History

From Basement Invention to Global Innovation in Fire Protection Engineering

It started with one idea - and some much-needed funding from mom. In 1976, 30-year-old Werner Wagner started his fire protection engineering firm from the basement of his childhood home in Germany. In 1982, the company secured a million dollar order to develop an outdoor lighting, video monitoring and detection system at a nuclear interim storage facility. It was WAGNER’s first big deal - and even at that early stage, it was the company’s unique approach to delivering fire protection systems - addressing fires before they even started - that sealed the deal.

That deal exceeded WAGNER’s expectations - and Werner Wagner has been determined to exceed his customers’ expectations ever since. Today, WAGNER’s unique fire protection systems have been installed for thousands of clients around the world. With more than 700 employees, annual revenues exceeding $112 million, dozens of global offices, in-house R&D and engineering and more - WAGNER continues to innovate every step of the way.

Key Milestones

2016 WAGNER’s 40 Year Anniversary

  • Werner Wagner recognized by The Association of Family Entrepreneurs and the Association of Young Entrepreneurs as Family Business Owner of the Year

2014-2015: US & Canada Expansion

    • New clients such as Preferred Freezer Services - the largest high-bay warehouse in the US - and a leading cold storage storage facility in Canada rely on WAGNER to protect their frozen goods from fire risks with OxyReduct®

    2011-2013: Innovations & Awards

      • TITANUS MULTI.SENS® wins the German Data Centre Award in “Safety and Security” - the second time WAGNER has won this award
      • Préventica Innovation Prize for OxyReduct® Compact
      • GIT Safety Award for WAGNER’s VPSA technology, which has been shown to cut energy costs by up to 80 percent

      2009: WAGNER in Space

        • The International Space Station uses a TITANUS MICRO·SENS® air sampling smoke detector to protect its cutting-edge, highly sensitive laboratory and measuring instruments.

        2006: Protecting Moscow’s Famous Bolshoi

        • OxyReduct® is installed at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia to protect valuable set designs, costumes and musical instruments.

        2004: OxyReduct Is Official!

          • OxyReduct® gaseous fire suppression technology is awarded VdS (Organization of Property Insurers) certification, enabling WAGNER to officially bring the product to market.

          2000: Subsidiaries Across Europe

          • WAGNER founds its first subsidiary in Austria. Additional subsidiaries will be added in the Netherlands, Great Britain, Poland, Russia, and Switzerland between 2000 and 2015.

          1998: First Railway Project

            • WAGNER’s first fire protection project involving railway vehicles launches in Bayern, followed by profile projects with  the Munich Underground, the Algo High Speed Train in Saudi Arabia and the Stadler Aeroexpress in Moscow.
            • WAGNER starts the development of a technology that meticulously controls oxygen levels in protected areas - stopping fires before they ever start. WAGNER calls it OxyReduct®, and a star is born.

            1997: Smoke Detector Innovation

            • For the first time, WAGNER develops and constructs its own measurement chambers for its new series of air sampling smoke detectors.

            1996: The Next Generation Joins

            • Werner’s son Torsten Wagner joins the business, as the company moves to a larger office in Langenhagen, Germany to accommodate its rapid growth

            1994: First To Market: Proprietary Extinguishing Technology

            • German Association of Property Insurers certifies WAGNER as the first provider in Germany to offer nitrogen as a natural, inert extinguishing agent.

            1986: First Aspirating Smoke Detector (ASD)

            • WAGNER unveils its very early smoke detection apparatus at Security, Germany’s leading industry trade show for security and fire protection

            1985: Protecting Germany’s Largest Data Center

            • After a fire breaks out at one of Germany’s largest data centers, WAGNER develops a unit that can detect a fire in any individual piece of IT equipment, anywhere in the center.

            1982-1984: First Large Scale Order

            • WAGNER secures a million dollar order to develop an outdoor lighting, video monitoring, and detection system at a nuclear interim storage facility in Germany.

            1976: WAGNER Established

            • At age 30, Werner Wagner launches his engineering office from the basement of his childhood home.