E-book: history_en
D The History of Dräger Johann Heinrich Dräger (1847 –1917) Dr. Bernhard Dräger (1870 –1928) Dr. Heinrich Dräger (1898 –1986) Contents The Early Years: From Inventor’s Workshop 04 to Medical and Safety Technology Specialist Turbulent Times: Between Innovation Challenges 10 and Political Constraints New Beginnings: Transformation to a Modern 20 Technology Group Globalization: Realignment as a Global 30 Technology Leader Dr. Christian Dräger (* 1934) Theo Dräger (* 1938) Stefan Dräger (* 1963) Technology for Life for over 120 years Dräger is technology for life. Every day we take on the responsibility and put all our passion, know-how and experience into making life better: With outstanding, pioneering technology which is 100 percent driven by life. We do it for all the people around the world who entrust their lives to our technology, for the environment and for our common future. The key to the continued success of the Company, based in Lübeck, Germany, is its clear focus on the promising growth industries of medical and safety technology, its early expansi- on to international markets, and above all, the trust it has built and maintains with custo- mers, employees, shareholders, and the general public. The Company has always been managed by entrepreneurial members of the Dräger family, who have responsibly met new challenges while never losing sight of the vision: Johann Heinrich Dräger, Dr. Bernhard Dräger, Dr. Heinrich Dräger, Dr. Christian Dräger, Theo Dräger, and now Stefan Dräger. Healthy growth has consistently remained the main objective of the family business and shapes decisions within the Company even now. Founded in 1889 by Johann Heinrich Dräger, the family business has been headed in the fifth generation by CEO Stefan Dräger since 2005. Like his predecessors, he is firmly com- mitted to the Company’s four fundamental values: close customer relationships, continuous innovation, high quality, and competence on the part of each and every employee. These are the Company’s strengths and characterize the Dräger brand to this day. 3 The Early Years: From Inventor’s Workshop to Medical and Safety Technology Specialist 4 Around 1900 The “Old Factory” on Moislinger Allee, Lübeck. 5 1889– 99 1891 The postman delivers the patent for the ^ Lubeca valve to Johann Heinrich Dräger. › 1889 The patent specification: the Lubeca valve establishes the Company’s technological leadership in gas pressure regulation. Rise in sales and Launch of manometer The original beer vending Competitor valves – further Founding of the workshop and move to two-shift production machine proves a hit on the development of the basic shop “Dräger & Gerling” production market technology Lubeca reducing valve for the re- duction of carbon dioxide pressure Heinrich Dräger becomes sole proprietor Bernhard Dräger joins the Company as a designer 6 For the first time, it is possible to precisely control the removal 1889 of carbon dioxide from a high-pressure tank, even though the The first patent Lubeca valve is very light: Dräger’s product weighs just two kilograms, while competitors’ are considerably heavier. This first When the 42-year-old businessman Johann Heinrich Dräger patent changes the fledgling company’s business. founds “Dräger und Gerling” with a business partner in Lübeck on January 1, 1889, he can already look back on what for his Heinrich Dräger, a mechanic at heart, makes the risky decision time is an exemplary career. After the premature death of his not to sell his invention, but rather to produce and sell it himself. father, a watchmaker, he is raised by his mother in modest And rightly so – the trading company consequently flourishes to circumstances in a village on the Elbe, where he attends the become an industrial enterprise. local school. The Industrial Revolution and period of promoterism, however, hold opportunities of which the talented and ambitious mechanic does not fail to take advantage. Starting with minor 1899 repairs, he eventually carves out a niche for himself in Lübeck Oxygen is the future society as a businessman dealing in all types of machines, which earns him the name “self, the made man” in his lodge. Yet his Oxygen – this is the topic of the future that provides the founder’s career is merely a portent of things to come in the Dräger son, Bernhard Dräger, with what is still the Company’s guiding success story. principle today: Technology for Life. He recognizes the potential of an imminent market, one that at the turn of the century has only The business of the newly founded company is the sale of just begun to emerge thanks to technical innovations such as the equipment and innovations, such as beer tap systems that use use of compressed oxygen for medicine and safety. Bernhard compressed carbon dioxide. Though it has been possible since Dräger discovers that the principle of pressure reduction has the second half of the 19th century to fill steel tanks with high- applications as a basic technology that can be used in a variety pressure gas, the problem of removing the gas in a controlled of products, from soldering and welding equipment to ventilation and safe manner at low pressure remains. Even the equipment and respiratory apparatus. He becomes the top inventor in his sold by Dräger barely lives up to its task: the flow of gas, and father’s business, putting his knowledge from his studies of therefore of beer, is uncontrollable and uneven; the valves are chemistry and physics directly to use at the growing company, often faulty and require repair. Dissatisfied with the available which under his lead initiates extensive research and develop- technology, Mr. Dräger and his son Bernhard, who has just ment at the end of the nineties. The first results of specific qualified as a mechanic, begin searching for a solution. The product development are launched on the market in 1899: the result, the Lubeca valve, is far superior to its predecessors. oxygen/hydrogen machine, a reduction valve for proportioning oxygen and hydrogen, and the finimeter, a high-pressure mano- meter used to view the exact fill level in oxygen tanks – crucial for all those whose life depends on oxygen from a tank. Establishment of the “Hülfe” Realization of an industrial Heinrich Dräger is born Autogenous welding and Finimeter and oxygen/ company hardship fund standard for connection (July 2, 1898) cutting torch hydrogen machine thread Construction of the Dräger Pressure suction jet oxygen factory on Moislinger Allee in Basic research on oxygen injector Lübeck proportioning Collaboration with Dr. Otto Roth (surgeon) 7 1900 – 09 1902 1906 The taming of anesthesia The Courrières mining disaster Professor Otto Roth presents one of the world’s first anesthesia On March 10, a massive explosion convulses a coal mine near the machines with continuous oxygen feed to the German Congress of French town of Courrières. Around 1,600 men are working under- Surgeons in Berlin. Until now, the imprecise proportioning of gases ground at the time. There is an immediate call for aid; German in anesthesia has resulted in dreaded side effects: patients are sus- mine rescue teams are among those that rush