ESEM (Erzgebirgische Schnittwerkzeug- und Maschinenfabrik GmbH Schwarzenberg) was founded in 1908 in Schwarzenberg, Germany, a town well known for its metal production.
In 1927, modernization began with the introduction of a fully automatic copy‑milling machine. This made it possible to produce complex three‑dimensional shapes, such as body panels for automobiles. As a result, reliable production of automotive body parts for the car industry began.
Almost all German automobile manufacturers became customers, including Audi, Opel, Horch, DKW, Steyr and Brennabor, MAN, Wanderer, and Mercedes‑Benz.
In 1937, Friedrich Volk from Frankfurt am Main became the new managing director, and the company was renamed Friedrich Volk Erzgebirgische Schnittwerkzeug- und Maschinenfabrik/Schwarzenberg. Just one year later, production also began for the German automobile manufacturer Volkswagen. For the first time in German automotive history, the roof with the rear window of a car was deep‑drawn from a single piece of metal.
In 1938, ESEM participated in the German Automobile Exhibition in Berlin.
According to one of the senior employees at KUKA (the company that acquired ESEM in 1993), several miniature prototype metal body shells of the Volkswagen “Volkskäfer” were displayed at the 1938 Berlin Auto Show—without chassis or wheels. The model shown here is one of those prototypes. It appears that Volk developed and produced these early models as promotional pieces to celebrate the engineering achievement represented by the one‑piece roof of the KdF Wagen. Only later were the models fitted with a baseplate and wheels.
This particular VOLK KdF Wagen model is a family heirloom. A metalworker (born in 1908) who lived near Schwarzenberg had worked for the company Schneider & Korb as well as for Volk/ESEM, where he received the model. In 1938, he moved to the “Stadt des KdF‑Wagens” (Wolfsburg) and worked for Volkswagen until his retirement. His heirs auctioned the model in 2026.
With the outbreak of the Second World War, production for cars at VOLK/ESEM was restricted, and the company also manufactured armaments (such as torpedo casings). In April 1945, operations collapsed due to a lack of electricity. The company was later revived in what became the former East Germany (GDR).
In 1993, KUKA took over the company, and as of June 7, 1993, the Schwarzenberg plant was renamed KUKA Werkzeugbau GmbH.
In 2015, KUKA itself was acquired by Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, and since then the company has operated in Schwarzenberg under the name Porsche Werkzeugbau GmbH.
The early Volk models were made of brass, likely because it was softer and easier to deep‑draw. Later, sheet steel was used. Some of the brass Volk models lack a windshield frame, unlike the steel versions. The thickness of the steel models appears to match standard KdF body sheet metal. There are also steel Volk models with a logo that still lack the windshield frame.
