On the first of April, 2021, Rittal will be celebrating its 60th anniversary. And we have many good reasons to celebrate. “Simplified. Done.” That's how Rudolf Loh and his companions started in 1961. With the simple idea of standardizing the enclosure. With the drive of the "doers" who - despite initial skepticism on the part of customers - led the enclosure to global success.
“Simplified. Done.” Following this principle, we have kept developing our portfolio, addressed new market requirements and created solutions even before a problem was recognized as such - a principle that has transformed us from a small sheet metal processing company into a global digital enterprise.
“Simplified. Done.” This attitude has brought us from the enclosure to air conditioning and power distribution solutions and to the system idea, with which we now serve several customer requirements at once. It is a logical consequence that today we also play a leading role in industrial and IT infrastructures as well as in engineering software. And – for all our other modesty – we are also quite proud of this.
Our management looks back at the milestones in 60 years of Rittal
“Simplified. Done.” This is what drives us in our major projects. For example, when we build one of the world's most modern enclosure production facilities in Haiger according to Industry 4.0 principles, develop edge and cloud solutions, or become involved as a co-founder of GAIA-X, the European data infrastructure consortium. Or in everything we plan to do in the future.
“Simplified. Done.” This guiding principle is also shared and lived by our employees - from trainees to "old hands". Curiosity, commitment, team spirit and the personal bond of a family business: This is what binds us together, especially in these difficult times, and makes our anniversary a celebration for us all. For our customers, for the company, for our team and for the families and people at our sites around the world. And the boss is also celebrating:
I am very proud of all our employees and am delighted to share with you the 60 year success story that we have written together. What sets us apart is doing new things instead of just talking about them - innovations have been our trademark for six decades. In this way, we don't just react to change, we actively help shape it. Because we love the future.
Rittal clients wishing a happy 60th birthday
Some customers have been with us for many years. Three of them share their experiences with Rittal on this anniversary:
BAILED OUT WITH SHIPPING CONTAINERS
The two companies have grown alongside each other for 40 years. First, Blumenbecker purchased enclosures from Rittal. The next milestone was the introduction of EPLAN software to the engineering department. Last year, the Perforex laser centre and Secarex cutting centre were successfully integrated in the digital production process at Blumenbecker. Rittal is an important supplier for the company. The innovations from Rittal are held in high esteem, as is the quick and sometimes unconventional support provided by Rittal: Once it was a software problem, which was solved immediately on-site during the SPS trade fair in Nuremberg. Another time, it was shipping containers. “Rittal has taken unconventional approaches for us, and on one occasion ordered entire shipping containers of enclosures from the USA for us, due to a supply bottleneck,” recalls Pohlmann.
GIVE RITTAL A CALL
When Martin Ulrich thinks of Rittal, he first and foremost thinks of people. Whenever information about Rittal products, support with customer visits, or an extraordinary solutions is needed at Bürkle, the first suggestion is always: “Give Rittal a call!” Once, a customer of Bürkle expressed a very particular request. A screen printing company had an enclosure stood next to a printing machine. An employee regularly placed a cloth soaked with solvent, which was used to clean the screens, on top of the enclosure. Over time, the paint on the enclosure dissolved. Rittal obtained a sample of the solvent and painted the enclosures with a special paint. “It’s always the people and the solutions that make or break a company,” says Ulrich.
TALKING ABOUT ENCLOSURES IN THE LIVING ROOM
The company Plenge was founded in 1949 as a small electrical engineering company. In 1962, the company started building switchgears. One day, Rudolf Loh sent a young employee to call electrical companies from a phone box to enquire whether they might need standard enclosures. In a single day, the employee managed to sell 15 AE enclosures, including one to Plenge. This was the start of a close business relationship that would last for decades. “Rudolf Loh paid us a visit in our living room,” recalls Udo Plenge, whose father founded the company. Together, Rudolf and Udo’s father deliberated what the ideal enclosure would consist of. “Rittal has never let Plenge down.” The Rittal sales representative occasionally turned up at the factory with a trailer to collect the finished enclosures directly from the machine and deliver them to Plenge himself.