to help their fellow ceptible during operations to insufficient oxygen, respiratory arrest, miners in France, an act of solidarity that causes quite a stir in and circulatory failure. The Roth-Dräger anesthesia machine is the these nationalistic times. But rescue comes too late for most of first to successfully and reliably enable a controlled mix of oxygen the miners: over 1,000 die in an inferno of flames, poisonous and anesthetics, such as ether and chloroform, thus making it gases, collapsed mine walls, and floods. Yet, day after day, men possible to tame the anesthesia process. A milestone in the history continue to be saved by the French rescue teams, who are of medical operations and an important financial success for the equipped with Dräger breathing apparatus. Two years earlier, in Company: in the ten years that follow, 1,500 Roth-Dräger anesthesia 1904, Bernhard Dräger had conducted a series of tests that machines are sold throughout the world, establishing Drägerwerk’s corrected insufficient data on the respiratory requirements of international reputation as a medical technology pioneer. Another humans. The tests resulted in the first serviceable breathing important result for the Company is the success of its close apparatus, which was then enhanced in close cooperation with interdisciplinary collaboration with medical practitioners – a path it mine rescuers. Bernhard Dräger himself travels to Courrières to will continue to pursue. experience at first hand the working conditions of the rescue ‹‹ 1904 Breathing apparatus development begins with physiological studies. ‹ 1906 Mine rescue worker with breathing apparatus at the scene of the accident in Courrières, France. Oxygen supply apparatus for Oxyhydrogen lamp Roth-Dräger anesthesia First safety welding torch 1904/09 breathing apparatus high-altitude flights apparatus for miners (draegermen) Simulation system for dives Technology transfer: Portable oxygen inhalation to 200 meters Launch of profit-sharing systematic development of device arrangement new areas for application Establishment of Drägerwerk, Physiological studies for Heinr. & Bernh. Dräger respiratory protection 8 ^ 1902 Otto Roth (third from left) with teams underground. The new possibilities offered by Dräger the Roth-Dräger anesthesia apparatus. equipment, which proves to be spectacularly effective in numerous mining disasters in Europe and the US, give the Company such a technological edge in the field that US mine rescue workers become known as “draegermen.” individuals who have lost consciousness from lack of oxygen, impro- ving the chances of survival for accident victims who earlier often could not be saved. Dräger itself describes reports of resuscitation using the Pulmotor as “fantastic.” The Pulmotor marks the Company’s 1909 first great commercial success, over the life cycle of which Survival through serial production Drägerwerk will implement the effective, technologically sophisticated use of oxygen as a basic therapy in various areas of medical and The Pulmotor respirator becomes a top seller for the fledgling safety technology. company – only two years after it was designed by Johann Heinrich Dräger and developed together with his son Bernhard. This major success is attributable to new technological advances: the easily transportable Pulmotor is the first device capable of resuscitating Carbon dioxide sensor Braun-Dräger positive Pulmotor Dräger-Wiss acetylene High-altitude oxygen pressure machine welding torch breathing apparatus for Air purification system for Soda-lime cartridge for balloon flights submarines Hydrogen cutting torch purifying breathing air Dräger burnout protection Diving rebreather for submarine crews Establishment of Draeger Oxygen 9 Apparatus Co., New York, US Turbulent Times: Between Innovation Challenges and Political Constraints 10 1910 Workers at an iron ore mine of the United States Steel Corporation. “To be a draegerman is to look death in the eye at a mine disaster and rescue lives from fire, explosions, floods and cave-ins” (author Clara Dennis in “The Quest for the Soul of Nova Scotia,” about a visit to the draegermen in Stellarton, Nova Scotia, Canada). 11 1910–19 1913 A pilot is treated using a ^ Pulmotor. ›› 1913 Underwater simulation system for testing the world’s first hoseless diving apparatus. › 1917 Female workers on the breathing apparatus production line. Roth-Dräger mixed Roth-Dräger-Krönig positive Bernhard Dräger becomes Dräger Tübben self-rescuer Export quota of 40% anesthesia apparatus pressure mixed anesthesia sole proprietor (Canada and US) World altitude record for apparatus Oxygen injector apparatus Dräger combined anesthesia airplanes (6,120 m) set with Establishment of Company Model 1910/11 Systematic dives machine Dräger high-altitude breathing unemployment insurance plan apparatus Hoseless diving apparatus Start of WWI Opening of new factory building 12 1911 1914 The sinking of the German Empire’s U3 submarine 40 percent exports On January 17, the U3 sinks in Kiel harbor. One of its ballast In the last year of peace, exports – especially to the US – account tanks is accidentally flooded, and 30 submariners are trapped in for 40 percent of production. Continuous innovation and product the vessel. Thanks to air purification technology developed by improvement cement the position of Dräger products on inter- Dräger since 1905, the crew is able to survive until a floating national markets: between 1909 and 1912 alone, Dräger registers crane half lifts the sunken vessel out of the water. 27 sailors 46 German and 35 international patents. A subsidiary, Dräger manage to escape to safety through a torpedo barrel; only the Oxygen Apparatus Co., is established in New York as early as officers trapped in the tower fail to survive the accident. Crew 1907. This international base makes the outbreak of the First safety on the early generations of submarines is an obvious new World War a particularly drastic event for Drägerwerk: many of its field of activity for Drägerwerk. It is Dräger’s 1907 soda-lime international sales markets are lost, to be replaced by the demands cartridge, which can be used to bind large quantities of expelled of war-time production. carbon dioxide, that saves the lives of the sailors onboard the U3. 