Hamilton County OhArchives History - Books .....Cincinnati Milling Machine Co. 1920
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Ann Anderson ann.g.anderson@gmail.com October 12, 2005, 7:39 pm

Book Title: Memoirs Of The Ohio Valley, Vol. 3

    The Cincinnati Milling Machine Company was incorporated in 1884 under the
name of The Cincinnati Screw & Tap Company. In 1889, the name was changed to The
Cincinnati Milling Machine Company, and the business was confined to the
manufacture of milling machines. The officers of the company were: Fred Holz,
president and manager; George A. Mueller, vice-president; Fred A. Geier,
secretary and treasurer. The business at that time was located at the corner of
Second and Plum streets, in rented quarters. In 1891, the company built a new
plant on Spring Grove avenue and Alfred street. It was the first one of the many
machine tool concerns in Cincinnati to move out of the downtown district. The
rapid growth of the company necessitated six different additions to the Spring
Grove avenue plant within nineteen years, when it finally became necessary to
seek larger quarters in a new location, and it was this company which was the
moving spirit in organizing the Factory Colony Company, purchasing a 100-acre
tract, and making Oakley a new manufacturing center. Seventeen acres of the
Oakley tract were reserved by this company for its own use. The first building
erected was the Foundry Department, in 1907. This is a separate organization
under the name of the Modern Foundry Company. The first section of the machine
shop was built in 1909 and in 1910. The combined length of the present buildings
along Marburg avenue is 1,450 feet and the three-story front along South street,
is 380 feet wide. These buildings occupy ten and one-half acres—455,000 square
feet of floor space. The total number of employees, including those of the
foundry, under normal conditions is 2,000. This is the largest plant in the
world devoting itself exclusively to the manufacture of milling machines and
Universal cutter and tool grinders. Cincinnati Milling Machines are favorably
known in all parts of the world where there are machine shops. They are used in
all of the largest and most modern industrial plants. The success of this
company is due entirely to the progressive policy which it pursued from the
beginning, of keeping its designs in advance of others and constantly developing
its equipment and training its workmen to produce machines of the highest
quality. This company was the pioneer Cincinnati machine tool concern in the
export field, and has developed a very satisfactory export business, which for
many years before the World war amounted to a large percentage of its total
production. All of the buildings are of the most modern type of construction.
Special attention has been given to providing as near as possible, ideal factory
conditions in regard to light, heat, cleanliness, and ventilation. The
management of this company has always striven to be absolutely fair with its
employees, and has aimed to give every man a square deal. Some of the men who
were with the company twenty-eight years ago are still in its employ. Many of
the men in responsible positions, such as foremen, started with this company as
apprentices. Every possible convenience is provided for the men. The Employees'
Service Department, which was established in June, 1914, for the purpose of
caring for the health and safety as well as the comfort of employees, includes a
Medical Department and Dental Department, a Cafeteria and a Commissary
Department for co-operative buying. The Cafeteria occupies a space sufficient to
seat 600 people at one time. Its daily menu comprises a variety of hot meats and
vegetables, also salads, pastries, fruits, etc. from which each employee may
select a full meal to suit his own taste. Both the cafeteria and the commissary
are operated by committees chosen by the men themselves. The commissary carries
a full line of staple groceries, enabling employees to reduce their home
expenses by purchasing the staples at wholesale prices. At the outbreak of the
European war, the demand from English, French, and Belgian munitions plants for
Cincinnati millers, made it necessary for this company to very materially
increase its equipment. It was very soon learned that the war could not be
carried on without the use of machine tools in vast quantities. This company
developed a special machine for manufacturing component parts of small arms,
machine guns, etc., suitable for the system of manufacture in use in England and
France, and many thousands of these machines were used in the production of the
rifles and small arms used by the English and French armies. When the United
States entered the war, it recognized the importance of machine tools in the
manufacture of munitions, and this company was immediately declared essential
and given the highest priorities for obtaining materials, fuel, etc. To suit the
American system of manufacturing component parts for small arms and machine
guns, this company developed an Automatic Milling Machine, which became an
important part of the equipment of American armories and private small arms
plants. In addition to this, it constantly increased its equipment and
production on standard types of machines which were so badly needed by arsenals
and private plants manufacturing munitions as well as by the Navy Department,
private shipyards, and in fact, all plants engaged in the production of
munitions or any other war equipment made of metal. This plant continuously
operated day and night shifts during the war. The present officers of the
company are: Frederick A. Geier, president; C. Wood Walter, vice-president and
secretary; Philip O. Geier, treasurer.

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