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The beginning of M+P – 1. The takeover was launched in 1972 (22/50)
Reconstruction after the Second World War barely considered noise regulations. But the explosive growth of housing in the late 1950’s and 1960’s saw quality demands also increasing. And even though the subject of “noise” had not yet been established in a legal sense, the government, municipalities and residents accepted that they wanted less noise despite living closer together. This led to there being an increasing need for professional acoustic advice.
The foundation of M+P
was concerned mostly with the acoustics in Dutch halls during this period. As one new construction project after another started up, he was increasingly sought to offer advice about noise issues in housing, and this led Melzer to believe that it might be a good idea for him to set up his own building acoustics and sound reproduction consultancy in an official capacity. In 1962, he started his own agency Sonorex, a name that was quickly changed to A. Melzer M.Sc. – Raadgevend Ingenieur in Akoestiek [Acoustic consultant engineer].
In the same period, a number of frontrunners from the acoustics world brought their expertise together: Helmut A. Müller, Prof. Dr. Lothar Cremer, Dr. Ludwig Schreiber, Dr. Manfred Heckl and the famous Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc. company from Cambridge (Massachusetts, USA). They founded Müller-BBM GmbH in Munich (in the early years it was called Müller-BBN whereby the N stood for Newman), an agency that enjoyed growing success on the German sound market over the following years.
Dr. Alexander von Meier was introduced to the company at the International Congress on Acoustics in Budapest in August 1971. He had just returned from South Africa and was looking for a job; his former professor, Dr. Cremer put him in touch with Messrs. Müller, Schreiber and Heckl of Müller-BBM, who were also in Budapest. While talking, it didn't take long for Mr. Müller to remember that a letter had been lying on his desk for several months from a certain Abraham Melzer who was looking for a buyer for his office in Amstelveen, which was doing quite well. Maybe Dr. Alexander von Meier would be the right person to lead this company for Müller-BBM? “You’re the right man for the job – you know Afrikaans, so you know Dutch!” That certainly isn't true, but with Alexander possibly taking a director role, Müller saw a takeover of shares and employees of A. Melzer M.Sc. as an excellent opportunity to expand onto Dutch soil.
The birth of Melzer en Partners
Amsterdam was the place everyone involved came together: Melzer with some of his collaborators, Messrs Müller, Schreiber and Beranek on behalf of Müller-BBM and Alexander von Meier. They all boarded a tourist boat together and, by the time the trip was complete, a clear outline of a business plan for the new company built on the solid foundation of A. Melzer M.Sc. had been established. And so it was that our company “Melzer & Partners bv” was born on 1 October 1972. The name of the agency was changed a few years later to “M+P acoustic advisors bv” in order to create more clarity about our activities.
Our Company
In the 50 years since, M+P has grown – quietly on purpose – from a company employing ten employees in one location to a company employing 35 employees in two locations. The name grew as well: it became “M+P Consulting Engineers BV” in 1986, even though we use the short and sweet “M+P” nowadays. We have been operating as an independent subsidiary of the Müller-BBM holding since 1996, and as a company proud of its roots, we were happy to continue with this from 2012 onwards: “M+P is a part of the Müller-BBM group’. The sense of close connection is still there, even after 50 years. Furthermore, there is a great sense of responsibility about the company and among the employees. This feeling is further fuelled by the fact that more than 50% of the employees actually hold shares in the Müller-BBM group; M+P belongs to the employees in more ways than one!