1916 1913 Gas warfare on the Western Front A factory with a “beneficial working environment” After graduating early from secondary school, Heinrich Dräger, When Bernhard Dräger opens the doors to his modern, high-rise Bernhard Dräger’s oldest son, is drafted into the Empire’s army factory made of reinforced concrete, he sees a building that and serves in a field artillery regiment on the Western Front. embodies his relationship with his employees: surrounded by Thanks to his Dräger respiratory protection, the young soldier sur- greens, the building features spacious, sunlit rooms, wide corridors vives several gas attacks. In 1915, Drägerwerk begins developing and staircases, modern elevators, a telephone network, and respiratory protection apparatus at the request of the Prussian War generous sanitary facilities. These progressive working conditions Ministry. Over the course of the war, a total of 4.6 million of these are complemented by the social security measures offered to respiratory protection devices are manufactured. Enormous demand employees and their families from the outset: as early as 1897, for military and civilian use triggers a growth spurt: headcount Johann Heinrich Dräger founds the “Hülfe” company hardship fund, grows from 300 to 2,000; new buildings are constructed; produc- and in 1910, a company for the financing of employee homes; tion, previously characterized by manual structures, is upscaled to in 1914, Bernhard Dräger establishes company unemployment mass production. The war quickly transforms the Company into a insurance. competitive industrial operation, while the war’s end precipitates the collapse of production. High losses, mass layoffs, and plant closures follow. Mass production of Start of gas warfare on the Johann Heinrich Dräger Workforce increases to more Circuit system and absorber breathing masks Western Front dies (May 29, 1917) than 2,000 cartridge New factory building, new November Revolution in Existential crisis due to administrative headquarters Germany and end of war demobilization 13 1920 – 29 ^ 1924 Sales to new export markets: breathing apparatus 1923 prior to shipment to the USSR. Times of crisis Inflation and economic crisis force the Company to close its plant 1924 and lay off all its workers. After the end of the war, the market for Dräger products shrinks; the Company is forced to turn to the Draegerogen: life-saving air for every miner manufacture of alternative products such as linen, clothing, and The BG 1924 respiratory device for miners is a miniature curtains. In the meantime, numerous competitors copy the pro- revolution. Before, it was a major problem to optimally proportion ducts developed in Lübeck. Bernhard Dräger counters the loss oxygen volumes both constantly and appropriately to the of international patents, which hit the Company hard, with strong individual lung with portable respiratory equipment. The new product innovation. This strategy helps the Company regain a technology solves this problem and quickly becomes the foothold in its old markets in the early twenties. Closure in 1923 standard. Another milestone is the development of the is another setback, but sales stabilize in 1924. But it will be 1928 Draegerogen – a light, easy-to-use breathing apparatus that does before the Company recovers sufficiently to achieve a headcount not require an oxygen tank and is therefore ideal for miners of 300. First rebreathing anesthesia Spearheading of the First central gas supply apparatus for acetylene introduction of DIN standard system for connections BG 1924 closed-circuit breathing apparatus for mining Cylinderless Draegerogen escape apparatus 14 1923 Economic crisis: workers picket at the factory gates. ^ › 1924 An advertising poster for the BG 1924 breathing apparatus. fleeing to safety. The main component of this apparatus is a 1928 potassium superoxide cartridge that releases oxygen for up to one hour upon contact with breath – another example of Customer retention in the age of transatlantic steamers technology that is still used for mining safety today. Bernhard Dräger passes away in 1928. His son Heinrich, who has a doctorate in agricultural economics, takes over at the helm of the Company. That same year, he travels for three months 1926 through the US and Canada to familiarize himself with these key Closed-circuit system: new standards in the operating room markets. He visits the Company’s traditional customers, such as hospitals, mines, and large fire departments, and gets to know Laughing gas, superior to chloroform, begins to enjoy widespread Drägerwerk’s representatives. In the thirties, he travels use in operating rooms around the world. However, it is very extensively in the US, the Soviet Union, and other countries. expensive, helping to make the closed-circuit system introduced The cultivation of international customers and their domestic by Dräger in 1926 very popular. Technology based on the markets becomes another success factor for Drägerwerk. principle of rebreathing is already in use in mining, allowing Heinrich Dräger emphatically steers the Company toward the miners to inhale oxygen they have already exhaled and thus global market – up to 50 percent of its products are exported. continue working. This principle is now applied to anesthesia, This strategy proves extremely foresightful during the Great and Model A becomes the first closed-circuit anesthesia machine Depression: as domestic demand plummets, foreign sales limit to be mass produced. A new kind of carbon dioxide absorber the extent of losses. purifies the exhaled air, which is then fed back into the machine; controlled positive pressure respiration is also possible. A milestone in the history of anesthesia, Model A already has all the features we expect of modern-day anesthesia machines. Carbon dioxide/air inhalation Model A anesthesia Chemical generation of Bernhard Dräger dies Dräger light metal cylinders unit apparatus oxygen (January 12, 1928) for respiratory protection Closed-circuit apparatus for Temporary closure; two-thirds Basis for gas detection Revenue growth: another Dr. Heinrich Dräger takes rescue divers of workforce dismissed systems 300 employees over as head of the Company Establishment of chemistry Dr. Heinrich Dräger joins the department Company 15 1930 – 39 1931 1932 The conquest of the stratosphere Morgenrot – an underwater drama The Swiss explorer and physicist Auguste Piccard ascends to the A German submarine sinks. There are ten men onboard, but only previously uncharted height of 15,781 meters in a balloon basket eight diving rebreathers they can use to leave the submerged made of light metal alloy. Breathing is not possible at this submarine. The dramatic storyline of the UFA film “Morgenrot” altitude. This dangerous experiment is made possible in part by (1932) illustrates the significance for submarine fleet crews of the Dräger technology – a newly developed air purification system respiratory technology perfected by Dräger that very year: in the and liquid oxygen breathing apparatus accompany the researcher event of a disaster, it was their only chance of survival. Drägerwerk on his expeditions. His flight marks the beginning of a new era in developed its first submarine rebreather as early as 1907, and exploration: previously unobtainable depths at sea and in space Bernhard and Johann Heinrich Dräger introduced the first portable suddenly become more accessible. The basis for these steps into diving apparatus in 1912. It was an important innovation, though at the unknown is the rapid development of respiratory technology, first glance there was little to distinguish it from conventional in which Drägerwerk plays a major role. Dräger produces the first helmet diving equipment. The main difference: the equipment no high-altitude breathing apparatus for balloon flights in 1912, and longer included back weights or the air hose that previously in 1914, the same technology helps to set an early world altitude connected the diver to a supply vessel. These were replaced by record for planes. Later, the technology will be further refined for two oxygen tanks and an absorber. For the first time, divers could use in military planes during the Second World War. move freely under water for up to 40 minutes. In 1939, based on the diving rebreather, the diving and film pioneer Hans Hass will start developing the direct predecessor of modern-day diving apparatus together with Dräger engineers. 