The company, Hodapp GmbH & Co. KG, has been involved for many decades in the manufacture of special doors and gates that have to meet special requirements.
Since 1946, the company has stood for quality, reliability and innovation. By expanding into other countries, Hodapp has expanded its business to international markets. Subsidiaries in France, Austria, Norway and Switzerland enable the company to offer efficient local service and support to its customers. This has led to a pan-European presence and a rapidly growing customer base, both nationally and internationally. Through their many years of experience, use of state-of-the-art technology and excellent technical know-how, Hodapp’s highly qualified team of professionals is able to offer first-class products that meet or exceed customers’ requirements and expectations.
Interview with Peter Hodapp, Managing Director at Hodapp GmbH & Co. KG.
Easy Engineering: Hodapp is celebrating its 77th anniversary this year. What does that mean to you personally and what are you particularly proud of?
Peter Hodapp: I think it is an impressive achievement for a company to successfully exist on the market for so long and to withstand the changing economic conditions. Such an anniversary shows the stability, commitment and ability of a company to adapt to change, to build long-term customer relationships and is equally a sign of consistency, quality and experience.
For Hodapp itself, the 77th anniversary is an opportunity to reflect on past successes, to be proud of the milestones achieved and to thank the employees, customers and partners who have contributed to the company’s success. It is equally an opportunity to plan for the future, set new goals and continue to focus on customer satisfaction and corporate success.
E.E: What are the main areas of activity of the company?
P.H: Basically, we are involved wherever special architectural or infrastructural conditions prevail. You will therefore find our doors and gates primarily in tunnels, underground stations, nuclear power plants, data centres, museums, prisons and also anywhere else where high security standards must be maintained. Our comprehensive, one-stop solutions represent a holistic technical ecosystem that seamlessly covers every phase of a project. From conception to sustained maintenance, we offer an integrated range of services to meet our customers’ most demanding technical requirements. This means with Hodapp, you don’t just buy a product. With Hodapp, you get a seamless process from start to finish, because we understand the complexity of modern technical projects and specialise in bringing together all the components to achieve the best result.
E.E: What are the ranges of products?
P.H: Hodapp’s product range includes various types of doors, gates and special doors for different areas of application. These include, for example, fire doors, security doors, bullet-proof doors, industrial doors and soundproof doors. However, in the special door and gate sector, it is mostly about customised access solutions that are precisely tailored to the individual requirements and wishes of our customers. Therefore, our customer often determines our product range.
E.E: What is currently the largest project that Hodapp GmbH & Co. KG is involved in?
P.H: On our doorstep, so to speak, work is in full swing on Stuttgart 21, a construction project that is certainly known beyond our borders. Due to the different pressure-suction conditions in the high-speed area, there are such immense demands on the individual construction elements that these can only be reproduced within the framework of special components. Since particularly strict regulations are naturally imposed on escape and rescue routes as well as fire protection, the implementation of the dynamic load requirements for the doors used there is also non-trivial. In order to prove that all these requirements are met, a good dozen tests are required in the certification process. Thanks to our many years of specialisation, however, we are made for such challenges.
E.E: What’s the news about new products?
P.H: Products that have not yet been mentioned are our fire protection closures in the course of rail-bound conveyor systems. Fire protection closures in the course of rail-bound conveyor systems, or conveyor system closures for short, are always used when a conveyor system has to be guided through a fire wall from one fire compartment to another. In these cases, it is necessary to close the openings required for this purpose with fire protection closures specially approved for this application. The closures ensure that the spread of fire via the conveyor system or the conveyed goods is prevented by safely removing the conveyed goods from the door area in the event of a fire and, consequently, the door area can be safely closed. In order to take into account, the different construction types of the systems, the fire protection closures are individually adapted to the respective situation and the specific framework conditions. This product is the latest addition to our product range and has become significantly more relevant due to the permanent increase in the automation of production halls and the steady growth of driverless transport systems, where such fire protection closures must also be used.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
P.H: The door and gate industry has undergone several changes in recent years. The introduction of new technologies has also had a major impact on the door and gate industry. Automated doors and gates, intelligent access systems, remote control and integrated security solutions are just a few examples of technological innovations that have taken hold in recent years. These advances not only improve the functionality and usability of doors and gates, but also allow for better security and control. In addition, the safety requirements for doors and gates have become much more stringent in recent years. Robust security solutions are in demand, especially in the commercial and public sectors. Hodapp responds to this by developing and integrating advanced security technologies. We continuously respond to the changing needs and expectations of our customers.
E.E: What estimations do you have for the rest of 2023? What is your outlook for the coming years?
P.H: We are happy that our order books are well filled for the rest of 2023. With regard to our orders for the next few years, we expect them to be increasingly in areas of critical infrastructure. The attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines have once again made it generally clear what kind of danger situation must sometimes be taken into account here. Through our many years of involvement in the manufacture of doors for transformer stations and data centres, which are also mushrooming multiplying at great speed, we are already well acquainted with the security requirements in this area and are definitely in a position to respond individually to the market requirements of the coming years.
