NORMBAU - from family business to a medium-sized company of the INGERSOLL RAND GROUP.
In 1954 Dieter Dieckmann left his father's company in Iserlohn to found a new company in Renchen named NORMBAU.
In 1961 the production of architechtural hardware in Nylon, such as coloured Nylon door furniture began . Pretty soon, people became aware of the incredible qualities of this new material, its natural strength and its ability to be shaped to any form. Well-known designers such as Louis L. Lepoix, Gilles Thevenot and Hans-Erich Slany were commissioned to design some of the building products of NORMBAU. The structure and the instrinsic qualities of Nylon (polyamide) supplied the basic conditions to g enerate many aesthetical design ideas and have characterised and distinguished the particular style created by the NORMBAU-designers in the hardware industry and interior design. A complete new product line made of Nylon was exhibited for the first time at the International Hardware Fair in Cologne in 1962, setting up a milestone in the architectural hardware industry and underlining the breakthrough of Nylon as a new building material. Nylon offers extraordinary advantages, not solely due to its ability to be shaped to any form, but also due to the fact that it can be easily processed. Production is entirely automated, using robots and NC-machines. The finished products show either a structured or a smooth surface and are available in a wide choice of brilliant colours.
The NORMBAU plant produces on an area of approximately 9,500 m² not only a wide range of "classical" architectural hardware, but also letter-boxes, a complete railing system for handrails and balustrades, a complete system for toilet partitions and cubicles, sanitary products and a support system for people with special needs.
In the following years, the factory expanded rapidly. A design and engineering office was created in addition to an already existing mould making department. New apprentices were systematically employed and instructed to provide future successors.
In 1979 the NORMBAU-family celebrated the 25th anniversary of the company.The celebration was not the occasion to look back to past achievements but to forecast the future marketing strategy and plan new outlets. Subsidiaries, in addition to Normbau France, were opened in Austria, Spain and in the U.S.A. With an export rate of 45% and world-wide activities the firm switched to its future path. An external general director was engaged and in
1989 the decision was taken to become a member of the British group Newman Tonks of Birmingham. This company, whose shares were quoted at the London stock-exchange, was a long-time partner of NORMBAU and acquired a number of companies and related businesses in building products and architectural hardware. 32 companies based in Great Britain, seven in the U.S.A. and seven on the Continent belonged to the Group.
By choosing a consolidation with the group Newman Tonks, NORMBAU opted for further expansion and ongoing investment with a view to the forthcoming European Community of 1993. This consolidation allowed NORMBAU to continue its work with far-reaching independency and at the same time a larger base for an extension of market shares and securing of employment.
In 1992 it was decided by the Newman Tonks Group in Birmingham that NORMBAU in Renchen would be the Continental Centre of the group.
Therefore, in 1993 a new modern logistics centre with a roofed area of 2.500 m² was built in Renchen. This logistics centre comprised a pallet shelf stock, a commission stock and a packaging and a dispatch department.
Also in 1993 - after completion of the logistics centre - a new product range was added: architectural hardware in stainless steel as well as door closers and floor springs.
At the beginning of 1994 a new production facility - to the latest state of the art technology - for pull handles, handrails and balustrades manufactured from stainless steel was established. Since 1996 a material combi-
nation of Nylon and stainless steel was produced. In 1994 the company was renamed NORMBAU Beschläge und Ausstattungs GmbH. The company now employs about 320 people. The production surface is about 12.000 m²
and the product range includes door levers, pull handles, grab bars, handrails, balustrades, sanitary fittings and bathroom accessories as well as products for people with special needs.
In 1997 the Newman Tonks Group was acquired by the Ingersoll Rand Group based in Woodcliff Lake, NJ, U.S.A. This take-over created the world's biggest group in the hardware and lock industry. In the U.S.A. belong to the group the following market leading brands: LCN (door closers), Von Duprin (panic devices) and Schlage (locks).
The acquisition of Newman Tonks offered to Ingersoll-Rand access to the European markets and presents the base for further strategic company take-overs.
Since 2000 Interflex GmbH, which is one of the leading companies to offer recognition systems has been acquired, therefore expanding the product range by modern systems and technologies.
NORMBAU today has an export share of over 55% and is expanding in all important world markets. New potentials and possibilities are created with innovations like NORMBAU Antibacterial Protection®, PegaSys Access Conrol and NORMBAU Tactile Architecture - Accessibility for All - Bathroom Fittings.
The acquisition of Newman Tonks offered to Ingersoll-Rand access to the European markets and presents the base for further strategic company take-overs.