The German manufacturer of systems that open doors in lofty locations as the Emirates Palace, Dubai International Airport, the Dubai International Convention Centre and, soon, at the Burj Dubai in the UAE has turned 100.
Dorma – the single-source solution for door hardware, movable walls and automatic door systems – indeed has much to celebrate about, having marked its centenary earlier this year.
From a humble ‘two-man business’ beginning in 1908 in a German small town, Dorma has grown over the years to be the leading international supplier of products and systems centred on doors.
A world market leader in door closers, glass fittings and accessories and movable wall systems, Dorma’s door systems and allied products adorn many of the major buildings of the world, including international airports, hotels and congress and administration complexes. Among its more spectacular reference projects internationally are the Turning Torso in Malmö (Sweden), the Capitol in Washington, US and both the Federal Chancellery and Reichstag parliamentary building in Berlin, Germany.
Dorma is the world number two in the automatic door systems sector, and also occupies a leading position in emergency exit and escape route control systems in the German market.
Says Ben Shaw, Dorma’s regional director, Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region: “This is a landmark achievement which very few companies can look upon with pride. Throughout these 100 years, Dorma has exemplified to the world exceptional quality, engineering excellence and innovative, creative design. From its humble founding by Dörken and Mankel with their motto ‘Better the best at a good price than to disappoint our customers’, Dorma has grown to become the world market leader with 71 subsidiaries in 46 countries and net sales of €894 million ($1.16 billion) for the period June-June 07/08.”
Dorman, which owns and operates production facilities in Europe, Singapore, Malaysia and China, as well as in North and South America, began making inroads in the Middle Eastern markets in the early 70s. After more than two decades of continuous growth, the company launched a presence in the Middle East with the opening of Dorma Gulf Door Controls in Jebel Ali, Dubai, in 1997.
Eleven years, on Dorma has three companies in the region, two in the UAE and one in Saudi Arabia with branches and staff located in a total of eight cities throughout the Middle East.
As construction in the region boomed, Dorma’s presence continued to grow and in October 2003, Dorma, Germany became the majority shareholder of Dorma Arabia Automatic Doors, controlling 75 per cent of the shares.
An internal reorganisation in 2004 resulted in the opening of a second Dubai office, to complement the firm’s existing operations in the Jebel Ali Free Zone.
Dorma today operates five divisions, which are said to provide system concepts that can transform virtually any planning concept for door applications into efficient realities. These divisions – which co-ordinate with each other in such a way as to provide architects and planners with great design freedom in project planning and execution – include:
• Door Controls, which specialises in door closing systems, door fittings, furniture, locks and panic hardware;
• Automatic, which manufactures, distributes and services automatic door and operator system requirements;
• Glass Fittings and Accessories, which focuses on the development and manufacturing of hardware for glass doors, including some of the world’s toughest glass assemblies and innovative architectural glass construction;
• Movable Walls, which offers an extensive portfolio of room partitioning and spatial configuration solutions; and
• Security Time and Access Control (STA).
Tracing the origins and growth of the company, a company spokesperson says: “On July 1, 1908, Rudolf Mankel and his brother-in-law Wilhelm Dörken founded the company Dörken & Mankel in a small forge shop in the little town of Ennepetal in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.”
The two young entrepreneurs had picked up on an idea from America. There, double doors which opened in both directions – like those seen in classic western saloons – had long enjoyed major market success.
“Mankel and Dörken decided to introduce double-action door hinges to Germany. Having begun production with just a handful of employees, they were quickly flooded with orders from all directions. Soon, milled screws were also introduced in order to widen the company’s manufacturing portfolio. As precision fixings, these were not only ideal for fixing the door hinges to the frame and leaf, they were also in high demand for many other areas of industry,” he adds.
From these beginnings, the Dorma Group has grown to its present position of a global supplier of door products and systems.
There are good reasons why the company has enjoyed such enormous success. Says Shaw: “At Dorma, quality takes the highest priority as we continue to uphold the quality-focused motto of the company’s founders.”
Despite its considerable rate of growth over the last three generations, Dorma has remained a family-run company and is currently in the ownership of Karl-Rudolf Mankel, the grandson of one of the company’s founders.
Says the spokesperson: “As the largest employer in Ennepetal, Dorma’s German roots are both firm and sound. Its strategy over the long term is aligned to circumspect expansion at home and abroad. Over the last few years, the company has invested more than €10 million ($13 million) in the modernisation of its production facilities at its Ennepetal headquarters as part of its future-oriented “Premium” project – a clear commitment to the future of its manufacturing capability in Germany. Its aim is to ensure the continuity of its innovative approach while pursuing a responsible business model based on financial independence.”
A caring employer
In its centenary year, Dorma was again included – for the fourth time in as many years – in the list of top employers among Germany’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This time, the company also won the “Exemplary Personnel Development” category. Florian Langenscheidt, compiler of the renowned “German Standards” compendium, placed the company in the country’s top 100 family-run companies, and international management consultant Prof Hermann Simon likewise included Dorma in his carefully selected “Hidden Champions of the 21st Century”.
Similarly, the innovative strength of Dorma’s employees is exemplary. In 2006, the company was in the top 50 of the league of patentees compiled by the Federal Patent Office. Dorma is also a major service provider: Around the world, around every sixth employee of the group is involved on the service side. In Germany, the company is said to maintain the densest service network in its industry.
Commenting on the attitude that forges this exemplary employee-employer relationship, Shaw says: “Successes are always easier achieved when working in a team. And this only happens if all the team members share the same vision. To act in harmony, you need to have the same passion.
“And that is something that we at Dorma certainly can claim for ourselves. Hence the successes of one are always the successes of all – precisely the attitude that has enabled us to achieve so much in the past.”
“In order to underline our collaborative ambitions, we have a slogan for our centenary year which reads: ‘One Vision. One Passion. One Family’,” he concludes.
