Von Duprin Celebrates a Century of Service

Indianapolis-based Von Duprin, a division of Ingersoll-Rand Security Technologies in Montvale, N.J., is celebrating its centennial year throughout 2008.

The door hardware manufacturer, which has been a part of Ingersoll-Rand since the 1970s, will revive a tradition of bringing its guests to the Indianapolis 500 as part of a three-day event at the end of May. For employees, the company is hosting an open house later in the year in a "grander style" than has been done in the past, says Don Baker, general manager of Von Duprin.

"It's always fun to see where mom or dad or grandma or grandpa work, and we try to run a few demonstrations and things like that," he says.

In addition, the company aims to expand its presence in the community, and is hoping to coordinate with the governor and mayor to visit and speak on this occasion.

There's more coming up for this company than celebrations, though. The company is working to improve its current offerings and provide new products.

"I think we're always looking for ways to advance the life safety and security of buildings and I would say that as we move forward-and a lot of this is related to the fact that there is more consolidation in our industry-that we're much more solution oriented," Baker says. "We're really focused on how do we make that opening perform or do something that is needed for the customer to help better meet the customer needs today."

As far as what's coming in the years ahead, Baker notes that the company is focusing not just on safety-which has been the foundation of the company since it introduced the first panic release bar in 1908-but on security as well.

"Obviously in the post-9/11 era there's a lot of concern about security and so many times people think it's a little bit of a dichotomy to have a exit device which is safe in a place where you really do need security," he says. "So a lot of the product changes and directions in which we move are really toward giving people that same or greater level of safety but also a greater level of security too."

CLICK HERE to read the company's announcement of its anniversary.

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