在超过200年跌宕起伏的历史中，共有6代企业家将其智慧、精力与勇气投入到企业的不断发展与创新过程中。JDT亦经历了从初期家庭手工式作坊到工业化生产方式的成功转变。

约翰-迪特里希•泰勒

公司的创始人，约翰-迪特里希•泰勒（Johann-Dietrich Theile） 先生，1793年出生于Letmathe 地区 Oestrich的一个农民家庭。早期，他学习掌握了手工锻造链条的技术，但企业家独立的精神使他并不满足于在家庭作坊中工作下去，而是寻找自主创业的可能性。在寻找水力资源，这一自然界既存且廉价的能源时，他来到了位于Schwerte地区名为Villigst的村子，在这里他找到了由Elsebach河带来的充足水力资源。在这里泰勒先生于1819年竖立起了一座水车已经相应的链轮，用以对链条进行抛光处理。仓库及储藏室也陆续建立起来。这位创始人充沛的精力以及他勤奋的工作使公司不久便闻名于世。

当约翰-迪特里希•泰勒先生1873年与世长辞时，留给他儿子弗里茨的已经是一个声誉良好并且客户群稳定的成熟公司。

创始人的孙子，也就是弗里茨•泰勒先生，已经开始对船舶链条进行工厂化式的生产并且奠定了今天链条厂的基础。遗憾的是他子嗣当中并无男性，无法再继承家族的姓氏，泰勒这个名字也就随着他在1919年去世时在公司中消失了。

威廉姆 希汀

今天工厂中所使用的最现代化的生产方式的真正奠基人是泰勒家族第三代人的女婿，威廉姆 希汀（Wilhelm Hidding）先生，作为公司新一代的领导者，他展现出了企业家开拓进取的勇气与智慧, 为企业带来了生产技术发展方面的巨大进步，也为企业其他方面带来了明显的变化。

在他的领导下所有过时的生产方式被停用，随之引入的是大量现代化的生产模式。正是威廉姆 希汀先生为企业引入了工厂化生产模式用以制造沉重的船用锚链，也正是他，按照最先进的生产方式为工厂建立起了当时最好的焊接及热处理生产工艺流程。在他的引领下，J.D.Theile.公司主要参与到了煤矿机械化的改进过程中。
当他于1959年去世的时候，将自己毕生的心血与成就--全欧洲最现代化的链条生产工厂--留给了他的儿子尤根•希汀（Jürgen Hidding）。尤根•希汀先生在上世纪80年代初期的时候必须克服当时德国范围内普遍存在的煤炭行业的危机。他很早就意识到，只在德国煤炭行业范围内进行销售已无法使企业继续生存。因此，他将自己的主要工作目标定位于开拓世界范围内的潜在市场。从此开始，JDT公司成为既生产煤炭行业产品又提供工业吊装产品的领军企业之一。

今天，他的儿子 简-迪尔克•希汀（Jan-Dirk Hidding）继承了企业创始人的理念，继续领导着企业不断前进。他将工作重心放在了设备更新及生产自动化上，为企业未来发展方向指明了道路。开拓新的产品领域及新的市场同样是他的重要任务。

As a company that is proud to offer products that are Made-in-Germany, we at JDT have been passionately offering top quality products, innovation, performance, availability and customer-oriented service in all areas since 1819. For nearly two hundred years, JDT has been improving production inventions – always to the customer’s benefit. Today, with around 200 qualified staff, JDT is a leading global manufacturer of complete chain systems and accessories for mining and industry, as well as system integrator of robots in the field of industrial automation. Almost 200 years of expertise related to materials and production is the foundation for the quality behind JDT’s products. Even in the future, we will employ all of our expertise, experience and skill in the service of our customers.

History

6 generations of entrepreneurs invested all their power and daring in this plant in 200 years of ever-changing ups and downs.

J.D. Theile, the company, has also followed the path from cottage industry to factory operation.

Johann-Dietrich Theile

The founder, Johann-Dietrich Theile, a farmer’s son, was born in 1793 in Oestrich near Letmathe. He learned the trade of chain-making. His entrepreneurial spirit, however, was not satisfied with working in the home smithy, but rather desired independence. In search of water power, i.e.  a naturally existing source of energy,  he came to the small village of Villigst near Schwerte, where he located this water power in the Elsebach brook. This is where, in the year 1819, Johann-Dietrich Theile had a waterwheel and the corresponding chain wheel for polishing chains constructed. Warehouses and storerooms followed. The energy and diligence of the founder soon made the company renowned throughout the world.

When Johann-Dietrich Theile died in 1873 he was able to leave his son Fritz a company which had an excellent reputation and a stable customer base.

The founder’s grandson, also called Fritz Theile, began the factory production of ship chains and thus created the foundation of today’s chain factory. He was unfortunately not blessed with a male heir and so the name Theile died out in the company with his death in the year 1919.

Wilhelm Hidding

The actual technical development up to the most cutting-edge manufacturing processes of today was initiated by Wilhelm Hidding, son-in-law of the last bearer of the name Theile. In him, the owner of the company, there was to be found a personality which matched the vitality and entrepreneurial daring of the founder.

Under his aegis the discontinuation of out-dated manufacturing processes and introduction of new methods loomed continually. It was hence Wilhelm Hidding who introduced the factory manufacture of heavy stud link anchor chains, and it was also he who built up the production, in line with the latest technical perspectives of welding and tempering processes.  Under his leadership J. D. Theile was particularly authoritatively involved in the mechanization of mining. When he died in the year 1959 he bequeathed to his son, Jürgen Hidding, a life’s work in the form of one of Europe’s most modern chain factories. Jürgen Hidding then needed to tackle the mining crisis of the 80s. He realized early on that the company would not be able to survive on German mining alone and hence considered his main task to be entering the global market. In this respect JDT has in the meantime become one of the leading suppliers both in mining and in the industrial field.

Today his son, Jan-Dirk Hidding, manages the company with the same conviction as its founder. His focus areas consist of modernizing the plants and automating production processes, thus giving the company a future-oriented direction. For him the opening up of new product areas and markets is definitively in the foreground.