| 85 Years of MENTOR |
| from 1920 to 2006 |
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| 1920 |
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On July 1, 1920 the company MENTOR GmbH & Co. Präzisions Bauteile KG,
was founded in Düsseldorf by Dr. Paul Mozar as a sole proprietorship
under the company name of Dr. Paul Mozar, Factory for Electric Engineering
and Precision Mechanics. |
| 1930 |
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At the beginning, the company concentrated on the manufacture of
mechanical precision components. The development of the electrical
engineering and radio industry led to joint developments, such as
the Strassfurth Broadcasting Service. |
| 1940 |
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The product range was expanded to the fields of telecommunications,
couplings, loudspeakers, pick-up arms and signal generators. |
| 1945 |
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The Düsseldorf plant was completely destroyed. |
| 1948 |
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After the war, a laborious process of building up the
company again from nothing began. Production was resumed with older
designs. But it was already in 1948, i. e. immediately after the Monetary
Reform, that the first post-war general catalog was published. It
showed a large number of innovative, practical "new developments"
that were well-thought out by experts. Although the title said "MENTOR
Radio Components" at that time, its content was already characteristic
of today's production program. |
| 1965 |
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In May 1965 Dr. Paul Mozar died. He had been head of the company
for 45 years. Dr. Ehrhard Weyer who had been his right hand at that
time, took over leadership of the company as a general partner of
what had now been turned into a limited partnership. |
| 1968 |
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MENTOR's first modular system, a miniature program with each component
containing a different function, such as controlling, scaling, displaying
and testing, etc. A large number of components can be put together
to form functional blocks or groups. |
| 1972 |
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New company premises are built in the open countryside in Erkrath-Unterfeldhaus
near Düsseldorf. Expansion of the production range as a partner
of industrial electronics. Start of MENTOR's own production of plastics. |
| 1974 |
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With regard to the 19" plug-in technique, gaining importance
both on a national and an international level, MENTOR presents its
system of front-panel built-in elements for the "FEL" assembly
of printed circuit boards. |
| 1976 |
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Considerably risen wages, longer vacation and more leisure time.
MENTOR, the adviser and fatherly friend of do-it-yourselfers, founds
the subsidiary POP electronic GmbH, with a comprehensive range for
hobbyists. |
| 1980 |
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To relieve the cost situation, MENTOR establishes the branch plant
MENTOR Tunisie SCS. Efficient production at a high quality standard. |
| 1982 |
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By acquiring the Albert Weidmann Licht-Elektronik GmbH, MENTOR increases
its market share in the field of optoelectronics, starting the production
of components for the automobile industry. |
| 1990 |
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By taking over of the production and distribution of the company
REINHOLD
OPTO ELECTRONIC, based in Issum, MENTOR is able to assume a leading
position in the field of optoelectronic display elements. |
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| 1994 |
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After years of development, the breakthrough in the field of SMD
technology is achieved. The system of SMD front-panel built-in elements
for the 19" and the metric technique is introduced. |
| 1995 |
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On July 1, 1995 we celebrated our 75th company anniversary, thanking
all customers, suppliers and members of staff who had accompanied
and supported us on that long way. |
| 1997 |
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MENTOR specializes in the comfort interior illumination
of cars. |
| 1997/98 |
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Expansion of the range of components SMD technology |
| 1998 |
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Expansion in the field of mechanical components with
the focus on handles and housing accessories |
| 2000 |
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MENTOR presents a worldwide novelty at Electronica 2000
in Munich: A light guide for fully automated insertion of components
with integrated SMD LED. |
| 2002 |
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Structural expansion at all production locations.
Introduction of the world's first capacity switch in SMD technology (fully automatic equipment) at the electronica 2002. |
| 2003 |
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MENTOR gains first place in the Golf-segment with signal lights |
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Implementation of an integrated management system quality / environment / work safety |
| 2004 |
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Preparation for the certifications ISO TS 16949 and DIN EN
ISO 14001
Introduction of a light-reflex switch in SMD and THT technology with LED display. |
| 2005 |
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MENTOR is certified according ISO/TS 16949, DIN ISO 9001 (since 1995) and DIN EN ISO 14001 |
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85th anniversary of the company
25th anniversary of MENTOR Tunesie
In order to open up new markets MENTOR establishes the subsidiary Mentor Electronic & Technology (Shanghai) Ltd. in China |
| 2006 |
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In order to open up new markets MENTOR establishes the subsidiary MENTOR Electronics & Technology (Shanghai) Ltd. in China |
| 2007 |
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Preparation for the certification ISO TS 16949 for the location in Tunisia |
| 2008 |
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Preparation for the certification DIN EN ISO 9001 for the location in China
On the 08.08.08 MENTOR celebrates his 88th anniversary |
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