IMCO

1. Military Button Factory in the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1907–1918) In 1907, industrialist Julius Franz Meister established the Julius Meister & Co. stamping plant in Vienna. Before the end of World War I, the factory produced no smoking accessories. Instead, it operated at full capacity as a supplier to the Austro-Hungarian Army, stamping metal military buttons, soldier identification tags, and various hardware fittings. 2. Miracle Transformation from Shell Scrap (Post-War) (1918–1925) In 1918, World War I ended and the Austro-Hungarian Empire dissolved. The factory instantly lost all military orders and faced closure. While civilian goods were scarce in post-war Austria, millions of discarded 8mm rifle casings remained on battlefields. Julius Meister cleverly repurposed existing stamping molds to transform these casings into cylindrical lighter bodies. In 1920, the company registered its first-ever patent for the "bullet lighter," saving the factory and ushering in the IMCO era. 3. The Silberknopf Family's Golden Age of Innovation (1926–1938) Starting in 1926, the company underwent a pivotal transformation under General Manager Bernhard Silberknopf and his brilliant son, Hans Silberknopf. Hans was an exceptional mechanical inventor who, between 1925 and 1936, independently developed and patented almost all of IMCO's most iconic mechanisms, including the "Ifa slide ignition" and "Triplex triple wind protection." However, in 1938, Nazi Germany annexed Austria. Fearing political persecution due to his Jewish heritage, Hans took his own life in Vienna. Before passing, he entrusted the factory to his loyal workers. 4. Post-War Global Production Peak (1945–2012) After World War II, the factory was reorganized. During the 1950s, the finalized Triplex Super 6700 became a global phenomenon. With its simple design and fuel flexibility—capable of running on gasoline, kerosene, or even alcohol in emergencies—it was adopted by dozens of national armies as standard issue. Total production surpassed 5 billion units. 5. Austrian Closure and Japanese Revival (2012–Present) Entering the 21 century, facing low profits from disposable plastic lighters and high labor costs in Vienna, the original IMCO factory in Vienna, operating for 105 years, officially closed in 2012 6. In 2013, Tsubota Pearl, a leading Japanese smoking accessory manufacturer, acquired full ownership of the IMCO brand and official design blueprints, allowing this classic brand to continue through reproductions in Asia.