Osthügel Motorenwerke

Osthügel Motorenwerke is a major manufacturer of heavy vans, medium trucks and trailers, as well as building machinery and military vehicles, that was originally based in Neu Ludwigshafen, and that was moved to Sankt Ludwigshafen (present-day Lanzerwald) in 1697. The company was founded in 1696 by Ayreon Friedrichssohn, son of a refugee from Sankt Ludwigshafen. Ayreon started his entrepreneurial career with a transport and logistics company, but was upset with the poor quality of second-hand trucks from Jingdao that he was able to import. In co-operation with Baicha Heavy Vehicle Industries the company has developed two diesel engines that were also capable of running on a variety of other fuels when diesel is not to be found including oils from the fishing and whaling industries. Like the rest of Neu Ludwigshafen, the company was not able to survive the extreme cold of the winter of 1696. Assets belonging to the company were recovered in the spring of 1697 by an expedition sent by the Stadtparlement of the Third Republic of Sankt Ludwigshafen, including engines, vehicles and designs. Relatives of Ayreon Friedrichssohn petitioned with the Stadtparlement that their claim on the inheritance of Osthügel Motorenwerke and its assets was recognized. After lengthy negotiations the relatives agreed to pay for the costs of the recovery of the assets and pledged to restart production in Sankt Ludwigshafen. The company started small-scale production of the OMW Kaufmann in Autumn 1697. Most sales have been to local businesses and customers in neighbouring Zandarijn, but Razfreight in the International Mandate for the Settlements in Apollonia has also placed several orders. In the early 1700s road constructions were ordered by the Ludwigshafener Stadtparlement, creating a domestic market for automobiles. However, without any petrol stations in the republic the diesel powered Kaufmann and Handelsmann were not a great success. Osthügel Motorenwerke developed three steam locomotives for the road, with a towing capacity between 5 and 40 metric tonnes, that could be fired up with coal or the even more readily available firewood. Despite their initial reputation for breaking down, these steam locomotives proved to be very popular with the companies in the republic. These vehicles made it possible for the first time in Ludwiggian history to move heavy goods over long distances without resorting to the dangerous transport over sea. In 1702 the company received a major stimulus after the Benacian Union acquired a license to build 4,000 model Große Dampfzugmaschine steam tractors, to be constructed by Stonetree Engineering Group in the Unified Governorates of Benacia. Twenty engineers, a few dozen experienced technicians and some senior managers from Osthügel Motorenwerke were sent to Stonetree to assist in the production and quality assurance.

In XIII.1709 Osthügel Motorenwerke unveiled the first passenger car for the domestic market in Lanzerwald. The OMW Eselchen 201 was a small and light-weight car powered by a two-stroke, two-cylinder engine in the back of the vehicle. The engine that produced 20 horsepower was started with a pull start. Eselchen cars were able to reach a speed of up to 100 kilometres an hour, although there were no roads in the republic where this speed could be achieved safely. One of the design goals of the car was to make a vehicle that could be maintained by mechanics without extensive technical education, or even by the customer themselves. Parts that had to be serviced regularly were easily accessible, for example a flip-front bonnet gave access to the engine, including the carter plug to make oil changes and engine maintenance straightforward even where no lifts were available. The car weighed 550 kilograms and had a wheelbase of 1850mm.

With the rise of the Confoederatio Aemilia, the domestic market for motorised vehicles grew exponentially and Osthügel Motorenwerke was the only company active on the market with the knowledge to fill the gap. From a small manufacturer the company grew to become a major player in the 1720's to the 1740's. Investments in defence also led to more orders from the military, military vehicles were designed by the domestic partner Waffenschmiederei Ludwigshafen, which would sell production licenses to Osthügel Motorenwerke. Cooperation through PRIMA led to military orders from the Meckelnburgh National Guard. The company stayed true to its philosophy of building reliable and affordable vehicles, that can also be serviced relatively easily. Even though the portfolio of the company grew, many vehicles produced share parts, for example the same engine can be found in an excavator, a road truck and a military vehicle. Most military vehicles except for the Panzergefechtswagen II heavy tanks are based on civilian products and can be serviced by technicians that are trained to service Osthügel Motorenwerke trucks or building machinery.

