24.05.2017 To make a new start in life, Robi Brömel often had to ask for help, find a great deal of strength and never lose faith in himself. The young man had a long struggle to leave behind a daily life of drugs, crime and hopelessness. The “Neustart” (“New Start”) project brought the turnaround. The Rittal Foundation has been supporting the project for years and it has now donated a further €5,000. Robi's life proves just what being given a chance can do. Now the 22-year-old goes to work every day, has a girlfriend and is optimistic about the future.

02.05.2017. Stahlo is investing €45 million in its plans for a new 22,000 square-metre production hall in Gera-Langenberg. By purchasing neighbouring property from the city authorities, one of the biggest manufacturer-independent steel service centres in Germany has seized the opportunity to pursue its growth strategy and stay at its Gera site. Plans for the future at Stahlo include doubling both the number of plants and the volume of steel processed to 300,000 metric tons per year.

31.03.2017. The Top Employers Institute has declared the Friedhelm Loh Group a “Top German Employer” for the ninth year running. The Group passed a rigorous selection process and received this honour in 2017 thanks to its various skills development programmes, highly effective communications with employees, and value-driven corporate culture.

02.03.2017. The employees of the Friedhelm Loh Group were well aware that Christmas could be a particularly difficult time for many people in the region and across the globe. At the end of last year, they therefore once again made a joint donation to help those in need. This was doubled by owner and CEO Dr Friedhelm Loh, and the impressive sum of €180,000 has now been handed out to both regional and international institutions.

28.02.2017. The readers have decided – Blue e+ from Rittal is one of the best products in 2017. Industry magazine MaschinenMarkt has honoured this generation of cooling units with the 2017 Best of Industry Award in the Automation category. The Vogel Business Media publishing group presents the award for solutions that have already won an industry award or have met with an outstanding market response. Voting was by a panel of experts and online readers.

11.11.2016. A total of 1,500 entries and 8,000 votes: A photograph from Rittal, the enclosure and system provider based in central Hesse, Germany, has won has the PR image award from the dpa subsidiary “news aktuell”. Most votes for an image in the “Corporate Communications” category went to Rittal’s Global Distribution Center in Haiger. The photograph was taken by Michael Koch from “Digital Photo Group”.

26.10.2016. The Vogel Business Media publishing house has presented Dr Friedhelm Loh with the “Connected World” Leadership Award in Würzburg, Germany. In awarding this prize, the publisher has recognised the owner and CEO of the Friedhelm Loh Group as, according to the jury, one of ten “remarkable figures” setting the course for an increasingly networked future.

20.09.2016. University studies, work experience abroad, leadership tasks – successful trainees of the Friedhelm Loh Group have the world at their fingertips. The 43 new trainees who make up this year’s intake can look forward to an exciting time of learning and work with a top employer. Vocational training is one of the most formative phases for the individual’s personality development, was the message passed on to them by company owner Dr. Friedhelm Loh. A fruitful traineeship is decisive in shaping our career future.

30.08.2016. The Rittal Foundation is an established presence in the region, actively working for good causes and repeatedly drawing attention to the less fortunate in society. The Foundation has been involved in social and cultural institutions in the region for five years – around 150 projects have already been funded to the tune of over € 650,000. To mark its anniversary, the Foundation pulled off a very special fundraising event with the employees of the Friedhelm Loh Group. At the Group’s family-friendly festival, they collectively raised € 30,000 for long-term projects in the region.

26.08.2016. Today’s young professionals are fascinated by electronic media and software, while manufacturers are increasingly digitizing their processes. For the Friedhelm Loh Group, the one phenomenon dove-tails perfectly with the other, and its training programs addresses both. In all, 96 apprentices and students have just completed their programs at the Group. Their final presentations highlighted the convergence of IT and manufacturing, a trend which they have clearly embraced.

19.08.2016. To display innovations, to make them tangible and to develop them further – that is the aim of the new Rittal Innovation Center in Haiger. The centre provides a very special insight into the value chains of control and switchgear manufacturing. In the 1,200-m² building, the enclosure and system provider is emulating an actual manufacturing operation. It is a place that brings together customers and developers from Rittal and Eplan, giving them the opportunity to discuss all process steps directly at stations that are outfitted with machinery and tools, based on specific everyday situations. They can then develop solutions ranging from engineering, material delivery, component preparation and processing and right through to the finished product.

