The history of Fritz Rensmann GmbH & Co. KG is characterised by technical expertise, entrepreneurial vision and the ability to adapt time and again to new challenges. Over the decades, a manufacturer of locomotives for the mining industry has evolved into a modern service provider in the railway sector. Today, we specialise in rail vehicle technology, maintenance and fire protection systems. Discover the key milestones of a family-run business that has stood for quality, reliability and bespoke solutions for generations.
The sole trader business Fritz Rensmann was founded in Dortmund in January 1946 by Fritz Rensmann Sr. With his entrepreneurial spirit and technical expertise, he laid the foundations for a successful company.
The business, which had started out as a spare parts shop for mining vehicles, quickly expanded into the service sector. More space was needed, and the first relocation to new production premises on Aplerbecker Strasse took place in 1960.
By taking over the licensed production of Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz mining locomotives, the Fritz Rensmann repair workshop became a locomotive manufacturer.
The mining crisis was already looming, but things were still going from strength to strength for the Fritz Rensmann company. Rensmann locomotives were a mainstay of the German and Belgian coal mining industries.
Construction begins at the company’s current site. In the 1980s, the company moves once again to larger premises in Dortmund-Dorstfeld. The sole trader was converted into Fritz Rensmann GmbH & Co. KG.
In the 1990s, the mining crisis took its toll here too. There were hardly any new locomotive construction projects left. Demand for spare parts and repairs dwindled with every further mine closure.
Wheelset and compressor repairs increasingly compensated for the decline in turnover from the mining sector. Railway technology was becoming increasingly important.
From around 2010 onwards, railway technology has accounted for the bulk of the company’s economic activities. New investments in the fields of mechanical engineering and measurement technology have further secured the division’s position.
The licence-based manufacture of Kidde Deugra fire protection systems, which began in 2014, has enabled the company to enter an innovative new business segment within the railway technology sector.
2018 marked the year of the definitive closure of the German coal mining industry, the company’s origins.
Fritz Rensmann GmbH & Co. KG has long since successfully navigated this structural change. Further forward-looking investments were made in the same year, including the construction of the new bogie centre, new cleaning halls with modern water treatment facilities, and a large materials warehouse.