Julys as Turning Points: Key Events in TAM’s Early Years
Julys Turning Points: Key Events in TAM’s Early Years
Julij v TAM-u: Prvi temelji
Julij se v zgodovini Tovarne avtomobilov in motorjev Maribor pojavlja precej pogosteje, kot bi pričakovali. V različnih desetletjih so bili julijski dnevi povezani z začetkom gradnje tovarniškega kompleksa na Teznu, tehničnimi poskusi, urejanjem stanovanjskega okolja, skrbjo za zaposlene, gradnjo kopališča, organiziranim krvodajalstvom, ob koncu pa tudi s stečajem podjetja.
Če pogledamo predvsem zapise v tovarskem glasilu Skozi TAM, dobimo nekoliko drugačno podobo TAM-a, kot jo poznamo iz velikih mejnikov. Julij pokaže tovarno skozi vsakdanje življenje: skozi gradbišča, stroje, stanovanja, prosti čas in ljudi, ki so v njej delali.
25. julij 1941: začetek gradnje na Teznu
Eden najpomembnejših julijskih datumov je 25. julij 1941. Tega dne so se na Teznu začela gradbena dela za tovarno letalskih delov, ki je bila zasnovana kot del nemške vojne industrije. Na tem območju je pozneje nastal industrijski kompleks, ki je po drugi svetovni vojni postal osnova za TAM.
Gradnja je bila velik projekt. Nastajala je infrastruktura z obsežnimi proizvodnimi objekti, pri delu pa so sodelovali tudi vojni ujetniki. Prvi objekti so bili dokončani že v začetku leta 1942, proizvodnja pa se je začela še pred dokončanjem celotnega kompleksa.
Za zgodovino TAM-a je zato 25. julij pomemben predvsem kot datum, ko se je na Teznu začel oblikovati prostor, ki je pozneje postal ena največjih industrijskih lokacij v Mariboru.
Julij 1948: TAM-ov nenavadni izlet v svet motociklov
Le nekaj let po vojni je TAM v juliju doživel povsem drugačno tehnično epizodo. Leta 1948 so v tovarni izdelali motocikel z motorjem prostornine 350 kubičnih centimetrov in močjo 18 KM.
Motocikel je nastal v strojni delavnici za vzdrževanje strojev pod vodstvom Draga Karla Fišerja. Čeprav je bil TAM že usmerjen predvsem v proizvodnjo gospodarskih vozil, so se nekateri zaposleni lotili tudi razvoja motornega kolesa.
Projekt je bil več kot zgolj vaja. Za motocikle je obstajalo zanimanje, tudi pri jugoslovanskih vojaških oblasteh. Prototip so leta 1948 predstavili v Zagrebu, kjer je delegacija izrazila ugodno mnenje. Kljub temu redna proizvodnja motociklov v TAM-u ni stekla.
Julij 1948 tako predstavlja zanimiv trenutek tehnične ustvarjalnosti znotraj tovarne: TAM ni bil samo prostor serijske proizvodnje, temveč tudi okolje, v katerem so zaposleni razvijali lastne zamisli in preizkušali rešitve zunaj glavnega proizvodnega programa.
Julij 1970: tudi okolica tovarne je bila del TAM-a
V sedemdesetih letih se julijski zapisi v Skozi TAM vse bolj ukvarjajo tudi z življenjskimi razmerami zaposlenih. V julijski številki leta 1970 je bil objavljen prispevek Adija Žunca »Ureditev okolja v družinskem naselju TAM na Teznem«. Podatek o objavi je zabeležen tudi v bibliografskem pregledu člankov iz Skozi TAM.
To ni bila nepomembna tema. TAM ni bil samo proizvodni kompleks, v katerem so ljudje prihajali na delo in ga po koncu izmene zapuščali. Tovarna je bila povezana s stanovanjskimi naselji, infrastrukturo in življenjem zaposlenih tudi zunaj proizvodnih hal.
Prav zato je zanimivo, da se v tovarskem glasilu julija ni pisalo samo o proizvodnih rezultatih. Urejanje okolja stanovanjskega naselja je bilo del širše skrbi za bivalne razmere zaposlenih.
4. julij: dvajset let organiziranega krvodajalstva
Med julijskimi zapisi ima posebno mesto tudi 4. julij 1973, ko so v TAM-u obeležili 20 let organiziranega krvodajalstva.