19.08.2016. Rittal plans to build the world’s most advanced production plant for compact enclosures, with completion scheduled for 2018 in Haiger in the German State of Hesse. The company also intends to upgrade factories in nearby Rittershausen and Hof. The projects will prepare Rittal, a world-leading provider of industrial enclosure systems, for future challenges. Moreover, a further plant will be built in the area in the near future. At the ceremony to mark the laying of the foundation stone for the facility in Haiger, the Premier of the State of Hesse, Volker Bouffier, praised the commitment of the Friedhelm Loh Group to the region and to Germany as a whole.

16.08.2016. The Friedhelm Loh Group’s success story is inextrica-bly linked with its owner, and not only in terms of its name. It is the story of a passionate entrepreneur who has inspired his industry, motivated his employees and committed himself to the people in the region. The family entrepreneur’s trademark and aim is to be ahead of his time and to influence the times he lives in. Today, Dr. Friedhelm Loh is 70 years old, and it is fitting to celebrate and look back.

19.07.2016. On a sunny summer day and in almost 30°C heat, more than 200 Friedhelm Loh Group employees – from Germany and further afield – gathered for the Rittal Cup football tournament at the Burbach Stadium in Ewersbach in central Hesse. Participants were not just competing for a trophy, but also raising funds for a good cause. And their efforts underlined that whether at the workplace or on the pitch, they are very much team players.

05.07.2016. The Friedhelm Loh Group has now welcomed its new students on dual work/study programmes during a tour of a special kind. Seventeen young people quickly learned to pull together and achieve their own and common goals at the Wetzlar climbing park. To this end, they had to overcome their own limits – a good foundation for their studies of business administration, engineering or industrial engineering.

14.06.2016. Breathtaking city visits, trips on boats or steamers – a tour with the Friedhelm Loh Group’s “Senioren-Club” is a highlight in the calendar of every former employee’s year. Not only because an there is always a fascinating excursion, but also because their volunteer work is rewarded through relaxing together. This year was a special one for the pensioners, because their club has now been in existence for 15 years. They have been active in the region since 2001, keeping in touch with and taking care of each other.

25.05.2016. As part of the restructuring of production in Germany, Rittal’s management team and group works council have concluded a reconciliation of interests. The company is planning to gradually close four plants by 2018, to extend two others and to build a completely new one in Haiger. Over the next few years, the family-run business will be investing 250 million euros in the region to restructure production – and gear up for the future.

20.05.2016. Girls’ Day is a Germany-wide event offering insight into professions traditionally dominated by men. The Friedhelm Loh Group opened its doors to 33 young women at various sites, giving them first-hand experience of mechanical and electrical engineering. With a mixture of curiosity and enthusiasm, the girls literally got to grips with the world of manufacturing.

09.05.2016. Employees of the Friedhelm Loh Group teamed up with members of the Group’s Seniors’ Club to give back to the community. The volunteers came together to help complete the new wooden lodges at Oberndorf Youth Retreat. This unique centre is supported by the Rittal Foundation. Current and former employees of the Friedhelm Loh Group provided their time and skills free of charge, but took great pride in their efforts.

22.04.2016. The Friedhelm Loh Group performed very well in a nationwide study commissioned by “Deutschland Test” and “Focus Money”. The study revealed that the family-run business in Central Hesse, which employs more than 11,500 people worldwide, is one of the best companies in Germany when it comes to training. The 2,000 businesses with most employees in 22 different sectors were examined.

13.04.2016. Twenty-eight apprentices have completed their training at the Friedhelm Loh Group, and now have the skills they need for an increasingly digitized business world. For their final projects, the apprentices improved the performance of robots, developed methods to increase productivity and made digital processes more efficient. They were praised by both the head of the training program and top executives of the family-owned company, which is headquartered in Herborn, Germany.

