100th birthday of founder Adolf Zimmermann

He came as a refugee from Silesia, converted a motorcycle into an assembly vehicle and a sheep pen into a workshop. He was a doer, a tinkerer and loved building. He is a recipient of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, an honorary citizen of the town of Osterburken, and the inventor of the patented screening machine that in 1949 laid the foundation for our company, which today operates worldwide. And on July 30th, 2022, he would have turned 100 - our founder Adolf Zimmermann.

However, Adolf Zimmermann was not only an extraordinary entrepreneurial personality, he was also actively involved in community life and was a great supporter of the local associations, which he always supported with advice and action. That is why he was given a very special honor on the occasion of his 100th birthday:
The renaming of the square in front of the Osterburken Baulandhalle to "Adolf-Zimmermann-Platz". The town of Osterburken thereby expresses its deep appreciation for the services of its deceased honorary citizen, as Mayor Galm emphasized. Adolf Zimmermann had "made a weighty contribution to the positive development of Osterburken with his activities for the benefit of the town" and was a "stroke of luck for the town".
That particularly the place in front of the Baulandhalle was chosen for this honor is no coincidence. It is much more in the immediate vicinity of the sheep barn, which Adolf Zimmermann used as his first workshop and thus laid the foundation stone for the AZO company. In addition, the town mill also borders directly on the site, where Adolf Zimmermann found his first job as a refugee and in whose construction he played a major role. He installed a turbine there and built an enclosure for it, in which he himself even slept and lived.

The joyful news of this special appreciation was announced by Osterburken's mayor, Jürgen Galm, during the "Vesper-Fest" that AZO celebrated for all employees, retirees and pensioners on July 29 in honor of the 100th birthday of its founder.

In keeping with Adolf Zimmermann's spirit, this special day was celebrated with his favorite dish, ham sausage, free beer and brass band music. In beautiful weather, more than 500 guests gathered around the customer center in Osterburken after work to eat, drink and celebrate the work of Adolf Zimmermann. Rainer Zimmermann welcomed everyone and paid tribute to his father's achievements in his speech. In it, he also shared personal memories with the guests. For example, that in his perception, his father Adolf never went to work at the company, but always "went to the construction site" - which is not surprising given the speed at which the AZO plant site has grown.

The celebration also included an extensive exhibition showing both Adolf Zimmermann's personal history and AZO's most important milestones - from the first models made of wood to today's screening machines. During the afternoon, brave volunteers among the guests were also allowed to compete in an "Adolf Zimmermann Memorial Tournament" in the spirit of our founder. In keeping with his passion for building and hunting, the participants had to guess animal tracks, build card houses from beer mats and convey a certain amount of sand into a bucket as accurately as possible to the gram. In addition, all participants of the festival had the opportunity to put their own knowledge about Adolf Zimmermann to the test in a quiz. Where was he born? Where did he meet his wife Marianne? And of course: Where did he buy his famous ham sausage? No easy questions, but those who really knew Adolf Zimmermann certainly had no problems with the answers.

The visit of Adolf Zimmermann's wife and co-founder Marianne, who even at 93 did not miss the opportunity to crown the celebration of her husband's 100th birthday with her presence, can certainly also be called a highlight.