Dehon Group
History of the Dehon Group
The very first company in Europe to specialise in the distribution of chemical products was established in 1874 by Joseph Peintre in Belgium. The company, “Établissements Joseph Peintre”, went on to become the first to import a new gas into Europe in 1935 called Dichlorodifuouromethant (R-12) under the new leadership of Mr O Dehon. His three sons have continued his work and the family business remains prosperous up to this day.
In 1941 Établissement Joseph Peintre set up operations in France too, and after the second World War the concept of controlled temperature became fundamental and part of the development of the refrigeration industry. The commercial, industrial and domestic refrigeration market took off and saw the introduction of deep-freezing, freeze-drying, air conditioning and climatic engineering with new molecules being developed to support the broadening of applications.
In 1952, the group’s first refrigerant packaging station was built in France and a second in 1959. This was necessary to support major users such as the Navy. The creation of depots located in strategic towns enabled Dehon to offer a 24-hour service.
The change from CFCs to HCFCs could have had considerable economic impact for the group, however with a strategy of continual innovation and development, the Dehon Group created new products, such as heat transfer fluids and also expanded its export subsidiaries in 1990.
In 2006, the Dehon Group created the Climalife brand, centralising its refrigeration, air conditioning and heating activities, and offering its products and services worldwide using a vast international distribution network. Today, the organisation employs over 600 staff worldwide with revenues in excess of €185 million.
In 2012, IDS Refrigeration in the UK also adopted Climalife brand. Its now 20 strong team; working closely with its European colleagues, support businesses throughout the UK with their technical expertise, product knowledge and tailored solutions across the fields of air conditioning, refrigeration, water treatment and renewable energy.
Climalife UK continues to benefit from being part of this worldwide leader in chemical expertise and distribution.