Novoferm, one of Europe's largest system suppliers for doors, gates, frames and operators, is celebrating its 60th birthday this spring. Behind this milestone anniversary is the great success story of an innovative company, founded on 10 March 1955 from small beginnings in Isselburg-Werth on the Lower Rhine to the internationally significant group of companies it is today. With locations throughout Europe, but also in Asia and sales areas all over the world. Just recently, the company was the third-largest exhibitor at the world's leading construction trade fair, BAU in Munich. The outlook for the future is optimistic. The company is well positioned. Novoferm is convinced that the global demand for high-quality building products and customised solutions will continue to grow. However, success is not a foregone conclusion. According to Rainer Schackmann, CEO of Novoferm, continuous product innovations and a constant increase in the efficiency of company processes are required in order to remain competitive.
The history of Novoferm is also an impressive story of the German economic miracle. It began in 1955 on the Lower Rhine as Isselwerk Werth GmbH, founded by partners Bernhard Sandscheper and Peter Hoffmann. The two recognised the great opportunities offered by industrially prefabricated metal and steel construction products at an early stage and began producing doors, gates, railings, windows, spreader rollers and stacking racks in Isselburg-Werth.
This was soon followed by the production of handcrafted frames. The company grew and expanded. As early as 1962, a further plant was opened in Haldern for the production of fire doors was opened. The company progressed step by step. A success that did not go unnoticed in the industry. In 1970, the Dortmund-based steel group Hoesch AG initially acquired a 25% stake. In 1990, the group took over the company as a whole.
Expansion in Europe - out into the world
With the takeover by Hoesch AG and the changing markets in Europe, the progressive internationalisation of the company began. Initially with two company takeovers in France, a foundation in Spain and the establishment of own sales companies in the Netherlands, Poland, Hungary and Switzerland. This period also saw Isselwerke GmbH & Co KG change its name to "Novoferm GmbH".
In Germany, Siebau Siegener Stahlbauten GmbH and Riexinger Türenwerke GmbH were subsequently added. In 1998, one of the most modern sectional door-in Europe was opened in Dortmund. But the Novoferm Group also continued to grow internationally, for example in Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Romania, the Czech Republic and Korea. Only recently, in 2014, the Dutch company Alpha Deuren, one of the most renowned sectional door manufacturers in Europe, was taken over. With around 2,000 employees, the Novoferm Group now has a total of 18 production sites in Europe, two in Asia and 20 of its own sales companies in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Russia and Asia.
The Novoferm Group was sold by ThyssenKrupp (Hoesch) in October 2003. Today it belongs to the Japanese Sanwa Shutter Corp, the world's number one supplier of steel door and gate systems.
High-quality system products - customised solutions
Thanks to the consistent internationalisation of the past decades, Novoferm products are now present and highly sought after in many of tomorrow's growth markets. Thanks to its inventive spirit, the company has repeatedly succeeded in setting sustainable trends with pioneering developments and products. For example, with the new generation of fire protection doors for Europe, NovoPorta Premio, which was recently presented at the BAU trade fair.
Today, Novoferm's sophisticated and high-quality product portfolio includes, for example
- Operators
- Garage doors such as sectional doors and up-and-over doors
- Steel doors as fire and smoke protection doors
- Security doors, tubular frame doors made of aluminium and steel, interior doors, special doors, multi-purpose doors
- Industrial doors, industrial sectional doors, roller shutters and roller grilles, high-speed doors, multi-purpose doors
- Cargo doors, loading systems and locks, dock levellers, adjustment ramps, door seals
- Masonry and stud frames
Novoferm strives to offer customised solutions that maximise quality, safety, comfort and aesthetics. No less important for the company's success is the reliable cooperation with partners in the market - supported by a sales concept that combines high customer satisfaction and exemplary service.
The prospects
Globalisation has long since arrived in the Lower Rhine region. The exciting thing today is the question of how companies deal with the resulting opportunities and challenges. The Novoferm quality brand has a positive outlook for the future. Thanks to its group structure, the company has been internationally positioned for a long time and can now optimally utilise the resulting synergies. In corporate practice, country-specific competences, for example in the areas of development, production or marketing, are deliberately removed from their respective national isolation and brought together in order to achieve the best possible result for the market as a whole. A sustainable development strategy is part of the corporate philosophy.
Germany remains indispensable as a reference market, as the German market has an excellent reputation worldwide. It is considered to be particularly demanding. Continuous innovations ensure higher quality, new functionality and improved cost-effectiveness.
"Novoferm is well positioned in its anniversary year," summarises Rainer Schackmann, Chairman of the Management Board. "We will continue to consistently pursue our growth strategies in the future. The basis for this is our comprehensive system expertise, the solid growth of recent years and the trusting cooperation with our partners in the market."
A recipe for success that has already proven itself in the past.
