominent figures from politics, forestry and business.
In 1999, a new log yard was built on the GELO Holzwerke site, running parallel to ongoing production . More than 100.000 cubic meters of timber can now be sawn annually.
In 2000, a significant technical upgrade took place – the frequency conversion of the motors in the chipper line. Whereas previously the motors could only be operated at either 40 meters per minute or 60 meters per minute, it was now possible to continuously adjust the speed between 30 and 120 meters per minute, depending on the workpiece and through individual adjustments. Furthermore, in 2001, GELO became the first sawmill in Germany to receive the coveted PEFC environmental certificate.
In 2003, another generational change took place: Wolf-Christian Küspert was officially appointed Managing Director of GELO-Holzwerke. This marked the handover of the family business to the third generation of Küsperts – a fine tradition and a new chapter in the company's eventful history. Christian Küspert, as senior manager, remained with the company in an advisory capacity.
The recent past of GELO
Extensive expansions and renovations were carried out again between 2004 and 2005. The most important innovation was the construction of the incineration plant, which transformed GELO-Holzwerke into a completely bio-ecological operation. The ability to burn wood residues completely replaces non-renewable fuels such as oil or gas.
In July 2006, GELO expanded its product range, and the first 13-meter-long KVH (glued laminated timber) bars left the factory. In 2007, the company also decided to invest in a fully flexible industrial planing mill, which produces high-quality planed timber for markets in Germany and worldwide.
In 2010, GELO founded WUN Bioenergie together with the Wunsiedel municipal utilities (SWW). Since 2014 , everything related to wood, heating, and gardening can be purchased directly from GELO at their own factory outlet, "Holzkiste".