30.03.2016. This tops it all: For the eighth time in a row, the Top Employers Institute has voted the Friedhelm Loh Group one of the best employers in Germany. The family-owned company excels by promoting young talent at an early stage, by having passionate managers and a value-oriented corporate culture. That is why the Friedhelm Loh Group has again received a "Top German Employer" award in 2016.

24.03.2016. The Technische Universität Chemnitz has awarded the Hessian entrepreneur Friedhelm Loh an honorary doctorate for his outstanding contributions to science and technology. Representatives of research institutions and universities and from the worlds of politics, industry and trade associations honoured the industrialist as a resolute man of action and visionary. Friedhelm Loh is a driving force behind the networking of business and science, is actively helping to shape industrial digitalisation, and is thus inspiring future generations to think in new ways and to act responsibly.

17.03.2016. New appointment to the Rittal Management Board: Owner Friedhelm Loh has appointed the manager Dr. Karl-Ulrich Köhler to become CEO of Rittal International Stiftung & Co. KG, as well as the Chairman of the Management Board of Rittal GmbH & Co. KG on 1 July 2016. He will thus assume responsibility for all the business divisions of the world's leading system provider for control and switchgear manufacturing and for the roughly 10,000 employees of the largest company of the Friedhelm Loh Group.

16.12.2015. Two-hundred and thirty-seven employees who had reached personal milestones in their working lives were honoured at this year’s traditional acknowledgement ceremony, held at the Rittal’s headquarters on Stützelberg, Herborn. A lot has happened in the last 40 years: The Friedhelm Loh Group has grown in Germany and internationally, new markets have been opened up and new products developed. All this not only links these long-serving employees closely to their workplace, but also to their employer.

30.11.2015. The Friedhelm Loh Group is committed to adding an international dimension to its cooperative education (Duales Studium) offering – for example, as a partner to the Central Hesse European Industrial Experience (EIEM) exchange programme. EIEM is a new joint initiative of Central Hesse Technical University (THM) and the StudiumPlus programme. It enables students from across the world to gain work experience in Germany – and it sends young Germans out into the wider world for similar internships. This summer, Piotr Guzik, an engineering student from Poland, became the first to spend a semester with the Friedhelm Loh Group.

23.11.2015. Enclosure and systems provider Rittal continues to invest in East Asia: Rittal owner and CEO, Friedhelm Loh, has now unveiled the new administration and logistics building in South Korea’s free-trade zone of Incheon Songdo. With this €10 million investment, the family-owned company is aiming to pave the way for further growth in South Korea. Eplan, a leading provider of CAE software for electrical design and – like Rittal – member of the Friedhelm Loh Group shares this new site.

16.11.2015. Every year, Friedhelm Loh Group sends its second-year trainees to a monastery, where they form teams tasked with developing, planning and executing their own projects. This year’s theme was “Working together for the future of our region”. It challenged the young people to improve conditions in their own back yard. The founder and senior executives of the family-owned company have now awarded prizes for the best projects.

05.11.2015. The new generation of Blue e+ cooling units from Rittal has received German industry’s Innovation Award for the best product. The jury from “Produktion” magazine and Staufen AG management consultancy, who awarded the prize for the first time this year, was impressed by the high energy efficiency, intuitive operation and the Industry 4.0 readiness of the cooling units. The German Industry Innovation Award acknowledges outstanding developments that boost Germany’s Mittelstand of medium-sized companies in particular.

20.10.2015. This summer, the Friedhelm Loh Group joined forces with the Region of Lahn-Dill to run a unique pilot project. Its aim was to equip refugees for the labour market. Building on their existing knowledge, they received basic vocational skills training that opens the door to new opportunities. The State of Hesse has now approved funding to extend the initiative.

09.09.2015. A group of 55 new trainees has started a new chapter in their lives at the Friedhelm Loh Group. They were welcomed by Dr. Thomas Steffen, Managing Director Research and Development, who gave them their first top tips for a successful traineeship.