1937 The “people’s gas mask” – more arms orders than ever before On June 5, Hermann Göring, the Third Reich officer responsible for the Four-Year Plan, announces the introduction of a “people’s gas mask.” The mask costs five reichsmark, and people are taught how to use and look after them with courses and brochures. ‹ Fortunately, the people’s gas mask never sees use in a real 1932 The diving rebreather – standard life-saving equipment emergency situation. As of 1933/34, the Reichswehr Ministry for submarine crews. places more and more orders with Dräger for a military rescuer based on the tried-and-tested mine self-rescuer. These orders pose a problem for Heinrich Dräger: a new plant is needed only for the production of the military rescuer. After the experiences of the First World War, however, he is wary of establishing surplus Liquid oxygen converter for Collaboration with Professor Oxygen system for Model 160 breathing Expansion to Group in “first Auguste Piccard (high altitude stratospheric flights parachutists apparatus for miners Four-Year Plan” and deep sea researcher) Establishment of money Dräger counter-lung escape Carbon monoxide detection Dr. Tiegel-Dräger ether vapor and banking study group unit for submarine crews instrument anesthesia machine by Dr. Heinrich Dräger – Keynesian lobby Financial support for Dräger light gas cylinders employee living quarters Dr. Heinrich Dräger becomes 16 sole proprietor ^ 1931 Auguste Piccard sets off on his record-breaking flight into the stratosphere. capacity. Back then, concentrating on the production of nothing production – successfully: despite exploding military sales, civil but arms led to large profits, but it also almost ended in production still accounts for 47 percent of total sales, even as arms bankruptcy for the Company. Also, the government’s autarchic efforts reached their height in 1939. That same year, however, the policy and the looming war pose a threat to the position of the development of civil products is stopped. As a result, the Company export-oriented business on the global market – a position it has lags behind the international competition in terms of technology just managed to win back. At the same time, too much restraint after the war. means sacrificing the domestic market to competitors. Drägerwerk therefore endeavors to strike a balance between military and civil Dräger tubes for mobile gas Hardship fund for illness, MÜ type positive pressure Dr. Heinrich Dräger aids Start of WWII detection death, and other mixed anesthesia apparatus persons persecuted by the emergencies Third Reich Expansion of production of High-altitude breathing respiratory protection devices apparatus for military aircraft Number of employees Start of production of exceeds 5,000 “people’s gas mask” 17 1940 – 49 1943 High altitude breathing apparatus for military aircraft. ^ offer to employ concentration camp prisoners when it is made to 1941 him by the Reich’s Armament Ministry in 1944. At the same time, Forced labor at Dräger, too he shields Jewish company employees, such as the philosopher Hans Blumenberg, from the grasp of National Socialist The employment of forced laborers is a dark chapter in authorities. He is one of the few in the industry to take this Germany’s industrial history. It was systematically organized by stance, and in doing so, incurs the strong disapproval of the the National Socialist government to replace industrial workers Ministry. Only after heavy pressure from the war office does he sent to the front and thus sustain war production. In 1944, allow a field camp of the Neuengamme concentration camp, with around a quarter of all workers employed in industry in Germany 500 work prisoners, to be set up at the Company’s Hamburg- were forced labor. At Drägerwerk, 1,200 of 7,000 employees are Wandsbek operation. As at all field camps of this kind, the forced laborers; they are civilians, mostly from occupied countries prisoners are under the control of SS teams. Drägerwerk has in the east - the Soviet Union, Poland, and Yugoslavia. The 50 little influence on their treatment. With Company support, the prisoners of war are the minority. Heinrich Dräger turns down the technical manager of the plant nonetheless continues to do his best to protect eastern European workers from SS harassment, and as a result, suffers reprisals himself. Shortly before the end of the war, Dräger manages to delay the closure of the camp to protect the prisoners from deportation. Cost-effective Model 10 Break in civil development Interruption of production Standard oxygen system for 22 production plants with compressed air breathing work due to military following air attack military planes some 7,000 employees apparatus for short-term use production Conflict over employment of concentration camp prisoners 18 1947 The prototype of the iron lung. ^ › 1942 Female forced laborers on the particle filter mask production line at the Wandsbek factory. At the end of the eighties, Drägerwerk is one of the first British army takes control of Drägerwerk. The production of companies to resurrect and address the issue of forced labor; respiratory protection devices for miners and welding torches for it also contributes to the German foundation for forced labor the reconstruction of the railroad network recommence the same compensation. month; a year later, the Company introduces the first new laughing gas anesthesia machine, Model D. The war nonetheless has a devastating impact on the Company – employee numbers fall to 900, and due to the loss of important patents, the Company 1947 is unable to close the gap between itself and foreign competitors. The battle against polio A major global epidemic of polio breaks out in the wake of the war. Many patients need constant help breathing for long periods of time – but conventional respiratory equipment is not designed for long-term use. The iron lung is one of the first technologies to be developed for civil use in Lübeck after the war, and significantly increases the survival rate of patients with respiratory paralysis due to polio. Following capitulation in May 1945, the Plant closure and mass Recommencement of Iron lung prototype Formation of a general works New start following currency redundancies breathing apparatus (polio therapy) council reform production for miners Integrated multi-gas Model D O2-NO2 anesthesia anesthesia technology apparatus 19 20 New Beginnings: Transformation to a Modern Technology Group 1958 Dräger’s stand at a Hanover trade fair. 21 1950 – 59 1952 Comfort that protects life Dräger introduces the Romulus anesthesia machine, designed entirely with the needs of the user in mind. After the Second World War, hospital working methods are radically overhauled, not only in