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About us Gilgen Door Systems History 

History

Our company began life in 1961 as a one-man operation occupying the garage of the parents of the   founding entrepreneur, Mr Jakob Gilgen Senior, where Mr Gilgen put together Gilgen’s first automatic drive systems for doors and gates, assembling them on each customer’s premises. The current organisation, with its workforce of more than 900 employees, now enjoys a worldwide presence and (as of 2012) annual turnover of more than CHF 180 million.

Milestones

Year Event
1961 Founded as a one-man operation supplying automatic doors and gates
1969 Opening of the first Swiss branch office (in Zurich)
1973 Transformation of the original firm into a limited company; manufacture of the first SL door drive-system products
1978 Launch of the company’s “Doorboy” and “Parkingboy” brands
1985 Setting-up of the first foreign subsidiary
1988 Successful launch of the Metoran SLK sliding-door drive unit
1989 Hiring of the 500th employee
1993 Transformation into “Gilgen AG, automatic doors and gates”; launch of the KIT sliding-door system
1993 First SQS certification in accordance with ISO 9001
1996 Integration into Kaba Holding AG
2000 Order for full-height PSD modification equipment from Metro Hong Kong (worth CHF 120 million; major international project)
2003 Separation into two business divisions: BPC (Base Product Centre, development, production and international sales) and RMO-CH (Regional Marketing Organisation, responsible for sales in Switzerland)
2004 Launch of SLX sliding-door drive unit
2007 Order from Paris Metro for half-height PSD modification equipment (worth CHF 70 million; major international project)
2010 Launch of SLX-M sliding-door drive unit (based on tried-and-tested SLX drive mechanism)
2011 Anniversary celebrations: Fifty Years of Tradition and Innovation
2011 Integration into the Nabtesco Group of Companies headquartered in Japan

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