factory chimney, a status symbol at the time, was the tallest in Melle at 40 metres. At the beginning of the Weimar Republic and with the economic upswing in the 1930s, the expansion progressed rapidly. Despite inflation, new buildings for furniture production were started as early as 1921. With the construction of a new office and the gatehouse in 1924, the business address and the main access road were moved to “Teichbruchstraße” (from 1953 again “Bismarckstraße”). A copper bonnet with a tower clock from the Turmuhrfabrik Ed. Korfhage & Söhne in Melle/Buer, who also supplied the carillon for the Melle town hall, was mounted on the gatehouse. In 1925, the company premises were extended for the construction of a new sawmill on the opposite side of Teichbruchstraße. This sawmill was equipped with an electrically driven horizontal gang saw, a large cutting circular saw and a saw sharpening shop. Here, roundwood from the surrounding forests were cut for the company's own needs. The most important types of wood were beech, oak, pine and spruce. A short time later, the sawmill was supplemented by a woodshed of approx. 2500 m2 for the air-drying of the sawn timber. The sawmill, the timber shed and the furniture factory were connected by a narrow gauge rail system with switches, transverse sliding cars and turntables on which the loaded goods lorry carss were pushed or pulled by horses. In 1927, "Haus Sonneck" was built on the Meller Berg. The spacious villa with a view over the town of Melle was heated with open fireplaces and tiled stoves. An electromagnetic call system was installed for the staff, with which numbers in the kitchen indicated in which room the master of the house or his guests wanted service. The greenhouses, built into the hillside below the villa, were connected to the cellar of the house by an underground passage. 1933-1945 The company under National Socialism The National Socialists were anxious to increase the productivity of industry. In the course of KdF measures, recreation areas were to be set up for the employees during work breaks in order to strengthen their willingness to perform for "Führer, Volk und Vaterland". At MMM, social rooms were built for this purpose and chestnut trees were planted in the open space at the corner of Oldendorfer Straße and Bahnhofstraße, green areas were laid out and wooden benches were set up for resting. In