Portrait

From aircraft to weaving machine: Engineering expertise with passion

The worldwide renowned aircraft company Dornier started to produce textile machines after the war had ended, initially shuttle weaving machines - the result of the search for a new field of activity. The reason for the new orientation: The Allied Forces had completely forbidden the company to build aircraft in Germany.
In 1950 Lindauer DORNIER GmbH was founded at the site of today´s headquarters in Lindau-Rickenbach by Peter Dornier, the son of well known aviation pioneer Claude Dornier.

Wide product range

Apart from shuttle weaving machines, the Lindauer DORNIER soon started producing specialty machines such as drying plants for paperboard, paper and gypsum fireboard industry. In the mid 1950s, DORNIER extended its product range with film stretching machines for the packing and film industry as well as textile finishing machines for circular knitted goods.

The 1967 developed DORNIER rapier weaving machine complemented by the air-jet weaving machine introduced in 1989 were the most important milestones for the advancement to being today´s only German weaving machine manufacturer with an excellent international reputation.

Market leader with two mainstays

In both business segments – weaving machines and specialty machines – DORNIER has established itself as one of the market leaders wordwide.
Among the final products of the weaving machine are the most demanding fabrics such as airbags, carbon fabrics for composite structures or aramide fabrics for fireproof and bulletproof applications. The DORNIER system family is also the optimum tool to produce finest pure silk fabrics, elaborated Jacquard patterns or delicate worsted fabrics.

Furthermore the Southern German company is market leader in the field of specialty machines for engineering and producing plants for superfine plastic films. Besides the packaging industry these films extend their application more and more into high-tech products such as semiconductors, capacitors for hybrid cars or film displays in mobile phones and flat screens.
Nowadays Lindauer DORNIER exports 90 % of its products wordwide and has around 1000 staff members.

Dornier family

The founder family Dornier: Vision, entrepreneurship and pioneering spirit

Prof. Dr. Claude Dornier (1884 - 1969)

As a qualified engineer Claude Dornier took up a position in 1910 with Graf Zeppelin. Claude Dornier was the first to develop all-metal aircraft and seaplanes. The legendary Dornier-Wal that made its maiden flight in 1922 was the most successful seaplane in the Twenties and Thirties. Claude Dornier's spectacular expedition in 1929 was a real sensation: He flew with the 12-motor Do X, the world's largest passenger aircraft at that time, to Africa, North and South America. In 1932, Claude Dornier was able to purchase the Dornier-Metallbauten GmbH from the Zeppelin Group - the real birth of the Dornier company.

Peter Dornier (1917 - 2002)

The second oldest son of Professor Claude Dornier was also a graduate in mechanical engineering. He joined his father's company in 1944 as aircraft constructor and was then decisively involved in the development of the German aircraft industry. Amongst others, he invented and developed the Do 335 propeller plane as well as the Do 31 vertical takeoff jet transport aircraft. He received the "Lilienthal-Gesellschaft für Luftfahrt" (Lilienthal Aviation Association) prize for the Do 335. As from 1950, Peter Dornier concentrated on creating the Lindauer DORNIER GmbH. He took over all the shares of Lindauer DORNIER GmbH held by the mother company in a swap deal as Daimler Benz AG became the majority shareholder of the Dornier group in 1985.

Peter D. Dornier (born 1961)

Peter D. Dornier, son of Peter Dornier and graduate in mechanical engineering, took over responsibility for the company in the third generation. Peter D. Dornier joined his father's company in 1989, became Spokesman for the Board in 1999 and was responsible for sales and marketing for weaving machines for many years. He has been chairman of the Lindauer DORNIER GmbH Board of Management since 2001.