Milestones

en route to becoming a market leader

Innovation Made in Germany – The 1960s

• 1961: Invention of the standard enclosure: AE is the very first model; foundation of Rittal
• 1964: First Rittal agency abroad, in the Netherlands
• 1969: Production of the large enclosure RS begins

Rapid internationalisation – the 1970s

• 1971: First Rittal subsidiary in Sweden
• 1974: Friedhelm Loh becomes CEO
• 1977: Company headquarters relocated to Herborn
• 1979: Further subsidiaries established in Europe

Expansion overseas – the 1980s

• 1982: Introduction of the power distribution division
• 1982: Establishment of a Rittal subsidiary with its own production site in the USA
• 1983: Introduction of the climate control division
• 1984: Own production site in England
• 1985: Market launch of the new PS 4000 enclosure – becomes a global standard in just three years
• 1988: Tapping into the future market of IT with a new product line

The big quality campaign – the 1990s

• 1991: Start of involvement in the new German states, delivery centre in Bad Köstritz
• 1993: Start of expansion to eastern Europe and Asia
• 1994: Certification to ISO 9001 and 1997: ISO 14001
• 1997: Modern forwarding warehouse in Haiger
• 1999: Introduction of the TS 8 enclosure platform

Global standards – the new millennium

• 2004: New RimatriX5 system solution for data centres
• 2007: Launch of Rittal Service International
• 2008: Consulting, products and services combined into "Rittal – The System." based on the TS 8 system platform
• 2011: The company's 50th birthday; TS 8 is a global standard, with over 7.7 million units in use