Po podatkih, objavljenih v Skozi TAM, je bilo med zaposlenimi v TAM-u takrat 2.358 krvodajalcev. Številka je zgovorna sama po sebi. Kaže, da je bilo krvodajalstvo v tovarni organizirano na ravni kolektiva in da je pri njem sodelovalo veliko število zaposlenih.
Takšni zapisi so dragoceni zato, ker pokažejo TAM zunaj proizvodnih statistik. Ob podatkih o izdelanih vozilih, motorjih in doseženih planih se v tovarskem glasilu pojavljajo tudi podatki o solidarnosti med zaposlenimi in njihovem sodelovanju pri dejavnostih, ki niso bile neposredno povezane s proizvodnjo.
Julijski zapis o krvodajalstvu je zato eden tistih drobcev, ki pokažejo, kakšna je bila tovarna kot skupnost ljudi.
Julij 1972: stanovanjske razmere zaposlenih
Dve leti pozneje je bil julij ponovno povezan s stanovanjskim vprašanjem. V Skozi TAM je bil julija 1972 objavljen članek »Prvi podatki iz vprašalnika o stanovanjskih razmerah zaposlenih«, prav tako z avtorstvom Adija Žunca.
Že naslov pove veliko. Tovarna je želela dobiti konkretnejši vpogled v stanovanjske razmere svojih zaposlenih. Stanovanje namreč ni bilo samo zasebna zadeva posameznega delavca, ampak pomemben del socialne politike velikega podjetja.
Julijski vprašalnik je zato zanimiv tudi kot dokument časa. Iz njega lahko razberemo, da so se v TAM-u ukvarjali s tem, kje in v kakšnih razmerah živijo zaposleni, kakšne so njihove stanovanjske potrebe in kako naj podjetje na tem področju ukrepa.
18. julij 1972: priprave na TAM-ovo letno kopališče
Še bolj konkreten je bil julijski zapis iz leta 1972 o gradnji letnega kopališča pri TAM-u.
- julija je bilo objavljeno, da so priprave na začetek gradnje praktično končane. Gospodarski odbor TAM-a je odločil, da se zagotovijo sredstva za projekt, predviden pa je bil tudi kredit v višini 7,5 milijona dinarjev. Dokumentacija je bila pripravljena in potrjena, za gradnjo pa so ponudbe pripravljala gradbena podjetja iz Maribora in drugih krajev.
Če ne bi bilo nepredvidenih zapletov, naj bi se dela začela najpozneje 1. avgusta 1972.
Ta julijski zapis je zanimiv, ker pokaže, kako se je življenje v TAM-u prepletalo s poletjem. Kopališče ni bilo zgolj gradbeni projekt. Bilo je del infrastrukture, namenjene zaposlenim in njihovemu prostemu času.
Julij je bil torej mesec, ko je bil projekt že dovolj daleč, da so lahko govorili o konkretnih ponudbah, denarju in začetku gradnje
July at TAM: The First Foundations
July appears in the history of the Maribor Automobile and Engine Factory (TAM) far more often than one might expect. Over the decades, July was associated with the beginning of construction of the factory complex in Tezno, technical experiments, improvements to the residential environment, care for employees, the construction of a swimming pool, organized blood donation and, eventually, the company’s bankruptcy.
If we look primarily at the records published in the factory newspaper Skozi TAM, we get a somewhat different picture of TAM than the one we know from its major milestones. July shows the factory through everyday life: through construction sites, machinery, housing, leisure time and the people who worked there.
25 July 1941: The Beginning of Construction in Tezno
One of the most important July dates is 25 July 1941. On that day, construction work began in Tezno on an aircraft-parts factory that was designed as part of the German war industry. The industrial complex that later became the basis for TAM was eventually built on this site after the Second World War.
The construction was a major project. Infrastructure and extensive production facilities were built, with prisoners of war also taking part in the work. The first buildings were completed as early as the beginning of 1942, while production began before the entire complex had been completed.
For the history of TAM, 25 July is therefore particularly important as the date when the site in Tezno began to take shape as an industrial location that would later become one of the largest industrial sites in Maribor.
July 1948: TAM’s Unusual Venture into the World of Motorcycles
Only a few years after the war, TAM experienced a completely different kind of technical episode in July. In 1948, the factory produced a motorcycle with an engine displacement of 350 cubic centimetres and an output of 18 hp.
