Brief history Losberger GmbH
Friedrich Losberger registered his company, then named ‘Friedrich Losberger Sackhandlung’, in Heilbronn, Baden-Württemberg, in the southern part of Germany. The company was renamed to ‘Fabrik für Planen und Wagendecken’ in 1925. He built his first tent for a travelling circus, to serve as a stable for the animals.
During the Second World War, Friedrich Losberger’s factory was destroyed. In 1947/48, he rebuilt it at a new location in Heilbronn. From then on, he focused solely on the production of temporary structures.
In 1974, the company launched the first aluminium tent construction based on a modular principle. In the early nineteen eighties, Losberger further expanded its modular product range. De Boer was one of the first large scale companies to place an order for these new tent systems.
In the decades that followed, Losberger expanded to other countries and continued to launch new products. During this time, the company made several acquisitions, including the assets of Walter S.A., EuroHallen GmbH and Gradinger.
In 2011, H.I.G. Europe acquired a majority stake in Losberger. Friedrich Losberger, grandson of founder Friedrich Losberger sr. and CEO since 1994, left the company.
Brief history De Boer Structures BV
De Boer was founded in 1924 in the rural town of Hensbroek, the Netherlands, by Klaas de Boer, who owned a local bar and a grocery shop. For the annual village festival, Klaas de Boer devised a sheltered cafe using poles and tarpaulin. Shortly after, he was asked to serve at more festivals, and he bought a second-hand Italian circus tent to provide a better accommodation.
During the 1930s, his son Jan de Boer joined the business and a sowing machine was bought to produce their own tents.
In the 1950s, De Boer introduced wooden halls, a major advancement at the time. In 1963, Klaas de Boer died, and his son, Jan de Boer, took over. In the decades that followed, Jan's five sons started taking part in the company as well, and new offices were opened in surrounding countries.
De Boer started building temporary and quick-to-build structures for event and hospitality accommodations, temporary storage facilities, warehousing, short-term office and retail facilities and emergency accommodation, supermarkets and airport baggage handling. A large part of their product portfolio was manufactured by Losberger.
In 2002, the family sold the majority of its company shares to 3i. In 2005, NPM Capital, part of SHV Holdings, became the major shareholder as the de Boer family sold its last remaining shares and 3i sold its shares as well.