11.08.2015. The number of refugees arriving in Germany is at a 20-year record high. They are seeking to escape political persecution, terrorism, war and hunger. They wish to live and work in Germany, but face considerable obstacles. They generally do not speak the language, their qualifications are often not recognized, and they struggle to cut a path through bureaucratic red tape. Against this backdrop, the Friedhelm Loh Group has joined forces with the Region of Lahn-Dill (where the company is headquartered) to launch a unique initiative – with the aim of creating opportunities for refugees by helping them to acquire marketable skills.

29.07.2015. For the second time so far, “be top”, the company magazine of the Friedhelm Loh Group, has been proud to receive the renowned Fox Award. The 2/2014 issue of “be top” won the gold medal for a customer magazine published both in printed and digital form.

24.07.2015. The Rittal Foundation is donating 10,000 euros to the German Caritas Association in the Wetzlar/Lahn-Dill-Eder region for the purchase of a minibus. The vehicle will be available to refugees and their aid workers, enabling them to attend appointments at local government offices or doctors’ surgeries when there is no sufficient public transport infrastructure.

10.06.2015. The situation in Nepal is still disastrous around one month after the devastating earthquake in the South Asian country. The staff of the Friedhelm Loh Group responded immediately, collecting a sum of €170,000. The donation will go now to international relief organizations providing important support on site.

07.04.2015. The Friedhelm Loh Group continues to be one of Germany’s top employers. This year, the "Top Employers Institute", has honoured the Group for the seventh year in a row for its forwardlooking personnel concepts, and praised its enthusiastic management, social commitment and innovative ideas.

18.06.2014. Kiesling Maschinentechnik will launch Averex, the world’s first robotic wiring centre, in the second half of 2014. After a five-year development period, this automation solution for machinery, control enclosure and switchgear manufacturing is now all but production-ready. But first, two to three real-world field tests will be conducted. Averex saves valuable time by eliminating the need to wire mounting plates manually. Now, connections between devices are made automatically and meet all applicable standards and safety requirements. This reduces the number of working hours per enclosure by up to 15 hours. Additional features, such as push-in connections and automatic wire-changing and labelling increase the degree of automation even further.

20.06.2013. Kuttig Computeranwendungen GmbH, Troisdorf, one of the biggest Autodesk partners in Germany, is now part of the Haiger-based Friedhelm Loh Group. This will create Germany's first centre of excellence for mechatronic CAD (computer-aided design) and PLM (product lifecycle management) solutions within the Eplan – Rittal – Kiesling alliance.

25.02.2013. Kiesling Maschinentechnik is joining Rittal International. In this way, the international corporate group is expanding its expertise in the fields of switching systems and control system engineering. Kiesling, a family-owned company headquartered in Dietzenbach in the German state of Hesse, is a sought-after specialist for automation solutions in the area of switching system engineering.

29.01.2013. Solution-provider EPLAN's new website is now online to mark the new year. The website ties in with the consistent look and feel of the Friedhelm Loh Group and includes plenty of additional content, for example, new industry pages. The idea was to allow content to be found more quickly - which involved creating new filter options and optimising the search function.

24.01.2013. Rittal's management team is proud to welcome Mr Guido Stannek on board. Since the start of the year, Mr Stannek has been promoted to President, with worldwide responsibility for purchasing, procurement, and logistics at the leading enclosure and system provider.

23.01.2013. Over 320 Rittal managers from 52 countries attended a conference in the Rittal Arena in Wetzlar to map out the road to global growth for the company in 2013. A total of more than 500 million euros is to be invested in worldwide production and logistics over the next five years.

20.02.2012. The Rittal Foundation has now started its work with an initial meeting of the Board and Council. The foundation's purpose is to support social and cultural institutions located close to Rittal sites worldwide. Friedhelm Loh announced the plan to establish the foundation last year to mark Rittal's 50th anniversary.

18.01.2012. Employees of the Friedhelm Loh Group and Friedhelm Loh himself, the Group's owner and Chairman, joined forces again last year for their traditional end of the year donation. Social and charitable institutions near the group's locations are being supported to the tune of € 150,000.

17.01.2012. Hermann Tetzner, a 55-year-old industrial engineer, has been responsible for the financial affairs of the internationally active group of companies since the beginning of the year. "The Friedhelm Loh group is consistently expanding its global business and will be able to finance organic growth on its own in future too", Mr. Tetzner explained.

