Six eventful decades
The history of Endress+Hauser
Growing from a small business to one of the largest instrumentation suppliers worldwide, Endress+Hauser has experienced both turbulent times and rampant growth. However, sustainable success has been at its core throughout.
1953 The company L. Hauser KG is founded in Lörrach, Germany, on 1 February 1953. It sells the Tektor and Telstor level meters made by the British company Fielden Electronics.
1955 Georg H Endress files his first patent at the Swiss Federal Office for Intellectual Property.
1956 Launch of Nivotester and Silometer. The devices are produced in a former carpentry workshop in Lörrach.
1957 The young company takes the name Endress+Hauser. Turnover exceeds 1 million Deutschemarks.
1960 Space-saving transistors replace electronic tubes.
1960 First sales centers open abroad, in the Netherlands and Switzerland; France and Belgium follow soon after.
1960 Exhibition on wheels: a minibus takes the product portfolio to the customer.
1961 The company, with 120 employees, moves to new premises in Maulburg, Germany.
1965 Endress+Hauser unveils its first flowmeter.
1968 A holding company is founded in Basel. Net sales exceed 13 million DM. Two years later the Group expands into the United States and – through a share in tank gauging specialist Sakura – to Japan.
1974 The oil crisis impacts Endress+Hauser’s finances heavily. 74 of 710 employees are temporarily laid off. In 1975 Ludwig Hauser dies at the age of 80. The Endress family becomes sole shareholder.
1976 Takeover of Wetzer (measurement registration) in Nesselwang. Endress+Hauser Flowtec (flow measurement engineering) is founded in Reinach. Acquisition of Conducta in Gerlingen (liquid analysis).
1984 Strong in research and development: computers were a common sight at Endress+Hauser.
1984 Advanced know-how: Endress+Hauser acquires early expertise in calibration.
1984 Honor for the company founder: Georg H Endress is awarded the German Federal Cross of Merit First Class.
1989 Focus on Asia: after Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore, sales centers in Thailand, China, Korea and India follow.
1989 Development progressing fast. PCBs and electronic components growing smaller and more complex.
1990 With 4,000 employees the company’s net sales cross the 500 million Swiss franc mark. With new subsidiaries in Canada and Spain the company now has a total of 20 sales centers.
1995 The company founder’s sons: Klaus Endress – here with his brothers Urs, Hans-Peter and George (from left) – takes over the operative management of the group of companies from his father.
1999 New production facilities in Aurangabad, India. Establishment of Endress+Hauser Process Solutions (automation solutions) in Reinach.
2005 Foundation stone ceremony: the construction work for the new headquarters in Reinach is in full swing.
2006 The Endress family shareholders draw up their own charter.
2008 Company founder Dr Georg H Endress dies aged 84.
2009 Bundled production know-how: In Suzhou, China, Endress+Hauser assembles pressure, level, flow and temperature measuring devices.
2010 Expansion in the States: At the Greenwood Campus (Indiana) Endress+Hauser puts a new facility for the production and calibration of flowmeters into operation.
2012 A new production center opens in Itatiba, Brazil. Acquisition of the US company SpectraSensors (gas analysis).
2013 With the acquisition of Analytik Jena (Germany) and Kaiser Optical Systems (USA), Endress+Hauser is further developing its offering in the fields of analytics.
2014 Matthias Altendorf takes over as CEO of the Endress+Hauser Group from Klaus Endress. The Endress+Hauser Group employs approximately 12,000 people.
2016 Endress+Hauser sells the two-millionth electromagnetic flowmeter.
2017 The company bolsters its flow portfolio with the acquisition of SensAction AG, a German manufacturer of innovative systems for measuring the concentration of liquids.
In 1953, two seemingly different men came together to set up a new company in a private apartment in Lörrach, Germany: One was the Swiss engineer Georg H Endress, just 29 years old, tall and strong; the other was 58-year-old German bank manager Ludwig Hauser, clearly older and slim in stature.
A strong team
However, these unlikely business partners proved to be a perfect match. Endress’ vision and Hauser’s caution proved to be the cornerstones of success. The young engineer clearly saw the opportunities that the new electronic level measurement technology had to offer. Until then, measured values had to be read and gauged by hand. The experienced banker took a careful approach to business and steered the company safely through the turbulent early years.
The early days
The starting capital of L Hauser KG was 2,000 Deutschemarks. The first ‘operating facility’ was in a room in Hauser’s apartment in Lörrach. Incidentally, the firm’s name came from Ludwig Hauser’s wife Luise: the entry in the commercial register of 10 February 1953 lists her as shareholder. The company first traded under the name Endress+Hauser in 1957.
Generation change
Georg H Endress led the company for four decades. He opened up new markets and fields of application, developing the company - specializing in level measurement and growing into a supplier of complete solutions for the processing industry. By 1995, when he handed the management of the company over to his second eldest son, Klaus, the backroom business had grown into a global company with 4,300 employees.
Enhancing product basket and company culture
Klaus Endress (born 1948) purposefully continued his father’s work and developed it, over time leaving his own managerial mark. He successfully met the challenges of a globalized world, recognizing the significance of services and solutions. Klaus Endress continued his commitment to a strong company culture and followed the strategy of sustainable growth.
Change at the top
On 1 January 2014, Matthias Altendorf (born 1967) took over as CEO of the Endress+Hauser Group from Klaus Endress, who became President of the Supervisory Board. Mr Altendorf promotes digitalization and applications for the Industrial Internet of Things and is further developing the offering in the field of laboratory and process analysis.
Endress+Hauser owns subsidiaries on all six continents. Today the Group employs a workforce of more than 14,300 employees in production, sales and services worldwide, generating net sales of over 2.6 billion euros.