terms of constant improvements to machine functionality: the role of ergonomics also becomes increasingly important. After all, the operating room is a workplace, and the better organized the workplace, the more effective the work carried out there. Romulus has brand new features for the anesthetist: the machine is fitted with a blood pressure gauge and the new Dräger anesthesia monitor to simplify the measurement of pulse and respiratory frequency. Beneath the gas proportioning valves, there is a cabinet with drawers and a desk or shelf for anesthetists – a simple solution, but one that makes their work considerably easier. The entire setup is ultra- modern and typical of the work of Dräger engineers, with every ^ 1952 New and easier anesthesia: the Romulus apsect closely linked to the realities of the operating room. In the anesthesia machine. years to come, Dräger produces a number of anesthesia ‹ machines, tailor-made to a variety of requirements. It also 1955 The design department. produces a twin of the innovative machine for the US market, which is subject to different standards: Remus proves a remarkable market success – no mean feat for a German industrial product so soon after the war. Oxygen tent (oxygen Romulus universal anesthesia PA 34 and DA 58 compres- Model G multi-gas inhalation therapy) apparatus sed air breathing apparatus rebreathing anesthesia apparatus Incubator 1300 (first Poliomat long-term ventilator Alcotest tubes for road traffic incubator for newborns) controls PA 30 respiratory protection Establishment of Company device retirement fund “Dräger Sozialkasse” 22 1953 The mastery of Mount Everest On the day of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, the British newspaper “The Times” reports a sensation: the world’s highest mountain has been conquered. The race to reach the summit is also technological in nature: 8,844 meters above sea level, the air is thin – there’s no getting around the transport of oxygen. When Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reach the summit of Mount Everest on May 29, 1953, Dräger technology is there, too. The reliable oxygen tanks the climbers take with them and the oxygen tanks left behind at a mountain camp by a Swiss mountaineering team the year before are crucial to both climbers’ success. Equipped with an adapter, to which Dräger contributed its expertise, Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing are able to reach the summit thanks to air from the extra Dräger tanks. 1953 Breath tests Any driver who has done a breath test is familiar with the Alcotest tube, a device still used throughout the world today, though in a more advanced form. With this device, Dräger makes it possible to measure alcohol levels in breath, and for the first time, police can immediately test for alcohol to confirm or negate their suspicions without having to carry out a blood test. The advancement of this technology aims to prevent drivers getting behind the wheel while under the influence: alcohol interlocks allow the engine to be started only after the driver has breathed into the device and shown an alcohol level below the specified limit. Scandinavian countries in particular encourage the use of this device. And they ^ 1953 Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay on Mount Everest. use Dräger technology. The Dräger Interlock XT is fitted with state-of-the-art sensor technology and successfully establishes itself throughout the world. Mobile pressure chambers Fabius anesthesia machine Halothane anesthesia Pressure controlled technology ventilation: Assistor 640 Delphin II compressed air Collaboration with Jacques breathing apparatus for Cousteau Quality assurance: introduction recreational and rescue of group production divers 23 1960 – 69 1960 Systems technology for compressed gas As of the early sixties, tanks with medical gases no longer have to be carried back and forth in modern hospitals. Supplies to hospital wards and operating rooms are controlled by centralized systems – developed and installed by Dräger. These systems incorporate not only laughing gas and oxygen transmission networks and compressed air and vacuum equipment; they also include ventilation systems for sterile operating rooms. Starting in the seventies, Dräger will supply high-performance filters for bacteria and viruses. By constructing and selling central gas supply systems, Dräger makes an important contribution to the development of the modern, efficient hospital. Its experience in the field of medicine will be put to good use in the early seventies to develop systems for integrated compressed gas supply for laboratories. These systems allow the required technical gases to be extracted in exact doses via systems integrated in the laboratory bench and connected to tank control centers. 1969 A lab under the sea A James Bond villain could emerge any second: the Helgoland underwater lab is an orange, 14-meter steel giant and the first of its kind to allow a week-long stay underwater, even in frigid seas. A milestone in underwater research, its purpose is to collect biological and geological seabed data off the coast of Helgoland, in Lübeck Bay, and in the North Atlantic off the coast of the United States through 1981.The data is fundamental to offshore technology. Back in 1913, Dräger already made possible the testing of deep-sea equipment at depths of up to 200 meters with the first diving simulator. In the eighties, Dräger will again raise the bar by constructing two state-of-the-art submarine simulation systems: with seven pressure chambers, GUSI provides a variety 1963 A miner on a rescue mission ^ with the BG 174 breathing apparatus. of possibilities for testing large technical equipment and new Central gas provision systems Dr. Heinrich Dräger takes Dräger-Schreiber Plan for BG 174 breathing apparatus 6000/6500 incubator for for hospitals seat on Supervisory Board statutory capital formation newborns with air monitoring Sulla anesthesia apparatus Octavian anesthesia Dr. Christian Dräger becomes apparatus with Vapor personally liable partner halothane vaporizer Maintenance of air supply system for F 104 Starfighter 24 ^ 1969 The launch of the Helgoland underwater laboratory. welding processes. It allows crews to carry out underwater work at depths of up to 600 meters, and enables large equipment to be tested in wet chambers at depths up to 1,000 meters. But Titan pushes the limits even further. This deep-sea diving simulation ^ 1969 Progress at hospitals – gas provision is system for biomedical research enables manned dives down to centralized. 