05.12.2011. Around 60 young people attended an info fair organised by the Loh Academy at Rittal in Herborn under the banner "Training and 'StudiumPlus' with the Friedhelm Loh Group (F.L.G.)". This great response was once more proof that the companies forming the group are attractive potential employers for many school-leavers. The F.L.G. group is currently still able to offer a number of vacancies.

05.12.2011. Yet another jubilee has given Rittal plenty to reflect: On 1st December 2011, the Friedhelm Loh Group (F.L.G.), of which Rittal is a member, invited 409 employees celebrating a personal jubilee to the Stadthalle civic centre in Haiger, the birthplace of the internationally active company group. At this festive gathering, Friedhelm Loh thanked the employees who had already been contributing to the F.L.G. success story for 10, 25 or even 40 years.

01.11.2011. Training from a different perspective: During a workshop in Gnadenthal, the trainees of the Friedhelm Loh Group devoted their attention to the subject of “Disability and disadvantage”. Subsequently, they organised project days with affected youth groups. Friedhelm Loh, owner and board chairman of the Friedhelm Loh Group, praised this commitment and awarded prizes to the three best trainee projects.

26.10.2011. A total of 92 young men and women began their vocational training at companies of the Friedhelm Loh Group in August. The group companies Eplan, LKH, Loh Services, Rittal and Stahlo thus defended their title as the largest vocational training provider in the region in 2011, too.

28.09.2011. Just four months after donating 160,000 euros for earthquake victims in Japan, the Friedhelm Loh Group has given a further 260,000 euros to various aid organisations. This time round, the money is intended for people affected by the famine in East Africa. Employees donated more than 79,000 euros. Friedhelm Loh, owner and Chairman of the group of companies headquartered in the German town of Haiger, increased this amount to 160,000 euros and added a further 100,000 euros to mark Rittal's 50th anniversary.

20.09.2011. These days, saving resources is more important than ever. Rittal is a good example of a company that makes the best of the energy efficiency technology available to industrial companies today. The world’s leading provider of enclosure technology systems has established a successful practice of implementing the ideas of its own staff. Over the past five years, Rittal’s largest plant in Rittershausen has cut its consumption of electricity, gas and water by up to 30 percent.

13.09.2011. Rittal has extended its contract and will remain the sponsor of the arena in Wetzlar that bears its name for the next five years. The enclosure and system supplier is also carrying on as a co-sponsor of HSG Wetzlar. In this way, Rittal is continuing its long-term support for the region of Middle Hesse.

09.09.2011. "The power of the past and the present is the start-ing point for our bold vision of the future." That's how Friedhelm Loh, proprietor and CEO of Rittal reflected on the company's status after 50 years of success. "We plan to have an annual turnover of € 3 billion by 2015. This goes hand in hand with rapidly growing staffing needs, representing career opportunities all over the world", continued Mr. Loh at the "50 Years Rittal. Power and Vision" anniversary press conference.

06.09.2011. Friedhelm Loh had a big surprise in store for a group of cyclists raising money for charity. They were expecting a donation of 5,000 euros, but when the Menschen für Kinder e.V. charity bike ride stopped off at Rittal, the group's owner handed over ten times that amount. The organisation will use the 50,000 euro donation to help children with cancer.

16.08.2011. 23 Rittal in commercial and technical vocations at Rittal have now made the leap into the world of work. On Tuesday 9 August, a ceremony was held at the company headquarters in Herborn to present them with their certificates. The trainers explicitly praised the high standard of exam results.

05.07.2011. On 29 June, the children’s charity "Förderverein Kinderzuhause" in Burbach was delighted to receive a donation of 9,500 Euros raised by Rittal employees and the company's owner, Friedhelm Loh. Some of the money had been raised by the Rittal Cup football tournament.

27.01.2011. According to Accenture, the Friedhelm Loh Group is one of only six German companies that in the last five years have not only had above-average sales growth in their sectors but also exceed the average of the 2000 corporations with the highest sales. The study was prepared by Accenture exclusively for the daily newspaper "Die Welt" and was published in January.