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Our Company Heritage
The history behind HellermannTyton
Paul Hellermann was inspired by the tiny rubber tubes in bicycle valves
Wherever power flows along a wire or data is transferred along a fiber-optic cable, a HellermannTyton product is never far away. Built on an inventive legacy that began in Germany in 1935, the company is now one of the leading global manufacturers and suppliers of products used to fasten, bundle, connect, insulate, protect and identify electrical and data cables in buildings, in the ground, in machinery and in vehicles.
HellermannTyton still sells products like the ones founding father Paul Hellermann invented to protect cable sheaths from damage. Inspired by the tiny rubber tubes in Woods/Dunlop type bicycle valves, he probably didn't imagine just how big his 1935 Hamburg start-up would grow when he started marketing his three-pronged pliers and chloroprene rubber sleeves.
Today, the HellermannTyton brand is synonymous with a comprehensive portfolio of high-quality products, cable management expertise and professional service to engineers and technicians around the world.
1935–1959
From the Hellermann Binding System to plastic cable ties
The Hellermann Binding System was the best friend of early cable harness makers
Electrical wiring in the early 1930s was encased with rubber and bound with cotton thread. Paul Hellermann (1886–1958) devised an ingenious system for easily stretching rubber sleeves over the cable sheaths to prevent the ends from fraying.
Paul Hellermann GmbH was founded in 1935 in Hamburg. The company manufactured and sold three-pronged pliers and chloroprene rubber sleeves and grommets in various sizes.
In 1938, Hellermann extended his business to the UK in a joint venture with Jack Bowthorpe (1905–1978). As wiring became increasingly complex, Hellermann Electric Ltd. and a string of Bowthorpe Hellermann companies were ideally placed to serve the wiring needs of the booming post-war aerospace, automotive and electrical industries. The company was one of the first to offer a numeric marking system on colored cable sleeves.
Before his death in 1958, Hellermann sold his original company and shares in the British partnership to Bowthorpe, under whose leadership the company was quick to adopt plastic injection molding and extrusion technology. It was precisely the right time to capitalize on the advent of the plastic cable tie.
| 1935 | Paul Hellermann GmbH established on 14 December 1935, Kirchenallee 57 in Hamburg (Germany). |
| 1936 | Hellermann Binding System patented. |
| 1937 | Hellermann three-pronged pliers patented. |
| 1938 | Hellermann Electric Ltd. established, Purley Way, Croydon (UK). |
| 1940 | Bowthorpe-Hellermann companies relocated to Oxford (UK) for duration of the war; German site moved to Moorende 6/8 in Hamburg. |
| 1942 | First rubber cable markers for aircraft manufactured in Oxford. |
| 1944 | Bomb damage forced German factory to relocate to Große Bleichen 23 in Hamburg. |
| 1948 | Bowthorpe Holding companies moved to a purpose-built site, Gatwick Road, Crawley (UK). |
| 1950 | Twinlay Cable Marker, sleeve overlaid with transparent plastic film, introduced; German business relocated to Hegestraße 40 in Hamburg. |
| 1952 | Cheltenham Plastics acquired, and extrusion business amalgamated with Hellermann Electric in Crawley (UK) as Hellermann Ltd.; plastic P-Clip range expanded; cable strapping and studs launched. |
| 1955 | Business established in Canada. |
| 1957 | Paul Hellermann sold his business and stakes in Hellermann Electric to Jack Bowthorpe. |
| 1958 | Insuloid Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (acquired 6 years later) manufactured first nylon cable ties in the UK. |
1960–1979
Cable ties take off and the Tyton System is a runaway success
Tyton and Kabelrap were invented to fulfill industrial demand for scalable cable tying systems
At the start of the 1960s, building on a decade of expertise dipping plastics, the Bowthorpe Hellermann companies were quick to adopt plastic injection molding technology. The Insuloid Manufacturing Company from Manchester – one of the UK’s first specialized manufacturers of cable ties made from thermoplastic (polyamide 6.6, or “nylon”) – was acquired and amalgamated into Hellermann Ltd. in 1964. The Insulok LK range of cable ties became the foundation of the T-Series ties, still sold by HellermannTyton today.
Meanwhile, the German side of the electrical business headed by chief engineer Heinrich Kabel continued to build on Paul Hellermann’s inventive cable management legacy. This work culminated in the 1965 launch of the highly successful “Tyton” tool – the first continuous strap binding system. The derivative ‘Kabelrap’ cable tie and KR application tool that followed two years later are still sold today.
The widespread international acclaim earned by Tyton and Kabelrap was reflected in the globe added to the modernized company logo from 1967.
When sister companies were established in the United States in 1969 and in Japan in 1970, these businesses were registered under the name Tyton.
| 1960 | Hellermann in Germany moved to a purpose-built factory in Pinneberg outside Hamburg. |
| 1961 | Businesses established in France and Australia. |
| 1963 | Improved three-pronged pliers patented. |
| 1964 | Insuloid Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (est. 1933) acquired and amalgamated in Manchester (UK); Insulok cable binding clips patented − the foundation of our T-Series cable ties. |
| 1965 | Tyton System, continuous strap cable binding launched. |
| 1966 | Business established in South Africa; Insultite Helashrink (molded heat-shrink shapes) launched; first cable ties with outside serration introduced. |
| 1967 | Kabelrap tool and KR-Series launched. |
| 1969 | Tyton Corporation of America established in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (USA); first adhesive cable tie mount patented. |
| 1970 | Tyton Company of Japan established in Tokyo and Hellermann do Brasil Industria e Comercio Ltda established in São Paulo (Brazil). |
| 1978 | Hellermann Electric moved to new, purpose-built facility in Plymouth (UK). |
| 1979 | Production facilities extended at Pinneberg (Germany). |
1980–1999
Cable management demand sparks international expansion
Fastening, bundling and marker expertise was the foundation for success in all industries around the world
Demand for more and more specialized cable harness components increased dramatically with technological advances in aircraft, vehicles, industrial plants and telecommunications.
