Hirschmann SKS

The foundation for the company was laid by engineer Richard Hirschmann (1894–1974) in 1924 with the invention of the banana plug. From 1933, the Esslingen-based company produced indoor antennas for radio reception, followed by car antennas in 1939 and FM and television antennas in 1951. The Neckartenzlingen plant, which later became the company's headquarters, was opened in 1956. With the production of television converters, the company expanded into the broadcasting market in 1964, alongside its existing focus on receiving technology. During the 1960s and 70s, branches were established in Austria, France, South Africa, the Netherlands, Spain, the USA, and Kuwait. Founder Richard Hirschmann was socially engaged and initiated the construction of an ice rink in Esslingen and a sports hall in Neckartenzlingen. He was a co-founder and senator of the Esslingen Technical Academy and an honorary senator of the University of Stuttgart. The Richard Hirschmann Foundation, which he established in 1969, continues to support young talent in communications and high-frequency technology. In his honor, Ottilienstrasse in Esslingen was renamed Richard-Hirschmann-Strasse in 1974. The twenty-fifth millionth television antenna was sold in 1984, and in 1985 Hirschmann began producing satellite dishes. From 1995 onward, the company manufactured transmitting and receiving technology for the digital transmission standards DVB and DAB.

In 1997, Hirschmann was acquired by Rheinmetall, which sold the company in 2004 to the British private equity investor Hg Capital. Hg Capital then divided Hirschmann into three companies: Hirschmann Multimedia Electronics (HME), Hirschmann Automation and Control (HAC), and Hirschmann Car Communication (HCC). A massive reduction in staff followed: While Hirschmann still had around 3,500 employees worldwide in 1995, this number had fallen to approximately 1,600 by 2005. HME, which encompassed the core business of antenna technology, was sold in August 2005 to the Danish company Triax, which continued to operate Hirschmann in Germany for more than 10 years. Identical devices were subsequently sold under both the Hirschmann and Triax brands. By 2018, the Hirschmann brand was only present in a few markets (e.g., the Netherlands). HAC was acquired by the US company Belden in February 2007, and HCC was bought out by its four managing directors in April 2007 and subsequently acquired by Voxx International in February 2012. The Hirschmann Test & Measurement product line and brand, which today includes banana plugs in addition to other products in the field of test leads and accessories, was sold to SKS Kontakttechnik GmbH in 2006.