One of the most prominent figures in Hungarian industrial history was born in Schweinfurt, Bayern. Mechwart obtained his diploma in engineering in Augsburg. In 1859 Ábrahám Ganz invited him to Hungary, and after his death Mechwart headed the Ganz factory as managing director for 25 years. He was an outstanding technical innovator and expert in economics, and as a result of his great developments and modernization, the company turned out to be a world-class establishment. By the turn of the century, the factory of 60 became a giant concern employing 6000 persons.

Mechwart was co-author of many inventions. Two of his own most important patents relate to the roller mill and the rotary plough. On the roller frame which is the most important part of the mill, he changed the porcelain rollers to chilled cast iron rolls, which milled the grain much more finely. In exporting these mass-produced rolling mills around the world, the Hungarian milling industry's reputation was decisively established.

His rotary plough was also an excellent structure, but its bulky size and considerable price hindered its general use. All Mechwart's life's work - his activities as inventor and factory developer - have defined our technical culture.