On taking over the business, Lothar wasted no time in modernizing production. He put up new buildings, light and airy to provide healthier working conditions and motivate the employees better. The sexes were strictly segregated: heavy manual work such as processing clay and graphite and wood was carried out by men, while polishing, stamping, and packaging the pencils for dispatch was exclusively women’s work. The picture shows the leads being glued into the slats.