Hunter Douglas
Encyclopedia
Hunter Douglas N.V. is a Dutch
public corporation and major worldwide manufacturer of window covering
s and architectural products. Hunter Douglas has its head office in Rotterdam
, The Netherlands, and a management office in Lucerne
, Switzerland
. The company is composed of 167 companies with 68 manufacturing and 99 assembly plants and marketing organizations in more than 100 countries. Hunter Douglas employs about 17,000 people.
In 1946 Henry Sonnenberg established a joint venture with Joe Hunter which developed new technology and equipment for the continuous casting and fabrication of aluminium. This led to the production of lightweight aluminium slats for Venetian Blinds.
Hunter Douglas, as we know it today, was born.
Hunter Douglas aluminium blinds quickly gained leadership in the American market. As innovative as the product was the business model for its distribution. Hunter Douglas developed a vast network of more than 1'000 independent fabricators in the United States and Canada. They sold blinds during the day and custom assembled them in their workrooms at night.
In 1956, policy differences let to the sale of the U.S. business. Henry Sonnenberg moved Hunter Douglas' headquarters to Montreal, Canada and, using the European machinery business as a base, concentrated on building the window covering business outside the United States. Hunter Douglas expanded its operations in Europe and into Australia and Latin America.
In 1969 the Hunter Douglas Group went public, and its shares were listed on the Montreal and Amsterdam Stock Exchanges. In 1971, Hunter Douglas' Group headquarters were moved to Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and Hunter Douglas N.V., became the worldwide Group parent Company. In 1976, Hunter Douglas reacquired its former U.S. business.
Hunter Douglas continued its global growth and expanded into Asia. The innovative spirit of the company let to the development of revolutionary new products to meet the increasing demand for fashion and functionality.
Hunter Douglas' European subsidiaries employed 7046 people in 2010 and achieved sales of € 738 million.
Hunter Douglas' North American subsidiaries employed 6303 people in 2010 and achieved sales of USD 995 million.
The company's headquarters are in Rydlemere, Australia
. In 2010 Hunter Douglas Australia had 405 employees and achieved net sales of USD 103 million.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
public corporation and major worldwide manufacturer of window covering
Window covering
Window coverings are material used to cover a window to manage sunlight, to provide additional weatherproofing, to ensure privacy or for purely decorative purposes....
s and architectural products. Hunter Douglas has its head office in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, The Netherlands, and a management office in Lucerne
Lucerne
Lucerne is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The company is composed of 167 companies with 68 manufacturing and 99 assembly plants and marketing organizations in more than 100 countries. Hunter Douglas employs about 17,000 people.
History
In 1919 Henry Sonnenberg founded a machine tool distribution and subsequently manufacturing company in Düsseldorf, Germany. In 1933 he moved to the Netherlands and established a machine tool operation. In 1940 he moved to the United States where he founded the Douglas Machinery Company.In 1946 Henry Sonnenberg established a joint venture with Joe Hunter which developed new technology and equipment for the continuous casting and fabrication of aluminium. This led to the production of lightweight aluminium slats for Venetian Blinds.
Hunter Douglas, as we know it today, was born.
Hunter Douglas aluminium blinds quickly gained leadership in the American market. As innovative as the product was the business model for its distribution. Hunter Douglas developed a vast network of more than 1'000 independent fabricators in the United States and Canada. They sold blinds during the day and custom assembled them in their workrooms at night.
In 1956, policy differences let to the sale of the U.S. business. Henry Sonnenberg moved Hunter Douglas' headquarters to Montreal, Canada and, using the European machinery business as a base, concentrated on building the window covering business outside the United States. Hunter Douglas expanded its operations in Europe and into Australia and Latin America.
In 1969 the Hunter Douglas Group went public, and its shares were listed on the Montreal and Amsterdam Stock Exchanges. In 1971, Hunter Douglas' Group headquarters were moved to Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and Hunter Douglas N.V., became the worldwide Group parent Company. In 1976, Hunter Douglas reacquired its former U.S. business.
Hunter Douglas continued its global growth and expanded into Asia. The innovative spirit of the company let to the development of revolutionary new products to meet the increasing demand for fashion and functionality.
Europe
- World Headquarters and EMEA Operations: RotterdamRotterdamRotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, The Netherlands - Management Office: LucerneLucerneLucerne is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and...
, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
Hunter Douglas' European subsidiaries employed 7046 people in 2010 and achieved sales of € 738 million.
North America
- North American Headquarters: from Oct. 10, 2011: Pearl River, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, USAUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - Window Fashions Division: Broomfield, ColoradoBroomfield, ColoradoThe City and County of Broomfield is a prominent suburb and tier of the Denver metropolitan area in the State of Colorado of the United States. Broomfield has a consolidated city and county government which operates under Article XX, Sections 10-13 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado. The...
, USAUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Hunter Douglas' North American subsidiaries employed 6303 people in 2010 and achieved sales of USD 995 million.
Latin America
- Latin Americana Headquarters: CampinasCampinasCampinas is a city and municipality located in the coastal interior of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. is the administrative center of the meso-region of the same name, with 3,783,597 inhabitants as of the 2010 Census, consisting of 49 cities....
, BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Hunter Douglas' Latin American subsidiaries employed 1686 people in 2010 and achieved sales of USD 219 million.
Asia
- Asian Headquarters: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Plants and sales offices in China, ThailandThailandThailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, KoreaKoreaKorea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, VietnamVietnamVietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, TaiwanTaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. Hunter Douglas' Asian subsidiaries employed 1687 people in 2010 and achieved sales of USD 182 million.
Australia
- Hunter Douglas Australia Limited is an Australian incorporated wholly owned subsidiary of the international Hunter Douglas Group that commenced manufacturing in 1954.
The company's headquarters are in Rydlemere, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. In 2010 Hunter Douglas Australia had 405 employees and achieved net sales of USD 103 million.
External links
- Hunter Douglas Group (Corporate Site)
- (http://www.hunterdouglas.com (Hunter Douglas North American site)
- (http://www.hunterdouglas.asia (Hunter Douglas Asia site)
- (http://www.hunterdouglas.com.au (Hunter Douglas Australian site)
- (http://www.luxaflex.com (European site)
- (http://www.hunterdouglas.nl (Architectural products site)