Dräger (company)

Dräger is a German company based in Lübeck which makes breathing and protection equipment, gas detection and analysis systems, and noninvasive patient monitoring technologies. Customers include hospitals, fire departments and diving companies. The company was founded in Lübeck in 1889 as Dräger & Gerling by de and Carl Adolf Gerling. The first patent was taken out for a reduction device for using carbon dioxide to dispense beer. In 1902 Heinrich Dräger's son Bernhard entered the management; from then on, the company was named Drägerwerk Heinr. und Bernh. Dräger. Since 1970, Drägerwerk has been a public limited company, or Aktiengesellschaft (AG) in German. In 2003, the aerospace division was sold to Cobham plc. In July 2006, it was announced that Draeger Aerospace GmbH had been acquired by B/E Aerospace, Inc. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for the Draeger's ventilators skyrocketed. In February 2020, the production capacity was doubled and is to be doubled again (as of March 2020). The German federal government commissioned the company with 10,000 devices, which were to be delivered in the course of 2020. Ultimately, only 1,557 devices were delivered, and the rest canceled. An even larger part of the production is sold abroad. In addition, the production of respiratory masks was doubled. According to an article in New York Times, Xavier Becerra (who has selected by then-President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. as his nominee for the Secretary of Health and Human Services in the US), made the statement that they plan to order approximately 1 Million medical ventilators whenever he takes office. In the course of this statement, he named Dräger under the potential suppliers, regarding to fight against Covid19. Dräger Medical is a manufacturer of medical equipment. The company offers products and services including Emergency Care, Perioperative Care, Critical Care, Perinatal Care and Home Care. With headquarters in Lübeck, Germany, Dräger Medical employs nearly 14,000 people worldwide, around half of whom work in customer sales & services.