In a gripping narrative of how Heinz Joseph Gerber, who had never used a computer in his life, went on to become the ‘Father of Automation’, Joseph’s son David Gerber has penned ‘The Inventor’s Dilemma’ – HJ Gerber’s biography. The book documents accounts of Joseph’s years of childhood in Vienna where he was building radios and motors at the age of eight. The story also details on the Nazi takeover in 1938 and Joseph’s subsequent escape to the US. The accounts are liberally and smoothly interspersed with stories of Joseph’s first invention, The Variable Scale (an expandable ruler which Gerber had developed after improvising pyjama elastic), at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The Variable Scale eventually led to the founding of Gerber Technology.
“He reshaped the processes of manufacturing many of the products that influence our everyday lives: the clothes, shoes, and eyeglasses we wear; the machines (cars, planes, ships) that transport us; the maps and the signs that point our way; the books and newspapers we read; the circuitry behind the covers of our electronic gadgets; and the colour television screens and billboards we view,” mentions David in the book.
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With seven full chapters dedicated to the apparel industry in the 1960s and 1970s, the reader will find many historical events for the industry in that era. Another interesting passage in the book elaborates on Joseph’s strategy of dealing with union opposition to automation. “He put a human face on the abstract concept of high technology, and gave hope to the industry. David Gerber’s book conveys this in a masterful and deeply thorough way,” shares Manuel Gaetán, PhD – Former Publisher of Bobbin Magazine.
