VÖLKLINGEN IRON WORKS (2019)

Images from the World Heritage Site Völklinger Hütte in the Saar region show rusted details of a once-thriving technology that provided jobs for thousands. However, the working conditions were unimaginable by today's standards. In the ironworks, there was unimaginable noise, dust, and physically extremely challenging working conditions. In winter, workers loading the blast furnaces were exposed to rain and icy temperatures, and when tapping the pig iron, they faced extreme heat, sometimes causing their clothing to catch fire. The blast furnace gases were extremely toxic.

The audio recordings of former workers, which can be heard in Völklingen, also reveal an unbridled pride of the workers in their factory and their work. Is it still possible today to identify with one's work and company to such an extent given these working conditions?

One reason for this identification might be that individuals could contribute much more directly to improving work processes at their place of work. The technology, advanced by the standards of the time, might have been more comprehensible. Many apparatuses, tools, and machines show traces of actual manual labor, as they were conceived, manufactured, forged, and adapted to the actual needs directly on site.

However, this did not help to preserve this industry and its jobs. In 1986, the Völklinger Hütte was closed. All adjustments had not been sufficient to keep up with the permanent structural change.

Industry 2.0 was followed by Industry 3.0, and today we look at Industry 4.0.