27.04.2007

How and why?

When a quality conscious customer shall decide on a good product, often his decision is made because of the reference “Made in Germany”. But only few people know how and why “Made in Germany” got an unmistakable term of quality.

(Excerpt from Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia – translation of German version)

Made in Germany is a seal of quality on many German products indicating their origin. Already before the First World War, Made in Germany or only Germany was attached to many goods in addition to the manufacturer’s data, e.g. on porcelain, cutlery and war equipment.

When at the end of the 19^th century other European industrialized nations besides the United Kingdom were progressing, people of the United Kingdom began to protect themselves from copied products of inferior quality by marking imported goods. Initially, this mark only was used for German goods, these goods got the name “Made in Germany” (Merchandise Marks Act 1887).

During the First World War, on Febuary 3, 1916, the British Department of Trade and Industry extended the term to Made in Austria/Hungary which was binding. Because of that, British products should be better protected and it should be made easier for British people to make out goods of the enemy and boycott them.

The marking was kept after the war, as well. However, since the quality of German goods as a rule was good – often ever better than that of local products – the marking made in Germany that originally was aimed at German imports more and more caught on as seal of quality, not only in Great Britain.

During the economic miracle after the Second World War, too, the marking made in Germany accompanied Germany’s economic rise.

Remark:

After the Second World War, when German industry was completely devastated, factories were destroyed by the occupying powers or machines and installations were brought to other countries, at first people were very sad and completely penniless.

After the war, the allies also demanded that German products had to be marked by the term “Made in Germany”. So they wanted to prevent that German products were bought.

But things turned out very differently, the effect that the allies had desired didn’t arise.

The will to survive, the knowledge about technology they gained earlier and a huge number of new ideas lead to the production of new and better machine tools. So, also the products improved and got more and more interesting. The new products also convinced international customers and “Made in Germany” became a mark of distinction that points to a very special quality.

(To be continued, part 2 will be published on May 11^th, 2007)