Half a century coin-operated machines industry

Paul Gauselmann’s proud personal anniversary

Espelkamp. 12 March 1956 was to play a special role in Paul Gauselmann’s life. On this very day, exactly 50 years ago, Paul Gauselmann started his activities in the amusement and vending machines industry.

Paul GauselmannThis decision was to influence his entire life until today: the amusement and vending machines industry never ceased to cast its spell on him. After attending primary school and secondary school in Münster, from which Paul Gauselmann graduated top of his year group in 1950, he first started an apprenticeship as a telecommunications inspector with “Telefonbau und Normalzeit (T + N).” Upon completion of the apprenticeship T+N invited him to take part in a six-month special training course at their Frankfurt headquarters. He passed both with distinction and at the age of 21 he started his professional career as an inspector with T+N in Lengerich. Two engineers reported to him, he had his own car and earned almost DM 370.00 – an excellent starting salary at the time.

One of his acquaintances, who worked for an amusement and vending machines company, told him, that one could earn DM 600.00/month in the amusement and vending machines business. Young Paul Gauselmann was thrilled by these prospects, since he had to feed a young wife and two sons. He prepared for a career change and on 12 March 1956 finally started his new job. Now Paul Gauselmann worked for the general importer of American Wurlitzer juke boxes in Coesfeld.

Despite very long working hours the busy innovator still found time for his hobby. He invented a remote selection control for German juke boxes. In November 1956 he presented his invention to an amusement machines company in Espelkamp. 1 December 1956 was to be the start of the next step in his career. In mid-1957 the qualified telecommunications inspector started installing juke boxes as a sideline.

In retrospect, he then consistently took all further important steps on the way to creating a successful coin-operated machines empire. However, the course for Paul Gauselmann’s life was set on 12 March 1956!

In the last fiscal year the Gauselmann group generated a global revenue amounting to EUR 686 million and employed a staff of 5,625, roughly 1,700 of them in the German Minden-Lübbecke region and 1,231 outside of Germany.