The company began adding customized product development and highly skilled thermoplastics engineering to its offering in key markets. It also embarked on an unprecedented phase of international growth. By the end of the 1990s, Hellermann had established local representation in 27 countries and extended its manufacturing capabilities to all global regions.
| 1980 | Business acquired in Norway. |
| 1981 | Business established in Singapore. |
| 1982 | Warehouse added to six manufacturing operations in Manchester (UK); business established in Sweden. |
| 1986 | Production facilities opened in Hyogo (Japan). |
| 1987 | Plastic tube extrusion commenced in Plymouth (UK). |
| 1988 | Business established in Finland. |
| 1990 | Electric AutoTool and pneumatic TytonTool automatic cable tie application tools launched. |
| 1991 | First specialized cable mounting bracket produced for automotive customers. |
| 1992 | Production facilities in Trappes (France) opened. |
| 1994 | Business established in Mexico. |
| 1995 | Business established in Italy; first thermal transfer label system and TT1000 printer launched. |
| 1996 | Business established in Hong Kong. |
| 1997 | Business established in China with purpose-built production facilities opened in Wuxi; business also established in The Philippines and Thailand and acquired in Austria CEE; Autotool 2000 launched. |
| 1998 | Business acquired in Argentina and in Spain/Portugal; TipTags launched. |
| 1999 | Worldwide name changed to HellermannTyton (27 countries at this time); new purpose-built production facilities opened in Manchester (UK). |
2000–today
Steady growth, consolidation and focus on key industries
The HellermannTyton brand is synonymous with quality cable management products and service
The new millennium commenced with the introduction of the harmonized company name “HellermannTyton” for all business units around the world.
A strong reputation as a manufacturer and supplier of quality cable management products and success as a development partner for custom thermoplastic components has enabled HellermannTyton to consistently outperform baseline economic growth year-over-year. Manufacturing capacity has been successively increased in step with customer demand in all global regions.
The company floated on the London Stock Exchange in March 2013. Just over two years later, Delphi Automotive Systems PLC made a successful bid to purchase the company. HellermannTyton was subsequently incorporated into the Delphi Electrical/Electronic Architecture division in December 2015.
Since the parent company’s realignment as Aptiv PLC in December 2017, HellermannTyton is now part of the Signal and Power Solutions division developing cable assemblies for advanced vehicle systems but continues to operate under its own brand.
Besides the automotive sector, HellermannTyton is a key supplier of cable management products to customers in all other industries, especially aerospace, rail, machine and equipment builders, renewable energy and electrical installation.
| 2000 | HellermannTyton Data UK acquired; business established in Denmark; purpose-built production facilities opened in Tornesch (Germany); new production facilities opened in Johannesburg (South Africa); detectable plastic MCT cable ties launched for food industry. |
| 2001 | Production plant capacity doubled in Wuxi (China); specialized EdgeClip fasteners launched. |
| 2002 | Business established in South Korea; new production facilities opened in Jundiaí (Brazil). |
| 2003 | Pre-terminated RapidNet System products for data centers launched. |
| 2004 | ATS3080 waste-free, automatic bundling system launched. |
| 2005 | Business established in The Netherlands and Belgium |
| 2006 | Departure from Spirent PLC (prev. Bowthorpe Holdings) and acquisition by Doughty Hanson & Co. (UK). |
| 2007 | Production plant in Wuxi (China) expanded. |
| 2008 | Business established in Poland, Russia and India. |
| 2011 | New production facilities opened in Plymouth (UK). |
| 2012 | Logistics center opened in Wuxi (China). |
| 2013 | Flotation on the London Stock Exchange; additional manufacturing facilities opened in Milwaukee (USA); EVO7 manual cable tie gun launched. |
| 2014 | Office established in United Arab Emirates; process-reliable AT2000 CPK launched. |
| 2015 | Incorporation into Delphi Automotive Systems PLC (now Aptiv PLC); production facility opened in Songdo (Republic of Korea). |
| 2016 | Production facility in Słupca (Poland) opened; new distribution center opened in Cannock (UK); office established in Turkey. |
| 2017 | Brand new HellermannTyton Data production facility opened in Northampton, UK; production facility opened in Monterrey, Mexico; HellermannTyton ACADEMY introduced globally; Ratchet P-Clamp and RFID cable ties and accessories launched. |
| 2018 | First-ever, company-wide global brand campaign MADE FOR REAL launched. |
About HellermannTyton
HellermannTyton is a global manufacturer of cable management and identification solutions for automotive, solar, electrical, construction, industrial automation, broadband and other OEM markets. The company's integrated approach to product design, sustainability, production, quality assurance and delivery is optimized to benefit local and global customers. HellermannTyton operates in 39 countries, with North American headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (www.hellermann.tyton.com).