Specialist in enclosure technology and IT infrastructure Rittal blows out sixty candles

Market leader celebrates anniversary with production of millionth VX25 switchgear system

2021 is a year of milestones for Rittal. The world market leader for enclosure technology and IT infrastructure not only celebrated its 60th anniversary this year, but recently the millionth VX25, the manufacturer's well-known switch cabinet system and flagship product, rolled off the assembly line at its production plant in Rittershausen, Germany. The enclosure system is therefore the exponent of the expertise of Rittal, which continues to break new ground regardless of established trends with a sense of innovation and continuous development.

Since its founding in 1961, Rittal has evolved from a steel manufacturer to an international system supplier for enclosure systems, power distribution, IT infrastructure and software, climate control and service. Worldwide, 58 subsidiaries handle sales and service of Rittal products, including the Belgian site in Lokeren. These products have now been used for 60 years in control and switching technology, IT and energy markets, shipbuilding, the medical sector and soccer stadiums. Nearly 10,000 employees worldwide are now working on new innovations, industry solutions and business models. 

From their site with workshop in Lokeren, the Rittal Belgium team supports customers on the local market. 55 employees take care of over 6,500 customers spread across Flanders and Wallonia, including some major players such as Proximus, Telenet, ATS, Cebeo, Rexel, Infrabel, Breemes, PnV and Agidens. In Lokeren, there is continuous investment in digitalization for the employees in the workshop, including the use of a new milling terminal - Perforex, a new state-of-the-art machining machine to make custom cut-outs and bores in enclosures and mounting plates for the construction of control cabinets. In this way, Rittal Belgium is always able to provide the customer with optimal support.  

Driving change

In the course of industrial automation, Rittal developed the enclosure into a complete enclosure system. "To this day, Rittal and its corporate culture are characterized by this system thinking: the will to drive change rather than just react to it," testifies Koen Wolfcarius, Managing Director of Rittal Belgium.

"Not only in industry, but also in IT, the system has gained the upper hand. To this day, energy efficiency, climate change or fail-safe power distribution are highly relevant topics where Rittal makes its customers successful with innovative solutions for industrial and IT infrastructures of any size."

According to owner and Prof. Friedhelm Loh, who turns 75 this year, one of Rittal's greatest strengths is its willingness to deviate from established trends and break new ground that gives the company just that one step ahead of other developments. And this should continue in the future. "It is not a given that a company can develop in this way for 60 years. It is a gift, an incredible success story and a very good reason for celebration."

How can we make the best even better? That was the question the market leader asked itself as the starting point for the development of the VX25 cabinet system. Today, three years later, the production counter of the VX25 enclosure system stands at one million units. In that time, Rittal's flagship product has been put into operation at industrial and IT customers around the world, such as in the production centers of all major car manufacturers, as well as in wind turbines in the most remote locations or on cruise ships and in the data centers of IT giants such as Facebook and Amazon.

90 percent of all customer needs

Meanwhile, the cabinets and enclosures are produced not only in Rittershausen, Germany, but also in Rittal plants in China, India, Great Britain, Brazil and the United States. Thus, the company produces several thousand large enclosure systems every day. "This large cabinet system is the essence of our company and a reflection of our expertise. The cabinet system is available in thousands of configuration variations and meets 90 percent of all customer needs worldwide," concludes Koen Wolfcarius.