1,000 meters and the study of animals at depths reaching 1,500 meters for the observation of medical and physiological effects on life under the sea. firemen with self-contained breathing apparatus, Dräger pushes for the introduction of 300-bar filling pressure, thus setting new standards for directives, regulations, and ordinances. The six-liter tank with 300-bar filling pressure replaces the old four-liter tank, 1969 and rapidly becomes the norm for compressed air respiratory Compressed air – the future of respiratory protection equipment throughout Europe. The introduction of 300-bar technology for compressed air respiratory equipment once again puts Dräger at the forefront. Until now, to be equipped with the legally prescribed minimum supply of 1,600 liters of air, firemen have had to carry two heavy tanks to callouts. A single tank containing the same amount of compressed air would be lighter, but the directive specifying the maximum length of the tank dictates the space available – and it’s not enough. Maximum filling pressure, previously 200 bar, therefore has to be increased. When the German federal states’ ministries for internal affairs announce their intent to equip all voluntary Halothan-Cato mobile (field) Establishment of North Plastic high-pressure gas HFB 320-Jet oxygen system SMS 1 mixed gas rebreather anesthesia apparatus American Draeger Inc. cylinders 300-bar technology for com- pressed air breathing apparatus Dawn of electronic measure- ment, control, and regulating technologies Theo Dräger joins the Company 25 1970 – 79 1974 European Council recommends gas detector tubes In March 1974, the European Council approves a resolution making air quality tests at the workplace mandatory, and recommends to governments that they ensure that gas detection tubes comply with certain quality standards. This follows the use of gauges a year earlier by the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to test the quality of Dräger gas detection technology. It is found to be very good, and US occupational safety inspectors begin using it to make official ^ 1979 A milestone in Company history: the first shareholders’ meeting. measurements. The UK follows suit three years later, recognizing the gas detection method using Dräger tubes as its official detection procedure. The scope of application is continually “a voice in the wilderness,” and in establishing the Dräger expanded. Detecting poisonous carbon monoxide was the task Foundation in 1974, he provides a basis for the fruitful continuation of the first Dräger tube back in 1937. Its use became quickly of his ideas. For him, this includes taking on one of the most widespread, especially in the mining industry. At the start of the crucial challenges of the 20th century: the population explosion in seventies, there were already over one hundred tubes for diverse many developing countries and the global environmental threat for purposes. Dräger tubes can be used to test carbon dioxide levels which industrialized countries bear the brunt of responsibility. in elevators and fermenting cellars, to determine the degree of The Foundation’s cultural actvities are as local as its social and decay in raw fish, and to prevent acute and chronic carbon economic activities are international, centering on Lübeck, the monoxide poisoning in cars and trucks. The display sensitivity of Company’s home town and site of its official business registration. the tubes is also constantly enhanced. The aim is to implement There, Dräger aids in the maintenance of cultural and historical the technology in those areas where accurate information on gas heritage, supports the Thomas Mann Society and Buddenbrooks concentration is needed: for environmental protection, improved house, promotes extensive archaeological digs in the old town, and technologies, greater process efficiency, and enhanced safety. much more. And the challenges keep growing to this day. 1978 1974 Secure air rescue A foundation for sharing ideas internationally At the end of the sixties, air rescue by helicopter was still For over half a century, the Company has lived and breathed the considered unnecessary, expensive, and excessive, in spite of the spirit of Heinrich Dräger – a spirit characterized not only by entre- fact that ground rescue services were also practically nonexistent. preneurial flair, but also by a deep sense of social responsibility. However, as the number of traffic fatalities climbed to an all-time With his keen interest in economic and social policy, Heinrich high of nearly 20,000 in 1970, the idea of an air rescue network Dräger is not afraid to broach contemporary problems, and his began to catch on. Indispensable onboard a rescue helicopter: approaches are often well ahead of their time. He calls himself the a transportable emergency respirator to keep patients alive on the Transformation into German stock Sale of welding and cutting Ceiling supply units for Establishment of Dräger corporation tools division operating rooms Foundation Oxygen systems for Alphajet and Tornado Dr. Christian Dräger and Theo Dräger become members of the Executive Board 26 ^ 1975 Routine measurements of refinery seals with Dräger gas detector tubes. ‹ 1978 Rapid response at accident scenes with Dräger respiratory equipment. way to the clinic. In 1978, Dräger again sets new standards with 1979 the first respirator in the Oxylog family. It considerably improves The dual principle of capital and family the chances of resuscitating patients – key parameters, such as breathing frequency and breathing volume, can be continuously adjusted; the effectiveness of the ventilation process can be Drägerwerk AG goes public by issuing preferred shares. From now monitored directly on the machine. Respiration therapy can on, it is both a family business and a stock corporation. And the therefore be performed aboard the rescue helicopter before separation is clear. The capital stock is divided into two parts – patients arrive at the clinic. Nowadays, the standard in air rescue half common shares, half preferred shares. The common shares is the Oxylog 3000. In addition to its easy handling and user are held by the family and are the only shares with voting rights. friendliness, it displays breathing patterns and features control The preferred shares, with a higher dividend, are offered on the options with capabilities similar to those of the large machines capital markets. Half of the company is therefore owned by used in intensive-care wards. shareholders and half by the family. The success of this dual model is primarily thanks to its transparency – on both sides. The majority shareholder status of the family is clearly defined. The well-being of the company comes first; in other words, long-term success, responsibility, decision-making, and capital are all under the guardianship of one office. Stefan Dräger has been the CEO of the Company since 2005. In 2010, Dräger issues common shares carrying voting rights for the first time as part of a capital increase. Modular production launched UV1 intensive care ventilator The Company goes public with the issue of preferred PA 80 compressed air Oxylog emergency ventilator shares breathing apparatus becomes international standard Panorama Nova full-face mask 27 1980 – 89 research bore fruit: the new technology caught on well, particularly 1983 in the field of gas detection, with sensors that detect more gases Ulf Merbold’s first space mission than ever before and thus produce data that can be fed quickly through microprocessors. In 1983, all police patrol cars in North It is the first mission not only for the German astronaut Ulf Rhine-Westphalia are fitted with electronic Alcotest devices. Merbold, but also for a