The story
Foundation and IPO
The company was founded in 1975 under the name Phoenix Maschinentechnik AG and initially mainly produced and distributed technical gases for the welding industry. Through its work with gases, the company began to develop welding torches, which then became the main activity. In 1976, the company began developing enclosures for electronic devices. That same year, the company acquired its strongest competitor, Hartmann.
In 1986, the company name was changed to Phoenix Mecano AG.
The company went public in 1988. At that time, Phoenix Mecano was primarily active in the manufacture of enclosure technology, mechanical, and electromechanical components.
Expansion of business activities
In the years following its IPO, the company shifted focus to secondary products that were not considered strategic by developers, engineers, and mechanical designers. This positioned Phoenix Mecano as an outsourcing partner. The company also began serving markets outside mechanical engineering and industrial electronics. The business expanded into lifestyle and furniture, medical technology, oil and gas, and solar technology. In 1996, Phoenix Mecano entered the Chinese market and, in 1998, acquired a production facility in Tunisia.
During the 2000s, acquisitions were made in Italy and France, expanding the enclosure technology business segment. In 2014, the company acquired Redur to expand the operations into instrument transformers and current transformers.
Newer developments
On 1 January 2021, the DewertOkin Technology Group was established as a separate business division with a potential partial IPO in China considered. As a result, Phoenix Mecano restructured its business segments into three divisions in 2021: Enclosure Systems, Industrial Components, and DewertOkin Technology Group. In 2022, business activities were restructured with the sale of all shares in Phoenix Mecano Digital Elektronik GmbH and Phoenix Mecano Digital Tunisie to Swiss company Cicor.
In 2023, Phoenix Mecano divested its Rugged Computing business unit to the Kontron Group.
Also in 2023, after a five-year construction period, Phoenix Mecano opened a new industrial park in China on a 15-hectare site. This facility became the new headquarters for the DewertOkin Technology Group division, replacing five previous production sites. Phoenix Mecano invested nearly CHF100 million in the industrial park.
From Wikipedia’s article on Phoenix Mecano, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5