Textile Machine Works Records

Ferdinand Thun and Henry Janssen, both immigrants from Barmen, Germany, met in New York City in 1889 and formed a partnership to build and repair braid machinery. They formed the Textile Machine Works (TMW) in Reading, PA in 1892 with a small group of workers using mainly German-supplied parts. The business grew into a larger facility at Wyomissing, PA in 1896. That same year Janssen received a patent on their first braiding machine. In 1899 TMW won the highest award at the National Export Exhibition in Philadelphia.

During its history, TMW created additional firms, which over time became known as The Wyomissing Industries. Thun and Janssen began using their own braid machines for manufacturing in partnership with Harry Feder, incorporating The Narrow Fabric Company in 1900. Max Mittendorff, a mutual friend, entered into the partnership of The Narrow Fabric Company in 1909. Later that year, Textile Machine Works was officially incorporated. Thun and Janssen added a foundry to manufacture their own parts in 1901, which grew rapidly to 250 employees by 1903. TMW became the largest manufacturer of full-fashion knitting machines in the U.S. Full-fashioned is defined as knitted to fit the shape of the body.

TMW was the first company in the U.S. to knit full-fashioned stockings, beginning in 1900. This part of the business evolved into Berkshire Knitting Mills (BKM) which incorporated in 1906 and added another mutual friend Gustav Oberlaender as a partner. Sales of 'The Reading', TMW's most successful knitting machine used for full-fashioned knitting went from 100 in 1913 to 1000 in 1926. In 1922, TWM was the first U.S. manufacturer of knitting machines that used circular programmed punched tape, and in 1953 was the first U.S. manufacturer of high pile knitting machines.

To train employees for their factories, TMW offered apprenticeships in their early years. These evolved from 2 years, to 4 years, to an Education Department in 1927, and finally to the Wyomissing Polytechnic Institute incorporated in 1933. WPI became a trade school for other industries in the area, and taught a variety of subjects including English, chemistry, history and mathematics. WPI was closed in 1958 when TMW faced increasing financial issues. The facility was later used by Penn State, and was the basis for Penn State's Berks Campus.

After Thun and Janssen died in the late 1940s, Thun's sons Ferdinand (Ferdie) and Louis became chairmen of Berkshire Knitting Mills and TMW respectively. In 1968 Berkshire was acquired by members of the Janssen family, and then was sold to Vanity Fair in 1969. Also in 1968 TMW was sold to North American Rockwell Group. David Thun, grandson of Ferdinand Thun, purchased TMW from North American Rockwell Group/Rockwell International in 1988 and formed a new company Magnatech International. In 2003 Thun retired from Magnatech.

Thun and Janssen benefited in the early days of their partnership from the heavy protective U.S. tariffs applied to imported machinery in 1890, which undercut the large German presence in the braiding industry. While economic difficulties plagued U.S. business during the 1890s, TMW continued by briefly offering other products unrelated to textiles. TMW capitalized on current events and trends to diversify their business, from shorter hemlines and silk stockings during the 'teens and 1920s, to gas mask braid and service hat cords supplied during World War I. But while Thun and Janssen had done well forecasting markets that would welcome their products, TMW after Thun and Janssen did not fare as well. When seamed hosiery, TMW's major money-maker, went out of style in the 1950s, manufacturing full-fashioned hosiery and the knitting machines that made it became obsolete.