Rittal: Inventor of the mass-produced enclosure celebrates its 50th anniversary

24.02.2011. In 1961, Rittal started mass producing four simple types of enclosure – so revolutionising the business of enclosure manufacture. Today – 50 years down the line – the company that invented series enclosures can look back on an extraordinary success story: the family business, with a workforce of around 10,000, is now one of the fastest growing companies internationally, and is very well established as one of the world's leading system suppliers for enclosures, power distribution, climate control, IT infrastructure, software and services. No less than 1,500 patents worldwide stand testimony to an outstanding culture of innovation. At the Hanover Fair, jubilee year 2011 represents an occasion to look back, as well as face the future with pioneering new product developments.

Special events have to be celebrated, and in Rittal's jubilee year 2011, the highlights are appearing one after the other. "50 Years. Power and vision!" is this year's slogan. The major trade fair appearances this spring, at CeBIT and the Hanover Fair, mark the prelude to the 50th anniversary. A big celebration for the workforce is planned for the summer.

"I look back on the past 50 years with pride and also with much gratitude. We have achieved more than we could ever have thought possible. I am convinced that Rittal will also be writing history in the future. As our slogan says: 'We have power and visions.' I am looking forward to achieving them together with our management and employees. We always have the needs of our customers in mind", says Rittal's proprietor Friedhelm Loh, on the occasion of the anniversary.

Countless developments and advances in 2011 bear witness to the fact that today, Rittal has lost none of the innovative powers it had when it was founded. Examples include four-dimensional data centres, a new series of energy-saving cooling units, improved heat exchangers and software tools, plus an intelligent base/plinth solution for enclosures. Rittal is exhibiting these solutions and many more on a 2,000 m² stand at CeBIT and at the Hanover trade fair at stand E06 in Hall 11.

In its fifty-first year of existence, Rittal is still re-inventing itself. The best evidence of this: The "Rittal Catalogue 2011 / 2012" product directory, which will be reissued in the second half of the year, as well as a completely new, fresh website that goes online in the summer.

From the mass produced enclosure to "Rittal – the System."

The idea of manufacturing enclosures in series rather than producing them made-to-measure was the brainchild of the company's founder Rudolf Loh. His idea back in 1961 was this: to mass-produce enclosures for electrical control systems in a range of predefined sizes, and to deliver them straight from stock. The idea prevailed nationwide soon after leading German car-makers had declared the Rittal enclosure to be a standard item in 1971.

Rittal extended its product range thanks to industrial automation, and added its climate control, power distribution and IT infrastructure divisions. Milestones included the invention of the PS 4000 baying system in 1985, as well as cooling units with CFC-free refrigerants. In 1999, Rittal was again setting new standards with the TS 8 enclosure system. Today, there are 7.7 million of these multi-talented enclosures in use, forming the basis for "Rittal – The System.", the modular system based on ideally coordinated product solutions, engineering tools, and services.

Numerous awards

The company's innovative strength has also been recognised many times over. As a result, Friedhelm Loh was awarded the prestigious Diesel Medal in 2010. Numerous studies have demonstrated the company's economic importance: According to a recent economic study by Manager Magazine in 2010, the Friedhelm Loh Group, of which Rittal is the biggest company, is ranked number 80 among the most important global leaders from Germany. And a 2011 Accenture report counts the Group as one of world's growth champions.

Today, Rittal has 10 production facilities, 63 subsidiaries and 40 agencies worldwide. The Friedhelm Loh group planned sales of € 2.2 billion its 2011 jubilee year. From 2007 to 2010 it received the "Top Arbeitgeber Deutschland" (Germany's Top Employer) award from the independent CRF Institute on no less than four occasions. Yet the family business is also well aware of its social responsibility and has demonstrated this by its fund raising campaigns, regularly raising six-figure sums for social and charitable institutions – regionally, nationally and all over the world.