J. Diederich Neuhaus

29.1.1925 – 9.7.2010

In 1952 Max Neuhaus son J. Diederich Neuhaus entered the company as a young engineer after having gained his initial work experiences in other companies. J. Diederich Neuhaus had the idea to replace the manual operation of JDN hoists by an air driven motor.

This was a most welcome innovation for the main consumer of our hoists, the underground mining industry. These new air driven hoists enabled lifting operations to be carried out with less effort, in reduced time and more safely. For J. Diederich Neuhaus this was the beginning of an enormous economic upswing. In the same manner J. Diederich Neuhaus recognised that his products could also be used in a variety of other industries worldwide. Consequently in the early sixties JDN developed the first air driven hoists for general industrial applications JDN Hoists of the “PROFI” series.

These hoist units are used in areas where there is a danger of explosion, hostile conditions or where loads have to be moved very sensitively. For the shipbuilding industry we designed a “PROFI” with a carrying capacity of 100 tons.

The leading manufacturer of air hoists

Due to the commitment of J. Diederich Neuhaus the company grew to become one of the worldwide leading manufacturers of compressed air driven hoists. Particular attention was paid to the firm´s culture and J. Diederich Neuhaus built a Hoist Museum where the development from the lever of the Stone Age to the modern air hoist can be seen. Not only visitors from allied industries but also members of the public can learn how traditional skills were used to manufacture various kinds of winches and hoists for diversified applications.

This commitment to the care of tradition was specially honoured in 1975 during the Federal competition “Industrie in der Landschaft” (industry in the landscape) and J.D. Neuhaus was awarded a Gold Medal.

In February 2000 J. Diederich Neuhaus was awarded by the President the “Verdienstkreuz am Bande des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutschland” (Order of Merit on Ribbon of the Distinguished Order of the Federal Republic of Germany) for his merits as an entrepreneur and for his social and cultural commitment. At the same time he also received the Silberne Ehrennadel (Silver Needle of Honour) from his home town Witten.