History
1957 to 1966: Growth and alignment
In the years from 1957 to 1966, TALKE experienced significant developments, characterized by a global economic upswing and technical progress. In order to cope with the rapid growth, the company expands its premises with an office building and a workshop. The importance of crude oil in the region increases and the construction of the first German oil pipeline intensifies the local industrial landscape.
In addition to the continuing economic upturn, the period between 1958 and 1965 was characterized by global politics and rapid technological progress.
For TALKE, success also brought new challenges: The company's original premises became too small for its numerous employees. In order to continue to grow, a new office building and workshop are built on the company premises in Hürth-Hermülheim from 1958.
Affordable and modern housing for employees
Alfred Talke Sr. also thinks of the employees when expanding his company. In 1959, company social housing was built along the access road to the company headquarters, creating urgently needed living space for 24 families. In a contemporary article, a local newspaper praised the attractive appearance of the houses: "The façades are designed in a friendly and representative manner with colored plaster, clinker brick and lots of glass. Beautiful balconies face the sunny side." It is also pleasing that the road through the new residential area has already been developed as a modern "concrete runway" and the apartments are surrounded by beautifully designed green spaces.
The short distance to work is an advantage for both sides, as the production capacity of the chemical and petrochemical industry is increasing every year. Hoechst achieved an important breakthrough in 1957 with the start of industrial production of polypropylene. Whether for car interiors, child seats, bicycle helmets or pipelines - polypropylene is still one of the most important plastics in the industry today.
History
1959: The TALKE company apartments are a symbol of social commitment
In 1959, Alfred Talke Sr. builds company apartments along the access road to the company headquarters, providing 24 employee families with a new home. These apartments symbolize TALKE's social commitment and close ties with its employees.
The economic and political importance of oil is growing
At the same time, a closely interlinked industry is growing up in the Rhineland. Their common basis: crude oil. The first German oil pipeline connects Wesseling with Wilhelmshaven. Numerous refineries are built along the Rhine to supply the conurbations with petrol and heating oil at low cost without long transportation routes. Refinery gas and light petrol also form the basis for many production processes in the chemical industry. New companies set up along the Rhine between Bonn and Düsseldorf. A dense network of pipelines is created to transport ethylene, for example, directly to the processing plants.
As global demand for crude oil increases, so does the political weight of countries with large and easily accessible deposits of the fossil raw material. In 1960, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela founded the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Baghdad. As a cartel, the countries continuously coordinate their future production volumes and thus keep the world market price stable at a high level.
History
1966: Beneath the Wall - TALKE expands to Berlin
While Germany is divided, Alfred Talke Sr. sets an example of economic optimism. In 1966, he founds the second branch of the TALKE company in the heart of West Berlin, in Spandau.
Berlin becomes the focus of world attention
The very next year, global attention turns to Berlin. In the former German capital, the construction of the Berlin Wall began at dawn on August 13, 1961. Despite the fact that Germany was finally divided into two states, Alfred Talke Sr. continued to believe in the Berlin economy. In 1966, TALKE founded the company's second branch in the Spandau district of West Berlin, which was effectively part of West Germany. TALKE also continues to grow in Hürth: in 1965, the employees move into another, bigger building.
