1958–1967 In May 1958, Lisa and Fritz Dräxlmaier Sr. entered the growing automotive market. The first order placed with the Lower Bavarian company was the production of 50,000
wiring harnesses for the
Goggomobil by
Hans Glas GmbH in
Dingolfing/Germany. Soon after, a second product division was established. Dräxlmaier now supplied the entire vehicle equipment (including
instrument panels, door panels, seat coverings and rear shelves) for the compact car, which was built until 1969. Dräxlmaier installed its first systems for welding door panels and forming
thermoplastic sheets for the production of instrument panels in 1960. To accommodate the new equipment, the company's first own factory building was built in 1964. In 1966,
BMW became a new customer.
1968–1977 In 1968, the growing number of orders prompted Dräxlmaier to expand its Vilsbiburg site. As part of the expansion and renovation, the company set up its own mould and tool production, and installed its first computer system. In the same year, construction began on a new production and administration building.
Audi and
Volkswagen were supplied with products made by the Dräxlmaier Group starting in 1969 and 1971, respectively. With a production site in
Tunisia, international expansion began in 1974. In the following years, numerous other locations abroad were opened, including a production plant for wiring harnesses and interior components in
Canada (1976).
1978–1987 Within 20 years, the business premises of the family-owned company steadily expanded, and the number of employees rose continuously during this time, with Dräxlmaier employing almost 2000 people in the course of the 1980s. The worldwide production network also expanded. A production site was established in
Braunau am Inn,
Austria (1978). Four more foreign subsidiaries followed.
1998-2007 In 1998, the company moved into the new Dräxlmaier Technology Centre in
Vilsbiburg. The next year, the Dräxlmaier Group produced a full-leather interior as the first system supplier for the
Mercedes-Benz CL Coupe. This was followed by the production of the complete interior of the
BMW Z8. For both models, Dräxlmaier developed and supplied the wiring system. Since then,
Porsche,
Jaguar and
Cadillac have become part of the company's customer base. In 2005-2007, further sites were opened in
South Africa (2005); in 2006 in
Thailand,
Spain and
Mexico; and in 2007 in
Bălți,
Moldova, where Dräxlmaier built a completely new factory employing 2000 people.
2008–2017 with natural fibre in a BMW i3 The Dräxlmaier Group introduced a natural fibre composite material for vehicle interiors in 2008. The door panel developed for the
BMW 7 Series is made of
biocomposite material. In 2009, the group started building prototypes for electromobility and developed customised battery systems and components, for example for the complete interior and the electrical system of the
Porsche Panamera, which was launched on the market in the same year. In 2011, Dräxlmaier developed the world's first door panel with visible
natural fibre. This was first installed in the all-electric
BMW i3 in 2013. In 2013, another Dräxlmaier Group site opened in
Leipzig/Germany. In the same year, a new business segment was opened with Dräxlmaier Aviation GmbH. Until 2017, the company developed and produced interiors for private and business aircraft. Another customer,
Tesla Motors, was acquired in 2014. In the same year, the company's logistics network was expanded with the facilities in
Zwickau/Germany. In 2015, QESTRONIC Advanced Technologies GmbH from
Geisenhausen/Germany, was integrated into the Dräxlmaier Group. One year later a new production site was opened for interior components in
Langfang/China. In cooperation with the
Technical University of Munich (Germany), a research and development location was established on the
Garching campus in 2017. A new production site for interior components was opened in
Livermore, USA.
2018–present In 2018, the Dräxlmaier Campus was built on the grounds of the GALILEO centre of the
Technical University of Munich in Garching. There, Dräxlmaier developers and researching professors of the TUM work on future topics of the automotive industry. In 2019, the company built its own plant with a development department in
Sachsenheim near
Stuttgart for the production of 800-volt automotive batteries. One year later another plant near
Leipzig followed. On April 1, 2020, Franz Haslinger and Martin Gall took on the function of CEOs of the Dräxlmaier Group. Since August 2021, Stefan Brandl and Haslinger have been responsible for the management. Long-term CEO Fritz Dräxlmaier remains associated with the company as a representative of the shareholders and continues to exercise his function as chairman of the board. In 2021, the Dräxlmaier Group was included in the list of the World's Best Employers by Forbes. In 2022, the DRÄXLMAIER Group was again awarded the title "World's Best Employer" by Forbes. In 2023, the company received the Top Employer Germany award and was once again recognised by Forbes magazine as "World's Best Employer" and also by WELT as one of "Germany's Best Employers".". In the same year, the DRÄXLMAIER Group celebrated its 65th anniversary. == Awards ==