In II.1738, Osthügel Motorenwerke announced the construction of a new factory in Victoria in Meckelnburgh. The factory would build build trucks and building equipment for the civilian market and some of the spares for the OMW vehicles in service with the Meckelnburgh National Guard, specifically the Mehrfachraketenwerferlastkraftwagen I and the Panzergefechtswagen II. Since 1752 the factory in Victoria also manufactures a limited number of Eselchen 201 every year.

Products

Powered vehicles with an external combustion engine

Trade name	Vehicle type	Engine	Loading capacity	Towing capacity
OMW Kleine Dampfzugmaschine	Road steam locomotive	OMW D05T	2,500 kg	5,000 kg
OMW Mittelgroße Dampfzugmaschine	Road steam locomotive	OMW D20T	5,000 kg	20,000 kg
OMW Große Dampfzugmaschine	Road steam locomotive	OMW D40T	10,000 kg	40,000 kg
OMW Schwere Dampflokomotive	Rail steam locomotive	OMW D600T		600,000 kg

Freight transport powered vehicles with an internal combustion engine

Trade name	Vehicle type	Engine	Loading capacity	Towing capacity
OMW Kaufmann Leichte Ausführung	Van	OMW 03L4C 200BHP	500 kg	2,000 kg
OMW Kaufmann Schwere Ausführung	Van	OMW 03L4C 300BHP	1,000 kg	4,000 kg
OMW Handelsmann Leichte Ausführung	Cab-over truck	OMW 03L4C 300BHP	4,000 kg	4,000 kg
OMW Handelsmann Schwere Ausführung	Cab-over truck	OMW 05L4C 400BHP	10,000 kg	16,000 kg
OMW Handelsmann Riesenschwere Ausführung	Cab-over truck	OMW 10L6C 550BHP	12,000 kg	33,000 kg
OMW Sattelzugmaschine Leichte Ausführung	Cab-over tractor	OMW 05L4C 400BHP		20,000 kg
OMW Sattelzugmaschine Schwere Ausführung	Cab-over tractor	OMW 10L6C 550BHP		45,000 kg

Fighting vehicles

Trade name	Introduction	Vehicle type	Engine	Primary weapon
Schorpioen I Pantserstrijdwagen	Did not reach production phase	Medium tank	OMW 5L4C 400BHP	Flachfeuergeschütz 40/1682
Panzergefechtswagen I	1716	Medium tank	OMW 5L4C 400BHP	Flachfeuergeschütz 40/1716
Panzergefechtswagen II	1734	Heavy tank	OMW 20L12C 1400BHP	Flachfeuergeschütz 140/1734
Mehrfachraketenwerferlastkraftwagen I	1716	Truck mounted multiple launch rocket system	OMW 3L4C 300BHP	Mehrfachraketenwerfergeschütz 80x32/1716
Panzerflugabwehrsystem I	1741	Short-range air defence system	OMW 5L4C 400BHP	Maschinenrotationskanone 30/1732
Schmallspurradpanzergefechtswagen I	1752	Wheeled destroyer	OMW 5L4C 400BHP	Flachfeuergeschütz 140/1734
Antischiffmehrfachraketenwerferlastkraftwagen I	1752	Truck mounted multiple launch anti-ship rocket system	OMW 3L4C 400BHP	Seezielflugkörpergeschütz 360/1752

Notable customers and licensees

• Razfreight, International Mandate. Operates 50 OMW Kaufmann vans.
• Stonetree Engineering Group, Unified Governorates of Benacia. Holds a license to produce 4,000 OMW Große Dampfzugmaschine traction engines.
• Meckelnburgh National Guard. Operates 21 Mehrfachraketenwerferlastkraftwagen I, 32 Schmallspurradpanzergefechtswagen I, and 72 Panzergefechtswagen II.
• Royal Meckelnburgh Navy. Operates 28 Antischiffmehrfachraketenwerferlastkraftwagen I.