DORMA turns 100
From two-man business to world market leader
 Ennepetal, Germany. In the summer of 2008, door system manufacturer DORMA will be celebrating its centenary, giving it perfect opportunity to review its impressive success story. On July 1, 1908, Rudolf Mankel and his brother-in-law Wilhelm Dörken founded the company Dörken & Mankel KG in a small forge shop in the little town of Ennepetal in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The two young entrepreneurs had picked up on an idea from far-away America. There, double doors which opened in both directions – like those seen in classic western saloons – had long enjoyed major market success. Mankel and Dörken saw their chance and decided to introduce double-action door hinges to Germany. Having begun production with just a handful of employees, they were quickly flooded with orders from all directions. Soon, milled screws were also introduced in order to widen the company’s manufacturing portfolio. As precision fixings, these were not only ideal for fixing the door hinges to the frame and leaf, they were also in high demand for many other areas of industry.
Today, DORMA Group with its five divisions is the leading international supplier of products and systems circling the door. DORMA is world market leader in door closers, glass fittings and accessories and movable wall systems. DORMA is also the world number two in the automatic door systems sector. And on the German market, DORMA also occupies a leading position in emergency exit and escape route control systems. There are good reasons why the company has enjoyed such enormous success. At DORMA, quality takes the highest priority, in keeping with the motto of the company’s founders: “Better the best at a good price than to disappoint our customers.” Products from DORMA can be found in many of the major buildings of the world. International airports, hotels and congress and administration complexes around the globe use door systems and allied products from the company. Among its more spectacular reference projects are the Burj Dubai, at 700 metres the highest building in the world, the Turning Torso in Malmö (Sweden), the Capitol in Washington and both the Federal Chancellery and Reichstag parliamentary building in Berlin.
High-performing employees, attractive employer
DORMA is proud of the fact that, in 2008, it was again included – for the fourth time in as many years – in the list of top employers among Germany’s small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). This time, the company also won the “Exemplary Personnel Development” category. Florian Langenscheidt, compiler of the renowned “German Standards” compendium, puts DORMA in the country’s top100 family-run companies, and international management consultant Prof. Hermann Simon likewise includes DORMA in his carefully selected “Hidden Champions of the 21st Century”.
The innovative strength of DORMA’s employees is similarly exemplary. In 2006, the company was in the top 50 of the league of patentees compiled by the Federal Patent Office. DORMA is also a major service provider. Around the world, around every sixth employee of the Group is involved on the service side. In Germany, the company maintains the densest service network in its industry.
A global player committed to its roots
Despite its considerable rate of growth over the last three generations, DORMA has always remained a family-run company and is currently in the ownership of Karl-Rudolf Mankel, the grandson of one of the company’s founders. As the largest employer in the town of Ennepetal, DORMA’s German roots are both firm and sound. Over the last few years, the company has invested more than 10 million euros in the modernisation of its production facilities at its Ennepetal HQ as part of its future-aligned “Premium” project – a clear commitment to the future of its manufacturing capability in Germany.
DORMA’s strategy is aligned over the long term to circumspect expansion at home and abroad. Its aim and ambition is to secure the continuity of its innovative approach while pursuing a responsible business model based on financial independence. With around 6,500 employees in 45 countries, the Group’s worldwide operations generated 838 million euros in its 2006/2007 (June to June)) financial year. It owns and operates production facilities in Europe, Singapore, Malaysia and China, as well as in North and South America.
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Beautifully designed revolving doors from DORMA – the world number 2 in door automation – provide the perfect architectural complement.
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DORMA HQ, Ennepetal.
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