module that enables scientific research New generations of machines also arise in the field of medical and experiments in the special conditions prevailing in space: technology: for the first time, the computer-aided long-term the “Spacelab.” In this laboratory, the main focus is on material ventilator EV-A enables machine ventilation to be adjusted to and medical research. Dräger technology is onboard, too, and patients’ natural breathing patterns. So much growth needs space: continues to be used for subsequent operations such as the D1 in 1983, the third construction phase of the new sensor and mea- mission carried out two years later under German leadership. suring instrument production facility is completed. State-of-the-art Dräger develops a special system of micron and carbon filters, clean rooms are used to manufacture chips and sensors. It is an which creates pure air conditions for researching various investment in top international quality standards: in 1993, for bacteriological and chemical processes in the test environment reasons of reliability and quality, NASA will select Dräger oxygen Biorack. And in 1992, the Airbus A 340 takes to the air sensors to monitor breathable air onboard its space shuttle – a equipped with Dräger oxygen supply apparatus. Drägerwerk will true vote of confidence. boast an aerospace technology sector into the 21st century. 1988 1983 World premiere for Cicero Clean rooms for a better future At the end of May, the World Anesthesia Congress is held in This future is digital: sales of products with electronic sensors Washington, DC. One highlight is the presentation of Cicero, the rocket at the start of the eighties. Mechanical/pneumatic first integrated anesthesia workstation. Cicero is a product of the technology is increasingly replaced by electronics. In 1975, Dräger digital revolution and radically changes the working environment in had set up a new central electronics department, where early basic the operating rooms of the time: all functions, such as gas ‹‹ 1981 Electronics replace mechanical-pneumatic technology: a sensor chip. ‹ 1988 Cicero, the first integrated anesthesia station. First Malenter Symposium EV-A electronic ventilator CCBS system deep-sea Commencement of electro- Launch of corporate identity (theme: population policy) diving apparatus nization and miniaturization Permox oxygen inhalation Restructuring of sales machine Dr. Christian Dräger becomes Basic research into new divisions Chairman of the Executive materials Issue of participation rights Board Stationary detection technology for capital increase 28 ^ 1985 Journey into space with the Spacelab: the ultra-clean gas filter system for Mission D1. proportioning and ventilation, are electronically controlled with strategy: Dräger will become the world leader in the field of modern data management, clearly displayed on monitors, and anesthesia in 1996 and continue to launch new, progressive regulated with ergonomic user guidance. The workstation takes products on the market. In 2002, Zeus will break the mold once care of the mechanical control and regulation work, freeing again. This revolutionary concept shifts the focus from individual anesthetists to concentrate on patients. For the development of parameters and functions to the process as a whole – from a genuinely practice-oriented working environment, doctors in anesthesia and patient monitoring through documentation – for an Europe, Asia, and the United States are surveyed about their anesthesia system fully integrated in the IT network of the modern experiences. For Dräger, along with technical innovation, customer hospital. proximity is a cornerstone of product development. It is an effective Ultra-clean gas filter system Incubator 8000 Cicero integrated anesthetic Dr. Heinrich Dräger dies New factory building at for Biorack on Mission D1 workstation (June 28, 1986) Revalstrasse plant Oxyboks K self-rescuer for Spacelab miners The Babylog 8000 ventilator for infants and premature Type 720 PF chemical babies protection suit Evita long-term ventilator 29 30 Globalization: Realignment as a Global Technology Leader 1995 Dräger employees at the Singapore branch. 31 1990 – 99 ^ On the road to the 21st century: the Revalstrasse plant. 1997 Dräger on its way to becoming a global player São Paulo, Brazil, in 1950. His sons, Dr. Christian Dräger and Theo Dräger, would maintain and intensify this commitment over Heinrich Dräger recognized the need for strong international the second half of the 20th century. By the time the baton is presence already during the reconstruction period after the handed over to the family’s fifth generation, Drägerwerk AG has Second World War. Back then, the concept of globalization did seven different production locations on four continents and 100 not exist. He founded the Company’s first foreign subsidiary in sales companies worldwide. The Company is realigned with one Self-mixing principle in diving Newtsuit pressure diving suit PAC II warning instrument Recognition as “most family- Chemical oxygen generators apparatus friendly large concern” for Boeing B777 PA 94 compressed air Airbus A330/340 emergency breathing apparatus oxygen system Futura respiratory protection Eurofighter pilot air supply mask system Stefan Dräger joins the 32 Company › 1998 Sensors, transmitters and measuring heads for clean air. ›› 1998 Gas detection equipment is installed in the new Reichstag. clear goal in mind: from the organization that has grown to develop, produce, and sell all of its products, the medical and safety divisions emerge, each focused on its respective core competencies in medical and safety technology. Peripheral activities, such as Dräger Aerospace GmbH and the service areas, are outsourced in subsequent years. 1998 1999 Ideas for the future of retirement Clean air in the new Reichstag The Dräger Foundation invites guests, including Germany’s President Roman Herzog, to take part in a symposium: how can Not a breath of air makes it into the plenary hall of the newly retirement funding be stabilized in times of dwindling contributi- opened Reichstag building without first being tested by Dräger gas ons? National and international experts are looking for answers. detection technology. There is not a toxic or explosive gas or vapor Dräger has a tradition of taking care of its employees – both in that has a chance of penetrating the heart of the parliament or the theory and in practice. As early as 1904, Johann Heinrich Dräger party or meeting rooms. State-of-the-art Dräger sensors control introduced a profit-sharing arrangement in the form of sales- and parliament members’ every breath of air – even the smallest traces performance-based bonuses. His grandson Heinrich Dräger, who of poisonous gases must be identified quickly, clearly, and reliably, spoke in favor of individual retirement plans in various publications and false alarms must be avoided whenever possible. This charge on economic theory, created the Company’s first capital formation encompasses all aspects of ion mobility spectroscopy. Dräger’s plan in 1957. Following this tradition, the Company continued to stationary gas detection systems