Minimax – a potted history
The Minimax fire extinguisher was developed by Wilhelm Graaff (1872-1931) and launched in December 1902 as the Spitztüte fire extinguisher (Spitztüte is German for cone). In 1903 this was given the name Minimax.
Minimax the company was formed in 1903 with their first site being set up in 1905 in Neuruppin near Berlin.
An office was opened in England in 1903 and a factory built in 1911 at Feltham, Middlesex. Early famous users of the Minimax were King Edward VII (for use in his motor car) and the Czar of Russia (for his yacht). High profile places that used them were Westminster Abbey, Oxford and Cambridge universities, Windsor Castle and the Siberian Railway.
Alongside Minimax another company, SHF, "Selbsttätige Feuerlöschanlagengesellschaft", was established in 1929 in Hamburg to install sprinkler and CO2 systems. In 1966 SHF moved to Bad Oldesloe. In 1968 a new research centre was opened on the site.
Post WWII saw the company re-establish itself in West Germany and continue its growth.
In 1953 a new factory was built in Bad Urach near Stuttgart to make fire extinguishers and systems for fire-fighting vehicles. This site is still in use today as the Minimax Mobile Services headquarters.
Minimax was purchased by the Pyrene company in 1955 and 1969 saw the merging of Minimax with SFH as part of the Preussag group of companies. The Spanish fire protection installation company Pefipresa joined this group in 1969 while Portugal Pefipresa joined the group in 1982. Today the SFH site in Germany is the headquarters of the Minimax Viking Group.
1991 saw a rebranding from the use of the name SHF to Minimax.
The Minimax extinguisher worked on the principal that when a glass vial containing hydrochloric acid held inside the extinguisher was broken this mixed with the main filling of sodium hydrogen carbonate salt solution to release carbon dioxide. This gas caused an increase in pressure that then forced the filling out of the extinguisher through a nozzle that could be directed at the fire. Because it was easy to use and could be kept for a long time until needed the extinguisher became very popular and sold worldwide.
Key dates for the company are:
To illustrate this article we have used a selection of Minimax adverts from the period 1949 to 1955 that illustrate the unchanged design after 50 years of use and extol this within the advertising copy.
I hope you have enjoyed this journey through Minimax’s history from their humble beginnings in Germany to the industry leading, global brand that they are today.
Thanks, Richard
