Franz Schmid: pioneer and trailblazer
Two technical developments play special roles in the life‘s work of Franz Schmid: the introduction of tunnel kilns in the 1950s and that of prefabricated brickwork construction in the 1960s. Franz Schmid helped pioneer both of those innovations. This article calls attention to the role he played and to his importance as a trailblazer for those innovations.
1 Blazing trails for tunnel kilns in the brick and tile industry
After World War II, Franz Schmid of Marktoberdorf was the first to re-address the idea of using tunnel kilns for heavy clay ceramics. He designed and built a kind of kiln that satisfied all the requirements for burning bricks. That pioneering achievement gave the brick and tile industry a viable new, urgently needed approach to firing technology.
Born the only son of brickyard owner Anton Schmid in Marktoberdorf on March 1, 1924, he was blessed at birth with a passion for making bricks. Drafted into the Wehrmacht right after he...
