Founders and Pioneers
In 1953, Fritz Walter and Johann Wintersteiger founded the company “F. Walter & H. Wintersteiger KG” in the old blacksmith shop in Obernberg am Inn. The building was already 200 years old at the time and was converted into a restaurant in 1995.
In the beginning, the two company founders repaired all the equipment and machinery that was brought to their machine shop from the surrounding area: “They did whatever needed to be done,” recalls Josef Fill (former provincial councilor, founder of Fill Maschinenbau GmbH, Gurten), who started as the first apprentice in 1954. In the early years, there was a specialization in mills: The Wiesbauer Mill was completely renovated; Walter & Wintersteiger, for example, manufactured the new threshing drums.
Engineering in His Blood
Johann Wintersteiger was the eldest son of master carriage builder Johann Wintersteiger Sr. in St. Georgen near Obernberg am Inn. Fritz Walter was a descendant of the family that owned what is now the Wiesbauermühle in Obernberg, which was called the “Waltermühle” until 1929. Fritz Walter learned his craft in Germany and was a highly talented precision mechanic who was passionate about repairing watches. Johann Wintersteiger was the inventor and design engineer of the team. Both were masters in their respective fields and complemented each other very well professionally.