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The D+H company album: A corporate success story in pictures
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The start-up company "Dingfelder und Hadler" (which later became D+H) was started in 1968 out of a garage in Brockdorfstraße in Hamburg-Rahlstedt.
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The company, while still in its infancy in 1972, was enriched by his passion for technology and electronics. Helmut Kern joins D+H
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Henner Dingfelder and Helmut Kern presenting their products at the "Roter Hahn" trade fair in Hannover, 1980.
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From the small garage start-up grew a company with an office, its own production, its own precision mechanics department and a small cafeteria - all under one roof.
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The development test for the first drive with pneumatic cylinders took place in 1980 next to a block of garages.
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After D+H changed to the new location in 1985, the company completely expanded it in 1990.
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In 1992, Henner Dingfelder and Thomas Kern examined their first homemade rack and pinion together.
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In 1997, D+H moved its administrative and production site to the Gerog-Sasse-Straße in Ammersbek, Germany, the current location for the head quarters.
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In 2006, the second generation takes the helm. Dirk Dingfelder, Julian Kern, Thomas Lern and Christoph Kern (from left to right).
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D+H was awarded with the German Education Prize for exemplary talent management in 2015.
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In 2018, D+H celebrated its 50th anniversary in the hall of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce.
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Merger of D+H Mechatronic AG with Dingfelder + Hadler AG and integration of the BlueKit Factory
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2023 started with the addition of the two long-standing management members Maik Schmees and Mirko Matenia to the Board.
From development garage to innovation driver
Over the course of D+H's history going back almost 50 years, the company has brought countless innovations to the market. Choosing the most successful is not an easy task. The three listed here helped give us a big push to the top.
The first electric SHEV system on a sample board.
The sample board (circa 1972) is the first complete smoke vent system from D+H. The letters EHP stand for Electric-Pneumatic-Hydraulic and were a product brand and previously part of the company's name. In addition to a smoke detector, button and drive for the fittings (below on the left), the system also included the first D+H ZA 500 rack and pinion drive, which happened to be powered by a repurposed windscreen wiper motor.
The first chain drive with undisputed performance.
The KA 30 was the first chain drive that D+H developed and manufactured itself. Its performance data with a stroke of up to 800 mm and 300 N of force gave it a unique selling point on the market in the mid-1990s. Its invention with a solid side bow chain made it possible to install a window drive immediately adjacent and parallel to the sash, meaning it did not protrude into the room as had been the case with rack and pinion drives up to that point. The KA is the device that does it all among D+H chain drives and remains a timeless classic.
The smoke vent button that became the global standard.
The orange-coloured smoke vent button (photo from year 2000) has become an icon in the industry and a synonym associated with D+H. It can be found in countless stairwells and hallways all over the world. Since the company's founding, more than a million units have been sold. It and its successors remain D+H's top sellers. An interesting detail: The small graphic on the left next to the button was created by Helmut Kern. Just another example of how D+H's inventions become the standard over time.
Long road to success
Approximately five decades of corporate history at a glance.
1972:
The first electric 12 volt SHEV system with emergency supply
1973:
The first 24 volt rack and pinion drive with a large stroke and short runtime
1973:
The first electronic safety cut-off with current measurement
1973:
The first 24 volt modular control panel with emergency supply and monitoring for all lines
1975:
The initial use of LEDs for safety messages
1976:
The first use of wind and rain sensors in combination with SHEV ventilation systems
1977:
The first large control panel with multiple groups and lines
1979:
The first control panel with slots for plug-in units
1980:
The first trigger button in a DIN-compliant fire button housing
1981:
The first type testing for electric SHEV systems by the TÜV Berlin testing association
1986:
Systematic training and testing of set-up technicians for the electric SHEV system from D+H
1988:
The first servo control for convenient climate control for ventilation SHEV drives
1991:
The first fire testing of SHEV drives in accordance with DIN by TÜV in the fire testing facility
1994:
The first manufacturer for electric SHEV systems with quality assurance in accordance with ISO 9001 certified by VdS
1994:
The first electric drive for SHEV from MPA-NRW successfully tested in a DIN fire test
1995:
The first participant in the DIN standardisation work for electric natural SHEV
1995:
The first chain drive for SHEV with precision chain and end stabilisation for large strokes
1995:
The first twin chain drive for optimal force application, cut-off reliability and design
1998:
Innovative side bow chain with elastic stabilisation and bending limit
1998:
Compact door/side hung vent drive based on a chain with rigid backing
2000:
The first manufacturer of electric SHEV systems with successful testing of all components for electric SHEV drives by VdS
2001:
Synchronisation integrated into the drive with intelligent load distribution and safety cut-off
2002:
The narrowest lock drive able to be integrated into a profile
2003:
The first chain drive for directly connecting to closing-edge monitoring
2004:
New skylight opening system with optimised kinematics and dual rack and pinion drive for maximum efficiency
2006:
The first 230 volt SHEV system with approved cable monitoring
2006 :
Generation change within the family-owned company
2007:
Drive parameter configuration over Bluetooth with PDA/smartphone and Powerline programming
2010:
First secure bus communication system AdComNet for building automation in a case of fire
2011:
Certification of the D+H environmental management according to DIBN ISO 14001
2011:
First solar-powered window drive VCD-S with integrated solar panel
2012:
Expansion of the Headquarters with an investment of Euro 7 million
2012:
Winner of the "Grand Prize for medium-sized Companies Award"
2013:
Development of the CDP Series as the most powerful chain drive series
2015:
Winner of the "German Education Award"
2016:
The new digital smoke ventilation control panel CPS-M, biggest development project, comes onto the market
2017:
D+H wins the German Brand Award thanks to the new brand promise "BUILDING ATMOSPHERE"
2018:
The company's 50th anniversary is celebrated in the hall of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce and with a fair on the company grounds
2019:
Merger of D+H Mechatronic AG with Dingfelder + Hadler AG and integration of the BlueKit Factory GmbH
2020:
Expansion of the American partner network with new partners in Colombia and California
2021:
Entry into the business area of mechanical smoke extraction (MSE)
2022:
Foundation of the French subsidiary D+H France S.A.S
2023:
Expansion of the Board with the addition of the two long-standing management members Maik Schmees and Mirko Matenia
Driven by the lasting values of our fathers; we are shaping the future of D+H on international markets with our passion and sound judgement. We are trying to turn the complex challenges of our digitised world and simultaneous demographic change into an opportunity.
Dirk Dingfelder & Christoph Kern
