At Maize Master, our flagship product,the MM3500 Container Mill tells a story. It tells of extraction rates of up to 76% in production environments, of job creation for communities, and an immediate return on investment for entrepreneurs. But it also tells another story – that of the man who inspired its ingenious design. The story of Dieter Christoph Gustav Lehmbecker.
Unlike fairy tales that begin with ‘once upon a time’, this tale begins 82 years ago in the north of Germany, on a farm near the small village of Bueschow. It was here that Dieter made some of his most precious memories as a young boy, playing in the fields, falling asleep in the barn, and enjoying a quiet, contented life.
Sadly, this peaceful existence came to an abrupt end when World War 2 broke out – a brutal conflict that forced his Christian family to leave their home, becoming refugees overnight. After moving to Berlin in West Germany and finishing school, Dieter began an apprenticeship as a mechanic, and completed his Masters of Mechanics at the age of 25, all while learning English, French and Spanish during evening classes at a language school.
Embodying the spirit of entrepreneurship
It was this drive to succeed that saw him moving into a role at Mercedes-Benz, from where he was able to travel the world and work in a number of European countries, as well as South America, and eventually Africa too.
After working first in Northern and then Central Africa, Dieter eventually moved to South Africa in 1969. Newly married and captivated by the inherent potential of South Africa’s infrastructure, he and his wife settled in Johannesburg, where he wasted no time in putting his entrepreneurial spirit to the test and starting his own company, Lehmbecker’s Transport. At the same time as raising two children, he managed to turn his fledgling company into a confirmed success, with more than 200 trucks and 1 000 employees.
Unfortunately, the political change that accompanied the birth of South Africa’s democracy in 1994 led to changes in Dieter’s business too, and the company was unable to survive. However, his determination and willingness to succeed enabled him to come back even stronger, this time with a new company, Ilanga Oils.
After working to build Ilanga Oils into a thriving enterprise, Dieter needed a new challenge – and so it was in 2010 that his fortunes began to cross paths with our own at Maize Master.
A mutually beneficial partnership
Already established as the world’s first small commercial roller mill since 1988, Maize Master’s reputation for hard work, innovation and ingenuity was well-known – and upon being introduced to Dieter following the recommendation of a colleague, we recognised him as a kindred spirit.
Following our initial meeting, Dieter tasked us with redesigning the rotor for his Bauermeister Pulveriser – a challenge that we rose to with a 20% increase in the operating performance of the machine. As a result, the collaboration inspired us to improve our own machines, elevating their quality and productivity – and just like that, a mutually beneficial partnership was born.
Today Dieter’s legacy lives on in the Maize Master Pulveriser that he helped to develop – a 1500kg/h turbo mill able to mill grain-type products as finely as 150 microns, and a working example of his profound influence on our company’s success.
Business in a box
Of course, once a solution to his Pulveriser challenge had been found, Dieter needed another project to focus his entrepreneurial enthusiasm on – and he found it in our MM3500 Container Mill.
After our collaboration on his Bauermeister Pulveriser, every subsequent interaction between Dieter and Maize Master was marked by his need to build a container mill. It was a concept he was determined to bring to life, and so with his inspiration and our operation, Maize Master’s flagship product was eventually transformed from an idea into a reality – the MM3500 Container Mill.
A compact containerised milling plant with a capacity of up to 3.5 MT/h (or 80MT/day), the MM3500 Container Mill was a revolutionary product when it was first brought to market – a container mill that could be installed anywhere, at any time, with no need for the construction of additional buildings. This quick and easy installation allowed for inexpensive relocation, with a higher resale value than any other competing product available. What’s more, its simple design gave users the ability to master its controls and operations after only a week of training, ideally positioning it as a complement to government and non-government food schemes.
This ‘business in a box’, as it came to be known, was exactly the solution that local communities had been looking for – a way to enjoy high quality maize meal at a more affordable price than ever. This convenience, combined with its low start-up costs and excellent earning potential made the MM3500 Container Mill an instant success – and its popularity lives on to this day.
An inspiration for the future
Throughout his life, Dieter Lehmbecker was more than simply a successful entrepreneur and family man – he was a father figure and an inspiration, someone whose goal was to improve lives, improve businesses, and leave the world a better place than he found it.
To us at Maize Master, he is the foundation of our success – someone who has challenged us and motivated us to expand our vision and build for the future. And although he may no longer be with us in body, the flame of his spirit still burns brightly.
It’s for this reason that we will be renaming our Pulveriser as the Lehmbecker, in his honour. And it’s for this reason that we will continue to grow, to develop, to innovate and to succeed past even our own expectations. Many of his family members have shared their stories and their loving memories of him, and now we wish to add our voice to theirs. Thank you for all you have given to us Dieter, and may you rest eternally in peace – gone, but never ever forgotten.