De Dietrich
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Industrial machinery, railway systems, chemical equipment |
| Founded | 1684 |
| Founder | Johann von Dietrich |
| Headquarters | Alsace , France |
Key people | Marc-Antoine de Dietrich (Chairman) |
| Products | Industrial machinery, railway equipment, process systems, household appliances (historically) |
| Owner | De Dietrich family |
| Website | www |
The de Dietrich family has played a pivotal role in shaping French and European industrial sectors for more than 300 years. Headquartered in Alsace, the company continues to be a key economic force. Established in 1684, it is currently managed by Marc-Antoine de Dietrich, representing the eleventh generation of leadership. Throughout its history, the group has been active in automobile manufacturing, railway systems, and industrial machinery.
History
1684: Johann von Dietrich takes ownership of the Jaegerthal forge.
1719: The family receives noble status as Barons from the Holy Roman Empire.
1749-1751: Baron Jean de Dietrich constructs the Château de la Cour d'Angleterre located in Bischheim, close to Strasbourg.
1761: Jean de Dietrich is titled Count du Ban de la Roche by Louis XV, enlarging his industrial domain with additional forges and furnaces, ultimately becoming the largest landowner in Alsace.
1778: To prevent counterfeiting, Louis XVI grants Jean de Dietrich a hunting horn trademark; this emblem remains a lasting mark of quality.
1792: Philippe-Frédéric de Dietrich, serving as Strasbourg’s first mayor under the republic, commissions Captain Rouget de Lisle to compose a military anthem for the Army of the Rhine. Premiering at De Dietrich’s residence on Place Broglie, this composition evolved into France’s national anthem, "La Marseillaise".
1848: Amid industrial growth, De Dietrich transitions from cast iron production toward mechanical and railway equipment manufacturing.
1870: After Alsace-Lorraine is annexed by Germany following the Franco-Prussian War, the family remains close to its factories and diversifies into consumer durable goods such as stoves, cookers, furniture, and enameled bathtubs. They also expand into urban and industrial equipment sectors including tramways and distillation devices to meet German market needs.
1896: De Dietrich enters the automotive industry by acquiring rights to designs by Amédée Bollée. The company collaborates with prominent figures including Ettore Bugatti for vehicle design and Émile Mathis for sales development.
1905: The company withdraws from automobile production to concentrate on mechanical construction, railway equipment, process systems, central heating solutions, and household appliances.
1992: De Dietrich acquires Cogifer, a leader specializing in fixed railway infrastructure, while divesting its appliance division to Thomson (later Fagor-Brandt).
1995: The majority shareholding of rolling stock manufacturer "De Dietrich Ferroviaire" (based at Reichshoffen) is sold to Alstom, now operating as Alstom-DDF.
2000: Following acquisitions of Rosenmund-Guedu and QVF, De Dietrich rebrands its chemical equipment branch as "De Dietrich Process Systems". It becomes subject to a Public Tender Offer by Société Industrielle du Hanau (SIH), which is controlled by ABN AMRO Capital Investissement France alongside the family.
2001: After five decades on the stock market, De Dietrich withdraws from public trading.
2002: Cogifer and Cogifer TF are sold to German industrial group Vossloh. Société Industrielle du Hanau assumes control of De Dietrich & Cie and adopts the "De Dietrich" name.
2004: The company sells "De Dietrich Thermique," a leading water heating equipment manufacturer, to Remeha. This merger forms De Dietrich Remeha, a significant European entity in condensing boilers and renewable energy technologies. Later that year, the family regains full ownership of the holding company—marking one of Europe’s largest recent family reinvestments. Presently, De Dietrich centers its business around De Dietrich Process Systems (DDPS), a worldwide supplier of API process equipment and other process technologies for pharmaceutical and fine chemical industries with operations in Asia (Hyderabad), Europe, and North America.
Genealogy
Demange Dietrich (1549-1620), Strasbourg citizen married Anne Heller │ └── Jean Dietrich (1579-1642), Strasbourg merchant and council member married Agnès Meyer │ └── Dominique Dietrich (1620-1694), Strasbourg's Mayor married Ursule Wencker (1627-1662) │ └── Jean-Nicolas Dietrich (1688-1726), banker and merchant married Marie-Barbe Kniebs (1665-1747) │ └── Jean de Dietrich (1719-1795), Count of the "Ban de la Roche" married Amélie Hermanny (1729-1766) │ ├── Jean de Dietrich (1746-1805) │ married Louise-Sophie de Glaubitz (1751-1806) │ └── Philippe-Frédéric de Dietrich (1748–1793), Strasbourg mayor married Sybille-Louise Ochs (1755-1806) │ └── Jean-Albert de Dietrich (1773-1806), leader of Bas-Rhin department married Amélie de Berckheim (1776-1855) │ ├── Amélie de Dietrich (1799-1854) │ married Guillaume de Turckheim (1785-1831), Major │ ├── Baron Albert de Dietrich (1802-1888) \t\t\t\t married 1828 Octavie von Stein (1801-1839) \t\t\t\t │ \t\t\t\t ├── Baron Albert de Dietrich (1831-) \t\t\t\t │ married Sophie von und zu der Tann-Rathsamhausen (1832-1890) \t\t\t\t │ \t\t\t\t married 1840 Adélaïde von Stein \t\t\t\t │ \t\t\t\t └── Eugène-Dominique de Dietrich (1844-1918), Alsace's deputy at the Reichstag \t\t\t\t married Cécile Vaucher \t\t\t\t │ \t\t\t\t └── Dominique de Dietrich (1892-1963) \t\t\t\t married Inès-Agnès de Pourtalès \t\t\t\t │ \t\t\t\t └── Gilbert de Dietrich (1928-2006), De Dietrich CEO from 1968 to 1996
married Suzanne Syz (1925–1975)
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└── Baron Marc-Antoine de Dietrich, present Chairman of De Dietrich Supervisory Board
married Catherine Probst
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└── Gaetan, Olympia, and Amaury de Dietrich
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└── Jean-Sigismond de Dietrich (1803-1868) married Virginie Mathis (1810-1867) │ └── Amélie de Dietrich (1841-1874) married Baron Édouard de Turkheim