Friwo Gerätebau GmbH

FRIWO Gerätebau GmbH
GmbH
Industry Electronics
Founded 1971
Headquarters Ostbevern, Germany
Key people
 Lothar Schwemm, Martin Schimmelpfennig
Products
Owner FRIWO AG
Website www.friwo.com

Friwo Gerätebau GmbH is a German company headquartered in Ostbevern, Germany. Since the development of the first power supply unit in 1971,[1] the company manufactures battery chargers, battery packs, power supplies and LED drivers. The company also provides electronic design and manufacturing services (E²MS) in Europe.

Business

The Friwo equipment manufacturing GmbH, a subsidiary of the General Standard listed Friwo AG, develops, manufactures and sells drivers, power supplies and chargers under the brand name Friwo LED. Other products include LED lighting technology, electric mobility, power tools, consumer equipment, medical devices, and industrial automation machinery. The principal shareholder of Friwo AG is a subsidiary of VTC Industry Holding GmbH & Co. KG, Munich.[2]


History

Friwo traces its roots back to 1881 when Carl Wolf founded the company Friemann&Wolf in the West Saxon town of Zwickau. Friemann & Wolf became one of the first global companies in Germany With the invention of gasoline safety miner's lamp (Wolf lamp) for the coal industry towards the end of the nineteenth century. After the Second World War, the company was expropriated without compensation in the Soviet occupation zone. The company was reformed in West Germany in 1971 as Friwo equipment manufacturing GmbH (FWGB), developing and producing power supply units.

In 1981, the company reached total sales since inception of 20 million plug-in power supplies and battery chargers with a market share of 60 percent.[3]

In 1983, the company was purchased by CEAG. In 1990, Friwo continued expanding overseas by establishing Friwo North America in the United States and Friwo Far East Ltd. with manufacturing facilities in Shenzhen, China. In 2001, it opened offices in Tokyo, Japan and São Paulo, Brazil.

Annual sales increased from around 48 million DM in 1986 to 100 million DM in 1992. In 1993, Friwo introduced the first charger for its NiMH line of batteries.[4]

In 2002, Friwo equipment manufacturing GmbH was divided into two divisions: Friwo Mobile Power (FMP) and Friwo Power Solutions (FPS). The Friwo Mobile Power division was sold in 2008, then the company acquired Cardea Holding GmbH, a subsidiary of VTC Industry Holding GmbH.[5]

Standards and guidelines

References

  1. ↑ Friemann & Wolf, Zwickau (FRIWO). "Friemann & Wolf, Zwickau manufacturer in D, Model types from". Radiomuseum.org. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  2. ↑ "Der fast schon unheimliche Kursanstieg der Friwo-Aktie". Boersengefluester.de. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  3. ↑ "Weltmarktfhrer: "Die grten Globalisierungsgewinner" - manager magazin". manager magazin. 13 November 2007. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  4. ↑ Hidden Champions des 21. Jahrhunderts. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  5. ↑ "CEAG verkauft Geschäftseinheit Friwo Mobile Power". Finance-magazin.de. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  6. ↑ "About Friwo GmbH". LED Drivers & Power Supplies. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
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