Falk Corporation
Encyclopedia
The Falk Corporation headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
are designers, manufacturers, and marketers of non-electrical precision industrial power transmission products for medium and heavy-duty industrial applications.
and worked at a brewery. In 1848 he left Germany to find work in the United States. In 1856, Falk in a partnership with Frederick Goes, bought a piece of land in the Menomonee Valley
located on the outskirts of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and began to build a brewery. The brewery was named "The Bavaria Brewery". Falk died in 1882 and his sons Louis, Frank, Otto, and Herman took over the business. The brewery was destroyed in 1889 by a fire. The brewery was rebuilt again in 1892, but it again was destroyed by a fire. The two sons would sell the brewery to Frederick Pabst
.
Herman Falk decided to start his own business with his share of brewery money. With an interest in mechanics, Falk began producing wagon axles. His business would fail and Herman began a general purpose machine shop. The shop was located next to a building of the Pabst Brewing Company
, next to where he worked years before. Falk would even work with Pabst at times, making stage machinery for the Pabst Theater
located in Milwaukee. In 1888 Falk began working with electric street railways. He developed a portable cast welding
machine on wheels that would earn his share of work in the rail industry. His invention helped him incorporate "Falk Manufacturing Company" on May 23, 1895. Herman Falk broadened his work, opening gear shops. The company was shortened to the "Falk Company". The company eventually expanded worldwide. In 2005 the company was bought by Rexnord.
. The explosion was caused by a container of 72,000 gallons of propane. The building was destroyed in a fire caused by the explosion. The explosion happened during testing of the factory's backup natural gas supply. While testing, some of the natural gas leaked onto the ground. When the vapors from the gas were in the air, a spark came in contact with the vapors, causing the explosion. Three people, Curtis J. Lane, 38, from Oconomowoc; Thomas M. Letendre, 49, from Milwaukee; and Daniel T. Kuster, 35, from Mayville were killed and forty-six injured as a result of the explosion. The blast was even felt in other county cities, like New Berlin and Brookfield, in the neighboring Waukesha County. About 125 Milwaukee Fire Department personnel were on the scene. On December 19 of 2006 , Rexnord's website reported that 500 workers affected by the blast had returned to work. In March 2007, the families of the three workers killed in the explosion filed a lawsuit against the company that was testing the natural gas supply, J.M. Brennan. Brennan argues that if Falk maintained the pipe correctly, the explosion would not have happened. The lawsuit is still undergoing.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
are designers, manufacturers, and marketers of non-electrical precision industrial power transmission products for medium and heavy-duty industrial applications.
History
The company was founded by Franz Falk. Falk was from GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and worked at a brewery. In 1848 he left Germany to find work in the United States. In 1856, Falk in a partnership with Frederick Goes, bought a piece of land in the Menomonee Valley
Menomonee Valley
The Menomonee Valley or Menomonee River Valley is a U-shaped land formation along the southern bend of the Menomonee River in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Because of its easy access to Lake Michigan and other waterways, the neighborhood has historically been home to the city's stockyards, rendering...
located on the outskirts of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and began to build a brewery. The brewery was named "The Bavaria Brewery". Falk died in 1882 and his sons Louis, Frank, Otto, and Herman took over the business. The brewery was destroyed in 1889 by a fire. The brewery was rebuilt again in 1892, but it again was destroyed by a fire. The two sons would sell the brewery to Frederick Pabst
Frederick Pabst
Frederick Pabst was a German-American brewer who founded the Pabst Brewing Company.-Early life:Johann Gottlieb Friedrich Pabst was born on March 28, 1836, in the village of Nikolausrieth, then in the Province of Saxony, in the Kingdom of Prussia...
.
Herman Falk decided to start his own business with his share of brewery money. With an interest in mechanics, Falk began producing wagon axles. His business would fail and Herman began a general purpose machine shop. The shop was located next to a building of the Pabst Brewing Company
Pabst Brewing Company
Pabst Brewing Company is an American company that dates its origins to a brewing company founded in 1844 by Jacob Best and by 1889 named after Frederick Pabst. It is currently the holding company contracting for the brewing of over two dozen brands of beer and malt liquor from defunct companies...
, next to where he worked years before. Falk would even work with Pabst at times, making stage machinery for the Pabst Theater
Pabst Theater
The Pabst Theater is an indoor concert venue and landmark of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. Colloquially known as "the Pabst", the theater hosts about 100 events per year...
located in Milwaukee. In 1888 Falk began working with electric street railways. He developed a portable cast welding
Casting
In metalworking, casting involves pouring liquid metal into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowing it to cool and solidify. The solidified part is also known as a casting, which is ejected or broken out of the mold to complete the process...
machine on wheels that would earn his share of work in the rail industry. His invention helped him incorporate "Falk Manufacturing Company" on May 23, 1895. Herman Falk broadened his work, opening gear shops. The company was shortened to the "Falk Company". The company eventually expanded worldwide. In 2005 the company was bought by Rexnord.
Falk explosion
On December 6, 2006, one of Falk's factories exploded. The factory was the location of the original Falk brewery and original machine shop in the Menomonee ValleyMenomonee Valley
The Menomonee Valley or Menomonee River Valley is a U-shaped land formation along the southern bend of the Menomonee River in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Because of its easy access to Lake Michigan and other waterways, the neighborhood has historically been home to the city's stockyards, rendering...
. The explosion was caused by a container of 72,000 gallons of propane. The building was destroyed in a fire caused by the explosion. The explosion happened during testing of the factory's backup natural gas supply. While testing, some of the natural gas leaked onto the ground. When the vapors from the gas were in the air, a spark came in contact with the vapors, causing the explosion. Three people, Curtis J. Lane, 38, from Oconomowoc; Thomas M. Letendre, 49, from Milwaukee; and Daniel T. Kuster, 35, from Mayville were killed and forty-six injured as a result of the explosion. The blast was even felt in other county cities, like New Berlin and Brookfield, in the neighboring Waukesha County. About 125 Milwaukee Fire Department personnel were on the scene. On December 19 of 2006 , Rexnord's website reported that 500 workers affected by the blast had returned to work. In March 2007, the families of the three workers killed in the explosion filed a lawsuit against the company that was testing the natural gas supply, J.M. Brennan. Brennan argues that if Falk maintained the pipe correctly, the explosion would not have happened. The lawsuit is still undergoing.