100 years of Karl Dose
A special anniversary

KARL DOSE GmbH
100 years of heritage and adventure, 100 years of Karl Dose

100 years of Karl Dose – that does not only sound eventful, it also illustrates the way smaller and bigger challenges have continuously triggered the development of our portfolio and the entire company. Our immanent drive and craftsmanship have always been the solid foundation for innovative product development. By employing former seamen we have succeeded in enhancing our products to be entirely user-oriented.

The constantly evolving market setting has challenged our partners, customers and consequently ourselves again and again, and it will continue to do so. Exceptional time periods like the Great Financial Crisis or the Coronavirus Crisis are going to require for us to constantly reinvent ourselves and in order to return from difficult situations in the best possible way. We have never had and never will have a "keep it up" mentality and plan to keep on using every opportunity for advancement. In this sense we look forward to another successful century.

 

 

The chronicle of the family company KARL DOSE

KARL DOSE is founded as an OHG by Mr. Karl Dose in 1920. For more than 40 years, the company is located in Carsten-Rehder-Straße at the fish market in HH-Altona with a direct view of the harbour. In the first few years it was a pure craft business for electrical installations. Due to the proximity to the port, the customer base in the shipping sector grew.

Until then, the quality of lighting and other electrical materials for the maritime market had been poor. Therefore, the production of these products soon began.

In 1922 Eggert Dose, brother of founder Karl, joins the company and simultaneously takes over part of the management.


Quiet and expansive business development with increasingly tight relations in Carsten-Rehder-Strasse.


In spite of considerable damage and wartime disruptions, production at the Hamburg site was maintained throughout the war years.


Jens Dose (son of Karl Dose) and Peter Dose (son of Eggert Dose) join the company in 1950. Jens Dose takes over the technical management, Peter Dose initially takes over the commercial management of the company together with his father Eggert. Company founder Karl retires from active operations.

The business situation is a reflection of strong economic fluctuations in shipbuilding and shipping. At all times, however, Karl Dose is a very profitable company.


Relocation to the newly built, modern company headquarters in Försterweg in Hamburg-Stellingen in 1962.


Eggert Dose ends his active career in 1970, Jens and Peter Dose continue to run the company together.


Dipl.-Kfm. Ullrich Dose (son of Peter Dose) joins the company in 1983. Shortly afterwards he takes over the commercial management together with his father.

In 1988 Dipl.- Ing. Detlef Rinne joins the company. He takes over the technical management, initially together with Jens Dose.

Furthermore, in this year the company is split into Karl Dose GmbH (active company) and Elektrohandel Karl Dose GmbH & Co. (holding company).


In 1993 the production and administration building is raised and expanded. After Peter Dose's death, Ullrich Dose is the sole commercial director of the company.

One year later, the legendary "DOSE multiple refrigerated container socket outlet" is developed to market maturity. Delivery of the new sockets starts in 1995. Many 100,000 sockets have been delivered worldwide in continually revised and optimised versions since then.

The subsidiary Dose & Rinne Portuguesa Lda. (DRP), a brass and aluminium foundry, is founded in Lordelo, Portugal, in 1998 to avoid supply bottlenecks and increase flexibility.


At the start of the new millennium, Dipl.-Kfm. Thorsten Marquardt can be gained as Marketing/Sales Manager for the company.

2005 sees the start of a significant expansion of the product portfolio with the in-house production of a complete series of searchlights.

The company's expansion is driven forward in 2006 by renting additional building capacity in the immediate vicinity. The building space is almost doubled. The production of the floodlight portfolio is successfully expanded, and the floodlights are gradually being converted to LED.

In 2008, Thorsten Marquardt becomes shareholder and managing partner, responsible for marketing/sales and controlling.


In 2014 Detlef Rinne retires from the company due to age, but remains a shareholder.

In 2015, the company develops the "DOSE Power Panel" as a mobile supplement and seasonal upgrade of the refrigerated container capacities of container ships already in service and launches it on the market with great success.


In 2020, Ullrich Dose leaves the operational management upon reaching retirement age, but remains active as a partner in an advisory capacity. Thorsten Marquardt assumes the overall management of the company.

In the midst of the rampant Corona pandemic, the company celebrates its 100th anniversary. Despite a gloomy business outlook, KARL DOSE continues to invest in the future. M. Sc. Leif Parker joins the company as the new Marketing/Sales Manager and aims to continue the DOSE family tradition in the long term.