DORMA: A long tradition

Despite its rapid growth in the past few decades, DORMA has remained a family-owned company. The sole proprietor today is Karl- Rudolf Mankel, grandson of one of the company’s co-founders.

In 1908 Rudolf Mankel and his brother-in-law Wilhelm Dörken founded a company in Western Germany, Dörken & Mankel KG, to manufacture double-action door hinges and milled screws. Right from the start the product was in demand and the product quality was of a high standard. As a result the company grew steadily over the years and during the early 1920's had developed a serious export side to the business. 

In 1927 the brand name DORMA was created, an acronym formed from the two surnames of the company founders.  In 1946 DORMA was one of the first companies in the region to receive permission from the occupying powers to resume production. The company diversified quickly, adding semi-finished parts for radio and television to its more traditional products.

In 1950, with the launch of the TS50 door closer, DORMA moved into the sector for which it is now world market leader in its field – the door closer business.  Door closers had been used increasingly in the USA during the 1930’s, but were not introduced into Europe until after the Second World War.

In 1962, DORMA began production of a range of door operators and so took its first steps into the automatics market. In 1970, Dörken & Mankel KG was renamed DORMA GmbH & Co. KG and the third generation of the family joined the company in the person of Karl-Rudolf Mankel. The ensuing period saw increased emphasis on global alignment and further extensions to the product segments. In 1976, the company moved into the field of glass door furniture and fittings, and 1977 saw the creation of a subsidiary specialising in this sector, DORMA-Glas. Also in 1977, the first foreign sales company was established in the form of DORMA France.

DORMA was established in the UK in 1978 with the formation of DORMA Door Controls Ltd, the same year that the first overseas production plant was opened, in Singapore. Then in 1979, DORMA Door Controls (Ireland) Ltd. was established and two years later an acquisition in Pennsylvania provided a major foothold in the USA. Brazil was to follow, along with Malaysia and China. Sales offices have now been established in practically every major country in the world.

In the UK, DORMA Glass was introduced in 1986; DORMA Entrance Systems Ltd was established in 1991, to focus on the automatic door sector; and within 12 months a sister company, Access Control & Maintenance Engineering Ltd, was founded to deal with the service and maintenance of our automatic door installations. DORMA subsequently acquired another four service companies (Permclose Door Services Ltd, Door and Window Services Ltd, Dor-Tech Nationwide Ltd, Specialized Door and Window Services Ltd) allowing us to increase the range of services to cover manual and industrial doors. In 2003, DORMA acquired Huppe Movable Walls.  In July 2003 the seven individual companies amalgamated as DORMA UK Limited. All activities are controlled from the new headquarters building in Hitchin, Hertfordshire. In addition, there are three regional offices in Bristol, Jarrow and Fife co-ordinating service & maintenance activity.