guarantee safe working environ- study issues relating to the future of retirement funding and to ments around the world – whether for semiconductor factories, pursue innovative paths. By way of a scaled allowance scheme, power stations, or oil platforms. And no matter where in the world, introduced in 1983, Dräger offered employees the opportunity to the support service for major complexes must be ready to spring become shareholders. In 2005, a new plan takes effect at Dräger into action 24 hours a day – a requirement that Dräger meets with that provides employees with a flexible approach to shaping their its global network of six specialized customer centers. retirements. Various basic retirement financing levels provide for individual investments by employees and thus for the possibility of coupling retirement savings with the Company’s success. Theo Dräger becomes Draegerman PSS 100/500 First all-encompassing PDMS Emergency oxygen systems Chemical oxygen generators Executive Board Chairman compressed air breathing (patient data management for complete Airbus fleet for complete Boeing fleet apparatus system) Dr. Christian Dräger becomes Julian anesthesia machine Receipt of “German Logistics Evidential Alcotest 7110 Vice Chairman of the Receipt of “European Prize Award” microPac and MiniWarn porta- Supervisory Board for Social Innovation” ble gas detection instruments Recognition as “environmentally friendly firm” 33 2000 – 2010 ^ 2006 Modern architecture promotes communication and transparency. 2001 New York, September 11 a hundred years. In the nineties, this name was fittingly bestowed on the latest generation of closed-circuit breathing apparatus, the The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center are on fire. Fire Drägerman PSS BG4. The advanced respiratory technology of the fighters and rescue teams are immediately deployed on an BG4 allows rescue workers to do their job for up to four hours. It unprecedented scale even before it becomes clear that this is a is an advantage that can save the lives of both victims and rescue terrorist attack. The rescuers entering the burning towers have to workers in the event of major catastrophes such as 9/11. protect themselves. They need respiratory protection devices and filters, masks, gas detection units, and thermal imaging cameras. Dräger’s response is the Emergency Response Program, a concept 2004 that defines an exact procedure for rescue missions. A catastrophe Acquisition of US incubator specialist of this magnitude is a true test for the program. Available equip- ment is immediately checked, a task force of Dräger employees With the acquisition of the US incubator specialist Air-Shields, put together, and special transportation arranged. Everything is in a leading provider of neonatology with a 65-year tradition, place within half a day. In the United States, “draegermen” have Dräger increases its presence in the United States, the largest been synonymous with perfectly equipped rescue workers for over Participation in the Caleo incubator Pac Ex 2 gas warning Stock market listing Acquisition of US Stefan Dräger World’s Fair Expo instrument on German TecDAX incubator specialist becomes Chairman of Savina mobile 2000: “the anesthe- index Air-Shields the Executive Board ventilation system Systems contract for sia workstation of the Sale of Dräger Airbus A380 future” Alcotest 6510 Theo Dräger Aerospace Telemetry becomes Deputy Integrated anesthesia Stefan Dräger Chairman of the workstation Zeus becomes a member of Supervisory Board the Executive Board 34 › 2008 Dräger DrugTest 5000 detects drug misuse from saliva samples. ›› 2009 Polaris is the first Dräger operating light with LED technology. homogeneous market for premature and newborn incubators. 2008 The objective is comprehensive therapeutic solutions combined with patient monitoring and ventilation for newborns. Quickly and effectively recognizing drug abuse With the Dräger DrugTest 5000, Dräger is launching a device for the first time that can tell you within a matter of minutes whether a 2006 person takes drugs and which ones. The new system is capable of Dräger builds for the future in Lübeck identifying six different substance classes. The test can be simply, hygienically and discretely administered as it is based on the analy- In August 2006, Stefan Dräger, the fifth-generation CEO, lays the sis of saliva samples. This modern system can be used in traffic foundation stone for the new head office of the medical division checks by the police and just as easily in emergency rooms or in Lübeck. In the age of globalization, this investment underlines during drug rehab. the importance of Lübeck for the Company as it remains loyal to its tradition. With improved transparency, flexibility, and communi- cation, the architecture and infrastructure of the new building sup- 2010 port the Company’s transformation to a globally networked and Dräger opens up to the capital market knowledge-based organization. Dräger carried out a capital increase and raised the number of ordinary shares by 3,810,000 to 10,160,000. For the first time, 2007 Dräger introduced shares to the market that had until now only Forward-looking manufacturing technology been held by the family. The capital increase provides new oppor- tunities for Dräger to finance itself on the capital market without giving up its long-term orientation as a listed family company. It Dräger has increased its investments in manufacturing technology will generate around EUR 100 million net proceeds for Dräger. of the future. Safety division is building an automated carbon pro- They will be used to reduce debt and promote growth. After com- duction system. The activated carbon it will produce is used to pletion of the capital increase, the Dräger family now holds a total absorb gaseous contaminants in breathing filters. The new produc- of 71.3 percent of ordinary shares with voting rights. Dräger is tion plant is a reflection of Dräger’s development into a cutting- releasing all common shares for trading on the stock market. edge company that is closely attuned to market requirements. 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Laying of the foundation First Dräger surgical lighting Capital increase by issuing Change of legal form to Introduction of the Dräger stone for the new medical using LED technology: ordinary shares with voting Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA DrugTest 5000 division headquarters Polaris rights in Lübeck Supply of fire fighting and Evita Infinity V500 ventilator Founding of a European work Innovation drive: Ten new rescue trains to the Swiss council products for fire fighters at Bundesbahn Signing of the “Charta of the “Interschutz” Diversity” Anesthesia system Zeus Infinity Empowered 35 Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA Moislinger Allee 53–55 23558 Lübeck www.draeger.com Corporate Communications Tel +49 451 882–2185 90 70 231 Fax +49 451 882–3944 info@draeger.com =
E-book: history_en
The E-book history_en requires FlashPlayer 9
Please try the above link first. If you still encounter problems after installing the Flash Player, try this one:
