Both Kuul and Condair are owned by the same company. The merger has brought together two outstanding brands that stand to benefit from numerous synergies and the continued joint ownership and management by Silvan Meier. Both companies have successfully built up a data centre business and grown it to a similar scale. Together, we will be even stronger.
In 2024, a further strategic decision was taken to establish a new production site in the United States to expand our business in evaporation technologies and move closer to our customers.
The new production site is located in Richmond, Virginia. As the Virginia region has developed into a hub for the data centre business, we aim to drive our growth in this business segment with this important step.
Digitalisation and the Internet of Things (IoT) enable Condair to get closer to its customers. The latest Condair DL generation features digital interfaces that facilitate automated communication between devices and facility management and service organisations. Using the BACnet (Building Automation and Control Networks) network protocol, operators can view, communicate with and remotely control devices – naturally with the customer’s consent. Thanks to this technology, Condair is now able to manage and monitor its humidification systems efficiently and precisely throughout their entire lifecycle.
The consolidation also had an impact on production. Previously, the Condair Group operated four production sites in Europe, one in North America and one in China. An analysis revealed that, in addition to Canada and China, a single production facility in Europe would suffice; in other words, such a configuration would provide adequate access to the Condair Group’s markets. But where in Europe would be the best location? As part of a utility analysis, 22 different locations were assessed for their potential, with logistics, the ability to serve markets with the greatest sales potential, the availability of skilled labour, labour costs and currency risks all being evaluated. The decision for the new production and logistics centre fell on Norderstedt, north of Hamburg. In addition to its proximity to the airport, a decisive advantage was that almost the entire current workforce of the former subsidiary Draabe, consisting of 50 employees, could be retained, thereby ensuring continuity and the preservation of expertise.
The new centre commenced operations in May 2017. At the same time, the Condair Group implemented the vertical integration of all sales and service organisations across all key markets.
At present, the portfolio of the Walter Meier Group, which is now listed on the stock exchange, comprises over twenty individual companies. And some of them serve the same market: Luftbefeuchtung.
These are medium-sized companies, led by Condair AG, all of which have their own or overlapping sales organisations, marketing, engineering and manufacturing departments, and in some cases even compete with other affiliated companies. From a management perspective, this makes little sense. Consequently, Silvan G.-R. Meier, the main shareholder of the Walter Meier Group, decided in 2013 to consolidate these humidification companies.
“One brand, one company” is the motto: Condair!
A colossal task, as each company has its own headquarters, its own history and its own identity. To succeed, communication skills and leadership qualities are required. The group of independent companies is transformed into a vertically integrated, global group with a unified product portfolio, research and development, procurement and, for the time being, six production sites.
This monumental task was made easier by Silvan G.-R. Meier’s decision in 2014 to acquire all air humidification companies from the listed holding company, which streamlined the consolidation of the companies as shareholder approval was no longer required.
The new Condair logo, featuring three waves as its central motif, is a distinctive symbol. From bottom to top, the wave symbolises the transition from water in its liquid state to water vapour in its gaseous form.
The wave expresses dynamism, movement and drive. Our corporate colour is a shade of blue that reflects our key themes:
Water & Air and Humidification & Cooling
AxAir AG, following a brief rebranding as Walter Meier (Klima International) AG, , eventually adopted the name Condair AG.
As a leading innovator in the field of air humidification, the newly named company is once again focusing on technological and geographical growth. In addition to increased investment in the development of new products, the Walter Meier Group, Condair’s parent company, has adopted a strategy of making acquisitions designed to round out the company’s range of services, starting with the takeover of JS Humidifiers from the UK and later ML System, a Danish company. Both companies are distinguished by their strong market position in their respective countries and by their technological capabilities, which perfectly complement Condair’s portfolio.
JS Humidifiers brings cutting-edge technology to the very important market of evaporative cooling, which is crucial for the presence of Condair technology in data centres operated by Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, etc.
And from ML System, Condair acquired a mature, technically advanced high-pressure humidification system for industrial and commercial direct-space applications.
Draabe has a long history with Defensor. It began in the late 1950s, when the company’s founder, Hans-Jürgen Draabe, became the exclusive importer of Defensor air humidification products in Germany.
In 1982, his son Uwe Draabe introduced the company’s first in-house product, the highly innovative, portable UO pure water tank. ‘UO’ stands for reverse osmosis, a process in which minerals are removed from the water, enabling hygienic, residue-free atomisation of the water. Water treatment became Draabe’s trademark.
In 1986, Draabe introduced BioSafe, the first combined water treatment and air humidification system, which was replaced in 1996 by DI Puls with its world-first high-pressure pulsation system. Draabe was a technological leader, but needed a strong partner for international marketing and sales, which it found in Walter Meier Holding in 2002.
In return for its AxAir business, Walter Meier receives 1,000 rental accounts in Germany as well as extensive expertise in the field of integrated water treatment and air humidification.
The development of Defensor’s Mk product range is entering its next phase. At the start of the new millennium, is launching AxAir, the first steam humidifier with patented limescale management. The solution to the common problem of limescale build-up in resistive humidifiers is a significant achievement that sets a new standard for domestic applications. The key to this solution lies in the fact that the limescale detaches from the pulsating heating element, sinks in the heated water and collects in a bag beneath the unit.
This design reduces the frequency of maintenance and significantly lowers operating costs.
The Condair DUAL from AxAir marks another milestone in the history of air humidification. For the first time, two adiabatic air humidification technologies work together: atomisation and evaporation. Thanks to this design, the Condair DUAL offers air humidification with unrivalled hygiene and efficiency.
A ceramic evaporator, an extremely hard material whose surface is highly resistant to corrosion or decomposition yet can still be disposed of without difficulty, is one reason for the exceptional hygiene.
Another reason is a cartridge specially developed by AxAir, which releases silver ions into osmotic water and kills germs. The system is complemented by an intelligent circuit that reduces wastewater consumption to an absolute minimum and reliably ensures maximum efficiency.
With the end of the long-standing partnership in the domestic humidifier market with the long-established Swiss company Turmix, production capacity has become available. Fittingly, this has opened up an opportunity for AxAir in China to establish a joint venture with the Chinese household appliance manufacturer Yadu, an industry giant. The agreement is quickly finalised: AxAir provides the technology and machinery, whilst Yadu takes charge of the market launch, sales and marketing in China. Advertisements for the Yadu-AxAir humidifier, whose technology is based on the Defensor PH5, are even broadcast on the state-run television channel CCTV. Nevertheless, the desired success fails to materialise.
Later, in 1999, AxAir establishes wholly-owned subsidiaries in Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong.
Walter Meier Holding, a heavyweight in the Swiss construction industry, is also suffering from the crisis.
The merger of the two subsidiaries, Defensor and Condair, offers significant potential for synergies, as both have their own engineering, manufacturing and sales organisations to meet the demands of the air humidification market.
The merger of the two equally strong companies, which had been competitors for many years, was potentially explosive. This was another reason for a new company name: AxAir (not to be confused with the existing service provider AxAir Schweiz AG).
Defensor’s headquarters in Pfäffikon SZ was selected as the location for the new company due to the availability of sufficient premises. The Condair site in Münchenstein will be closed. The merger creates the world’s largest air humidification company, with around 200 employees and an annual turnover of 50 million Swiss francs. Both brands, Condair and Defensor, will continue to exist at the product and system level.
The booming 1980s were followed by the bleak 1990s, the result of a property crisis. In times like these, cost-cutting is essential, and this also applied to the air humidification sector. Whether it was Defensor or Condair – both companies belonging to Walter Meier Holding – or their competitor Esco Schönmann, the economy seemed to be in freefall across the board. The situation prompted the three companies to merge their sales and service activities in Switzerland into a new company called AxAir Schweiz AG.
Condair received a ‘dowry’ from Esco Schönmann in the form of the highly innovative ESCO steam distribution system, patented in 1984, which they incorporated into their product range. To this day, Condair markets the steam distribution system worldwide under the name Condair ESCO with great success. The product has numerous unique features and can be integrated wherever a pressurised steam network is in use.
1987
Defensor is moving from Zurich to its new premises in Pfäffikon SZThanks to continuous innovation and its thriving business, Defensor AG grew rapidly in the 1980s. In fact, so rapidly that the capacity of the site in Zurich Binz was no longer sufficient.
In December 1985, the ground-breaking ceremony took place for a new site on a plot on Talstrasse in Pfäffikon SZ. A 16-metre-high and wide high-bay warehouse, extending across all floors, divides the building into an office and a production area. The new facility cost 18 million Swiss francs, including a new data-driven enterprise resource planning system from IBM with 20 screens and a state-of-the-art, air-conditioned test laboratory with very demanding structural requirements regarding temperature and humidity insulation.
In March 1987, it was time to move into the new facility.
1986
Defensor Mk3 in industrial applicationsIndustrial humidification has never been so precise. The new generation of resistive steam humidifiers enables Defensor to provide stepless control from 0 to 100 per cent with an accuracy of plus or minus two per cent. The control mechanism consists of a combination of contactors and mercury relays, rather than semiconductors, which were not introduced into the products until the 1990s.
The photograph shows four Defensor Mk3 units in a machine factory in Oerlikon-Bührle in 1986.
1985
A leap forward in innovation: Defensor PH5Defensor PH5 is the first multi-purpose device on the market. It combines air humidification and air purification in a single unit. A four-stage filter system, comprising a coarse particle filter, a fine particle filter, an electret coating and an activated carbon filter, makes this multi-functionality possible. ETH Zurich and the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA) have tested this highly efficient filter with excellent results.
No wonder that Turmix has been successfully selling the device on the Swiss market for many years under the name Turmix TopAir.
Defensor expanded its market presence thanks to its larger models, the PH26 and PH14 (1987 and 1991 respectively), which are highly popular in museums, galleries, libraries, churches (organs) and large, open-plan offices. Even today, the larger multi-purpose Defensor PH15 unit continues to ensure an ideal indoor climate for works of art and people in various museums.
1985–86
Condair ablaze!On the night of 27 March 1985, a major fire destroyed the Condair AG production plant in Münchenstein. One hundred employees faced an uncertain future, with the damage amounting to 10 million Swiss francs. The fire destroyed the company’s records, including all design drawings. Fortunately, however, there were no casualties and the administration building remained largely intact. Furthermore, Condair was able to temporarily rent storage and other premises in the neighbourhood. More importantly, the company had a solid financial footing and highly motivated staff. According to the company magazine “Der Condair”, the company’s motto after the fire was: “No redundancies, no reduction in working hours, but all hands on deck!”
In December 1986, the new company building was completed.
1983
Acquisition of Nortec in CanadaJean Guay and Michael Leicester founded Nortec in 1974 in Ottawa, Canada. The company manufactured humidifiers and also sold humidifiers from other manufacturers, such as Lumatic and Condair products from Plascon AG. In 1978, Nortec placed an order with Plascon AG for air humidifiers worth 30,000 dollars, to be paid in Swiss francs. When the value of the Canadian dollar suddenly and drastically plummeted, Nortec’s liability to Plascon tripled. Nortec and Plascon agreed to settle the outstanding invoice with Nortec shares, making Plascon AG a shareholder in Nortec.
Plascon’s stake in Nortec continued to grow, and by 1983 Nortec was wholly owned by Walter Meier Holding. The advantages were manifold: as Condair (formerly Plascon) belonged to Walter Meier Holding, just like Defensor, Defensor now also had a strong sales organisation for Canada and the USA. Furthermore, Nortec had a production facility near Ottawa, Canada, which was set up to manufacture humidifiers in accordance with North American standards and requirements.
1981–82
Walter Meier Holding acquires Plascon/CondairPlascon In 1981, Hans Badertscher sold Plascon to Walter Meier Holding AG. According to the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, the sale was made to ensure the company’s continued existence, as there was no successor within the family who could take over the management.
On 1 January 1982, Plascon AG was renamed Condair AG, after the name of its strongest brand. With the acquisition of Plascon, Walter Meier Holding held the two leading companies, Defensor and Condair, for industrial and HVAC humidification.
In the 1980s, both companies remained independent and were competitors in the market.
1976
Lumatic becomes CondairWith the Condair ES, Plascon AG hit the jackpot. The unit featured the first self-adaptive control system, meaning it has a replaceable steam tank and a water management control system capable of producing odourless, mineral-free, hygienic steam regardless of the chemical properties of the tap water.
But hang on a minute, Condair ES?
Yes, that’s right. In 1976, Plascon abandoned the brand name ‘Lumatic’ and, following a legal dispute with Luwa AG, a ventilation and heating technology company, reverted to the brand name ‘Condair’, which had been patented since 1955. The case went all the way to the Swiss Federal Supreme Court. The court ruled that Plascon was no longer permitted to use the Lumatic brand name. The Lumatic logo can be seen at the 1976 ISH international trade fair for sanitary and heating technology in Frankfurt, whilst shortly afterwards, at an exhibition in Münchenstein, , the name Condair appears, bearing a clear resemblance to the Lumatic logo.
1975
Walter Meier AG acquires DefensorDefensor is now a medium-sized company with 120 employees, an international sales network spanning 70 countries and an annual turnover of over 14 million Swiss francs. However, the company’s financial situation is unstable. For this reason, Defensor sought a financially strong partner and found Walter Meier AG. At that time, in 1975, the company was primarily active as an importer of machine tools. But in 1972, the son of the company’s founder, Reto E. Meier (the father of our current owner), took over the management of the company and made diversification his primary objective. On 23 June 1975, Walter Meier AG acquired Defensor AG, its first acquisition, thereby entering the air humidification systems business. A year later, Walter Meier AG became a holding company and was listed on the stock exchange in 1985.
