Dräger (company)

The Drägerwerk AG is a German company based in Lübeck with a focus on breathing and protection equipment as well as gas detection and analysis systems. Customers include hospitals, fire departments and diving companies.

History

The company was founded in Lübeck in 1889 as Dräger & Gerling by J. Heinrich Dräger and Carl Adolf Gerling. The first patent was taken out for a reduction device for carbon dioxide in use to tap beer. In 1902 Heinrich Drägers son Bernhard entered the management; form now on the company was named Drägerwerk Heinr. und Bernh. Dräger. Since 1970 the Drägerwerk has been a Plc, in German: Aktiengesellschaft or AG. In 2003 the aerospace division was sold to Cobham plc.

Dräger Medical AG & Co. KG

Dräger Medical is a manufacturers of medical equipment. As the largest division of Drägerwerk AG, Dräger Medical AG & Co. KG is a 75:25 joint venture company between Drägerwerk AG and Siemens AG. The Company offers products, services and integrated "CareArea" Solutions throughout the patient care process - Emergency Care, Perioperative Care, Critical Care, Perinatal Care and Home Care. With headquarters in Lübeck, Germany, Dräger Medical employs nearly 6,000 people worldwide, around half of whom work in customer sales & services. R&D and production are located in Lübeck, Germany; Best, Netherlands; Richmond Hill, ON, Canada; Telford, PA, and Andover, MA, USA; and Shanghai, China. The Company has sales and service subsidiaries in almost 50 countries and is represented in more than 190 countries. In fiscal year (= calendar year) 2005, the Company increased its net sales by around 8.1 % to reach € 1,106.4 million and posted an operative EBIT of € 100.7 million. Dräger Medical has outpaced the market with a long-term average growth rate of around 8% per year. The Company increased its EBIT from € 9.1 million in 2000 to € 100.7 million in 2005, marking the first five years of its business turn-around.

Dräger Safety AG & Co. KGaA

Dräger Safety AG & Co. KGaA a manufacturers of personal protection and gas detection technology, and a systems supplier of complete safety services. Dräger aims to provide its customers in industry, fire prevention, mining and other hazardous areas with total problem solutions in their specialist fields. The products and services from Dräger Safety warn and protect people from airborne pollutants and enable people to breathe reliably even in extreme situations. At the same time, a philosophy of total hazard management links the company's various product and service groups - personal protection technology, gas detection technology and safety solutions.

Each of the company's product lines and system solutions draws on Dräger's longstanding experience, especially in the fields of gas management, gas flow control, gas monitoring and gas measurement. The current product range encompasses respiratory protective equipment for firefighters, miners and other industrial personnel as well as complete air filter and air supply systems, portable and fixed gas detection and warning systems, devices for on-site or laboratory contaminant analysis, and instruments to determine a person's breath-alcohol concentration.

The service portfolio focuses on total safety management and combines the practical use of equipment with, for example, consultancy services, training, maintenance, service and commissioning. Dräger technology is helping people all over the world. Represented in over 100 countries, the company has 40 subsidiaries and, with its 3,600 employees, achieved global sales of € 557.8 million in 2005 (EBIT: € 40,7 million). Dräger Safety operates production plants in Germany, Great Britain, USA, Sweden, South Africa and China.

Dräger Safety faces heavy competition from other manufacturers of safety equipment such as Sensidyne, Inc.

Diving equipment

Two cylinders hand pump made for divers in standard diving dress by "Drägerwerk AG"

In 1912 the Drägerwerk had developed a standard diving dress without an umbilical. Air supply came from a rebreather.

Since 1941 Hans Hass used bag-on-back rebreathers originally built by Dräger for self-rescue of submarine crews (Tauchretter, like the Davis Escape Set). The first Dräger-Tauchretter had been built in 1907. In 1926 the Bade-Tauchretter was brought into action for rescuing drowned swimmers.

They make the popular Atlantic and Dolphin line of sport diving semi-closed-circuit nitrox rebreathers.

They make the LAR-5 and LAR-6 military oxygen rebreathers, and LAV-7 military rebreather (switchable between closed-circuit and semi-closed-circuit): images.

External links

• http://www.draeger.com/
• http://www.draeger-medical.com
• http://www.draeger.com/ST/internet/UK/en/Products/Dive/diving_equipment.jsp