World market leader from Bad Oldesloe makes history
Built to endure – HEROSE celebrates its 150th anniversary
On 1 April 2023, the HEROSE Group celebrates its 150th anniversary and will celebrate this event with selected guests in the Hamburg Fish Auction Hall in June. The proximity to the port of Hamburg was chosen deliberately as the origins of the traditional company can be found there.
On 1 April 1873, foundry foreman Theodor Rose founded a factory where fittings for shipbuilding and domestic engineering were produced. In 1941, Rose acquired the valve manufacturer HERO, founded by the merchants Eduard and John Pulvermann in 1921 in Hamburg and later relocated to Bad Oldesloe. In 1947, both companies became HEROSE.
The long-serving manager Wilfried Zschalich made HEROSE world leader. In 1996, he invested in a new production site and consistently focused on cryogenic and safety valves made of stainless steel.
From 2003 onwards, his son Dirk Zschalich promoted digitalisation and internationalisation. He transformed HEROSE into a Group with subsidiaries in Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, China, India and Australia. Extensive investments brought the machinery in line with the latest state of the art; digitalisation increased the efficiency and reduced costs.
“Innovation is our long tradition”, says managing partner Dirk Zschalich. “For 150 years, we have developed individual solutions for our customers. We set standards and are one of the world’s leading manufacturers of safety valves for industrial applications, and number one in cryogenic technology. “Our motto ‘Built to endure’ refers to our history as well as our products.”
On the occasion of the anniversary, HEROSE arranged for professional research on its company history. “Those 150 years”, explains Dirk Zschalich, “are an integral part of our identity: We learn from the past for the challenges of tomorrow.”
HEROSE is looking towards the future with a 10-year strategy. The Group wants to increase its presence in the US market, and approach the future topic of hydrogen even more comprehensively. Innovative top-quality products such as the FullX series – highpower globe valves that perfectly work in vacuum-insulated systems with temperatures from -269 to 80 °C – play an important role here.
“Our success is a strong team performance”, Dirk Zschalich states: “Our dedicated employees, our loyal business partners and customers made this possible in the first place.” Their employees are of particular importance to the family-owned company. In early 2023, HEROSE was awarded again “Hamburg‘s best employer” in the “Employee development and corporate culture” category
