Founding and early years The company was founded in Lübeck in 1889 as
Dräger & Gerling by and Carl Adolf Gerling. In the same year, the
Lubeca valve, a pressure reducer, was patented. In 1899, Dräger introduced a pressure gauge for breathing gas cylinders, which is still referred to today as a finimeter. In 1902, Dräger developed the Roth-Dräger anaesthesia apparatus, named after Lübeck doctor Otto Roth, which was used in Germany until the end of
World War II. Early developments also included the
Dräger BG 1904/09, a helmet breathing device used in mines rescue operations. In 1907, Dräger developed a diving rescue device for submarine crews and the emergency ventilator Pulmotor, and the company opened its first branch in the United States in the same year.
World War II During the
Third Reich, forced labourers were employed at Dräger. In 1941, approximately 1,200 forced labourers were employed. In 2010, a memorial site was opened next to the former Hamburg-Wandsbek camp, and a memorial was erected for the forced labourers.
Product expansion and growth In 1953, Dräger introduced the first alcohol test tubes, which were continuously improved and later adopted worldwide by police forces and companies. In 1998, results from measurements taken by officially approved devices became valid in court. In total, more than 30 million test tubes were produced before being replaced by electronic measuring devices, with production ending in 2016. In 1970, Dräger became a
public limited company, and its
initial public offering (IPO) followed in 1979. In 1984, Heinrich Dräger's son, Christian Dräger, succeeded him as
CEO after having worked at Dräger since 1961. and in 2004, Dräger acquired Air-Shields. In the 1990s, Dräger developed an alcohol interlock device that could be installed in vehicles. These devices are linked to the vehicle’s ignition system and can only be started after a breath sample is provided. If alcohol is detected in the breath, the vehicle will not start. The interlock devices are primarily used in
Australia,
France, and the Scandinavian countries. In the following years, Dräger developed additional interlock devices. In 2010, the company’s common shares were traded on the
Frankfurt Stock Exchange for the first time. Previously, only non-voting preferred shares had been offered. In the following years, Dräger acquired several start-ups. In 2015, Dräger acquired the Norwegian start-up Gassecure, which manufactures gas sensors for hydrocarbons, among other applications. The acquisition expanded the safety technology division, particularly to serve the oil, gas, and chemical industries. In 2017, Dräger took a majority stake in the Hamburg-based company Bentekk GmbH, which is active in the development of industrial gas detection devices.
COVID-19 pandemic Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, demand for Dräger's ventilators increased significantly. In February 2020, the production capacity was doubled and was set to be doubled again by March 2020. The German federal government commissioned 10,000 devices, which were scheduled for delivery throughout 2020. Ultimately, only 1,557 devices were delivered, while the remaining orders were canceled. A significant portion of the production was sold abroad. Additionally, the production of respiratory masks was doubled. According to an article in
The New York Times,
Xavier Becerra (who was selected by then-President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. as his nominee for the Secretary of Health and Human Services in the US), stated that he planned to order approximately 1 million medical ventilators to manage the COVID-19 epidemic upon taking office. In this statement, he named Dräger as one of the potential suppliers. In 2020, revenue increased by 22.5% to €3.4 billion. By the end of 2021, demand for COVID-19-related products declined, and production of Dräger’s COVID-19 home tests was discontinued.
Recent developments In 2022, an increase in disruptions to the supply chain led to a temporary decline in Dräger's revenue. Following the
Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions, Dräger ceased its safety technology business in Russia. In October 2024, Rems Messtechnik GmbH & Co KG acquired Dräger MSI GmbH, which had been responsible for measurement technology within Dräger. == Company structure ==