2022 is a special year for the mother company of DEKOTEC GmbH: The company is celebrating its 100-year anniversary. Since it was founded on 14 November 1922, the company has evolved from a family company to an international group, with subsidiaries in six European countries and over 100 sales partners around the world. The company’s innovative product and system solutions help to ensure safe energy transport and durable roads. Protecting people, the environment and resources is the top priority.
DEKOTEC GmbH stands for high-quality sealing solutions for corrosion prevention and road construction. The product range of the group of companies, which generates a revenue of over 50 million euros annually, comprises 2,425 products that are sold in 124 countries around the world. In pipeline construction, these products ensure that pipelines can function reliably and without interruption for decades. Hazardous substances won’t escape, and damage and leaks are reduced. The group of companies offer the world’s largest portfolio of passive corrosion prevention products for pipelines. In road construction, the company is the innovation leader for sealing joints in asphalt and concrete; the company’s high-performance products shorten construction times while also improving health & safety and environmental performance. From the world’s first all-in-one solution SEALID® and co-extruded BUTYLEN three-ply tapes to TOK®-Band as a synonym for bitumen joint strip: DEKOTEC always thinks ahead. And our group is been doing it for 100 years.
Stability and safety from the start
“The group of companies has always adapted to the challenges of the market. The demands placed on our people and products have, of course, evolved over the decades, but the keys to our success have remained unchanged: Our inventive and entrepreneurial spirit and our drive to find the highest-quality solutions for our customers. To this day, we remain true to our founding principle: DEKOTEC also means sealing, and for decades, we have continued to stand for stability and safety. We are committed to being a company that people can rely on – whether that’s as a customer, a business partner or an employee”, says Max Wedekind, Managing Director of DEKOTEC GmbH and the third generation of the family to lead the company. Especially in the current challenging times, the demands for supply reliability and unrestricted mobility are great. Thanks to the product portfolio of the group, Max Wedekind sees the company well positioned.
An invention goes global
The history of the company can be traced back to a single idea from the 1920s – to use a petrolatum-dipped gauze tape to protect the supply lines to Berlin’s gas lanterns. Previously, these steel pipes were still coated with liquid bitumen to protect them against corrosion. But bitumen becomes brittle after a short time, resulting in widespread damage across the city’s pipeline network. Looking back, the creative solution of using the Petrolatum Tape was revolutionary for its time – the invention was the world´s first reliable solution to protect pipelines against corrosion and marked the very beginning of the success story of the mother company. In 1929, the company’s first customer, Berliner Städtische Gaswerke AG (GASAG), placed an order for 50,000 metres of this Petrolatum-Tape. More national and, after only three years, international customers follow, including the Blackstone Gas Company in the USA. Today, the product is still marketed around the world as PLASTELEN®-Tape.
One team – working together for customers
The company’s team of around 200 employees also value its steady performance and reliability: Some employees have been with the group for 40 years, and others are already the third generation of their family to work for the company, which has its headquarters in Leverkusen, near the city of Cologne in Germany. The headquarter is home not only to the administration and production departments, but also to the company’s in-house research & development and quality assurance teams. Max Wedekind believes this is a clear competitive advantage and is proud that the group manufactures all of its products in Germany: “From my perspective, there are three things that set us apart: Our innovative spirit, our Made in Germany quality, and our fantastic team”.
In the global sales team alone, the company employs people from nine countries who speak five different languages. “We promote diversity and encourage employees to take initiative and responsibility, while offering a safe and inspiring working environment – because this is the only way we can create something new. The group of companies would be nothing without its people. What we achieve is always the product of the combined efforts of all of us – and that makes us feel thankful for and proud of our team”, adds Thomas Kaiser, Managing Director of DEKOTEC GmbH.
Innovating for success
For the past century, the group of companies have demonstrated their innovative strength with numerous patented solutions. “We think, develop and act for our customers. To achieve this, we have to understand their needs. We listen to our customers and work with them to develop project-specific, tailor-made solutions – not in the lab, but right there on the construction site”, explains Thomas Kaiser. And sometimes, this process even inspires us to create something new: DEKOTEC innovations often inspire the development of new application techniques, significantly improving processes for construction site workers. Practical devices such as the DEKOMAT® or TOKOMAT® ensure that our products can be applied with maximum efficiency on the site. Our devices allow construction workers to apply corrosion prevention tapes and to finish joints in road construction twice as fast.
Many DEKOTEC products are quick and simple to apply; they are installed cold, without the need to use a gas flame and often without any hazardous substances such as solvents. “During the development process, we place enormous value on safety, efficiency and protecting people, the environment and nature”, continues Thomas Kaiser. Since 1996, TOK®-Band SK has been suitable for cold application, with no flame required to fuse the strip; it is a completely self-adhesive product and, since 2017, it can even be applied without a primer. SEALID® – the first solution of its kind in the world – is a versatile product that meets all DEKOTEC requirements for simplicity, cost-effectiveness and durability.
The DEKOTEC top-quality guarantee at a glance:
- In-house research & development and quality assurance departments
- Modern production equipment built by German engineering companies
- High degree of vertical integration & efficient production sequences
- Use of the best raw materials, regular internal and external production monitoring
- Audited by independent institutions (including DVGW – German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water, COPRO and the Polymer Institute)
- Compliant with the most stringent standards; certified to ISO, EN & DIN standards
Further information: dekotec.com
Contact:
DEKOTEC GmbH
Cordula Pietrek
Head of Marketing & PR
Phone: +49 214 2602-382
Email: cordula.pietrek(at)dekotec(dot)com