Merten
Merten is a German manufacturer and brand of electrical installation products, building controls, and smart-home systems that is part of Schneider Electric.
Last updated September 25, 2026
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Overview
Merten is a German electrical-installation and building-technology company and brand headquartered in Wiehl. Founded in 1906 by brothers Ernst, August, and Emil Merten as Gebrüder Merten in Windhagen, the company began by making electrical installation components. It subsequently expanded into plugs and connectors, and over the decades broadened its range to cover more building-installation, electrical, safety, and control products. Merten has been part of the French group Schneider Electric since June 2006. The brand’s portfolio serves building installation and includes surface-mounted and flush-mounted switches, sockets and other connection devices, system electronics, network technology, lighting controls such as dimmers, blind controls, security electronics, KNX/EIB systems, cooker connection boxes, and building communication products. Its systems also include radio-based products and sensors such as motion and presence detectors and twilight switches. The company moved into smart-home products and increasingly automated and intelligent control systems in the early 2000s. Merten has an established manufacturing and sales presence in Germany and internationally. The supplied company description reports 43 branches and representatives worldwide and seven sales branches in Germany; it also identifies production sites in Wiehl-Bomig and Sondershausen. Schneider Electric opened an innovation centre at the Wiehl site in 2023 for use as a training centre and showroom for electrical trades. The available evidence identifies Merten as part of Schneider Electric but does not specify its current executive leadership or provide a current financial or employment profile.
History
Merten began in 1906, when brothers Ernst, August, and Emil Merten founded Gebrüder Merten in Windhagen. The firm initially produced electrical installation components. In 1926, it added the manufacture of plugs and connectors, extending its activity beyond its initial installation parts. The company continued to expand its production capacity and product range over the following decades. From the 1960s it sold additional electrical components, including sockets. From the 1980s it added safety products, including motion detectors. In the early 2000s, it entered the smart-home field and increasingly developed automated and intelligent control systems. The company’s product areas also include switching and connection devices, system electronics, network technology, KNX/EIB products, sensors, and building communication. The source notes that Merten holds numerous patents, without specifying their number or subject matter. A historical account in the supplied source states that 110 people worked at Merten at the end of the Second World War, and that many were presumably forced labourers. This is reported as a qualified historical statement in that source; it does not give further detail. The company later operated production facilities in Wiehl-Bomig and Sondershausen, and operated a facility in Drolshagen until 2013. Merten became part of the French Schneider Electric group in June 2006. The supplied company description reports an international network of 43 branches and representatives and seven sales branches in Germany. It also gives historical 2021 figures of approximately €118 million in revenue and 485 employees, with the employee figure attributed to the company. These are dated figures rather than current performance data. In 2023, Schneider Electric opened an innovation centre at the Merten site in Wiehl. The facility serves as a training centre and showroom for electrical trades. This development reflects the site’s continuing role within Schneider Electric’s building-installation and control activities. The available evidence does not provide further dated details about current leadership, later acquisitions, or the precise structure of the Merten legal entity within the wider group.
- 2023
Innovation centre opens in Wiehl
[1] - 2013
Drolshagen plant ceases operation
[1] - 2006
Joins Schneider Electric
[1] - 2000
Entry into smart-home and automated controls
[1] - 1980
Expansion into safety products
[1] - 1960
Broader electrical-component range
[1] - 1926
Expansion into plugs and connectors
[1] - 1906
Gebrüder Merten founded in Windhagen
[1]
Products and positioning
A building-installation and building-control brand within Schneider Electric, spanning conventional electrical installation products, safety electronics, and smart or automated systems.
Switches and sockets
Surface-mounted and flush-mounted switches and sockets for building installation.
System electronics and controls
Includes radio systems, blind controls, dimmer systems, and network technology.
Safety electronics
Includes motion detectors, twilight switches, and presence detectors.
KNX/EIB systems
Building-control systems identified among the company’s product areas.
Other building-installation products
Includes cooker connection boxes, connection devices, and building communication products.
Controversies
Brand decisions
2006
Integration into Schneider ElectricOther
Sources2 sources
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