The Ibach Company in Schwelm/Westfalia was the oldest piano manufacturer in continuous operation until 2007. Founded in 1794, Ibach was renowned for producing pianos and organs (until 1904). The company remained under the founding family's management for over two centuries, with the seventh generation involved at the turn of the 21st century. However, piano production ceased in December 2007, and the company now focuses on servicing its existing pianos.

**Key Historical Points:**
- **Founder:** Johann Adolph Ibach built his first table piano in 1794 in Beyenburg (now part of Wuppertal) and later moved production to various locations before settling in Barmen (now Wuppertal) in 1817.
- **Expansion:** His sons, Carl Rudolph and Richard Ibach, took over in 1839, establishing branches in Düsseldorf, Bonn, and Essen. By the early 1850s, Ibach was a major piano manufacturer in Prussia, with significant exports to the Netherlands.
- **Recognition:** The company won awards at the 1873 Vienna World Exhibition and expanded further, opening a public instrument museum and the first music library in Wuppertal.
- **Global Reach:** Under Hulda Ibach's leadership from 1892, the company built a third factory in Berlin and expanded sales to Central and South America, the Baltic States, Russia, Asia, Africa, and Oceania.

**Innovations:**
- Ibach introduced various inventions, including the transposing piano, radiating piano, Ibachord (concert harpsichord), conductor's desk piano, and the Ibach-Welte wing and pianino.

**Challenges:**
- Post-WWI, the rise of radio and gramophones reduced the market for pianos. WWII brought significant destruction, including to the Barmen factory, leading to the relocation of the headquarters to Schwelm in 1945. Production resumed in 1950.
- In the 1980s, Ibach instruments were produced in South Korea through a joint venture with Daewoo, marked by a "K" for Korea, which some believe diluted the brand.

**Closure:**
- Despite efforts to adapt, production ceased in 2007, and today, the company only maintains the pianos it produced. Ibach's legacy is maintained by John Broadwood & Sons, now the oldest piano manufacturer in continuous operation.

**Management Succession:**
1. Johann Adolph Ibach (1794–1839)
2. Carl Rudolph Ibach (1839–1863), with Richard Ibach
3. Richard Ibach and Regine Emilie Ibach (1863–1869)
4. Peter Adolph Rudolph Ibach (1869–1892)
5. Hulda Ibach and Walter Ibach (1892–1904)
6. Albert Rudolf Ibach, with Max and Hans Ibach (1905–1940)
7. Johann Adolf Ibach (1940–1980)
8. Rolf Ibach (1980–2006)
9. Julia Sabine Falke (since 2005)

**Cultural Reference:**
- Ibach pianos appeared in the 1969 western film "Support Your Local Sheriff!" where a character notes the prestige of owning an Ibach instrument from Düsseldorf to impress a potential sheriff.

The Ibach Company's history reflects its significant contributions to piano manufacturing and its struggle to adapt to changing markets and global competition.

https://wiki.edu.vn/all2en/wiki3/ibach-company-wikipedia/