Jos. Hansen & Soehne GmbH was founded in 1919 as a trading company in Hamburg, Germany. The company began trading all kinds of products in Europe but soon concentrated its activities on Africa and the Arabian territories. Consequently, the first subsidiary was established in Yemen in 1934. At the beginning of the 50s, Jos. Hansen started to focus more on the export of sophisticated goods such as machine tools, water pumps, pharmaceutical products, laboratory equipment and German cars. The huge success of this new focus resulted in an extensive network of local companies in Africa, Middle-East and Southeast Asia. These local offices increased the sales activities and guaranteed customer satisfaction, after-sales service and the supply of spare parts.

The positive development in the local markets and the expansion of trade relations resulted in joint ventures with local production companies. Textile and other industrial factories were integrated into the Jos. Hansen company network. With these increasing business relations, Jos. Hansen no longer only delivered products. The company was also more and more involved in commissioning and financing whole projects. During this time, the need for potable water in Africa and the Middle-East also persuaded Jos. Hansen to develop engineering expertise. This allowed them to work as a contractor for water supply and sewage projects for cities and municipalities. Together with the wholly owned civil construction subsidiary JR International Bau GmbH, more than 200 capital water projects have been successfully commissioned and completed in the last 40 years.

The investment in Jos. Hansen of the Saudi Arabian Amiantit Group, a leading international water technology and pipe manufacturing company, is of great importance and has strengthened the efforts of Jos. Hansen, especially in the water business.

Jos. Hansen’s current product range concentrates on areas which are particularly important for the development of economic and social infrastructure, such as water, agriculture, infrastructure, industry, research, education and health.

In the area of social infrastructure, Jos. Hansen specialises in the supply of laboratory equipment for research and testing, educational training and diagnostic equipment for the health sector.

In the water sector, a dedicated and well-qualified staff provides clients with a professional service that covers almost every need, from pipes to solutions for complete pipe systems, as well as plants for water, sewer, hydro-power and industrial applications.

Finding pragmatic solutions in difficult environments is Jos. Hansen’ strength, whether it is establishing laboratories for universities, or constructing a municipal water supply. With a dedicated and well-qualified staff of more than 250 employees worldwide, its extensive knowledge of many products and its competitively priced procurement sources all over the world make Jos. Hansen an experienced and reliable partner for all clients.