[대포왕이라 불린 실업가]알프레드 크루프 (Alfred Krupp)

크루프 Alfred Krupp

[1812~1887]

 

[요약 ]주강대포를 비롯해 여러 무기류를 개발·판매한 것으로 유명한 독일의 실업가.
별칭은 대포왕(Der Kanonenknig).

 

목차

펼치기

크루프 공장은 1847년경부터 병기를 제조하기 시작했다(→ 크루프사). 1811년 크루프 가문의 기업을 설립했던 그의 아버지 프리드리히 크루프는 1826년에 사망하면서 아들인 알프레트 크루프에게 가동이 거의 중단된 작은 공장과 함께 양질의 주강을 제조하는 비법을 남겨주었다. 14세의 나이로 회사를 떠맡게 된 그는 얼마 후 주강압연기를 제조하기 위해 생산시설을 확충했다. 그는 새로운 기계들을 설계·개발해냈으며 숟가락과 포크를 생산할 수 있는 스푼 압연기를 발명했다.

또한 정부 조폐국에서 사용할 압연기를 생산하기도 했다. 크루프는 새로운 고객을 얻게 되었으며, 회사의 원자재 구매를 늘리고 자본금을 확충하여 회사의 규모를 확대했다. 그는 1851년 런던에서 개최된 최초의 세계박람회인 '대박람회'에서 당시로서는 최대 규모인 1,950kg에 달하는 주괴(鑄塊)를 선보였다.

철도가 출현하면서 크루프의 기업은 비약적으로 발전하기 시작했다. 철도 산업 초기에는 열차 차축과 주강 스프링만이 유일한 생산품이었으나, 1852년 크루프가 최초로 이음매 없는 강철철도바퀴테를 생산했다. 이후 그는 3개의 철도바퀴테를 포개놓은 모양을 회사의 상표로 채택했다.

 

또한 그는 1862, 1869년 유럽에 베서머 제련법과 평로제강법을 최초로 도입했다. 크루프는 그가 제련한 철강의 품질을 증명하기 위해 총기류를 제조하기 시작했다. 처음에는 프로이센 내에서 총기류를 판매할 수 없었다. 1856년 이집트로부터 최초의 주문을 받았고, 1861년에는 벨기에로부터, 1863년에는 러시아로부터 각각 주문이 들어왔다. 그 결과 1870~71년 프랑스-프로이센 전쟁(1870~71)중에 그의 총기류가 사용되었고, 그때부터 크루프의 기업은 '독일의 무기고'로 불리게 되었다. 그는 여러 가지 면에서 근대적인 전쟁을 창시한 사람이었다. 그가 사망할 당시 크루프사는 46개에 달하는 국가에 무기를 공급했다.

 

크루프는 일찍이 산업화에 따른 인간의 문제를 인식하여 그의 기업 근로자들을 위한 포괄적인 복지제도를 창안했다. 1836년초 그는 질병 및 장례기금을 마련했으며, 1855년에는 산재장애인들과 퇴직근로자들을 위한 연금기금을 조성했다. 그리고 1861년에는 근로자들을 위해 주택·병원·학교·교회 등을 건설하기 시작했다.

그 결과 크루프의 고용인들은 열광적으로 그를 따르게 되었다. 단지 7명의 고용인으로 시작했던 제철소가 그의 사망 당시에는 2만 1,000명에 달하는 고용인을 거느린 거대 기업으로 성장했다.[다음백과]

 

Alfred Krupp (born Alfried Felix Alwyn Krupp), son of Friedrich Carl, was born in Essen in 1812.

His father's death forced him to leave school at the age of fourteen and take on responsibility for

the steel works. Prospects were daunting: his father had spent a considerable fortune in the attempt to cast steel in large ingots, and to keep the works going the widow and family lived in extreme frugality. The young director laboured alongside the workmen by day and carried on his father's experiments at night, when not touring Europe trying to make sales. It was during a stay in England that young Alfried became enamored of the country and adopted the English spelling of his name.

 

For years, the works made barely enough money to cover the workmen's wages. Then, in 1841, Alfred's brother Hermann invented the spoon-roller—which Alfred patented, bringing in enough money to enlarge the factory—and cast steel blocks. In 1847 Krupp made his first cannon of cast steel. At the Great Exhibition (London) of 1851, he exhibited a 6 pounder made entirely from cast steel, and a solid flawless ingot of steel weighing 4,300 pounds (2,000 kg), more than twice as much as any previously cast. He surpassed this with a 100,000-pound (45,000 kg) ingot for the Paris Exposition in 1855. Krupp's exhibits caused a sensation in the engineering world, and the Essen works became famous.

