How it all Began

1910

Albert took the then magnanimous step of granting a fortnights annual leave to all employees.

1912

A pension scheme was available for employees with 20 years service.

Later a staff canteen was provided where Boehringer Ingelheim employees enjoyed a free meal each day – a particularly valuable benefit when food became scarce in 1917.

1939

Testing purity of lactic acid

Product packaging in 1947

Albert died and the business was taken over by his two sons Albert and Ernst and his son – in law Julius Liebrecht. Research and development continued throughout the second World War but the production of organic acids was discontinued temporarily.

1955

The general income boom resulted in a dramatic increase in the workforce. New and highly effective drugs were pillars of Boehringer Ingelheim’s research programs: agents for the treatment of respiratory, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases.

At the same time subsidiaries in other European countries including the UK and Ireland were established. The company also began to build up sites beyond Europe.

1950’s – 1980’s

From the 1950’s to the late 1980’s Boehringer Ingelheim enjoyed untroubled growth and launched several important and innovative products principally in the areas of Respiratory and Cardiovascular medicine. However in the late 1980’s the world healthcare changed abruptly because of the relentless rise in costs and health budgets.

In response to this the company revitalised the business and a vision for the future was defined with a leadership style that would be necessary to achieve it. In recent years Boehringer Ingelheim has enjoyed a record of success that has built on the foundations of a global business that has developed over 124 years.