The motorcycle was developed in the machine-maintenance workshop under the leadership of Drago Karl Fišer. Although TAM was already primarily focused on the production of commercial vehicles, some employees also took on the development of a motorcycle.
The project was more than just an exercise. There was interest in motorcycles, including from the Yugoslav military authorities. The prototype was presented in Zagreb in 1948, where the delegation expressed a favourable opinion. Nevertheless, regular motorcycle production never began at TAM.
July 1948 therefore represents an interesting moment of technical creativity within the factory. TAM was not only a place of serial production, but also an environment in which employees developed their own ideas and experimented with solutions outside the main production programme.
July 1970: The Factory’s Surroundings Were Also Part of TAM
During the 1970s, the July issues of Skozi TAM increasingly dealt with the living conditions of employees. The July 1970 issue featured an article by Adi Žunc entitled “Improving the Environment in the TAM Family Housing Estate in Tezno.” The publication of the article is also recorded in the bibliographic overview of articles from Skozi TAM.
This was not an insignificant subject. TAM was not merely a production complex where people came to work and left at the end of their shifts. The factory was connected with residential areas, infrastructure and the lives of its employees outside the production halls.
That is why it is interesting that the July factory newspaper did not focus only on production results. Improving the environment around the residential estate was part of a broader concern for employees’ living conditions.
4 July: Twenty Years of Organized Blood Donation
Among the July records, 4 July 1973 has a special place, when TAM marked the 20th anniversary of organized blood donation.
According to data published in Skozi TAM, there were 2,358 blood donors among TAM employees at the time. The figure speaks for itself. It shows that blood donation was organized at the level of the factory collective and that a large number of employees took part.
Such records are valuable because they show TAM beyond its production statistics. Alongside data on vehicles and engines produced and production targets achieved, the factory newspaper also featured information about solidarity among employees and their participation in activities that were not directly connected with production.
The July record on blood donation is therefore one of those details that reveals what the factory was like as a community of people.
July 1972: Employees’ Housing Conditions
Two years later, July was once again connected with the issue of housing. In July 1972, Skozi TAM published an article entitled “First Data from the Questionnaire on Employees’ Housing Conditions,” also written by Adi Žunc.
The title itself says a great deal. The factory wanted to gain a concrete insight into the housing conditions of its employees. Housing was not merely a private matter for an individual worker, but an important part of the social policy of a large company.
The July questionnaire is therefore also interesting as a document of its time. It shows that TAM was concerned with where and under what conditions its employees lived, what their housing needs were and how the company should respond to them.
18 July 1972: Preparations for TAM’s Summer Swimming Pool
An even more concrete July report from 1972 concerned the construction of a summer swimming pool at TAM.
On 18 July, it was reported that preparations for the start of construction were practically complete. TAM’s economic committee decided that funding for the project should be provided, including a loan of 7.5 million dinars. The documentation had been prepared and approved, while construction companies from Maribor and other locations were preparing their bids.
Unless unforeseen complications arose, construction was expected to begin by 1 August 1972.
This July report is interesting because it shows how life at TAM was intertwined with the summer season. The swimming pool was not merely a construction project. It was part of the infrastructure intended for employees and their leisure time.
Viri/Sources
- Skozi TAM, tovarniško glasilo Tovarne avtomobilov in motorjev Maribor (TAM)
- Lastni arhivi TAM
- Pokrajinski arhiv Maribor – arhivsko gradivo in neposredni stiki
- Kamra – digitalizirano domoznansko gradivo in neposredni stiki
- Muzej narodne osvoboditve Maribor (MNOM)
- Tovarna avtomobilov TAM – Sledovi mariborskega gospodarstva v arhivskem gradivu Pokrajinskega arhiva Maribor, 60-let-spominski zbornik, Maribor, 2007
- Marta Rendla, »Mariborski gospodarski gigant TAM v skrbi za izboljšanje življenjske ravni zaposlenih«, v: Mesto in gospodarstvo, 2010
- Večer, 18. julij 1972
- Revija Kontakt – Cona Tezno
- Vestnik, glasilo Mestnega odbora OF, Maribor
- Borivoj Breže, »Primeri inovativnosti v mariborski industriji in gospodarstvu od leta 1945 do leta 2000«, v: Mesto in gospodarstvo, 2010
- Boris Brovinsky, »Tam v Mariboru, kjer delajo tovornjake. Od licence do lastnega programa vozil«, v: Mesto in gospodarstvo, 2010