 

In 1851, another successful innovation, no-weld railway tyres, began the company's primary revenue stream, from sales to railways in the United States. Alfred enlarged the factory and fulfilled his long-cherished scheme to construct a breech-loading cannon of cast steel. Alfred strongly believed in the superiority of breech-loaders, on account of improved accuracy and speed, but this view did not win general acceptance among military officers, who remained loyal to tried-and-true muzzle-loaded bronze cannon.

 

Indeed, unable to sell his steel cannon, Krupp gave it to the King of Prussia, who used it as a decorative piece. The king's brother Wilhelm, however, realized the significance of the innovation. After he became regent in 1859, Prussia bought its first 312 steel cannon from Krupp, which became the main arms manufacturer for the Prussian military.

 

The French high command refused to purchase Krupp guns despite Napoleon III's support. The Franco-Prussian war was in part a contest of "Kruppstahl" versus bronze cannon. The success of German artillery spurred the first international arms race, against Schneider-Creusot in France and Armstrong in England. Krupp was able to sell, alternately, improved artillery and improved steel shielding to countries from Russia to Chile to Siam.

In the Panic of 1873, Alfred continued to expand, including the purchase of Spanish mines and Dutch shipping, making Krupp the biggest company in Europe but nearly bankrupting it. He was bailed out with a 30 million Mark loan from a consortium of banks arranged by the Prussian State Bank.

 

In 1878 and 1879 Krupp held competitions known as Völkerschiessen, which were firing demonstrations of cannon for international buyers. These were held in Meppen, at the largest proving ground in the world; privately owned by Krupp. He took on 46 nations as customers. At the time of his death in 1887, he had 75,000 employees, including 20,200 in Essen. In his lifetime, Krupp manufactured a total of 24,576 guns; 10,666 for the German government and 13,910 for export.

 

Krupp established the Generalregulativ as the firm’s basic constitution. The company was a sole proprietorship, inherited by primogeniture, with strict control of workers. Krupp demanded a loyalty oath, required workers to obtain written permission from their foremen when they needed to use the toilet and issued proclamations telling his workers not to concern themselves with national politics. In return, Krupp provided social services that were unusually liberal for the era, including "colonies" with parks, schools and recreation grounds - while the widows' and orphans' and other benefit schemes insured the men and their families in case of illness or death. Essen became a large company town and Krupp became a de facto state within a state, with "Kruppianer" as loyal to the company and the Krupp family as to the nation and the Hohenzollern family. Krupp’s paternalist strategy was adopted by Bismarck as government policy, as a preventive against Social Democratic tendencies, and later influenced the development and adoption of Führerprinzip by Adolf Hitler.

 

The Krupp social services program began about 1861, when it was found that there were not sufficient houses in the town for firm employees, and the firm began building dwellings. By 1862 ten houses were ready for foremen, and in 1863 the first houses for workingmen were built in Alt Westend. Neu Westend was built in 1871 and 1872. By 1905, 400 houses were provided, many being given rent free to widows of former workers. A cooperative society was founded in 1868 which became the Consum-Anstalt. Profits were divided according to amounts purchased. A boarding house for single men, the Ménage, was started in 1865 with 200 boarders and by 1905 accommodated 1000. Bath houses were provided and employees received free medical services. Accident, life, and sickness  insurance societies  were formed, and the firm contributed to their support. Technical and manual training schools were provided.^[1]

 

Krupp was also held in high esteem by the kaiser, who dismissed Julius von Verdy du Vernois and his successor Hans von Kaltenborn for rejecting Krupp's design of the C-96 field gun, quipping, “I’ve canned three War Ministers because of Krupp, and still they don’t catch on!”^[2]

Krupp proclaimed he wished to have "a man come and start a counter-revolution" against Jews, socialists and liberals. In some of his odder moods, he considered taking the role himself. According to historian William Manchester, his great grandson Alfried Krupp would interpret these outbursts as a prophecy fulfilled by the coming of Hitler.

 

Krupp's marriage was not a happy one. His wife Bertha (not to be confused with their granddaughter), was unwilling to remain in polluted Essen in Villa Hügel, the ungainly but fireproof castle which Krupp designed. She spent most of their married years in resorts and spas, with their only child, a son.

 

 

 

[정보 - 책  387~389쪽]