1973
Defensor Mk1: The first steam humidifier with a heating element!Defensor launches its first resistive steam humidifier, the Mk1. Unlike its competitor’s product (Lumatic), the Mk1 uses resistance technology, as found in immersion heaters, rather than electrodes. With the launch of this product, Defensor became the only manufacturer with expertise in the three areas of evaporation, atomisation and vaporisation. The Mk1 is suitable for indirect humidification via a steam distribution pipe in an air duct. Thanks to continuous innovation, the Mk1 series became the backbone of Defensor’s range for commercial and industrial applications. Today, the product – now known as the Condair RS – remains a bestseller in the Condair range.
the 1970s
Defensor goes globalDefensor recognised the great potential of its wide product range and began expanding its international sales and marketing network in the 1970s. Training for sales staff is required (shown here in Japan in 1973). How exactly does the Defensor ABS2 pictured here work? Water is drawn from the reservoir via a suction hose and forced against the atomiser screen by the impeller and the four rotating discs to create a mist (aerosol). At the same time, ambient air is drawn into the underside of the unit. A second stream of ambient air distributes the aerosol throughout the room. In addition to the health-promoting humidification, evaporation produces an additional effect: cooling, which is particularly desirable in production facilities, textile mills and printing works.
1968
Lumatic Junior by Plascon (Condair)A coincidence? The first Lumatic steam humidifier for domestic use bears the same name as Defensor’s rival product: Junior. And just like the Defensor Junior, the Lumatic Junior also won a highly prestigious award, the IF Design Award from the International Forum Design. However, the Lumatic Junior offered a hygienic advantage: it used steam generated by boiling water, unlike the Defensor Junior, which operated with cold water. Migros sold the Lumatic device, and it quickly became a bestseller: in the first year, 58,690 Junior 600 units and 30,737 units of the 1000 model were sold!
1958
Foundation of Plascon-Tank AG (later Condair AG)In 1958, Hans Badertscher founded a second company: Plascon-Tank AG. As the name suggests, the company began by manufacturing plastic tanks and tank level gauges. In the early 1960s, Badertscher launched an initiative to develop and manufacture steam humidifiers. The product, named Lumatic, used electrodes to boil water and thus generate steam. This made Plascon a direct competitor to Defensor AG in the still very young market for air humidification. It wasn’t long before the product range, including the Lumatic models 1, 2, 3 and 4 with an ammeter and portable hygrometer (shown here at a trade fair in Solothurn, Switzerland), became bestsellers in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Scandinavia.
1957
Defensor Microjet 109Disinfection remained a key focus for Defensor. In 1957, Defensor launched a portable high-performance atomiser for use with high-volume disinfectant aerosols, for example in grain mills, where the atomiser combats moths and beetles. The company persistently sought scientific evidence of the disinfection benefits of aerosol atomisers. In 1959, the German Plant Protection Service published a report, “Nachrichtenblatt des Pflanzenschutzdienstes”, stating that tests had shown “the Defensor Microjet 109 had achieved good extermination results”.
1955
Trademark rights for CondairInspired by his experiences in the USA, the entrepreneur Hans Badertscher began selling American-made hot-air heaters for domestic use in the early 1950s. He marketed the systems under the name Condair, derived from ‘conditioned air’. To protect the name, he registered it as a trademark – a move from which Condair has benefited throughout its history. On the right is a Condair newspaper advertisement in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung from 1955.
1955
junior defenderMore and more scientists, such as Professor Grandjean from ETH Zurich, are confirming the health benefits of maintaining adequate relative humidity. This is the best and most convincing endorsement Defensor could hope for. The Junior model was the first aerosol humidifier for domestic use on the market. The rotary atomiser, designed by Karl Flury, impresses not only with its technical performance but also with its aesthetic design. In 1956, the device received the ‘Die gute Form’ award at Switzerland’s largest trade fair, the MUBA – a prize for timeless design and function,. The technology and function of the Junior are indeed so timeless and durable that it has become a true evergreen, and the successor model 505 continued to be sold by Condair until 2024!
the 1950s
Technology transfer for industrial air humidificationFor years, Defensor AG was in the red. The commercial breakthrough came thanks to resourceful cheese makers who discovered the benefits of humidity during the cheese-maturing process. In the early 1950s, Defensor AG was finally able to begin mass production of a product model. Step by step, Defensor AG expanded its product range and scope of application, from maturing and storage rooms to greenhouses, large open-plan office buildings and production facilities.
1948
Foundation of Defensor AGOn 21 June 1948, Defensor AG was entered in the Zurich Commercial Register. The main shareholder was Dr Bernhard Joos, a chemist and entrepreneur. In the early 1930s, Joos developed PYRIDACIL®, a preparation for the disinfection of the kidneys and urinary tract, and in 1936 founded the pharmaceutical company Cilag, now known as Janssen. Disinfection remained Joos’s main focus. In 1946, he filed a patent for a ‘method and device for the spray distribution of liquids’. Its benefit lay in spraying “liquid disinfectants in a fine mist”. Whether in livestock barns to combat animal diseases or in hospitals and operating theatres – the atomiser offered “defensive” protection against infections, hence the name Defensor AG, whose technology was based on Bernhard Joos’s patent.